Top 2023 College MLB Draft Prospects

Notes:

Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 195 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21.4

RapScore: 62 

Crews opted out of the 2020 draft just before it kicked off, but he was ranked as the No. 54 player in the class out of high school thanks to a powerful righthanded bat with a clean path and plenty of bat speed. While Crews struggled with whiffs over the summer showcase circuit, he proved his offensive upside was real as a freshman in the SEC, where he hit .362/.453/.663 while manning mostly right field for the Tigers. Crews’ .460 wOBA was one of the best marks of any freshman in the country and of the 10 players to match that total or surpass it, Crews’ 287 plate appearances were the most. He has the toolset to become a real top-of-the-class draft pick in two years with continued performance.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 245 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21.1

RapScore: 44

Skenes had a breakout season for Air Force and as a two-way player managed one of the most impressive freshmen seasons the program has ever seen. He hit .410/486/.697 with 21 doubles and 11 home runs and on the mound he threw 26.2 innings out of the bullpen with a 2.70 ERA and 30 strikeouts (10.1 K/9) to nine walks (3.0 BB/9). Skenes worked with a three-pitch mix on the mound, headlined by a fastball that sat in the 94-95 mph range, a low-80s slider that generated whiffs at a 47% rate and a changeup in the mid 80s.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 185 | B-T: L-R
Age At Draft: 21.1

RapScore: 44

Gonzalez led Mississippi in six offensive categories this spring—OPS, AVG, H, R, 2B, TB—while also handling the team’s shortstop duties over 67 games. Gonzalez was a prominent prospect out of high school who was also a standout quarterback, but scouts saw an impressive lefthanded hitter who they expected could turn into a high pick with three seasons of production. Year one was certainly impressive, as Gonzalez hit .355/.443/.561 with 12 home runs and more walks (38) than strikeouts (34). Gonzalez has the arm for the left side of the infield, but if he can prove he’s a bonafide shortstop over the next few years, he’ll be a hot commodity.

Notes:

Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 155 | B-T: L-L
Age At Draft: 21.6

RapScore: 43

There was no faster runner in the 2020 high school class than Bradfield, who wasted no time showing his blazing speed at the collegiate level. His 47 steals were the most among any Division I hitter and a .336/.451/.414 batting line coupled with outstanding center field defense were enough for him to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors. Bradfield might not bring much power to the table, but he controls the zone, creates chaos on the bases and locks down a premium defensive position.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 199 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21.8

RapScore: 55

Morales made it to campus at Miami despite ranking as the No. 77 prospect in the 2020 draft class, thanks to plus power potential and a big arm from the left side. He split time at shortstop and third base for Miami during his freshman season, where he hit .284/.343/.531 with 11 home runs and 13 doubles. Morales showed all-fields power as a freshman and still has more strength coming with his 6-foot-3, 199-pound frame.

Notes:

Ht: 6-6 | Wt: 195 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21

RapScore: 48

Witt was a two-way player out of high school, where he ranked as the No, 92 player in the 2020 draft class, but scouts preferred his upside on the mound, where a majority of his playing time came this spring with Texas. Witt’s 28 appearances were tied for sixth among Division I freshmen arms, and he posted a 3.16 ERA over 57 innings while striking out 73 batters (11.5 K/9) and walking 25 (3.9 BB/9). Witt has an impressive spin profile with a three-pitch mix that includes a low-90s fastball, upper-70s curve and low-80s changeup.

Notes:

Ht: 6-6 | Wt: 195 | B-T: L-R
Age At Draft: 21.3

Sanders was a projection righthander in high school with a lanky, 6-foot-6, 195-pound frame and scouts thought with more strength he could become a monster in college. He’s already started adding weight to that frame and now is listed at 6-foot-6, 208 pounds and is coming off of a strong collegiate debut. Sanders posted a 3.54 ERA over 53.1 innings of work as a starter and reliever, with 54 strikeouts (9.1 K/9) and 11 walks (1.9 BB/9). He showed good feel for a three-pitch mix including a fastball that sat 93-95 mph and touched 97, a mid-80s change and low-80s slider.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 191 | B-T: L-L
Age At Draft: 21

RapScore: 36

Morgan’s .412 wOBA was good for third among freshman hitters in the SEC last spring, behind only teammate Dylan Crews and Mississippi shortstop Jacob Gonzalez. He’s an unconventional looking first baseman and could have the athleticism to handle other positions, but Morgan has fantastic hands and instincts at the position and is coming off of a .357/.441/.526 season with six homers, 16 doubles, four triples and 15 stolen bases.

