Top 2023 MLB Draft Prospects

Notes:

Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 205 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4

Preseason Report: Crews was a highly-regarded prospect coming out of Lake Mary (Fla.) High, though he ultimately withdrew from the 2020 draft and made his way to Louisiana State, where he immediately became one of the best players in college baseball. Crews set an LSU record with 18 home runs as a freshman, clubbed 22 more as a sophomore and produced an overall line of .356/.458/.677 in his first two seasons. Crews is powerfully-built with a strong, 6-foot, 203-pound frame that supplies him with double-plus raw power. He managed a 108-mph 90th percentile exit velocity mark in 2022 to go with a 74% contact rate. Crews has a solid eye for the strike zone, and chases out of the zone less frequently than he swings and misses overall, with most of his swing-and-miss coming against sliders and changeups. He hammers fastballs, to the tune of a .380/.488/.719 slash line and 86% contact rate in his LSU career, and is equally unfazed by velocity. Crews played right field during the 2021 season before sliding over to center as a sophomore in 2022, and can at least begin his pro career in center with above-average speed and plus arm strength. Most scouts believe he’ll profile as a power-hitting corner outfielder who will hit in the middle of a lineup. He enters the 2023 season as the favorite for the 1-1 pick and might be the best college outfield prospect since Dustin Ackley in 2009.

Notes:

Ht: 6-6 | Wt: 235 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1

Preseason Report: Skenes put together one of the best seasons that Air Force had ever seen in 2021 as a freshman, when he hit .410/.486/.697 with 11 home runs and also posted a 2.70 ERA in 26.2 innings out of the bullpen. He followed that up with another excellent 2022 season on both sides of the ball, and announced a transfer to Louisiana State for the 2023 season. Skenes is one of the most talented two-way college prospects since Brendan McKay in 2017, and is a legitimate pro prospect as both a hitter and a pitcher. Listed at 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, Skenes is an imposing figure on the mound with an athletic delivery and lower, three-quarters slot. In 2022, Skenes pitched in the 93-94 mph range with his fastball and touched 99 mph at peak velocity, with a pair of solid secondaries in a slider and changeup. His slider parks in the mid-80s with three-quarter shape and occasional hard bite, while his changeup is a mid-to-upper-80s pitch with arm-side fading life. Scouts raved about his stuff during the fall with LSU and believe he has a chance for above-average pitches or better across the board with above-average control. Skenes has caught, played first base and played a bit of outfield as a position player, though most of his at-bats have come as a designated hitter. Offensively, he is a power-driven profile with huge raw power and the ability to drive the ball over the fence to all fields. There’s plenty of chase that comes with his power, and he has a career 21% strikeout rate with Air Force, and his size makes him unlikely to stick behind the plate. With a first base only defensive profile most likely, it wouldn’t be surprising for most teams to prefer Skenes’ upside on the mound—where he’s one of the most talented pitchers in the class.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 225 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.7

Preseason Report: Some scouts were intrigued with Langford’s bat out of Trenton (Fla.) High in 2020, but ultimately he wasn’t a highly regarded prospect at the time and made his way to campus at Florida. After pinch-hitting in four games in 2021, Langford stormed college baseball as a sophomore in 2022, where he tied a Gators program record with 26 home runs, led the team in most offensive categories and slashed .356/.447/.719. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound outfielder’s game is centered on his power and hitting ability. Scouts have put 70-grade raw power on his righthanded bat, and his 2022 exit velocity numbers back that up, with a 93.9 mph average and 110.6 mph 90th percentile mark. Langford shows all-fields power in games, and in the SEC has more than handled the fastballs he’s seen, with a .413/.522/.873 line vs. the pitch. He could stand to improve his contact vs. breaking balls on the outer half, and because of that he might be a power-over-hit offensive player in pro ball. A catcher in high school, Langford did serve as Team USA’s emergency catcher in the 2022 summer, but is a prospect as an outfielder. He played left field in 2022 with Jud Fabian handling center, but after showing plus run times during the fall he could give himself a chance to start his pro career in center. Langford stacks up with the best hitters in the class and should be one of the first players selected.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 210 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: North Carolina
Age At Draft: 18.4

