After unveiling the top five college prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft two weeks ago, we dive into players 6-10 today. And in two more weeks, we’ll expand from these 10 to the top 20. It’s a steady, sequential process, much like a Build-A-Bear Workshop but without the annoying kids and hard-of-hearing grandparents. Call this the Build-A-FYPD Workshop, because that’s what the purpose here truly is: to help you construct your first-year player draft boards and plot your future targets in dynasty formats. In the first installment, I went over four position players and one pitcher in Tennessee’s Chase Dollander. As we lengthen the list, three more hurlers will be introduced, as well as a pair of first-round infielders. The players in the space below compose a well-rounded group, more comparable to a perfectly-constructed burrito bowl at Chipotle than a stuffed bear or a jumbo-sized Snorlax plush toy (apparently they have those now, ask Google). The more I think about this, the more I feel I should be at the mall stuffing various Pokemon full of cotton and eating Auntie Anne’s. I’ll leave you all to the reading and join you in the comments section at the end of my trip.
1A. Dylan Crews | OF | LSU
Went over him in my top five college prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft.
1B. Wyatt Langford | OF | Florida
3. Chase Dollander | RHP | Tennessee
Went over him in my top five college prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft.
4. Brayden Taylor | INF | TCU
Went over him in my top five college prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft.
5. Enrique Bradfield Jr. | OF | Vanderbilt
Went over him in my top five college prospects for the 2023 MLB Draft.
6. Hurston Waldrep | RHP | Florida
You can make a legitimate case that Waldrep is the top arm in the 2023 draft class. The flame-throwing righty finished third in the NCAA with a 14.0 K/9 last season, all the while turning in a 3.20 ERA and .213 BAA across 90 frames. That’s elite output, but Waldrep produced those numbers at Southern Miss of Conference USA — and he now transitions into the Saturday Night role at Florida. If Waldrep can come close to replicating his past performance, he’ll be the first arm off the board. But that’s the major question with him. After all, it certainly isn’t the four-pitch mix: 65-grade fastball (94-98 MPH, T102), 55-slider, plus-curve, and an emerging splitter. The slider and split have both been added in the past three years, with the latter arriving in the last 12 months. He’s also known to be a tireless worker and brings the moxie teams look for on the mound. Depending on 2023 performance, I can see Waldrep closing the gap that lies between him and Dollander, the undisputed top arm in the class. Don’t make the mistake of having him as the fourth or fifth-best college arm on your FYPD board.
Hurston Waldrep, Wicked Breaking Balls (FB T98 mph) ? pic.twitter.com/dRqUEJaA6q
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 7, 2022
7. Jacob Wilson | SS | Grand Canyon
As the son of MLB All-Star Jack Wilson and the brother of 2019 seventh-rounder Eli Wilson, Jacob has the family pedigree to succeed as a pro. But how much does that truly mean? Wilson posted a strong .313/.376/.440 line as a freshman, but took his game to another level as a sophomore in 2023: .358/.418/.585, 12 HR, 1 3B, 18 2B, 65 RBI, 44 runs, a 9.1 BB%, and a 2.5 K%. No, that is not a typo. No, your bifocals are not fogging up. Wilson struck out seven times in 275 plate appearances last season – albeit in the West Coast Conference – but impressive nonetheless. His strikeout rate ballooned to a laughable (in a good way) 11.9% in the Cape Cod League over the summer, but he still batted a respectable .278/.381/.389 despite not exhibiting much pop. My main concern with Wilson is that we could be looking at an average Major League bat, should his ability to put the ball in play (65-hit) hold true as his primary trait and the power (graded at 50) never fully develops with the wood. Evaluators love his makeup and overall approach to the game, but I have him slightly under-ranked (MLB Pipeline – No. 9 overall) simply because I’m not sure if it’s enough of an impact bat in the bigs.
@GCU_Baseball‘s own Jacob Wilson slots in at #11 on our Top 300 Draft rankings. Solid all-fields approach, never strikes out, likely projects 45-grade power. Excellent instincts in the field, can play 2B/SS/3B. Hottest bat at CNT, too.
