Draft Day 1: LIVE pick-by-pick rundown, analysis

The 2023 MLB Draft is right here. Day 1 contains the primary 70 choices, masking Rounds 1 and a couple of, Aggressive Steadiness Rounds A and B, a Prospect Promotion Incentive choose, plus three compensation picks.

Spherical 1 is underway now, dwell on MLB Network, MLB.com and ESPN. Days 2 (Rounds 3-10) and three (Rounds 11-20) start at 2 p.m. ET on Monday and Tuesday and can stream dwell solely on MLB.com.

Comply with alongside right here all night time for a rundown of each choose with evaluation by MLB Pipeline and MLB Community specialists.

1) Pirates: Paul Skenes, RHP, Louisiana State
After it sounded just like the Pirates had been wanting extra at this class’ offensive choices, they opted to go together with the perfect participant on MLB Pipeline’s Draft High 250. Thought-about by many to be a generational sort of expertise, Skenes was the perfect faculty pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg, in accordance with evaluators. In his solely 12 months with LSU after transferring from Air Power, the previous two-way participant (He was a catcher!) put up online game numbers in serving to the Tigers win the School World Sequence, ending with a 1.69 ERA, 15.3 Okay/9 and simply 1.5 BB/9. His 80-grade fastball sat 98 mph and repeatedly hit triple digits, his slider is unhittable and his energy changeup has the possibility to be excellent as nicely. Skenes isn’t anticipated to wish an excessive amount of time to get to the massive leagues; some scouts suppose he might get Main League hitters out along with his stuff proper now. More >

2) Nationals: Dylan Crews, OF, Louisiana State
Based mostly on pre-Draft buzz, the one factor that may have stored the Nationals from taking Paul Skenes with their choose was if the Pirates chosen him, and that’s precisely what occurred. Most felt that if this occurred, the Nats would go together with Skenes’ teammate, Crews, who was the 2023 Golden Spikes Award Winner and sat atop many Draft boards. The middle fielder has a monitor report of success within the SEC and saved the perfect for final, hitting .426/.567/.713 in 2023. He can play heart area and hit for common and energy because of a complicated method on the plate, one which helped him stroll extra instances than he struck out in his LSU profession. Like Skenes, it shouldn’t take Crews lengthy to be large league prepared; he’s the sort of faculty hitter who might deal with an aggressive task and make a beeline to Washington. More >

3) Tigers: Max Clark, OF, Franklin (Ind.) HS
Whereas this isn’t an enormous shock, as Clark was within the combine at No. 1 and all through the highest 5, projections had been sometimes faculty hitters on this spot, so it’s a bit of shocking to not see Wyatt Langford go right here. That mentioned, Clark might need as excessive of an upside as anybody on this class. He has the perfect all-around set of instruments within the class and has the possibility to have all 5 at his disposal. He’s a no-doubt heart fielder who can actually run and has a plus arm from the outfield. He makes persistently onerous contact, and whereas energy was the one software seemingly behind the others, he’d made strides in including energy throughout his senior 12 months. Clark performs with a ton of power and fervour always. More >

4) Rangers: Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida
Langford didn’t have to attend lengthy to listen to his title referred to as. Some scouts felt he belonged in the identical dialog as Dylan Crews, a minimum of when it comes to his offensive potential. After not enjoying a lot throughout his freshman 12 months at Florida, Langford burst onto the scene in 2022, hitting 26 homers and ending with a 1.166 OPS. He by some means upped his sport this previous season with a 1.282 OPS, strolling extra instances than he struck out whereas hitting 21 homers. The one factor he hasn’t performed a lot of, in comparison with Crews, is play heart area, although some really feel the right-handed hitter has the athleticism to take action, so it is going to be attention-grabbing to see if the Rangers give him an opportunity to a minimum of begin his professional profession there. The Rangers have now chosen a school participant within the first spherical for a fifth straight 12 months. More >

5) Twins: Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick HS, Southport, N.C.
Whereas we didn’t predict them within the right order, the highest 5 abilities within the class left the board within the high 5. There was a variety of speak that the Twins would possibly find yourself going with a school hitter right here, as they’re a group that always lean on their mannequin to tell picks. The left-handed hitter has a ton of energy, each now and sooner or later, and actually helped his profile by exhibiting he can play heart area and demonstrating extra athleticism than he had up to now. More >

6) Athletics: Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon
The son of former large leaguer Jack Wilson, Jacob performs the identical place as his dad and can be in a position to take action for a really very long time. He additionally has a really robust monitor report of hitting, with a .977 OPS in his GCU profession. He hit .412/.461/.635 as a junior and continued to be maybe the perfect contact hitter in faculty baseball, placing out in simply 2.3 p.c of his plate appearances as a junior. More >

7) Reds: Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest
After Paul Skenes, Lowder was the perfect, and most constant, faculty pitcher within the class. And whereas the Reds had been quite a lot of hitters obtainable, they couldn’t move up his mixture of stuff, command and competitiveness. He has sufficient fastball velocity, as much as 97 mph at instances with good sink, however it’s his plus changeup that’s a separator, and his slider flashes plus. Lowder throws strikes with all three, and it’s simple to dream of him attending to Cincinnati in a rush. More >

8) Royals: Blake Mitchell, C, Sinton (Texas) HS
The Royals are not any stranger to taking a excessive schooler this excessive, having taken their No. 5 prospect, Frank MozzicatoNo. 7 general in 2021. Like in that state of affairs, it appears to be like just like the Royals have gotten an excellent expertise who may also be a cash saver, so it is going to be attention-grabbing to see how they use their bonus pool cash transferring ahead, with an additional choose at No. 66 general offering an even bigger pool. Highschool catching could be a dangerous demographic, however Mitchell has the possibility to hit, and with energy, and he’s bought all of the instruments to stay behind the plate. More >

9) Rockies: Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee
All indicators pointed to the Rockies concentrating on pitching, and with Rhett Lowder off the board, Dollander was the next-best choice amongst faculty arms. Stuff-wise, he belongs up this excessive, with a plus fastball and slider to go together with a very good changeup and curve. His outcomes this 12 months didn’t match the stuff, along with his command struggling at instances. Some imagine Dollander’s points might be mounted with professional instruction, one thing the Rockies are banking on.

10) Marlins: Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit HS, Portland, Ore.

11) Angels: Nolan Schanuel, 1B/OF, Florida Atlantic