Colby Shelton officially announces return to Florida baseball

The Florida Gators always expected to get shortstop Colby Shelton back for the 2024 season after he fell to the 20th round of the 2024 MLB draft, but his return wasn’t made official until Monday night.

Shelton took to social media to announce his decision, opting to return to Gainesville instead of signing with the Washington Nationals.

The Alabama transfer joined the Orange and Blue last offseason seeking an opportunity at shortstop in the SEC. Kevin O'Sullivan gave him the chance, and Shelton proved himself as one of the conference’s most reliable fielders.

Shelton’s batting average took a significant dip and his strikeout rate got worse during his first year at Florida, but he still hit 20 home runs and ended the year with a .925 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He’ll enter 2024 as one of the most feared bats in the SEC.

Getting Shelton back is a major win for Florida, even if it is an expected move. Options are slim in the infield. Freshman Brendan Lawson and USF transfer Bobby Boser should back up Shelton.

Cade Kurland is back to hold down second base for a third year in a row, but first and third are open with transfers likely to take over.

Securing the same middle infield from last year should help get the new guys up to speed. Pitchers and catchers don’t have to worry about chemistry on pickoffs after having played with each other already.

Of course, this year is about upping draft stock for Shelton. He came into the 2024 MLB draft as a potential Day 1 pick only to be selected as a Hail Mary option in the final round. The Nationals knew he’d be virtually impossible to sign, but they’d be able to do it if one of their early-round picks ended up passing.

It’s clear that Shelton wanted more than teams were willing to spend on him, but that is the right of draft-eligible sophomores, who hold the most leverage in the entire event.

To earn those extra zeroes, Shelton needs to lower his swing and miss and get back to the 1.000 OPS territory. He finished 2023 with a 1.148 while playing in the SEC.

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