The Pittsburgh Pirates won the first ever MLB Draft Lottery and they will now pick first in the 2023 MLB draft. Baseball America was quick to update their site with a new mock draft, now that we know where the teams will be picking early in the draft.
Getting an extremely early look at the top players is a fun exercise, but it’s important to remember that the draft is a full seven months away now, so things will change plenty between now and then.
Right now, Baseball America has the Pirates taking LSU outfielder Dylan Crews with that first overall pick. He’s also BA’s top draft prospect.
Crews is a right-handed hitter, standing 6’0″, 203 pounds, and he will be 21 years old when the draft rolls around. He was highly rated out of high school, but he decided to pull his name from the 2020 draft. He’s a power hitter, who has put up two strong seasons at LSU. BA says he will probably be a corner outfield, and they do note that there is some swing-and-miss to his game, but the power is legit and he has the performances/track record to back it up.
Our draft coverage will get into full swing in February, usually around the end of the month when teams first start playing games. Any mock drafts from major sources will be covered between now and then. Crews will obviously be a big part of our coverage, but we will focus on anyone with a possibility of being picked.
That includes college right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander, who is considered to be the best pitcher in this class, thanks to a four-pitch mix that includes an upper 90s fastball, which has led to high strikeout/low walk rates.
Another noteworthy name that could come into play is Jacob Wilson, who is ranked sixth in his class and he’s fourth in the mock draft. He’s a 6’3″, 175 college shortstop who just happens to be the son of Jack Wilson, the long-time Pirates shortstop. Jacob is something you don’t see often in baseball anymore. He makes contact at an extremely high rate, and not just by 2022 contact standards. That has led to solid stats in college at Grand Canyon, where he will get extra attention due to the Pirates connection.
