2023 MLB Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions for Where Top Prospects Will Land

Baseball's stars of tomorrow are arriving today.

OK, maybe not today, but very soon, as the 2023 MLB draft gets underway on Sunday night (7 p.m. ET on ESPN and MLB Network).

The College World Series champion LSU Tigers will be well represented at the top of the draft, but potential stars linger all over this draft board. To get a better grasp of all this class has to offer, we'll throw together a mock first round, then spotlight the two prospects we have pegged at the top.

Mock First Round

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OMAHA, NEBRASKA - JUNE 25: Wyatt Langford #36 of the Florida Gators flips his bat after hitting a three-run home run during the sixth inning of Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals against the LSU Tigers at Charles Schwab Field on June 25, 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)

1. Pittsburgh Pirates: Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU

2. Washington Nationals: Dylan Crews, CF, LSU

3. Detroit Tigers: Wyatt Langford, LF, Florida

4. Texas Rangers: Max Clark, CF, Franklin Community HS (Ind.)

5. Minnesota Twins: Walker Jenkins, RF, South Brunswick HS (N.C.)

6. Oakland Athletics: Brayden Taylor, 3B, TCU

7. Cincinnati Reds: Kyle Teel, C, Virginia

8. Kansas City Royals: Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit HS (Ore.)

9. Colorado Rockies: Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest

10. Miami Marlins: Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Ole Miss

11. Los Angeles Angels: Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida

12. Arizona Diamondbacks: Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee

13. Chicago Cubs: Arjun Nimmala, SS, Strawberry Crest HS (Fla.)

14. Boston Red Sox: Blake Mitchell, C, Sinton HS (Texas)

15. Chicago White Sox: Tommy Troy, 3B, Stanford

16. San Francisco Giants: Enrique Bradfield Jr., CF, Vanderbilt

17. Baltimore Orioles: Colin Houck, 3B, Parkview HS (Ga.)

18. Milwaukee Brewers: Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon

19. Tampa Bay Rays: Bryce Eldridge, 1B/RHP, James Madison HS (Va.)

20. Toronto Blue Jays: Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Florida Atlantic

21. St. Louis Cardinals: Matt Shaw, 2B, Maryland

22. Seattle Mariners: Aidan Miller, 3B, Mitchell HS (Fla.)

23. Cleveland Guardians: Colt Emerson, SS/3B, Glenn HS (Ohio)

24. Atlanta Braves: Yohandy Morales, 3B, Miami

25. San Diego Padres: Thomas White, LHP, Phillips Academy (Mass.)

26. New York Yankees: Sammy Stafura, SS, Walter Panas HS (N.Y.)

27. Philadelphia Phillies: George Lombard Jr., SS, Gulliver Prep (Fla.)

28. Houston Astros: Chase Davis, LF, Arizona

Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU

Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

OMAHA, NE - JUNE 26: Paul Skenes #20 of the LSU Tigers celebrates after defeating the Florida Gators 18-4 in Game 3 of the Division I Mens Baseball Championship held at Charles Schwab Field on June 26, 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

While the top five prospects in this draft are all loaded with potential, it's still hard to picture Paul Skenes making it past the first two picks.

The 6'6" right-hander projects as a potential ace with an elite fastball (he'll sit in the high 90s and touch triple digits), a wipe-out slider and an improving power changeup. He can blow away most hitters, but when he needs some finesse, he can dial that up, too.

He is just a good athlete in general. Before transferring to LSU, he spent two seasons at Air Force. There, in addition to pitching, he caught, played the field and batted .367 with 24 home runs over the two campaigns combined.

His pitching stats from this past season are simply silly. He carried a 1.69 ERA over 122.2 innings, racking up 209 strikeouts and only 20 walks along the way.

Dylan Crews, CF, LSU

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OMAHA, NEBRASKA - JUNE 22: Dylan Crews #3 of the LSU Tigers runs to first base after hitting a single during the 11th inning against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Charles Schwab Field on June 22, 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska. LSU Tigers defeated Wake Forest Demon Deacons to advance to the NCAA College World Series Finals. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)

All due respect to everyone else in this draft, Crews is the top prospect on the board. The fact he isn't mocked in our No. 1 spot here is not at all a reflection of his talent, but rather the chance he simply winds up costing more than the Pirates want to pay.

"The indication has been made to the teams at the top of the draft that LSU CF Dylan Crews wants more than the top slot in the draft, which is $9.721 million," ESPN's Kiley McDaniel reported. "Whether this number has been said out loud, or implied, or this is merely shorthand for 'over slot,' multiple teams picking at the top have said to me this week that Dylan Crews wants $10 million."

That's a huge chunk of change, but Crews might be worth it.

He is a true five-tool talent. He can hit, has power, runs well and should have enough tools to stick in center field.

He could have been a first-round pick out of high school in 2020, but he headed to LSU instead and cemented himself as an elite prospect. This past season, his stat sheet went places that video-gamers can only dream about. He posted a .426/.567/.713 slash line with 36 extra-base hits (half of them homers), six stolen bases and 170 combined runs and RBI in 71 games.