Notes:

Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 210 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 20

Little enrolled early at Vanderbilt and will be one of the younger college players in the 2023 draft class, not turning 20 until July 5, 2023. That makes his collegiate debut last spring all the more impressive, as Little started 11 games for one of the best programs in the country and posted a 5.48 ERA as a 17-year-old. Little used a four-pitch mix with a fastball that averaged 93 mph, a slider, curve and changeup to strike out 49 batters (10.3 K/9) and walk 22 (4.6 BB/9) over 42.2 innings.

Notes:

Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 225 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21.1

RapScore: 48

Wilken was a power-oriented hitter as a prepster and some scouts put 70-grade future power projections on his bat. Those evaluations were prescient, as Wilken was one of the most impressive power bats in the country last spring, leading all true freshmen with 17 home runs and setting a Wake Forest program record for a freshman hitter. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound third baseman hit .279/.365/.617 in the hitter-friendly confines at Wake and was off to a torrid pace this summer in the Cape Cod League with similar power production with a wood bat.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 195 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 20.9

RapScore: 50

Montgomery was the highest-ranked prep player to make it to campus following the 2020 draft (No. 40 on the BA 500) and began the season in the weekend rotation for Florida State as a freshman but struggled to keep his walks in check and eventually moved to a midweek role for the Seminoles. Montgomery posted a 4.50 ERA over 28 innings and eight starts, with 39 strikeouts (12.5 K/9) and 23 walks (7.4 BB/9). He touched 97 mph with his fastball and got plenty of whiffs with both his slider and changeup but will need to improve his control moving forward.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 180 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21.9

Floyd was a highly-ranked arm coming out of high school despite very few innings under his belt with a previous focus on hitting. However, he showed an explosive arm and in his freshman season with Louisiana State, had no issues missing bats. Floyd overwhelmingly pitched off of a low-90s fastball that touched 96 and racked up 39 strikeouts in 24.1 innings (14.4 K/9). His strikeout rate was the fifth best among Division I freshmen who threw at least 20 innings this spring, but he also issued 14 walks (5.2 BB/9) and didn’t use an upper-70s curveball with much frequency, though it did generate a good number of whiffs.

Notes:

Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 212 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21.8

RapScore: 56

Bowser was a power-oriented prep shortstop who scouts anticipated would move to third base at the next level, and he’s coming off a .302/.361/.487 freshman campaign with Stanford where he spent 51 games at the hot corner. However, in contrast to amateur reports that cited Bowser as a better offspeed than fastball hitter, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound slugger was more productive against fastballs than other pitch types this spring. In fact, he hit .400/.456/.600 against pitches 90 mph or harder (a 194-pitch sample, per Synergy) and showed some power to the opposite field, right-center gap.

Notes:

Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 185 | B-T: L-R
Age At Draft: 21.4

RapScore: 47

Teel was one of the most athletic catchers in the 2020 draft class and showed scouts an ability to play all over the diamond in high school. He played half his games in right field and half at catcher for Virginia last spring, while bringing an impressive lefthanded bat to the lineup. Teel managed a .335/.416/.526 line with nine home runs and 11 doubles and has the defensive upside to become a standout receiver behind the plate.

Notes:

Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21.8

RapScore: 50

Reilly’s increased strength and fastball velocity in high school vaulted him up draft boards, but he still made it to campus at Vanderbilt where he split time as a starter and reliever during his 2021 freshman season. Reilly posted a 4.98 ERA over 43.1 innings of work, with 53 strikeouts (11.0 K/9) and 28 walks (5.8 BB/9). He mainly worked off of a three-pitch mix featuring a 92-94 mph fastball, low-80s slider and low-80s changeup.

