MLB Pipeline posted their first podcast of 2023 yesterday. They answered eight prospect related questions, with Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis both chiming in with their opinions. One of the questions was regarding the first overall pick in the 2023 draft. That pick belongs to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Shortly after the Pirates won the draft lottery last month, both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline released mock drafts. They both went with LSU outfielder Dylan Crews for the selection of the Pirates.
While it has been a month since those mock drafts were released, you don’t expect changes at the top of the draft class with seven full months left and nobody playing games during the winter. That being said, both Callis and Mayo went with someone else besides Crews as their first overall draft pick guess.
Mayo went with Tennessee right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander, saying that a pitching prospect like him hasn’t come along since Steven Strasburg or Gerrit Cole, and that makes him more rare than what Crews offers. Dollander ranks second on their draft top 100 list.
Here’s a video of him from the summer.
Callis went with Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford, saying that he’s very similar to Crews, except Callis believes he has a little more speed and athleticism. Langford is ranked as the third best prospect on the draft top 100. Pipeline’s tools ratings have Langford and Crews even in hitting (60), speed (55) and fielding (50), with Langford holding the edge in power (65-60) and Crews holding the edge in arm (55-50).
Here’s video of Langford.
