The top MLB Draft prospects to watch at the 2023 College World Series

2023 College World Series: MLB Draft prospects to watch

Dylan Crews, OF, LSU

Crews began the year as the frontrunner to go number one overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he’s done nothing to change that so far this season. The 6’0, 205-pounder set a school freshman record with 18 homers back in 2021 and has just kept on mashing since, hitting .420 with 15 home runs and 59 RBI this season while playing solid defense in center field. He’s not the fastest guy out there, but he can steal the occasional base, and he squares the ball up more regularly than just about anyone in the college ranks — with a real shot at 70-grade hit and power tools. Pittsburgh may not take him 1-1 — they may opt to take the top prospect with the lowest signing bonus demand and spread those savings to the rest of their draft class — but he’s the best bet to become an impact pro.

Paul Skenes, SP, LSU

Yes, the Tigers has arguably the best bat and arm in this draft class — with a real shot to go 1-2 overall. The most dominant pitcher in college baseball this year, Skenes was a highly-coveted transfer after dominating as a two-way player at Air Force, and though he’s focused strictly on pitching this season at LSU, he’s lived up to the hype and then some. Boasting a fastball that can touch triple-digits at times, Skenes has put up a 1.89 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP in the toughest conference in the country — he’s an eminently justifiable choice for the The most dominant pitcher in college baseball this year, Skenes and teammate Dylan Crews have a real shot at going 1-2 in the draft. The righty was a highly-coveted transfer after dominating as a two-way player at Air Force, and though he’s focused strictly on pitching this season at LSU, he’s lived up to the hype and then some. Boasting a fastball that can touch triple-digits at times, Skenes has put up a 1.89 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP in the toughest conference in the country, striking out a whopping 48% of SEC batters. He’s an eminently justifiable choice for the Pirates at No. 1 overall if the team decides it wants a pitcher rather than a position player, and probably the leader in the clubhouse to go to the Washington Nationals at No. 2.

Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida

If Crews was the best hitter in the loaded SEC, Langford wasn’t too far behind, hitting .398 with 17 bombs for the Gators while flashing sneaky speed. Despite that athleticism, scouts have him pegged for a corner spot at the pro level, but the bat is more than good enough to play anywhere on the field. In most drafts, he’d be a real consideration for the top overall pick. (Of course, Langford might not even be the best draft prospect on his own team: Teammate Jac Gaglianone — the Shohei Ohtani of college baseball — is the early frontrunner to go No. 1 next year.)

Chase Dollander, SP, Tennessee

Skenes has soaked up all the headlines so far this year, but it was Dollander who began the season as the consensus top pitching prospect in the college ranks. Command issues hampered him a bit this year — he’s pitched to a disappointing 4.28 ERA and 1.222 WHIP — but make no mistake: The stuff is as electric as you’ll find, and it was on full display as the big righty punched the Vols’ ticket to Omaha in the Super Regional against Southern Miss.

You can see why, despite the mediocre ratios this year, some team in the top 10 is going to talk itself into a guy with high-90s gas and the potential for four above-average offerings — especially if he keeps shoving in Omaha.

Kyle Teel, C, Virginia

Teel didn’t begin the year with huge expectations, but he’s risen to become the draft’s best catcher thanks to one of the very best hit tools in the whole country. The New Jersey native hit a whopping .414 this season, with a microscopic 14.4% strikeout rate in ACC play (and just 32 strikeouts in 227 total at-bats). Teel has played some outfield in the past, so you know he has better athleticism than his catcher designation would suggest. Still, scouts seem convinced that he’ll stick behind the plate as a pro, and the bar is so low offensively for catchers right now that he could wind up going in the top 10 based on his ability to contribute on both sides of the ball.

Hurston Waldrep, SP, Florida

Much like Dollander, Waldrep is a big SEC righty with what they call no-sh**t stuff. He’s a power pitcher through and through, breaking out at Southern Miss last year before transferring to Gainesville and helping power the Gators to Omaha with a sensational performance in the Super Regional. The heater is easy gas in the high 90s, and he pairs it with a slider and a split-change that may be the single most ridiculous pitch you’ll see in Omaha — seriously, watch how this ball just disappears:

It’s no surprise that Waldrep struck out 30% of the batters he faced in conference play while posting a 56% ground ball rate. Still, his spotty command is a real concern, especially when he turns pro.

Tommy Troy, 2B/SS, Stanford

Troy blew up in 2022, breaking out at the plate for the Cardinal before being named the top prospect in the Cape Cod League over the summer. He’s kept on crushing it as a junior, with 14 homers, a career-high 17 steals and an eye-popping .394/.473/.707 for a Stanford team that surprised people by snagging a regional as the No. 8 seed nationally. He’s the kind of guy who may not look like much getting off the bus but who was just born to be on a baseball field, and his bat should carry him all the way up the professional ladder.

Rhett Lowder, SP, Wake Forest

It’s been Lowder, not Dollander, who’s given Skenes a run for the title of best pitcher in college baseball this season, leading the Demon Deacons to a 47-10 record and the country’s top overall seed. Whereas the previous pitchers on this list came with big stuff and big question marks, Lowder is a polished college righty out of central casting, with excellent command of a complete, four-pitch arsenal. As you might expect, the numbers this year were downright silly: a 1.69 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 114 strikeouts to just 19 walks in the sport’s second-toughest conference. He may not light up the radar gun like the first two guys on this list, but he boasts a Bugs Bunny changeup that no one’s been able to figure out.

With a legit out pitch and the ability to pump strikes, he’s the high-floor option for a pitching-needy team picking in the top 10.

Brayden Taylor, 3B, TCU

Taylor is about as safe as a college bat can come, with OPSes of 1.017, 1.030 and 1.096 over his three seasons in Fort Worth. There isn’t a single elite tool here, but he gets the barrel to the ball consistently, spraying line drives to all fields, and he’ll be able to stick at the hot corner over the long haul. Plus, Taylor set a career high with 22 homers this season without sacrificing his on-base ability, suggesting there could be more untapped potential here than scouts previously realized.