Preseason Report: Jenkins entered the 2023 draft cycle as one of the most exciting players in the nation after earning a spot on USA Baseball’s 18U national team as an underclassmen in 2021. He didn’t get to showcase his talents throughout the entire 2022 summer after a hamate injury, but he's a comparable talent to Indiana outfielder Max Clark. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Jenkins has now physicality and easy plus raw power to go with it. He accesses that power with a picturesque lefthanded swing reminiscent of some of the top sluggers in baseball. There’s minimal pre-pitch movement and he fires his barrel through the zone with impressive bat speed after a small and simple leg kick. Jenkins has good pure bat-to-ball skills and zone recognition, giving him a chance to be both a plus pure hitter and potential 30-homer masher who uses the entire field with authority. Jenkins has turned in plus run times and is an above-average runner presently, though he could downgrade to more of an average runner at peak physical maturity. A center fielder now, Jenkins has shown good instincts and route-running ability that could allow him to start his career in the middle of the outfield, with the requisite plus arm strength that would make a right field transition easy. Jenkins has been compared to former Pirates first-rounder Austin Meadows and possesses the best hit/power upside in the prep class. He is a North Carolina commit but has a chance to go among the top 10 picks.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 190 | B-T: L-L
Commit/Drafted: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 18.6

Preseason Report: A high school hitter from Indiana has never been selected among the top 10 picks in the draft, but Clark is well-positioned to become the first thanks to his combination of pure hitting ability, athleticism and big-time supplemental tools. He's one of the best pure hitters in the 2023 class, with a smooth, balanced swing that's quick, compact and comes through the hitting zone with good bat path. He has good strike-zone discipline and hand-eye coordination with the ability to adjust his swing based on the situation and where the ball is pitched, so he seldom swings and misses. Over a 765-pitch sample with Synergy from 2020-2022, Clark missed at just a 13% rate. He has a line drive, hit-first approach and hasn’t yet shown much in the way of game power despite the bat speed and strength projection in a well-proportioned and muscular 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame that could suggest above-average power in the future. Clark’s speed and defense aren’t a question. He routinely turned in double-plus run times during the 2022 showcase season and has the speed to turn infield grounders into singles and line drives in the gaps into doubles. He has impressive instincts in center field to go with plus-plus arm strength, and if he weren’t such a good hitting prospect he’d be an intriguing pitcher in his own right, with mid-90s velocity from the left side. Clark projects for at least four plus tools, has all-star upside and should go in the first 10 picks. He’s a Vanderbilt commit.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.3

Preseason Report: Wilson is the son of 12-year MLB shortstop and all-star Jack Wilson, who joined Grand Canyon’s coaching staff as an assistant prior to the 2023 season. Wilson, like his father, is a talented shortstop who has been first-team All-WAC in each of his first two seasons with Grand Canyon, with a combined .339/.400/.523 slash line and a microscopic 5.4% strikeout rate. That bat-to-ball ability is the headliner of Wilson’s profile, as the 6-foot-3, 190-pound has managed a 91% contact rate in his GCU career. He almost never swings and misses generally, but it’s almost impossible to get him to wave through a fastball, and of the 92+ mph heaters he’s seen Wilson has slashed .410/.467/.528. While Wilson doesn’t project to be a big home run hitter, he did go from four homers in 2021 to 12 in 2022 and with Team USA during the 2022 summer showed surprising pull-side pop with a wood bat. Almost all of his power goes to the pull-side in games, and while he has added around 15 pounds according to his listing at Grand Canyon from 2022 to 2023, he doesn’t project for much more than 15 or so homers per season. Scouts have praised his defensive ability at shortstop, where he has shown middle infield actions and hands, to go with above-average arm strength. He’s a solid runner who hasn’t impacted the game much at all on the bases, but his outlier contact ability and hit tool has him solidly in the top of the first round.

