2023 MLB Draft Recap: National League
As we prepare for pennant races and the dog days of summer, (I write this from the well-documented inferno of Phoenix, Arizona) we can now afford to take a look back at how the dust settled on the 2023 MLB Draft. The signing deadline has come and gone, and some players have begun to get their first taste of professional baseball - from the Complex Leagues all the way up to Double-A on the careening roller coaster that is the Angels’ player development system.
While it’s a common reflex of the sports media industry to immediately assign letter grades for a team’s recent draft class, baseball is a sport where that report card doesn’t come fully into focus until several years down the line. Instead, we can merely discuss what we see in a particular player and hypothesize about the type of player they can become in that timeframe.
Here at Diamond Daily, I’ve decided to take a league-by-league approach to analyzing the 2023 MLB Draft. Following our first installment, let’s go ahead and finish up with the National League.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona focused on hit over power early with this draft class, picking up Tommy Troy, Gino Groover and Jack Hurley in the first three rounds. Troy might be one of the fastest players to the majors from this class and I love Groover’s bat despite the lack of clarity on a longterm position. The D-backs also selected a couple intriguing bullpen arms in Stanford lefty Ryan Bruno and South Alabama right-hander Sam Knowlton, both of whom could be valuable high leverage relievers if they can get the command straightened out at the pro level.
Atlanta Braves
24th overall selection Hurston Waldrep landing with a pitching-dev focused organization like the Braves late in round one is an absolutely perfect fit. Waldrep may very well have the best pure stuff in this class and think he’ll have a much better development plan than he did during his time in Gainesville. I loved the third-round selection of Oregon’s Sabin Ceballos, a defensive standout who will begin his career at catcher after starting at third base for the Ducks.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs played it down the middle of the fairway with their first several picks, including Maryland standout Matt Shaw, who I think has shades of Bo Bichette to his game. There were also a couple intriguing Day 2 prep selections, including outfielder Alfonsin Rosario and his effortless double-plus raw power.
Cincinnati Reds
While I’m admittedly not all in on Rhett Lowder, I still really like what the Reds did with this class. Fourth round right-hander Cole Schoenwetter has huge upside with a combination of raw stuff, athleticism and pitchability. One of my favorite unheralded picks of the entire draft was fifth-rounder Connor Burns out of Long Beach State, who gets 80 grades for his defensive ability behind the plate. He showed marked improvement at the plate during his final collegiate season and seems almost guaranteed to reach his floor of becoming a valuable backup catcher at the big league level.
Colorado Rockies
It’s no secret what’s desperately needed in the Rockies’ organization and the club responded by taking six pitchers with its first eight selections. Some of my personal favorites of the entire class, LHP Sean Sullivan and UTIL extraordinaire Cole Carrigg, could be on the fast track to help in the big leagues - which would be a welcome sight given the club’s current roster.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Armed with the best top-to-bottom development staff in all of baseball, it’s safe to say the Dodgers will produce at least a couple big leaguers out of this draft class. First-rounder Kendall George is a fun player with 80-grade speed and I’m intrigued to see what the pitching team can make out of ninth-rounder Ryan Brown and his Vulcan changeup.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins spent a whopping $8.6 million on their first two selections, prep pitchers Noble Meyer and Thomas White, but have a solid development track record on the mound that could turn each of them into top-of-the-rotation talents. Second-rounder Kemp Alderman boasts big time power but there’s no doubt that the value of this class lies in how much Miami is able to get out of this new crop of pitching talent.
Milwaukee Brewers
I’ve pounded the table for third-rounder Eric Bitonti since my live look at the MLB Draft Combine and in addition to Bitonti, the Brewers were able to land another top-100 prep talent, infielder Cooper Pratt, in the third round. The team also used some of the Day 2 savings from their bonus pool to land several intriguing HS arms on Day 3, including Bishop Letson, Bjorn Johnson, and Justin Chambers - all of whom signed for well above their allotted $150k slot values.
New York Mets
Colin Houck lasting until pick 32 may have been one of the more surprising developments of the first round but the Mets certainly weren’t complaining. I also like what the club did with several of their college pitching additions, including GCU lefty Zach Thornton in the fifth round.
Philadelphia Phillies
Much like their AL East foes above this blurb, the Phillies also benefitted from the slide of an elite prep bat to the later half of the first round in third baseman Aidan Miller. Miller has the makings of a future star, with the plus power necessary to stick longterm in a corner. Sixth-rounder George Klassen out of Minnesota has one of the most live arms in the class, easily touching 100 from the right side. If he can harness the control, the Phillies could have an elite backend bullpen piece on their hands.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Skenes is the obvious headliner of this class, shattering Spencer Torkelson’s previous bonus record by signing with the Bucs for $9.2 million. He immediately becomes the best pitching prospect in baseball and might have had a shot to pitch in the big leagues had Pittsburgh not fallen out of playoff contention. The club continued a college-centric approach for the remainder of the class, including 12th-rounder Khristian Curtis, whose raw stuff could lend itself to a future high-leverage bullpen role.
San Diego Padres
In addition to first-round outfielder Dillon Head, the Padres added some projectable Day 3 talent from the prep ranks - including massive lefty Blake Dickerson and right-hander Dane Lais. The San Diego system remains strong despite dealing away several top tier talents in recent marquee trades.
San Francisco Giants
Simply put, I love what the Giants did in this draft - especially at the top with two-way star Bryce Eldridge and shortstop Walker Martin. Both players figure to fit squarely in the club’s long-term plans and Eldridge is already off to a scorching start in the Arizona Complex League.
St. Louis Cardinals
First-rounder Chase Davis was among my favorite bats in the entire class and should move quickly through the St. Louis system as long as he keeps the swing-and-miss at bay. The club continued by adding a few backend rotation college arms but the star of this class should undoubtedly by the former Wildcat, Davis.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals may have had one of the least stressful first rounds of the entire draft, essentially getting ready to take whomever the Pirates didn’t select between Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews. As Pittsburgh opted for pitching ahead of them, the Nats were more than happy to land his former LSU teammate in Crews. Washington followed up the Crews selection with Miami third baseman Yohandy Morales, which could give them two potential cornerstones at corner positions in a system that’s loaded with young talent.
