Baseball | December 07, 2023

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Former University of South Carolina Aiken baseball standout Mitch Spence was taken with the first overall pick in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft by the Oakland A's.

"I will be forever grateful for the opportunity that the Yankees gave me to play professional baseball," Spence stated. "I am super excited to begin this new chapter with the Oakland A's and the opportunity to compete at the highest level of professional baseball."
 
"We are thrilled for Mitch being picked first overall in the MLB Rule 5 draft by the Oakland A's," head coach Michael Holder said. "This is a tremendous opportunity for him to continue his path to the major leagues. During his time as a Pacer Mitch was extremely consistent on the field, off the field, and in the classroom. He's continued to show the same consistency during his time in the New York Yankees minor league system. With a new opportunity for the A's we feel his patience, persistence, and consistency will propel him to greatness at the major league level very soon."

Spence, a native of Cary, N.C., was a first-team all-conference performer during his time as a Pacer. He also picked up all-tournament team accolades and was the three-time NCBWA Region Pitcher of the Week during his career. Spence was a two-time PBC all-academic team honoree. 

In 2018, he recorded a complete-game win with a season-high 15 strikeouts against No. 9 Columbus State. In 2019, Spence struck out a career-high 16 batters in the win over Augusta. During his career, he tallied 10 or more strikeouts in a game eight times. He was the 315^th pick of the 2019 MLB draft.

Through three years at USC Aiken, Spence posted a 17-10 record with a 3.83 ERA. He had two saves and 243 strikeouts in 202 innings of work.

During his time in the minors, Spence notched 23 victories with a 4.35 ERA. He has thrown 426.1 innings with 427 strikeouts.