Notes:

Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 192 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.7

Preseason Report: Dollander was an under-the-radar prospect out of high school who began his college career at Georgia Southern, before transferring to Tennessee where he took a massive step forward in control, claimed the Friday starter role and was one of the best pitchers in the country. Dollander became the second Tennessee pitcher since Luke Hochevar in 2005 to win the SEC Pitcher of the Year award after he posted a 2.39 ERA over 79 innings, with a 35.3% strikeout rate. Listed at 6-foot-3, 192 pounds, Dollander has a clean, fluid delivery with a fast arm and three-quarters slot with little violence or effort. He works with a four-pitch mix, but mostly has dominated batters with his fastball/slider combination. The fastball sat 95-96 mph in 2022 and touched 99 mph at peak, with above-average carry and a shallow vertical approach angle. Those elements help the pitch play up, but his excellent command of the pitch also stands out for an amateur pitcher and he threw it for strikes 76% of the time. He used a mid-80s slider almost a quarter of the time, and it’s a plus pitch with 2,500 rpm spin and 10 inches of horizontal break. Dollander has good feel for a mid-80s changeup, and has a mid-70s curveball that rounds out his repertoire and is used more vs. lefthanded hitters. Dollander is the consensus top pitcher in the class, the best college pitching prospect since Florida lefthander AJ Puk in 2016 and has front-of-the-rotation upside.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 200 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1

Preseason Report: Gonzalez was a top-300 prospect out of Glendora (Calif.) High in 2020 who stood out for his multi-sport athleticism and powerful lefthanded swing. He went unselected and made his way to campus at Mississippi, where he’s been the starting shortstop since he stepped on campus, helped lead the team to a 2022 College World Series championship and was also selected to Team USA’s college team in back-to-back years. A strong and physical, 6-foot-2, 200-pound lefthanded hitter, Gonzalez has solid power and has homered 30 times in his first two seasons with Mississippi, with most of those homers going to the pull side. Gonzalez is a patient and selective hitter who pairs a keen eye with solid pure bat-to-ball skills and walked at a 14.4% clip compared to a 10.8% strikeout rate in his first two seasons. Gonzalez started the 2022 season slowly, but even when he wasn’t hitting for average, his on-base ability provided a solid floor of production. Despite his time at shortstop with Mississippi and Team USA, some scouts think he could outgrow the position in pro ball. His above-average arm strength would fit nicely at the hot corner, but Gonzalez has reliable hands and made a number of impressive plays over the summer. It’s likely that whichever team selects him does so as a shortstop and lets him play the position until he’s forced off it. He’s perhaps the best college shortstop prospect since the 2015 class, which had both Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman.

Notes:

Ht: 6-5 | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Oregon
Age At Draft: 18.5

Preseason Report: Meyer established himself as the top prep pitching prospect during the 2022 summer showcase circuit, as he continued improving his fastball velocity and also showed one of the better breaking balls in the class. After pitching in the upper 80s and touching low 90s in 2021, Meyer now sits with a fastball in the low 90s and has touched as high as 98 mph. A tall and lean, 6-foot-5, 200-pound righthander, Meyer has a similar frame to fellow Northwest prep righthander Mick Abel at the same time. He works with a clean and athletic delivery, and while his arm action is a bit long in his takeback, he showed solid ability to repeat a lower, three-quarters arm slot and lacks much violence in his finish. Meyer primarily works with a fastball/slider combination and uses that two-pitch combination to dominate batters over the summer. At his best, like his brief outing at Perfect Game’s National showcase where he struck out six in two innings, he flashes a pair of 70-grade pitches with solid control. The fastball sat in the mid-90s with powerful running life that on multiple occasions ripped his catcher’s glove off and his mid-80s slider features tons of horizontal, sweeping life and has wipeout potential. Meyer has infrequently used a firm, upper-80s changeup that has diving life but needs to add more feel for the pitch. With now stuff and plenty of projection still remaining, the Oregon commit has mid-rotation upside and is solidly a first-round talent.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4

