TROY, Ala. – Troy right-hander Zach Fruit was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the 271st pick of the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft in Monday's ninth round.
Fruit, whose fastball tops out at 99 mph, started the year in Troy's rotation before moving to the bullpen, where he recorded five saves over 14 relief appearances. A Dundee, Mich., native, Fruit averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings in his lone season with the Trojans, a drastic increase from his 8.6 rate in 2022 at Eastern Michigan.
"We are so excited for Zach to be picked in the ninth round by Orioles," Troy head coach Skylar Meade said.