The first two rounds of the 2023 Major League Baseball amateur draft are officially in the books, which saw a trio of former Gators taken — including a pair in the first round alone. While one player had a chance to be the first Florida alumnus taken first overall, both of the first-rounders still did well for themselves.
Firstly, outfielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] — who was expected to be among the first three selected on Sunday and a possible 1:1 pick — was drafted by the Texas Rangers at No. 4 overall after the Detroit Tigers passed him over for a high schooler. CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson put together his draft grades on Monday morning and here is what gave the Langford pick.
Langford would have been a good get at No. 1 most years, so landing him at No. 4 is a great value. He’s a potential middle-of-the-order hitter who torched SEC pitching (.350/.484/.720 with one fewer walk than strikeout). He boasts sneaky athleticism and a veteran scout estimated he had a coin flip’s chance of remaining in center into his big-league days, so don’t be surprised if the Rangers give him a long look there. Grade: A
Secondly, there is starting pitcher [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag], who was plucked at No. 24 by his childhood favorite Atlanta Braves. Here is how that pick graded out.
Some scouts and analysts who spoke to CBS Sports in the lead up to the draft considered Waldrep worthy of a top-10 selection. That’s because he has some of the nastiest stuff in the class, including an elite splitter that very well could be this year’s best individual offering. Waldrep slipped because of his command: he walked more than 14% of SEC foes he faced, giving him more relief risk than some of his peers. The Braves can afford to swing for the fences this late in the first. Grade: A
Finally, starting pitcher Brandon Sproat was taken by the New York Mets at No. 56 overall. Anderson did not offer grades for selections made after the first 28.
The 2023 MLB draft continues on Monday for rounds three through 10. Things fire back up at 2 p.m. EDT and can be followed on live stream at MLB.com.
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