Monday, July 3, 2023

2023 MLB Mock Draft: Third Edition

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

1. Pittsburgh Pirates- Dylan Crews, Outfielder, LSU: It would not be stunning to me if Crews is not the pick here for the Pirates because they may pick his teammate Paul Skenes. Crew's 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.

2. Washington Nationals- Paul Skenes, Right Handed Pitcher, LSU: The second LSU prospect in a row goes here to the Nats, which would be a great selection for them. Skenes projects to be a top of the rotation starter with an elite fastball that is impossible to hit.

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- Max Clark, Outfielder, Franklin HS (Indiana): The Twins have a history of taking highly touted high school outfielders and here I have them going with another one. 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.

6. Oakland Athletics- Brayden Taylor, Third Baseman, TCU: The Athletics 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.

7. Cincinnati Reds- Rhett Lower, Right Handed Pitcher, Wake Forest: The Reds take the second pitcher off the board with the ace of the team that was number one most of the season. 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.

8. Kansas City Royals- Blake Mitchell, Catcher, Sinton HS (TX): The Royals take the first 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.

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

10. Miami Marlins- Jacob Wilson, Shortstop, Grand Canyon: The Marlins have 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 barely strikes out.

11. Los Angeles Angels- Kyle Teel, Catcher, Virginia: The second catcher off the board comes here with Teel going to the Angels. Teel has the potential to hit for both average and power and has a chance to stick behind the plate.

12. Arizona Diamondbacks- Colin Houck, Shortstop, Parkview HS (GA): The Diamondbacks 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.

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- Aidan Miller, Third Baseman, Mitchell HS (FL):  The Red Sox I feel should go with a pitcher, but here I have them going with Miller. 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.

15. Chicago White Sox- Jacob Gonzalez, Shortstop, Ole Miss: The White Sox are one of the teams that feels likely to take a shortstop here. Gonzalez is a fast rising prospect that has bat-to-ball skills, but below average speed which may concern teams from a position standpoint.

16. San Francisco Giants- Enrique Bradfield Jr, Outfielder, Vanderbilt: The Giants are a team that needs some college bats and here I have them getting one in Bradfield. He has blazing fast speed and projects to be a contact hitter with not a ton of power.

17. Baltimore Orioles- Hustron Waldrep, Right Handed Pitcher, Florida: The O's have a strong and deep farm system and here I have taking a solid pitcher in Waldrep. 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.

18. Milwaukee Brewers- Tommy Troy, Shortstop, 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- Noble Meyer, Right Handed Pitcher, Jesuit HS (OR): The Rays have a super strong and deep 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.

20. Toronto Blue Jays- Thomas White, Left Handed Pitcher, Phillips Academy (MA): The Jays are a team that has some prospect recouping to do. White is the top lefty in this class with his good delivery and elite fast ball, but there are concerns with his command.

21. St. Louis Cardinals- Nolan Schanuel, First Baseman/Outfielder, FAU: The Cardinals go with a college bat yet again 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.

22. Seattle Mariners- Matt Shaw, Shortstop, Maryland: The Mariners could go any direction with their pick. Shaw 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.

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-t0-gap approach at the plate, but gets pole happy at times and his speed is electric.

26. New York Yankees- Sammy Stafura, Shortstop, Panas HS (NY): The Yankees here take yet another local high school shortstop in Stafura. He drives the ball to all directions and is a plus runner that can stick at shortstop longterm.

27. Philadelphia Phillies- Chase Davis, Outfielder, Arizona: The Phillies here go with the college bat here in Davis. He has raw power and drives the ball to all fields, has great speed, and he fits the Phillies ballpark very well.

28. Houston Astros- Yohandi Morales, Third Baseman, Miami: The Astros here take the 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.

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