Any Florida fan that’s watched a Gators game during the team’s current College World Series run knows that the club has an exceptional amount of talent.
Many players on the 2023 roster will end up in the major leagues at some point, but only a couple are expected to be selected in the first round of the upcoming MLB draft. On Monday, the Sporting News’ Edward Sutelan took a shot at projecting the entire first round and Florida right-hander Hurston Waldrep joined outfielder Wyatt Langford on the list.
Langford, who has held onto the No. 3 spot in most draft rankings throughout the season, is once again drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the mock draft. LSU outfielder Dylan Crews has been the consensus No. 1 pick for over a year, only to be challenged by his teammate, right-hander Paul Skenes, who looks like a plug-and-play ace.
The Washington Nationals seem like a perfect fit for Skenes at the No. 2 spot, especially with Stephen Strasburg aging quickly on the mound. There have been some rumors of Pittsburgh taking a discount at the No. 1 pick, but Langford giving up money to jump two spots and come off the board first doesn’t make much sense.
“Wyatt Langford is a compelling No. 2 college bat behind Crews,” Sutelan wrote. “He has more power than his LSU counterpart but is a tick behind him in speed and overall hitting ability, though both are more a testament to Crews’ standout abilities than a knock on Langford, who in any other year would be the clear favorite to be the top college bat off the board.
“Langford is more likely to be a corner outfielder, but one with middle-of-the-order potential as a player who combines a well-rounded hit tool with power and speed to boot.”
Waldrep gets drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals at No. 21 overall in this mock, but he could go even higher if he caps off an incredible postseason with one more masterful start (assuming Florida makes it to the College World Series championship).
Major-league scouts are left drooling after seeing Waldrep’s “split-change” in person, and the slider has become a reliable breaking pitch to generate even more swing and miss. Add in the fact that Waldrep has a fastball that can touch 98-99 mph and 21st overall seems a bit low. Skenes and Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder are the only other two college right-handers ahead of him, though.
“The Cardinals have found success drafting college arms in recent years with first-round picks like Zack Thompson (Kentucky) in 2019, Michael McGreevy (UC Santa Barbara) in 2021 and Cooper Hjerpe (Oregon State) in 2022. While most have been control and command over stuff, Hurston Waldrep could give them a high-upside college arm in the system after underperforming in 2023 with overpowering stuff.
“His high velo and dominant off-speed offerings give him ace upside, even if a bit of risk given his struggles with command as a junior.”
Although he isn’t listed by Sutelan, Florida shortstop Josh Rivera could sneak into the compensatory portion of the first round (picks 30-39). There are a ton of shortstops expected to go in the first round, including more than half a dozen players coming out of high school, but Rivera might be a better option for some teams that want to go the college route.
Sutelan has Grand Canyon shortstop Jacob Wilson coming off the board 10th overall to Marlins and Ole Miss’ Jacob Gonzalez going No. 13 to the Cubs. Rivera came back for an extra year of college, which hurts his leverage in the draft, but he performed just as well as the other two.
This is where a team that’s looking to save money in the first round could jump on Rivera and work out a deal, though. Right-hander Brandon Sproat is another name that could go in the first few rounds, but he might not have done quite enough to jump up from that third-round spot he went in last year.
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