Preseason Report: While Wake Forest has become a pitching factory in recent years, Lowder became the first player in program history to be named ACC Pitcher of the Year after a 2022 season where he posted a 3.08 ERA in 99.1 innings, with a 25.1% strikeout rate. He followed that up with a dominant showing for Team USA’s college national team, where he was one of just two pitchers to make multiple starts in during the Honkbalweek Haarlem competition in the Netherlands. Lowder is a large and physical righthander listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds who works with an up-tempo windup and throws from a lower, three-quarters slot. He works with a three-pitch mix that includes a fastball in the 92-94 mph range as well as a mid-80s changeup and low-80s slider. Lowder’s fastball has solid running life and touched 97 mph in 2022, and he pounded the zone at a 73% rate with the pitch in 2022 in order to set up quality secondaries. He used his slider and changeup more than half the time and those pitches are his go-to swing-and-miss offerings. Lowder’s changeup features significant fading and diving life, which pairs well off his fastball shape and he used the pitch to generate a 39% miss rate in the 2022 season. His slider features spin rates in the 2,500-rpm range, and generated misses at a 34% rate in 2022. Lowder has a safe starter profile and is one of the best pitchers in the class.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 190 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4

Preseason Report: One of the most athletic players in the 2020 draft class, Teel was a standout high school prospect who would have ranked among the top 100 players in the class had he not withdrawn from the draft at the time. After reaching campus at Virginia, Teel split time as an outfielder and catcher in his 2021 freshman season before taking over as the everyday catcher in 2022. He’s hit .305/.409/.481 with 15 home runs in two seasons with the Cavaliers, and also served as Team USA’s catcher during the summer. Listed at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Teel has solid bat speed from the left side and has shown all-fields power in college, with aggressive swings and plenty of moving parts in his operation. There’s a significant hand hitch in Teel’s load that gives evaluators pause and could create issues with timing and consistently getting on plane, though in general Teel has shown a solid understanding of the strike zone. He’s walked at a 12.6% rate and struck out at a 14.2% rate, and in 2022 walked more frequently than he struck out, and doesn’t expand the zone at a high rate, with solid bat-to-ball skills as well. Teel has a few carrying tools behind the plate between his athleticism and plus arm strength, but he’s been a rough receiver at times and needs to refine the finer details of catching to stick at the position. He’s a great runner for a catcher and solid-average overall in the speed department.

Notes:

Ht: 5-10 | Wt: 195 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.5

Preseason Report: Scouts liked Troy as a polished, steady performer coming out of high school somewhere in the 4-5 round range, but with a strong Stanford commitment he got to school and has shown pure hitting ability and defensive versatility. Troy has hit .297/.359/.532 with Stanford over two seasons, with 17 home runs and 21 doubles, while logging time at second base, third base, shortstop and left field. He played both middle infield positions for Cotuit in the Cape Cod League in 2022, where he ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the circuit after hitting .310/.386/.531. A 5-foot-10, 197-pound righthanded hitter, Troy has a compact and tight swing that’s geared for hard hit line drives with solid bat speed. He hammers fastballs and has done almost all of his extra-base damage vs. that pitch type, with an OPS over 1.000 against fastballs in his time with Stanford, with no problems catching up to 92+ mph velocity either. Troy has shown a tendency to be an aggressive hitter, however, and he’ll chase out of the zone frequently vs. all pitch types, with plenty of swing-and-miss tendencies vs. breaking stuff and off-speed offerings. Troy doesn’t have the sort of power typically associated with productive free swingers, so he’ll either need to add strength to a frame that’s not super projectable, or refine his offensive approach. Troy is a solid runner who should stick up the middle in some capacity, though his actions and OK arm strength make him a most-likely fit at second.

