Liberty pitcher Karson Milbrandt picked by Miami Marlins in third round of MLB Draft

Liberty High School’s Karson Milbrandt was selected by the Miami Marlins at 85th overall in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

The 6-foot-3, right-handed pitcher led Liberty to the a state title as a junior and the Missouri Class 6 finals as a senior, earning the Gatorade Missouri Baseball Player of the Year honor with his 1.66 ERA.

Committed to Vanderbilt, Milbrandt is already on the Commodores’ campus in Nashville but could forgo college and jump straight to the pros. The slot value of the 85th pick is $746,800.

With a fastball reaching up to 96 mph, Milbrandt also throws three secondary pitches: a slider, which is his main breaking pitch, and a developing curveball and changeup.

MLB.com ranked him as the No. 90 prospect in the draft.

As one of the first picks in the third round on Monday, Milbrandt’s decision looms large for Vanderbilt, whose incoming recruiting class already includes draft picks Druw Jones, Dylan Lesko, Brandon Barriera, Noah Schultz and Sal Stewart alone in the first round.