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Trio of Auburn signees ink professional contracts after MLB draft
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- Trio of Auburn signees ink professional contracts after MLB draft
Auburn baseball has a plethora of talented pieces coming to its roster through high school recruiting. However, three of their top signees are forgoing their college careers and, in turn, will begin their professional careers.
Auburn signees Coleman Borthwick, AJ Rice, and Jace Mataczynski have all agreed to MLB contracts, according to Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline. Each signee was selected within the first seven rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft, with two agreeing to deals that were worth more than the slot value.
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First-round selection Borthwick signed with the San Diego Padres for $3.8 million after being selected No. 21 overall. Borthwick is viewed as a two-way player, but will more than likely be used as a pitcher in the Padres' organization, as his fastball, which tops at 96 miles per hour, is an exciting feature to the Padres front office.
It was unlikely that Borthwick would have stayed with Auburn due to his high draft stock, but he would have been a key fixture in Auburn's rotation that returns Jake Marciano and Andreas Alvarez.
Another pitcher Auburn will miss is AJ Rice, who agreed to a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays after being selected in the 7th round of the MLB draft and No. 203 overall. The right-hander from Jasper, Georgia, signed with Auburn as the No. 4 pitcher from the Peach State and the No. 46 overall pitcher from the 2026 class, according to Perfect Game. However, his fastball velocity has increased by 25 miles per hour over the last six seasons, which caught the eye of several MLB scouts.
Rice's deal with Tampa Bay is for $822,500, which is well over the original slot value of $304,800.
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Finally, infielder Jace Mataczynski landed a deal with the Boston Red Sox for $2 million after being selected No. 96 overall. Mataczynski, the top shortstop from Wisconsin according to Perfect Game, is turning pro, which leaves the door open for Brandon McCraine to return to his spot on the Tiger infield for 2027.
The trio of Borthwick, Rice, and Mataczynski will look to follow the footsteps of Gunner Henderson, Colt Emerson, and Kevin McGonigle, three players who have made their mark in the MLB after forgoing their Auburn careers.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Trio of Auburn signees ink professional contracts after MLB draft