Notes:

Ht: 5-11 | Wt: 185 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.7

Preseason Report: A highly-competitive middle infielder, Shaw started his career as the everyday second baseman for Maryland in his 2021 freshman season before sliding over to the everyday shortstop job in 2022 where he hit .290/.381/.604 with 22 home runs and 11 doubles. Following that, Shaw blitzed through the Cape Cod League with Bourne, and ranked as the No. 1 prospect after leading the league in hitting with a .360/.432/.574 line and five homers. Shaw is a shorter infielder listed at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, but he is more than capable of putting a charge into the baseball with snappy-quick hands and more all-fields power than you might expect. Shaw starts with a closed off batting stance and features a large leg kick to get started, but that has allowed him to create all-fields power and plenty of his 2022 home runs went to the opposite field. Shaw’s approach can be a bit aggressive at times, and he’ll need to improve his ability to drive breaking balls, but over the summer he was productive vs. all pitch types outside of swinging and missing at elevated fastballs a bit too frequently. Shaw is a better base runner than his above-average pure speed would suggest, and he went 21-for-24 (87.5%) in stolen bases on the Cape. Shaw has just fringy actions and range at shortstop and could slide back to second base in pro ball without more improvement. His offensive ability makes him a first round talent, wherever he winds up defensively.

Notes:

Ht: 6-5 | Wt: 220 | B-T: L-L
Commit/Drafted: Vanderbilt
Age At Draft: 18.8

Preseason Report: White established himself as one of the top pitchers in the 2023 class as an underclassman after showing standout velocity and size for his age and handedness. Listed at a 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, White has a remarkably smooth and fluid delivery with a loose and long arm action, low-effort mechanics and steady finish with an extended, three-quarters slot. White pitches in the 93-96 mph range in short stints and will sit a tick in the low 90s in longer outings, with lots of running and riding life that explodes on hitters. White throws a 78-81 mph curveball that’s hard and sharp with three-quarters shape. White’s changeup took a step forward as his most consistent secondary offering this summer, and looked like a plus pitch at times, with solid separation from his fastball in the 80-83 mph range and late diving action when he executed down in the zone. The length of White’s levers has added to inconsistencies with his release point and overall control, which will be an area of development for him moving forward. Still, his natural arm talent from the left side and ideal pitcher’s build give him significant upside. White is a Vanderbilt commit, but the top lefthanders are always a commodity in the draft.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 207 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: Louisiana State
Age At Draft: 18.9

Preseason Report: The top high school catcher in the class, Mitchell is also a talented pitcher who has been into the mid-90s on the mound and was used in a two-way role for Team USA’s 18U gold-winning national team in 2022. For now, most scouts seem more excited about Mitchell’s pro potential as a powerful, lefthanded-hitting backstop. Mitchell is physically mature at 6-foot, 200 pounds, with well-developed lower and upper halves that provide an excellent foundation of strength and power. He has solid rhythm in the batter’s box, and a generally strong understanding of the strike zone, though his pure bat-to-ball skills need work. It’s not surprising for Mitchell to swing-and-miss vs. all pitch types and he’ll need to do a better job making contact in order to tap into his above-average raw power. While his pure hit tool remains a bit raw, he’s a polished and instinctual defender behind the plate. He received well and did a nice job handling the best arms in the class in 2022—including a few high-octane, poor control pitchers with Team USA—with solid agility and flexibility that should allow him to be a consistently strong blocker. His carrying defensive tool is his plus-plus arm strength, which allows him to produce in-game pop times in the 1.8-1.9-second range. He has the sort of arm to keep the running game in check, particularly with improved accuracy and refined footwork. Mitchell projects to be a below-average runner. He’s a first-round talent and committed to Louisiana State.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 165 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1

