Several members of Auburn baseball’s 2023 roster will have the chance to continue their baseball careers at the next level. However, two members of Auburn’s 2023 signing class will get that chance much sooner.
The 2023 Major League Baseball draft began Sunday night and two of Auburn’s top signees were quickly taken off the board. First up, infielder [autotag]Colt Emerson[/autotag] was drafted 22nd overall by the Seattle Mariners. Emerson is considered to be a four-star prospect by 14powers.com, and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo can see him being a versatile member of Seattle’s infield in the future.
A year ago, the Mariners took a left-handed-hitting middle infielder out of the high school ranks in Cole Young, and they did it again here. Emerson has a similar profile to Young as a prep player with the chance to be a plus hitter with a very advanced approach at the plate. There is power for him to grow into as well, and while he’s a solid defender, he may not play shortstop forever, but third or second could work just fine.
The next Auburn signee to hear his name called was [autotag]Kevin McGonigal[/autotag], who is considered to be Auburn’s top prospect of the 2023 class. McGonigal was taken 37th overall by the Detroit Tigers and may begin his pro career if the offer is attractive.
There was buzz that McGonigle seemed “unsignable” and would head to Auburn, but he doesn’t go here if he’s not ready to start his pro career. A real gamer, McGonigle has the chance to be a plus hitter with solid power, one who routinely finds the barrel. He might end up at second, like his idol, Chase Utley. This will be an over-slot deal, so the Tigers will have to save some money in other spots, and it makes me wonder if Max Clark’s bonus might be a little under slot at No. 3 to help make this signing happen.
According to MLB.com, the Mariners’ selection of Emerson at No. 22 is worth a value of $3,496,600, and the Tigers’ selection of McGonigal is worth $2,309,500. Several other names to watch for as the MLB draft continues on Monday include [autotag]Bryson Ware[/autotag], [autotag]Cole Foster[/autotag], and [autotag]Joseph Gonzalez[/autotag].
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