The first 2023 MLB Mock Draft is out after the Pittsburgh Pirates won the MLB Draft Lottery on Tuesday night.
Now that the inaugural MLB Draft lottery has officially come and gone, the draft order is set in stone.
One thing to keep an eye on in this year’s draft is that there are a ton of college bats and pitchers, the polar opposite of the past two classes that were made up of predominantly high school-level talent.
The Pirates emerged victorious, landing the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming MLB Draft. Here’s how the top-18 picks look after the lottery as well as where the teams ranked in the betting odds before the event.
1. Pirates (T-1)
2. Nationals (T-1)
3. Tigers (6)
4. Rangers (7)
5. Twins (13)
6. Athletics (T-1)
7. Reds (4)
8. Royals (5)
9. Rockies (8)
10. Marlins (9)
11. Angels (10)
12. Diamondbacks (11)
13. Cubs (12)
14. Red Sox (14)
15. White Sox (15)
16. Giants (16)
17. Orioles (17)
18. Brewers (18)
Let’s put together a mock draft now that we know the official drafting order.
MLB Mock Draft No. 10 – Miami Marlins select infielder Brayden Taylor
Brayden Taylor has a unique blend of speed, pop, versatility and patience at the plate to excel regardless of where he ends up.
Over the course of two collegiate seasons with Texas Christian, Taylor drew 104 walks in 117 games while striking out only 86 times. He hit 25 home runs, stole 25 bases and drove in 103 along the way.
On defense, he is said to possess the positional versatility to play anywhere on the diamond. He only played second, third and short in college but he has the speed and agility to play center as well.
No. 9 – Colorado Rockies select outfielder Enrique Bradfield
Bradfield, a Vanderbilt product, will undoubtedly draw comparisons to longtime speedster Juan Pierre, in that he is a speed demon who plays elite defense in the outfield.
Where he will set himself apart from Pierre is the fact that he seems to have discovered some pop in his bat, going from one home run in 2021 to eight in 2022.
Bradfield stole a total of 93 bases in two collegiate seasons, walking more times than striking out and hitting for a combined .327 average. With base stealing becoming easier thanks to the new pitch clock and pickoff rules, the Rockies will be lucky to land him this late in the first round.
No. 8 – Kansas City Royals select pitcher Rhett Lowder
A starter coming out of Wake Forest, Lowder stands at 6’2 and possesses some of the stronger secondary pitches in the whole class paired with a fastball that tops out around 97.
Lowder’s stats are somewhat skewed by a poor performance in his first season in college that saw him put up a 6.12 ERA. 2022 was a much different story, as the righty went 11-3 with a 3.08 ERA and 105 strikeouts against just 26 walks in 99 innings.
The Royals have done well with drafting pitchers in recent years and with an exciting bunch of position players at or near the big league level, the club should continue to pile on the pitching.
No. 7 – Cincinnati Reds select outfielder Wyatt Langford
The Reds got burned by the lottery more than any other team, falling from fourth to seventh thanks to the lottery.
Langford played out his college days for the Florida Gators, where he emerged as one of the biggest power bats in the class.
A catcher-turned-outfielder, Langford hit 26 home runs last season (the most among all SEC hitters) for the Gators, posting a slash line of .356/.447/.719 with an OPS of 1.166 along the way.
His defense has been sharp since converting to the outfield, where he has been an above-average defender at all three spots out on the grass.
No. 6 – Oakland A’s select outfielder Max Clark
Clark, a product of Franklin (Indiana) Community High School, will be the perfect fit for an Oakland A’s team that is nowhere near contention. His young age will undoubtedly require more seasoning in the minors but the A’s can and will provide that.
Clark has received high praise around the industry, labeled as a potential five-tool player that excels in center field.
He routinely has drawn comparisons to Jacoby Ellsbury, which is one heck of a comp. Ellsbury was one of the more dynamic talents in the game when he was healthy, so it will be interesting to see how Clark follows through on that potential as he ages.
No. 5 – Minnesota Twins select outfielder Walker Jenkins
Jenkins, another high school-level talent, has a very similar prospect profile to that of Max Clark but his massive home run potential is what sets him apart from Clark.
Jenkins, hailing from South Brunswick High School in North Carolina, is 6’3″ and 210 pounds of raw power that he pairs nicely with impressive bat speed and above-average speed on the bases.
Another player tabbed as a future five-tool talent, Jenkins has drawn comparisons from scouts to current Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Meadows in his prospect days.
No. 4 – Texas Rangers select infielder Jacob Wilson
The Rangers will be the team that ends up with who I believe will be the best hitter in this year’s MLB Draft class.
A Grand Canyon product, Wilson hit 16 home runs in 106 games across two years, driving in 94 and hitting for an eye-opening .339 average. What sets him apart from others in this class is his insane eye at the plate.
Last season, Wilson walked 25 times in 59 games and struck out just SEVEN times. He drew 42 walks and struck out 26 times over the course of his college career.
On defense, scouts believe he has the tools to play any infield spot or either of the outfield corners. He spent the majority of his time in college split between third and shortstop.
No. 3 – Detroit Tigers select infielder Jacob Gonzalez
After the players who will go first and second overall, Gonzalez is easily the most talented of the bunch.
Spending his college days at Mississippi, Gonzalez is quiet and goes about his business on and off the field. On the field, he was utterly dominant for the Rebels over the course of 132 games.
Now that all is said and done, Gonzalez hit 30 home runs, drove in 107, walked 88 times versus 66 strikeouts and posted a .316 batting average. Any holes in his game (if there are any glaring ones at all) would likely be on defense, where he is primarily a shortstop but is tabbed as a future third baseman by some scouts.
No. 2 – Washington Nationals select pitcher Chase Dollander
Hands down the best pitcher in the class, Dollander is already drawing comparisons to Jacob deGrom, which should speak volumes about the level of talent we’re working with here.
A product of the Tennessee Volunteers, Dollander possesses an upper-90’s fastball with a “plus-plus” slider and a changeup that is “virtually un-hittable for lefties”.
Last season, the powerful righty went 10-0 with a 2.39 ERA, striking out 108 and walking only 13 in just 79 innings.
While he could easily wind up as the first pick in the MLB Draft, this guy just screams Washington Nationals, who have always had a soft spot for starting pitching early on in drafts (see Stephen Strasburg).
No. 1 – Pittsburgh Pirates select outfielder Dylan Crews
This pick is truly a toss-up. It all comes down to whether teams would prefer a top-of-the-rotation starter or a slugger that will be an impact performer in the middle of the club’s everyday lineup in a few years.
For now, the Pirates, the proud owners of the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft, are my projection to go with the latter, who in this case, is LSU slugger Dylan Crews.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but all signs are pointing to Crews being a true five-tool player who can make an impact at the plate, on the bases, and in the outfield.
Over 125 collegiate games, the big-time prospect hit 40 home runs, drove in 114, stole 17 bases and posted a .356 batting average while playing above-average defense in both center field and right field.