The 2023 MLB draft is less than a week away, and Perfect Game has two Gators going in the first 11 picks of its latest first-round mock draft.
Wyatt Langford, who has long been considered one of the top two college bats in the draft, slipped down to No. 5 overall (Minnesota), and Hurston Waldrep moved up to No. 11 (Los Angeles) after a strong College World Series performance.
The Langford dip has little to do with the Gator’s performance. There’s a growing feeling among industry insiders that the Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to get a discount player with first-overall picks, and high-school No. 1 Max Clark seems like a natural fit. Clark wants to go first overall and would is the most likely candidate to work out a deal.
If Clark goes first, most expect Washington to take LSU’s Paul Skenes at No. 2. Stephen Strasburg’s arm is falling off and Paul Skenes might be the most hyped draft arm since Strasburg in 2009. That leaves the Detroit Tigers to pick between one of the two college bats, LSU’s Dylan Crews and Langford.
Although Detroit has been linked to Langford for some time, it would be hard to pass up the Golden Spikes winner who was expected to go first overall until this mock came out.
Waldrep at No. 11 isn’t too surprising. Scouts fell in love over a ridiculous postseason run, and an ugly last start isn’t going to scare too many teams off. Los Angeles. Assuming, Skenes goes at No. 2 and Rhett Lowder (Wake Forest) is off the board, Waldrep could even jump into the top 10. Perfect Game has Colorado taking Chase Dollander from Tennesee at No. 9 overall, but Waldrep could jump even further ahead.
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