Preseason Report: Taylor possesses one of the most keen batting eye’s in the 2023 draft class, and is a savvy hitter with plenty of contact ability and on-base skill. Taylor was an All-American as a freshman in 2021 and one of the most productive hitters in the Big 12 in 2022, and between both years has hit .319/.450/.574 with 25 home runs, 25 doubles and a 19.1% walk rate compared to a 15.8% strikeout rate. A smaller corner infielder listed at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, there is some question about the sort of impact Taylor will have in pro ball with a wood bat, but in terms of advanced hitting approaches and confidence in hit tool quality, Taylor is near the top of the class. He has an exceptionally strong eye at the plate and rarely swings at pitches out of the zone, with just a 13% chase rate in his TCU career and a 91% in-zone contact rate. Most of his power has gone to the pull-side, and his exit velocities are just modest, with limited future physical projection. Taylor has hammered fastballs, but could stand to improve his results against 92+ mph velocity and his production vs. spin. Taylor has played all over the infield but the bulk of his innings have come at third base, and despite some playing time at shortstop during the 2022 fall, is expected to man the hot corner in 2023 once again. He’s a solid, if non-flashy, defender at the position.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 160 | B-T: L-L
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.6

Preseason Report: Bradfield has tormented batteries with his blazing speed since his prep days with American Heritage High in Plantation, Fla., where he ranked as the No. 66 player in the 2020 class. Since getting to campus at Vanderbilt, he’s lived up to his reputation as a dynamic, disruptive speedster and lockdown center fielder who hit a combined .327/.433/.456 with 93 stolen bases. Bradfield is a throwback player in the best sense of the phrase, and will earn Juan Pierre comps thanks to his contact ability and speed-driven game. The lean, 6-foot-1, 160-pound lefthanded hitter has a level bat path that’s conducive to line drives and ground balls. He has a great understanding of the strike zone and walked more than he struck out in his first two seasons and made contact at an 85% clip. While he projects as a well below-average power hitter, going from a single home run in 2021 to eight in 2022 could indicate he’ll occasionally be a threat to sneak a ball over the fence to the pull side. As his batted ball profile indicates, he should find more success by keeping the ball low with grounders, line drives and bunts and using his wheels. He’s a legitimate 80-grade runner who expertly deploys that speed on the bases—he has a 94% success rate with a thirst to steal—and his range alone should make him a plus-plus defender despite a fringy arm. Bradfield isn’t a typical prospect, but he’s a potential gold glove winner and stolen base champion.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 205 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4

Preseason Report: Waldrep drew some interest from Georgia area scouts out of high school in 2020, but he made it to campus at Southern Mississippi, where Waldrep first pitched out of the bullpen but transitioned to a starting role in 2022 where he struck out 140 batters in just 90 innings—good for the eighth-most strikeouts of any Division I arm. Waldrep transferred to Florida following the 2022 season and also showed some of the best pure stuff in the country with Team USA over the summer. Listed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Waldrep attacks hitters with electric arm speed, but plenty of violence and movement in his delivery. He uses his lower half efficiently and features drop-and-drive action as he fires to the plate, with a deep and long arm stroke that turns into an artificial, over-the-top arm slot that comes by way of significant tilt. He finishes his delivery with noticeable head whack and recoil. Waldrep gets plus carry on a fastball that sits around 95 mph and has touched 99-100, and pairs it with excellent breaking stuff. His go-to breaking ball is a mid-80s slider that has earned double-plus pitch grades and generated a 55% miss rate in 2022 and he also has a plus, 12-to-6 curveball in the low 80s. Waldrep rounds out his repertoire with a mid-80s changeup that falls off the table at times. While there’s reliever risk, given his delivery and fringy command, there’s plenty of upside here as well.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 170 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Florida State
Age At Draft: 17.7

Preseason Report: Nimmala is one of the youngest players in the 2023 class and will still be 17 on draft day. He stood out as an underclassmen for his impressive defensive aptitude in the middle infield, but as he’s added strength to his wiry frame, his tools have taken a jump and so has his draft stock. A 6-foot-1, 170-pound shortstop, Nimmala has plus bat speed and takes aggressive swings. He showed shockingly good raw power throughout the summer in batting practice for a player of his current size and physicality, with quick-twitch hands and a whippy bat that allow him to make impressive impact now, with plus raw power a possibility as he fills out. While Nimmala has impressive raw power, his approach needs more refinement, and his contact ability is questionable. He expands the zone too frequently, and while he’s capable of driving both fastballs and breaking balls, he’ll also get too steep with his bat path and swing under pitches, as well as waive over them below the zone. He should stick at shortstop in pro ball, where he has the requisite actions and arm strength for the position. He’s a bouncy athlete who moves well to both sides and has solid hands, though he’s more of an average runner and often is slow to get out of the box and down the first base line. Some scouts who like him have placed Alfonso Soriano comps on Nimmala, as a power-hitting infielder. He’s committed to Florida State.

