2023 MLB Mock Draft: Fourth Edition

 Here is the fourth edition of my 2023 MLB Mock Draft.

1. Pittsburgh Pirates- Paul Skenes, Right Handed Pitcher, LSU: For the first time this draft season, my pick to go first is not Dylan Crews as now I have it being his teammate. Skenes projects to be a top of the rotation starter with an elite fastball that is impossible to hit.

2. Washington Nationals- Dylan Crews, Outfielder, LSU: The Nationals get a steal here with Crews falling down to two. His bat is sensational and hits the ball hard and really has done a good job cleaning up swing and miss concerns that he had in the past.

3. Detroit Tigers- Wyatt Langford, Outfielder, Florida: The Tigers here take the talented outfielder in Langford, who could have been a top overall pick in a different year. Langford has the potential to be a five-tool player with his ability to hit and the approach at the plate he has.

4. Texas Rangers- Walker Jenkins, Outfielder, South Brunswick HS (NC): The first high school player comes off the board here with Jenkins landing with Texas. Jenkins was a faster runner in the past, but since he got more muscle and now so he's just a solid runner and has good arm strength.

5. Minnesota Twins- Rhett Lower, Right Handed Pitcher, Wake Forest: The second pitcher comes off the board here to the Twins in Lower. Lower has a really good delivery and his change up is his best pitch. He is a competitive pitcher and some project him as a mid rotation starter.

6. Oakland Athletics- Kyle Teel, Catcher, Virginia: The first catcher off the board comes here with Teel going to the Athletics, who have a lot of good catchers in their system. Teel has the potential to hit for both average and power and has a chance to stick behind the plate.

7. Cincinnati Reds- Chase Dollander, Right Handed Pitcher, Tennessee: The third pitcher goes off the board here with Dollander going to the Reds. Dollander has the potential to be a front line starter, but his pitch location has been off sans his control and command being good.

8. Kansas City Royals- Brayden Taylor, Third Baseman, TCU: The Royals go with somebody who's stock rose in the Men's College World Series in Taylor. He has good bat-to-ball skills and hits to all fields and plays good defense at the hot corner.

9. Colorado Rockies- Max Clark, Outfielder, Franklin HS (Indiana): The Rockies here get a possible steal here in Clark and if the big three pitchers are off the board here, it would be interesting to see where they go. Clark is a double-plus runner and his speed is big time in the outfield and on the bases and is a line drives hitter.

10. Miami Marlins- Jacob Wilson, Shortstop, Grand Canyon: The Marlins have some options here, but Wilson could be too good to pass up. Wilson could end up one of the better pure hitters of the draft class and he barely strikes out.

11. Los Angeles Angels- Jacob Gonzalez, Shortstop, Ole Miss: The Angels are a team that can use young infield prospects and here I have them taking one in Gonzalez. He has bat-to-ball skills, but below average speed which may concern teams from a position standpoint.

12. Arizona Diamondbacks- Enrique Bradfield Jr, Outfielder, Vanderbilt: The Diamondbacks take the talented outfielder here in Bradfield Jr. He has blazing fast speed and projects to be a contact hitter with not a ton of power.

13. Chicago Cubs- Arjun Nimmala, Shortstop, Strawberry Crest HS (FL): The Cubs can go in any direction they'd like and here I have them taking the shortstop in Nimmala. He has the arm and range to stick at the position and has raw power to drive balls all over the field.

14. Boston Red Sox- Blake Mitchell, Catcher, Sinton HS (TX): The Red Sox take the second catcher off the board here with Mitchell. He is a solid athlete and is an agile defender and can block and receive well with double-plus arm strength. If it doesn't work out behind the plate, the bat can get him to play a different position.

15. Chicago White Sox- Hustron Waldrep, Right Handed Pitcher, Florida: The White Sox need college pitchers in their system and Waldrep would be a nice fit. He has a legit three-pitch power mix with all three pitches with a chance to be good, but his command and control is inconsistent.

16. San Francisco Giants- Walker Martin, Shortstop, Eaton HS (CO): The Giants go off the board here a little and take the shortstop in Martin. He has a good swing with a some power and has done so against elite competition, but he may have to move to third base.

17. Baltimore Orioles- Colin Houck, Shortstop, Parkview HS (GA): The O's are in an interesting spot here as they have a loaded farm system and has a chance to go for it this season, so it makes sense to go best available. Houck has raw power, but does swing and miss at times and is an above average defender that can move to third base down the road.

18. Milwaukee Brewers- Tommy Troy, Shortstop/Second Baseman, Stanford: The Brewers have a solid track record with drafting college players. Troy is someone that is fast rising and he has good bat-to-ball skills and rarely strikes out or chases out of the zone.

19. Tampa Bay Rays- Aidan Miller, Third Baseman, Mitchell HS (FL):  Miller falling down to the Rays would be a steal for an organization with a loaded farm system. He has plus raw power with a lot of strength in the bat and could move to first base down the road if third base doesn't work longterm.

20. Toronto Blue Jays- Chase Davis, Outfielder, Arizona: The Blue Jays take a fast rising player here in Davis, who has George Springer vibes. He would fit in the AL East with his raw power in those ballparks and drives the ball to all fields and has great speed.

21. St. Louis Cardinals- Matt Shaw, Shortstop/Second Baseman, Maryland: The Cardinals love taking college bats in the draft and here they take another one in Shaw. He can play anywhere in the infield defensively with the thought of him ending up at second, but it will be the bat that would get him drafted in the first round.

22. Seattle Mariners- Yohandi Morales, Third Baseman, Miami: The Mariners take a fast rising college bat in Morales. He is an aggressive hitter that drives the ball to all fields and he has a strong arm at the hot corner.

23. Cleveland Guardians- Colt Emerson, Shortstop/Third Baseman, Glenn HS (OH): The Guardians have a solid farm system and they have a history of taking high school position players. Emerson plays both left infield positions and both very well and is an advanced hard contact hitter for a high schooler.

24. Atlanta Braves- Bryce Eldridge, First Baseman/Right Handed Pitcher, Madison HS (Vienna VA): The Braves farm system needs some reinforcements and here I have them taking them take two-way standout in Eldridge. On the mound, he has three above average pitches and decent velocity and at the plate he has serious raw power.

25. San Diego Padres- Dillon Head, Outfielder, Homewood-Flossmoor HS (ILL): The Padres are a team that has some recouping to do in the system after some of their big recent moves. Head has a gap-to-gap approach at the plate, but gets pole happy at times and his speed is electric.

26. New York Yankees- Nolan Schanuel, First Baseman/Outfielder, FAU: The Yankees go with a college bat here with Schanuel. He has an above average approach at the plate with walking a lot and not striking out often with being a good hitter.

27. Philadelphia Phillies- Noble Meyer, Right Handed Pitcher, Jesuit HS (OR): The Phillies do not have a great farm system and here I have taking a solid pitcher in Meyer. His velocity is trending upward overall with good arm speed and has a good feel for the strike zone.

28. Houston Astros- Charlie Soto, Right Handed Pitcher, Reborn Christian Academy (FLA): The Astros take a high school pitcher here with Soto. He checks a lot of boxes teams like such as size, "stuff", and being only 17 come draft day and has a great collection of good pitches.