Draft News

CLICK ON - 2023 MLB Draft Preview: First Basemen 

 Bryce Eldridge, James Madison HS (VA.) — Just to paint a picture of how volatile the first base group is this year, the top player at the position is being looked at on the mound, just as much as he is at the plate. There’s a lot to like in Eldridge, as I will admit he’s my favorite prospect in the draft when it comes to reasonable guys the Braves could take in their range at 24. Eldridge possesses incredible size for a high school prospect at 6’7, 223 pounds and has good pop from the left side of the plate. He has also increased his feel for the bat in his senior year of high school. Defensively, he’s solid around the bag, but given the fact he possesses a plus arm — which attributes to his 96-MPH fastball off the mound — there’s a good chance whichever team takes him in the draft would want to see what he can do in the outfield before limiting his arm to first base. 

 

TigerNet.com (@ClemsonTigerNet) 

https://t.co/N6WxZ5HT14  bolstered its top prospects ranking to 250 recently ahead of next month's MLB draft and there are some notable names regarding 

https://t.co/foQX3YrBbH  

 

MLB Draft Room (@MLBDraftRoom) 

Enrique Bradfield…the name that comes to mind quickly is the “one dog”… 

Lance Johnson 

 

CLICK ON - College World Series 2023 sets record CWS viewership on ESPN: What made this year special? 

  

CLICK ON - 2023 MLB Draft Preview: Second Basemen 

Quinn McDaniel - 

McDaniel has been incredible for the University of Maine in his career, but has taken that to new heights as a senior with a .513 on base percentage and 1.201 OPS. McDaniel has questions surrounding his ability to stick on the infield, though he has the range to make a play at it in professional ball or move to center field. McDaniel isn’t incredibly strong, but has good enough power where as long as he hits it won’t hamper his development. Think of him as a supercharged version of current Braves utility prospect Cody Milligan, with that ability to grind deep into at bats and cause trouble once he reaches base. McDaniel hasn’t faced good competition in college, and the activity and length of his swing gives scouts pause as to how he will handle velocity at the professional level. 

 

CLICK ON -  

https://www.batterypower.com/2023/6/27/23773951/2023-mlb-draft-preview-third-baseman  

Brock Wilken 

Wilken has plus power seeing as he has hit 31 home runs this season, but he also carries some strikeout concerns. The 6 ’4 slugger only has a strikeout rate of 26 percent this season, but when you dig a little deeper there is a bit of a red flag when it comes to him facing top level competition. In eight games against Clemson, Alabama and LSU this season he has racked up 14 strikeouts in 33 at bats. It is of course an extremely small sample size, but it is a strikeout rate of 42 percent and an area that we should be paying some attention to. On the flip side though, despite being a 6 ‘4 hitter which traditionally lends itself to longer swings and a lot of moving parts, Wilken is extremely quiet in his stance and swing which should help him transition to the pro game. 

 

CLICK ON - 2023 MLB Mock Draft: LSU teammates, College World Series champions Dylan Crews, Paul Skenes go No. 1 and 2  

Pick: OF Dylan Crews, LSU ($9,721,000 slot value) (CBS Sports top 30 rank: No. 1) 

There has been speculation the Pirates could opt for righty Paul Skenes, Crews' teammate at LSU, given his electric showing at the College World Series. That seems like outside noise more than something the Pirates are seriously considering, however. They prefer hitters at the top of the draft and, all things being equal, you should take the hitter over the pitcher because pitchers carry so much inherent injury risk. 

If the Pirates pivot away from Crews, it's likely they will take a different hitter and sign him to a below slot bonus so they can use the savings on other players later in the draft. High school outfielder Max Clark is a prime candidate. The minimum bonus is 75% of slot, so that's $7,290,750 for the No. 1 pick. For Clark (or any player), taking the minimum bonus at No. 1 would be more lucrative than taking slot at No. 5 ($7,139,700), and it would leave the Pirates more than $2.5 million in savings to use elsewhere. Two weeks before the draft, Crews is not a lock to go No. 1. It's just the most likely outcome.

 

Kendall Rogers @KendallRogers 

TRANSFER NEWS: TCU Baseball  has landed a massive get out of the portal as former Wichita State two-way standout Payton Tolle is headed to Fort Worth play for the Frogs, D1 baseball  has learned. Tolle struck out 97 in 85.2 IP and hit .311 w/ 13 HRs, 50 RBIs in '23. 

 

Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) 

TRANSFER NEWS: 

Vols Baseball sophomore RHP Chase Burns has officially entered the Transfer Portal, D1baseball has learned. Burns struck out 114 in 72 innings for the #Vols this season. He’s the most high-profile player in the portal. 

 

Ben Badler (@BenBadler) t 

2023 All-American  teams are out. 

Walker Jenkins, Noble Meyer, Blake Mitchell and more.

 

Full 1st and 2nd teams CLICK HERE: https://t.co/mssjr76IW5