Full Top 300: https://t.co/pYANh9Ha9D pic.twitter.com/zOuhf0qGoC
— Tyler Jennings (@TylerJennings24) January 4, 2023
8. Rhett Lowder | RHP | Wake Forest
Lowder took a huge step forward last season, breaking out in a major fashion and claiming ACC Pitcher of the Year honors. He has one of the better changeups in the college class, a 60-grade offering that sits in the mid-80s which he pairs with a 55-grade heater (91-95 MPH, T97) and average (flashes plus) slider. Overall, Lowder owns a 4.31 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 167 frames across his first two college campaigns at Wake. That’s meh to the degree of egg salad from a gas station. But it’s the tale of two seasons that Lowder had, and the improvement he showed.
2021: 4-2, 67 2/3 IP, 6.12 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 10.5 H/9, 1.9 HR/9
2022: 11-3, 99 1/3 IP, 3.08 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 8.2 H/9, 0.8 HR/9
The numbers tell a pretty fascinating story if you’re a psycho who likes cold pulled pork like me. Lowder actually struck out fewer batters per nine and lowered his walks by half a percent, but at the end of the day did what pitchers are, in essence, supposed to do: not give up hits. Or rather, he gave up significantly less of them — 2.3% less to be exact. And substantially fewer homers. Really, he became a better pitcher. A smarter one. A more mature one. And while he’s a work in progress, he’s the third-best college pitcher on my board, which many may bite their thumbs at, sirs.
“Rhett Lowder” Filthy Changeup. ???
8Ks thru 5. pic.twitter.com/FAiCk7bCfq— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 4, 2022
9. Jacob Gonzalez | SS | Ole Miss
Taylor, Wilson, or Gonzalez? Make your case in the comments, but here’s how I see it entering 2023. I like Taylor as the best pure hitter of the group, while Gonzalez profiles as the top all-around pro prospect (something we aren’t necessarily as concerned with in fantasy) when taking into account his long-term defensive profile at shortstop and approach at the plate. Gonzalez has drawn more walks (88) in his Ole Miss career than strikeouts (66), and by a noticeable margin. All the while, he has posted a .316/.424/.560 batting line. His career numbers are a bit frontloaded, as Gonzalez hit .273/.405/.558 as a sophomore, but did manage to pop 18 homers and swipe four bags en route to a College World Series Championship. Personally, I want to know if he’s a .273 college hitter or the .355 guy he was as a freshman before putting him ahead of Taylor or Wilson.
Jacob Gonzalez | SS | SO @OleMissBSB
Favorite hitter in college baseball
– quiet hands/load & real barrel speed
– starts load/stride before P release
– Recognizes pitches
– Big arm in the fieldPure hitter. More BB than K playing in the SEC.
‘23 #MLBDraft @jakegonzalez717 pic.twitter.com/ET9wtM9gim
— Blaine Peterson (@BPonbase) March 3, 2022
10. Paul Skenes | RHP/UT | LSU
Okay, okay. Run me over and call me Debra. Seems like it would be an expression somewhere, doesn’t it? Let me get one important sentence in before you stop reading this: I like Skenes a lot. He may appear dramatically under-ranked here, but I do think he’s a slam-dunk first-round prospect. I simply don’t like him as much as the names above, but really, at this point, I’m just explaining what rankings are. Like Waldrep, Skenes is transferring into the SEC after excelling elsewhere: Air Force. Unlike him, Skenes is a two-way star, pitching to a 3.15 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings last year while slashing .314/.412/.634 with 13 jacks. His status as a potential top-10 pick lies on the mound, where MLB Pipeline has him labeled as the No. 4 overall prospect for the 2023 draft between Langford at No. 3 and Gononzalez at No. 5. He hasn’t pitched outside of the Moutain West yet, but possesses some of the most tantalizing stuff in the draft: 70-grade heater that touches triple digits and has been sitting 94-98 in recent stints, a much-improved, mid-to-high 80s slider graded at 60. The changeup is an average offering and sits in the high 80s to low 90s. Skenes has a tremendous arm and could develop into a frontline starter, but he does not have as many quality offerings or as wide of a velocity band (85-98 MPH) as Dollander, Waldrep, and Lowder.
Finally got to see Paul Skenes in person. FB topped at 95, sat 91-93 throughout his four innings of work. Went to a vulcan CH often in 84-87 range that was firm, had serviceable SL in 81-83 range. Long, lean frame. Formerly of Air Force, still in the portal. pic.twitter.com/EeiUKM5cOJ
— Tyler Jennings (@TylerJennings24) July 2, 2022
That’s all for this week, Razzball fam! As always, I’m happy to take this conversation into the comments section or on Twitter, where you can find me @WorldOfHobbs.
