Virginia Third Baseman Jake Gelof Signs Deal With Los Angeles Dodgers

UVA's home run king received a signing bonus of $1,334,400 from the Dodgers

Virginia third baseman Jake Gelof signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, receiving a signing bonus of $1,334,400. As the No. 60 overall pick, Gelof was slated to earn a slot value of $1,336,900, but can make that difference of $2,500 as a contingency bonus. 

Gelof joins another former Wahoo in Chris Taylor on the Los Angeles Dodgers as well as two former UVA teammates - Brandon Neeck and Chris Newell - who are currently in the Dodgers' minor league system. 

In just three seasons, Jake Gelof left a lasting mark on the Virginia baseball program, using his powerful swing to lead the Cavaliers to their fifth and sixth appearances in the College World Series. Gelof crushed the school record for career home runs with 48 - 11 more than the previous mark - and broke Brian Buchanan's single-season home run record with 23 long balls this season. He also shattered his own single-season RBI record with 90 runs driven in this season and finished with a program-record 186 career RBI. Gelof played in 161 games in his collegiate career and totaled 159 runs, 189 hits, 48 home runs, 186 RBI, and posted a career .329 batting average. At the end of the 2023 season, Gelof was named an All-ACC First Team selection, a NCBWA Second-Team All-American, a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Second-Team All-American, and a Perfect Game Third-Team All-American. 

Gelof is the third Cavalier to agree to terms with the team who drafted him, joining UVA center fielder Ethan O'Donnell, who signed with the Cincinnati Reds for a $307,500 signing bonus and UVA pitcher Connelly Early, who signed with the Boston Red Sox for $408,500

The only remaining player drafted out of Virginia who hasn't signed is Kyle Teel, who was selected with the No. 14 overall pick by the Boston Red Sox. Teel's slot value as the No. 14 pick is $4,663,100. Each MLB team has until 5pm Eastern on Tuesday, July 25th to agree to terms with its draft selections. 

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