Notes:

Ht: 5-9 | Wt: 165 | B-T: L-R
Age At Draft: 21.6

Knapczyk took over the shortstop role for Louisville in his freshman season with the club and on top of his impressive defensive ability at the position, held his own with the bat. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound lefthanded hitter posted a .297/.374/.385 slash line with solid strikeout and walk rates, and early during the Cape Cod League has proven to be one of the best pure hitters in the league.

Notes:

Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 180 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21

RapScore: 43

Mooney was a member of the 2021 high school draft class but went unselected and will make it to campus this fall. He’ll be a draft-eligible sophomore and was the third-highest ranked player on the 2021 BA 500 that will make it to campus (assuming top 10 round signings in the 2021 class). Mooney has an all-around toolset that should allow him to impact the game in many ways, with impressive feel for hitting, more in-game power this spring and the athleticism and arm strength to handle shortstop.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 165 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21.5

RapScore: 49

Rosario has always shown a big time arm with a fastball that reached 99 mph this spring and sat in the 93-95 mph range. However, he’s also never missed a ton of bats going back to his prep days and that was the case in his collegiate debut, as he posted a 5.21 ERA over 65.2 innings (11 starts), with 55 strikeouts (7.5 K/9), 28 walks (3.8 BB/9) and more than a hit allowed per inning. There’s plenty of arm talent here, as evidenced by the velocity, but Rosario might need more refinement out of either a mid-80s changeup or a low-80s slider to reach his full potential.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21

RapScore: 42

Baumeister has the talent to be a two-way player for Florida State, but a catcher/pitcher role would certainly take a toll and is rare to see, even in the college game. Baumeister was a top-100 player in the 2021 draft class and will be draft-eligible after two seasons with the Seminoles after going undrafted. His fastball ticked up into the mid 90s during his senior season and he’s shown a curveball with above-average potential and a low-80s changeup that gives him a solid third pitch.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 170 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 21.1

Nichols converted from shortstop to pitching in high school and this spring had a solid season with Arizona, posting a 4.77 ERA over 60.1 innings and splitting time as a starter and reliever. He has a big-time fastball that’s been up to 98 mph and sits in the 93-95 mph range, and pairs that heater with a low-80s slider that got a ton of swing and miss and an infrequently used changeup.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 175 | B-T: L-R
Age At Draft: 21.2

Taylor was a Second Team Freshman All-American after posting a .324/.445/.572 line with Texas Christian, with 12 home runs, 11 doubles and more walks (49) than strikeouts (46). While he primarily handled third base, Taylor got time at second and shortstop and is one of the better performers as a 19-year-old this so far this summer in the Cape Cod League.

Notes:

Ht: 6-6 | Wt: 220 | B-T: L-L
Age At Draft: 21.1

RapScore: 67

Grice showed impressive two-way ability as an amateur and got 80-grade raw power evaluations from scouts as a lefthanded hitter. Skepticism over how much contact he would make helped allow him reach campus at Clemson, where he pitched 10 innings, but stood out as a hitter and posted a .317/.427/.618 slash line with 15 home runs—earning an invitation to the Collegiate National Team. Grice should be one of the bigger power threats in the 2023 class.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 210 | B-T: L-R
Age At Draft: 21.8

RapScore: 56

SEC coaches named Collins to the SEC All-Freshman Team last spring after he hit .283/.382/.487 with eight home runs and a team-best 13 doubles. Collins spent most of his time as a designated hitter and caught just eight games, so figuring out a true defensive home will be important for him over the next two seasons, though his calling card is an advanced lefthanded bat with power that was mostly to right field as a freshman.

Notes:

Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 170 | B-T: L-R
Age At Draft: 20.9

RapScore: 36

Robertson has some similarities to fellow 2023 class member Enrique Bradfield (Vanderbilt). An undersized center fielder, Robertson has a contact-oriented approach and is at least a 70-grade runner who should be able to cover plenty of ground in the outfield and terrorize batteries on the basepaths. He ranked as the No. 92 player in the 2021 draft class but will be a draft-eligible sophomore who could give the Gators an immediate Jud Fabian replacement in center field.

Notes:

Ht: 5-11 | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R
Age At Draft: 20.9

RapScore: 47

Trice was a Second Team Freshman All-American after a standout season where he hit .355/.426/.632 with 14 home runs and 17 doubles. His performance was enough to earn an invitation to the Collegiate National Team this summer and also be named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year.