Notes:

Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 205 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Arkansas
Age At Draft: 19.1

Preseason Report: One of the most decorated high school players in the class, Miller has represented Team USA on its 12U, 15U and 18U national teams, winning gold with both the 15U and 18U teams and leading the 2022 18U team in hitting (.478). He’s in the running for best pure hitter in the high school class, thanks to tremendous bat speed, a sound approach and understanding of the strike zone and raw power that makes him a fairly complete offensive player. Miller doesn’t have the most idyllic swing, which features a sizeable leg kick and a significant hitch and barrel tip in his load, but his hand speed and natural timing are more than enough to make it work—with many scouts seemingly unconcerned with the hitch and calling it an effective timing mechanism as much as anything else. For all of its odd moving parts, Miller’s swing is controlled and balanced throughout. He’s shown the ability to square up high-end velocity, and projects for plus power with a 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame that has a bit more room for added strength and muscle mass at physical maturity. A third baseman and outfielder, Miller would profile best at third base, where his plus arm strength would be an asset. There’s no glaring reason why he can’t stick at the position, but reinforcing his profile there during the spring in Florida could help cement himself in the first round or push him further up the board. Miller is an Arkansas commit.

Notes:

Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Mississippi State
Age At Draft: 18.8

Preseason Report: Houck had one of the most impressive summers of any player in the high school class, and showed impact ability as a hitter, runner and defender on the left side of the infield. In addition to his baseball skill, Houck is a three-star quarterback for Parkview High and during his senior season threw for over 2,100 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Listed at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Houck is a well-rounded baseball player. He has a simple rigthhanded swing with a small leg kick and otherwise minimal movement in the box, with impressive bat speed and a clean path through the zone. He had a tremendous East Coast Pro showing, where he hammered mid-90s fastball velocity to both gaps and also showed an ability to sit back and drive breaking stuff and off-speed pitches. He’s a polished hitter who only proved his hitting chops over the showcase circuit. While most of Houck’s in-game power has been gap oriented and mostly of the doubles and triples variety, he does show the ability to turn on pitches and homer to the pull side, with average or better power possible in the future. Houck has impact potential as a defender. He moves well laterally and is a plus runner, and has the quick-twitch athleticism and reflexes to make highlight reel plays to go with above-average arm strength. He projects as a good defensive shortstop or great defender at third. Houck is committed to Mississippi State but is a top-two round draft target.

Notes:

Ht: 6-7 | Wt: 233 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: Alabama
Age At Draft: 18.7

Preseason Report: Entering the 2022 summer, Eldridge was likely viewed as a high-upside pitching prospect who also had some intriguing raw power as a hitter. After going ballistic with Team USA’s gold-medal winning 18U national team and winning MVP of the World Cup, Eldridge is one of the top two-way prospects in the class and potentially akin to a righthanded-throwing Spencer Jones. Listed at 6-foot-7, 233 pounds, Eldridge is an imposing figure on the mound and works with a solid delivery and three-quarters slot. His fastball has ticked up as he’s added strength to his now-massive frame, and he sits in the low 90s and has touched as high as 96 mph. His height provides downhill plane and he induces plenty of groundouts, both with his fastball and secondaries that include a slider, curveball and changeup. The slider and curveball blend together at times, in the low 80s, with the slider being his go-to breaking ball during the 2022 summer. His mid-80s changeup is infrequently thrown, with occasional fading life, but he needs to add more feel with the pitch. Eldridge repeats his delivery well, thanks to impressive natural athleticism. As a hitter, Eldridge has massive raw power that is near the best in the prep class and has shown an ability to access that power to all fields. He’s a power-over-hit offensive profile who will swing and miss, and is a well below-average runner who plays a solid first base. Eldridge is committed to Alabama, but now has some first-round chatter.

