Michigan pitcher Connor O'Halloran goes to Blue Jays in fifth round of MLB Draft

Good day, eh?

Michigan left-hander Connor O'Halloran was selected in the fifth round, 157th overall, by his hometown Toronto Blue Jays during Day 2 of the Major League Baseball Draft on Monday.

O'Halloran was the Big Ten pitcher of the year in 2023, posting a conference-best 1.13 WHIP while striking out 110 in 101.3 innings. He had back-to-back 100-strikeout seasons, a first in Michigan baseball history.

O'Halloran finished his Michigan career 10th in strikeouts, and also was an all-region selection this season, when he posted a 4.11 ERA. Opponents hit just .231 against him, while he walked just 26. He was 8-2 in 2023.

He is the first Wolverine to go in the 2023 MLB Draft, and the first Michigan player drafted in the Tracy Smith era.

Michigan State shortstop Mitch Jebb went in the second round to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, and MSU first baseman Brock Vradenbuerg went in the third round to the Miami Marlins earlier Monday.

MLB.com's scouting department calls O'Hallaron one of the "most-polished" lefties in this year's draft class. He has a slightly above-average fastball, but his plus pitch is his slider. He has a low arm slot, and isn't prone to make many mistake pitches, MLB.com said.

For O'Halloran, 20, there might not have been a better team to pick him than the Blue Jays, given he's a native of Mississauga, Ontario, just outside Toronto. He was a member of the Canadian 18U national team for three years, from 2018-20. His father, Greg, played briefly for the Marlins in 1994.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder's slot value at the pick is $385,000.

Michigan has had 43 players picked in the MLB Draft since the start of the 2013 draft.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tonypaul1984