Mack’s Mock Draft v.6.0

It’s time to update the ole consensus draft board. 

Five new mock drafts have been added this time from SOX Machine, Odds Checker, Willie Hood, MLB, and Prospect Live. 

Let’s remember… these are not my picks. I average together what the experts say and come up with a consensus top 32, 32 being the Mets pick chosen by them. Not me. 

So, let’s dig right in:

 

1. OF Dylan Crews

2. RHP Chase Dollanger 11

3. OF Max Clark 21

4. SS Jacob Gonzalez 22

5. OF Wyatt Langford 24

6. OF Walker Jenkins 31

7. SS Jacob Wilson 41

8. OF Enrique Bradfield Jr. 46

9. RHP Paul Skenes 46

10. 3B Aidan Miller 50

11. RHP Rhett Lowder 55

12. SS Brayden Taylor 58

13. RHP Hurston Waldrep 65

14. SS Kevin McGonigle 74

15. 2B-SS Matt Shaw 86

16. LHP Thomas White 93

17. RHP Nobel Meyer 94

18. SS Colt Emerson 97

19. RHP Cade Kuechler 104

20. 3B-SS Yohandy Morales 109

21. RHP Will Sanders 116

22. SS Anjun Nimmala 118

23. SS Tommy Troy 120

24. SS Roch Cholosky 121

25. RHP Tanner Witt 122

26. OF Travis Honeyman 125

27. C Blake MItchell 127

28. OF Jake Hurley 133

29. C Kyle Teel 135

30. SS Maui Ahuna 142

31. RHP Teddy McGraw 143

32. RHP Charlee Soto 145

                                            Charlee Soto

RHP          Reborn Christian HS (FL) 

1-19-23 - Joe Doyle @JoeDoyleMiLB

RHP Charlee Soto, the pride of Kissimmee, FL, may have more upside than any prep arm in the 2023 class. Barely 17 years old, Soto is already pushing 98 with a three-pitch mix and a premium pitchers' frame. He's a name with serious helium on the rise       https://t.co/37MfdV7x5y 

 

12-28-22 - 2023 MLB Draft – Top 50 High School Prospects

https://www.prospects1500.com/general/2023-mlb-draft-top-50-high-school-prospects/ 

11. Charlee Soto, RHP, Reborn Christian HS (FL) – Despite a somewhat recent massive growth spurt, Soto has an athletic body and good body control plus the fact he will still be 17 on draft day means there is a ton of upside. His fastball sits 93-95 but gets up to 97 with good heavy arm side run to it to go with a late two-plane slider that sits 84-87. 

My favorite of his pitches is his change which has shown two different shapes, one a splitter looking dropper and another a runner but in the 84-88 velo range. He comes out of a consistent 3/4 slot but does have a bit of a hitchy delivery, and everything does tick down a half grade or so out of the stretch, but that isn’t uncommon among prep arms.

 

12-7-22 - MLB DRAFT 2023: WINTER'S MOCK DRAFT - https://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news/PBR/MLB-Draft-2023-Mock-Draft-First-Edition-4397815602?s=03 -

27

Phillies

Charlee Soto

RHP

Reborn Christian Academy HS (FL)

Having hit on prep righties Mick Abel and Andy Painter in recent years, Soto could easily be the next in line thanks to an electric arsenal that includes upper-90s heat. Progressions should come quickly for the athletic former shortstop.

 

11-30-22 - PG/Rawlings Finest in the Field: 2023 - https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=21485&s=03 - 

Pitcher: Charlee Soto, Reborn Christian Academy (Kissimmee, Fla.) 

Soto was a talented two-way prospect coming into his senior circuit, where he put the bat down in favor of becoming a pitcher-only. He didn’t put his glove down, however, and is one of the best athletes on the mound in the country. Soto could likely still go pick it at short, but his low-effort delivery coupled with his athleticism makes him a strong pitcher fielder. 