Notes:

Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 225 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1

Preseason Report: Wilken ranked as the No. 354 prospect in the 2020 class out of high school, when scouts saw him as a power-hitting righthander who had a chance to develop 70-grade power in the future. Those evaluations were prescient, as Wilken now stands 6-foot-4, 225 pounds with 40 home runs over two seasons with Wake Forest, and some of the biggest raw power in the draft class. Wilken tied the Wake Forest freshman home run record in 2021 with 17 homers and finished second in the program’s single-season home run record book when he popped 23 in 2022. As was the case in high school, Wilken is a power-over-hit offensive profile, who is capable of doing plenty of damage in whatever park he’s playing in. He has produced standout exit velocities and managed nearly a 109-mph 90th percentile exit velocity in 2022, but that power comes with questions about his pure hitting ability. Wilken has never hit over .280 in either of his two seasons with Wake Forest and he’s struck out at a 21.4% clip compared to an 11.4% walk rate, while swinging and missing frequently against both sliders and changeups. Defensively, Wilken has some tools that could play well at the hot corner, including fine hands and one of the better infield arms in the class, which is at least a plus tool. His lateral mobility is a bit of a question, and Wilken projects to be a well below-average runner as well.

Notes:

Ht: 5-11 | Wt: 185 | B-T: L-R
Commit/Drafted: Auburn
Age At Draft: 18.9

Preseason Report: McGonigle has a stellar offensive track record and dominated the travel ball circuit in both 2021 and 2022, on top of performing well against New Jersey high school competition and with Team USA’s 18U national team. The consistency of his at-bats and production, no matter the competition, places him as one of the best pure hitters in the class. Listed at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, McGonigle consistently produces hard contact with quick hands and a tight, efficient swing from the left side with a mature approach and sound strike-zone discipline. He will aggressively jump on pitches early in the count, but has also shown adjustability in the zone in order to square up different pitch types in different quadrants of the zone. McGonigle has below-average raw power now, but he is solidly built with the sort of barrel accuracy that could allow him to fully maximize his raw power in games, with 20-homer potential. McGonigle is a high-IQ player who is more likely to be a steady defender than a flashy, impactful one. A shortstop now, McGonigle has turned in some above-average run times, but is more of a fringey or below-average runner out of the box. That lack of range could make him a better fit for second base, where he has solid hands, fluid defensive actions and requisite arm strength for the position. McGonigle is committed to Auburn but viewed as a first-round talent in a similar mold to previous undersized middle infielders like Cole Young and Anthony Volpe.

Notes:

Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 209 | B-T: R-R
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.8

Preseason Report: Morales was a talented and toolsy high school prospect who ranked as the No. 77 overall player in the 2020 draft class. He made it to campus at Miami, where he split time as a shortstop and third baseman during his 2021 freshman season before sliding over to full-time third base duties in 2022. Between his two seasons with Miami, Morales has hit .308/.380/.594 with 29 home runs and 30 doubles. Listed at 6-foot-4, 209 pounds, Morales is a large and athletic righthanded hitter with a power-driven profile. He takes big swings from the right side and starts his swing fairly quiet in both his upper and lower halves, before starting his swing with a bit of a hand hitch and firing a lengthy swing through the zone. Morales does impressive damage on contact and has shown all fields power, with impressive exit velocities including a 91.6 mph average in 2022. With that power comes some swing-and-miss and chase tendencies, as Morales has struck out at a 21% rate with Miami, compared to a 10% walk rate. Those strikeouts come from both swinging at pitches out of the zone and swinging and missing more generally, and at times Morales seems to struggle identifying breaking balls—which leads to getting out on his front half and swinging on pitches out of the zone. An average runner, Morales is a solid defensive third baseman with good mobility, athleticism and plus arm strength from the hot corner.