We are five weeks into the college baseball season that swings into conference play, and high school baseball has started nationwide. More videos and data will come at a high clip, changing the minds of scouts and analysts building out their top 2023 MLB Draft prospect lists. That brings us to today, as we have our first Top 50 update since college baseball opening weekend.
Below are the Top 50 Average Rankings of MLB Draft Prospects. This list combines MLB.com, Baseball America, Prospects Live, Prep Baseball Report, and ESPN rankings to formulate a consensus.
2023 MLB Draft Top 50 Prospects - March 23, 2023
| Rank | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Crews | OF | LSU |
| 2 | Wyatt Langford | OF | Florida |
| 3 | Chase Dollander | RHP | Tennessee |
| 4 | Max Clark | OF | Franklin (IN) |
| 5 | Jacob Gonzalez | SS | Ole Miss |
| 6 | Paul Skenes | RHP | LSU |
| 7 | Walker Jenkins | OF | South Brunswick (NC) |
| 8 | Jacob Wilson | SS | Grand Canyon |
| 9 | Enrique Bradfield | OF | Vanderbilt |
| 10 | Brayden Taylor | 3B | TCU |
| 11 | Aidan Miller | 3B | Mitchell (FL) |
| 12 | Rhett Lowder | RHP | Wake Forest |
| 13 | Noble Meyer | RHP | Jesuit (OR) |
| 14 | Hurston Waldrep | RHP | Florida |
| 15 | Blake Mitchell | C | Sinton (TX) |
| 16 | Kevin McGonigle | SS | Monsignor Bonner (PA) |
| 17 | Arjun Nimmala | SS | Strawberry Crest (FL) |
| 18 | Tommy Troy | SS | Stanford |
| 19 | Will Sanders | RHP | South Carolina |
| 20 | Kyle Teel | C | Virginia |
| 21 | Yohandy Morales | 3B | Miami |
| 22 | Matt Shaw | SS | Maryland |
| 23 | Brock Wilken | 3B | Wake Forest |
| 24 | Colin Houck | SS | Parkview (GA) |
| 25 | Bryce Eldridge | 1B/RHP | Madison (VA) |
| 26 | Charlee Soto | RHP | Reborn Christian (FL) |
| 27 | Thomas White | LHP | Phillips Academy (MA) |
| 28 | Travis Sykora | RHP | Round Rock (TX) |
| 29 | Juaron Watts-Brown | RHP | Oklahoma State |
| 30 | Tanner Witt | RHP | Texas |
| 31 | Maui Ahuna | SS | Tennessee |
| 32 | Roch Cholowsky | SS | Hamilton (AZ) |
| 33 | Dillon Head | OF | Homewood-Flossmoor (IL) |
| 34 | Travis Honeyman | OF | Boston College |
| 35 | Grayson Hitt | LHP | Alabama |
| 36 | Cade Kuehler | RHP | Campbell |
| 37 | Jack Hurley | OF | Virginia Tech |
| 38 | Cameron Johnson | LHP | IMG Academy (FL) |
| 39 | Cooper Pratt | SS | Magnolia Heights (MS) |
| 40 | Cole Carrigg | C/SS/OF | San Diego State |
| 41 | Adam Hachman | LHP | Timberland (MO) |
| 42 | Colt Emerson | SS | Glenn (OH) |
| 43 | Jake Gelof | 3B | Virginia |
| 44 | Jonny Farmelo | OF | Westfield (VA) |
| 45 | Walker Martin | SS | Eaton (CO) |
| 46 | Eric Bitonti | SS | Aquinas (CA) |
| 47 | Brandon Sproat | RHP | Florida |
| 48 | Liam Peterson | RHP | Calvary Christian (FL) |
| 49 | Roman Martin | SS | Servite (CA) |
| 50 | Nathan Dettmer | RHP | Texas A&M |
Class Breakdown: 27 college players / 23 prep players
My thoughts on the Top 50:
- Our first in-season Mock Draft will be released next week. Eight of the Top Ten picks will likely be position players. I like this class's top-end of the college starting pitchers, but the top-end bats are pretty impressive.
- Speaking of college, I also imagine a rush to draft college players early in July, as it's a strong crop compared to the prep players. Max Clark and Walker Jenkins are sure-fire Top Ten talents. But that might mean someone like third baseman Aiden Miller could fall to the White Sox at #15. Something to monitor over the next three months.
