2023 MLB Mock Draft: Breaking Down Top Prospects and Predictions
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals appear to have easy decisions at the top of the 2023 MLB draft.
The LSU Tigers pair of Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews are widely regarded as the top two prospects in the draft class.
Pittsburgh is expected to choose between one of the LSU players and Washington should take whichever one is not the No. 1 overall pick.
Any other prospect going at No. 1 or No. 2 would come as a surprise, but that does not mean the teams selecting at No. 3 and beyond will not get high-quality prospects.
The Detroit Tigers will likely choose between Florida Gators outfielder Wyatt Langford, who impressed at the College World Series against Skenes and Crews, and a few of the top high-school players in the United States.
The high chance of three top collegiate players landing in the first three picks could mean we see them in the majors sooner rather than later.
Skenes skyrocketed up the 2023 draft board with a record-breaking strikeout season at LSU.
The right-hander hurler displayed dominant stuff throughout SEC play and into the NCAA tournament and College World Series.
ESPN.com's Kiley McDaniel projected Skenes would be Pittsburgh's No. 1 overall pick, while MLB.com's Jim Callis has the pitcher landing with Washington at No. 2.
Skenes will either land with Pittsburgh or Washington. There does not seem to be much potential for him to drop to Detroit or beyond.
The Nationals and Pirates have three combined pitchers on MLB.com's Top 100 prospect list
Most of Pittsburgh's top farmhands are position players, like Henry Davis, who was recently called up after two years in the minors.
Washington has two right-handed pitchers in its top 10 prospect pool and it has Josiah Gray in the majors as an anchor for the pitching staff.
Skenes' development in college makes it easier for him to carve a path to the majors within the next year.
The LSU product threw over 100 pitches twice at the College World Series, and his arm may be rested to finish 2023 so that he can fly through the minors in 2024.
If he continues on his current trajectory, he could make his debut next season for one of the two rotations that could use a young star.
Prediction: No. 1 overall
Crews is the No. 1 overall pick in Callis' latest mock draft.
The MLB.com expert outlined what the negotiation process may look like for Crews at No. 1.
"There are rumors that Crews wants $10 million, which would be doable because the No. 1 choice comes with an assigned value of $9,721,000 and the Pirates have the largest bonus pool at $16,185,700," Callis wrote.
If Pittsburgh does not go for Crews, the Nationals will be there waiting for him at No. 2, where McDaniel mocked the LSU outfielder.
"I believe the Nationals' draft board is Crews, then Skenes -- with no one else even being considered -- so this will be an easy call," McDaniel said.
The Pirates or Nationals will get an outfielder who could be ready to hit the majors next season, unlike the top picks in the 2022 MLB draft who came out of high school and need two or three years to develop.
Pittsburgh could put Crews on the same track to the majors as Davis, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2021.
Davis, Spencer Torkelson and Adley Rutschman all skyrocketed through the minors as No. 1 picks out of college in recent years, so we should expect a similar trajectory for Crews wherever he lands.
Prediction: No. 2 Overall
Langford is the best non-LSU prospect in the draft class.
The belief across mock drafts is that the Florida outfielder will become a Detroit Tigers player.
The only scenario that could wreck that possibility is if Pittsburgh balks at Crews' contract demands and it takes Langford at No. 1 and then Crews goes to Washington, as McDaniel broke down.
"There's a strong belief that Detroit's new regime wants a college bat, so the real question is: What will it do if Langford goes first and Crews goes second?," McDaniel wrote.
Detroit could go after Virginia catcher Kyle Teel if it wants a college bat with Crews and Langford gone, or it could add Skenes to its deep group of pitching prospects.
If everything goes to plan at No. 1 and No. 2, the Tigers will take Langford and hope that he can provide support for Torkelson in their lineup at some point in 2024.
Prediction: No. 3 Overall