Note - If this mock draft became reality, I would love to have Soto picked by the Mets. Those of you that follow my draft posts (not you, anon) know he has been my pick all mock season 

Still, if this was the real draft picks, I would have to go with a position player that has far more potential than anyone else the Mets have playing his position: 

Brock Wilken

3B Wake Forest

2021 WF stat line - 60-G, 254-AB, .272, 23-HR

 

1-9-23 - FIVE SUPER-SLEEPERS WHO COULD GO NO. 1 IN THE 2023 MLB DRAFT

https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2023/1/7/five-super-sleepers-who-could-go-no-1-in-the-2023-mlb-draft?s=03 

BROCK WILKEN, THIRD BASE, WAKE FOREST

Wilken burst onto the scene on the Cape in 2021, posting an outlandish .302/.440/.519 slash as a teenager playing up against the best competition in the country. Wilken has been one of the most prodigious power hitters in college baseball the last two seasons totaling 40 homers, matching LSU outfielder Dylan Crews during that same period. 

Wilken’s slash line backed up a bit as a sophomore. After striking out at a 17.3 percent clip as a freshman, Wilken saw his K-rate jump to 24.2% last season. Jeren Kendall is the only college hitter to ever get drafted in the first round with a strikeout rate over 24% in their draft-eligible year. History suggests Wilken will need to see that bat-to-ball mature back to the career mean this spring. 

What Wilken showed as a freshman at Wake Forest is hard to ignore. And his batted-ball metrics last season still point to an impact bat that can carry a team. At his best, Wilken’s exit velocities ranked just outside the 99th percentile in college baseball last season. He maxed out close to 111 mph last season. Simply put, there aren’t many players who hit the ball harder than Wilken.   

In 2022, Wilken’s bat-to-ball woes may have stemmed from passivity at the plate. His 41.9 percent swing rate should probably jump a bit next season, especially early in the count. Wilken actually doesn’t chase outside the zone much, but he does struggle to hit the breaking ball in the zone at times. From this chair, ambushing pitches early in counts and getting pitchers off their best weapons could pay dividends next season. The approach late in at-bats is solid. The foundation is strong. It’s pretty easy to foresee a major jump in Wilken’s production in 2023.   

Wilken is an average defender with solid hands and footwork, though his first step and fringy range do bring his defensive profile down a peg. That said, it’s comfortably a plus throwing arm, maybe more. That certainly helps make up for some of his heavy-footedness, especially on backhands to his right. 

He’s a fringe-average runner and likely won’t ever be a threat on the base paths. If Wilken posts a season like his 2021 campaign, he’ll shoot up boards as a potential solid average hitter with 70-grade raw power. His upside is that of an average defender who’s capable of posting several .260 seasons with 40 home run juice. Every team in baseball would happily throw $8 million at the promise of that kind of production.

 

12-14-22 - Sox Machine

WAY-TOO-EARLY 2023 MLB MOCK DRAFT

https://soxmachine.com/2022/12/way-too-early-2023-mlb-mock-draft/

26. New York Yankees: Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest

The Yankees love drafting power and Wilken fits perfectly. The third baseman strikes out too much but shows massive power with a 6-4, 225 pound frame.

 

12-9-22 - 2023 MLB MOCK DRAFT 1.0

https://throughthefencebaseball.com/2023-mlb-mock-draft-1-0-pirates-taking-who/

18. Milwaukee Brewers: Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest

Wilken reminds me of an Alec Bohm mixed with Nolan Gorman and a dash of Jace Jung. He knows how to find his pitch and take advantage of it. This past spring he hit 23 homers, and what’s scary is we haven’t even seen all of his power yet.

 

12-7-22 - MLB DRAFT 2023: WINTER'S MOCK DRAFT - https://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news/PBR/MLB-Draft-2023-Mock-Draft-First-Edition-4397815602?s=03 -

26

Yankees

Brock Wilken

3B

Wake Forest; Bloomingdale HS (FL)

Wilken has hit 40 homers combined in his first two seasons at Wake and won 2021 Cape League MVP honors after his freshman year. The Yanks have selected power-hitting college bats in each of the past three drafts. Let's make it four.