- I expect a lot of attention focused on Wake Forest. RHP Rhett Lowder and 3B Brock Wilken will be first-round picks. For anyone traveling to Winston-Salem to see the Dash this Spring, find a weekend to stop by Friday night to watch Lowder and Wilken.
- Vanderbilt's OF Enrique Bradfield is going to fall down the boards. He had a good Saturday performance against Ole Miss this past weekend (3-for-5, double, 2 SB), but for the season, he's hitting .247/.379/.333 with just five extra-base hits (four doubles, one home run). Bradfield does have more walks than strikeouts and has 15 stolen bases in 21 games. Bradfield is going to be a preseason Top 10 draft prospect that becomes available to the White Sox. Right now, I'm out on Bradfield at pick 15. Yes, he's an 80-grade runner with major league-caliber defensive skills in center field. I don't buy the bat. Some give Bradfield a Kenny Lofton comp, but I see more of a Juan Pierre-type. I give the bat 45-contact / 30-grade power grades. If you were worried about Nick Madrigal's lack of power, that same concern should be applied to Bradfield.
- The local kid, Homewood-Flossmoor's Dillon Head, continues moving up towards the first-round territory. For those already scheming, the White Sox have picks 15 and 51. They could offer Head similar bonus money at Pick 30 and draft him 51st overall, but that might not be a realistic strategy three months from now. Early reports are very promising, with some calling Head the best position player from the Chicagoland area in years, even ranking him ahead of Ed Howard (16th overall pick, 2020 draft).
NCBWA Top 25 (Week of March 20, 2023)
| Rank | School | Difference LW |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LSU | --- |
| 2 | Florida | 1 |
| 3 | Arkansas | 3 |
| 4 | Wake Forest | 1 |
| 5 | Vanderbilt | 3 |
| 6 | Louisville | 1 |
| 7 | Virginia | 2 |
| 8 | UCLA | 3 |
| 9 | South Carolina | 5 |
| 10 | Stanford | --- |
| 11 | East Carolina | 1 |
| 12 | Tennessee | -8 |
| 13 | Ole Miss | -11 |
| 14 | Texas Tech | 4 |
| 15 | North Carolina | 4 |
| 16 | Oklahoma State | -3 |
| 17 | Miami (FL) | 6 |
| 18 | Campbell | 6 |
| 19 | Texas A&M | -4 |
| 20 | Boston College | NR |
| 21 | Missouri | NR |
| 22 | Florida Gulf Coast | 3 |
| 23 | UC Santa Barbara | NR |
| 24 | Kentucky | NR |
| 25 | Alabama | -3 |
Games I'm Watching this Weekend
This weekend is a four screens (TV, computer monitors, tablet) slate of games.
#3 Arkansas vs. #1 LSU - 12:00 PM CT, Friday - SEC Network+
I respect the hell out of Arkansas's baseball program. They lost their staff Ace, Jaxon Wiggins, for the season who needed Tommy John surgery in February. Coach Dave Van Horn and his staff is excelling again navigating in troubled waters on the pitching side to get the Razorbacks back in the Top 5. They have a mighty test this weekend traveling to Baton Rouge to face LSU's Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes.
#17 Miami (FL) vs. #4 Wake Forest - 7:00 PM CT, Friday - ACC Network
Battle between the top college third basemen: Miami's Yohandy Morales vs. Wake Forest's Brock Wilken. Friday night will be a tough test for Morales who will face Rhett Lowder.
#2 Florida vs. #13 Ole Miss - 6:30 PM CT, Friday - SEC Network+
After getting swept by Vanderbilt in Nashville last weekend, the defending champion Ole Miss Rebels need a bounce back. Unfortunately for them, they get the second-ranked Florida Gators visiting Oxford. #2-ranked prospect Wyatt Langford will not be available for Florida who is still recovering from a groin injury. It's a good opportunity to see how Ole Miss SS Jacob Gonzalez fares against Brandon Sproat (Friday starter) and Huston Waldrep (Saturday starter).
#21 Missouri vs. #9 South Carolina - 6:00 PM CT, Friday - SEC Network
Taking another look at South Carolina RHP Will Sanders. He's doing a good job of limiting the free passes with just six walks allowed in five starts. However, Sanders has given up five home runs in his last three starts.
