2023 MLB Draft Thread

Clear underslot pick. If you could go BPA every pick like NFL, but unfortunately baseball you have a pool. Cant just pick the top 4 guys early then you have nothing to use the rest of the draft.

Yep. And a good option for an underslot too. He's not entirely without talent. His sinker makes him someone who could develop into something.
 
We're probably gonna sign this guy for right around $1 million. At that price, you can be certain he isn't without talent. He certainly doesn't have the perceived ceiling of the other 2 guys we drafted, but he also has enough enough workable talent that you could squint and see a big league starter down the way. Your standard 40 FV pitching prospect.
 
We're probably gonna sign this guy for right around $1 million. At that price, you can be certain he isn't without talent. He certainly doesn't have the perceived ceiling of the other 2 guys we drafted, but he also has enough enough workable talent that you could squint and see a big league starter down the way. Your standard 40 FV pitching prospect.

Squint? You could check your eyelids for cracks and possibly see 40FV. But yeah, I take this pick for what it is. Workable..possible..maybe...eh. Time will tell though. Right?
 
Squint? You could check your eyelids for cracks and possibly see 40FV. But yeah, I take this pick for what it is. Workable..possible..maybe...eh. Time will tell though. Right?

The guy was ranked 200. He’s not a true 2nd rounder, but it’s not like we took him for the sole purpose of saving slot money. I’m sure they think he could turn into something useful.
 
The guy was ranked 200. He’s not a true 2nd rounder, but it’s not like we took him for the sole purpose of saving slot money. I’m sure they think he could turn into something useful.
You could say that about 15th rounders, but I digress. It is what it is. If the Braves like him, it's good enough for me.
 
Braves use their third round pick in the draft on Sabin Ceballos from Oregon, a 3B who was a SS in JUCO at San Jac previously. Should be a good defender and improving bat
 
Ceballos went from the Puerto Rico high school scene to San Jacinto Junior College. In two years at San Jac, he hit .341 and got a late look from the Angels in Round 14 of the 2022 Draft. He headed to the University of Oregon instead of signing and has continued to hit well, though questions about his defensive profile have tempered excitement about his bat to a degree.

Most believe Ceballos can hit some, as he’s shown the ability to make a lot of contact for three years running. What has his proponents more excited is that his plate discipline has improved and he’s shown more ability to drive the ball the other way. He doesn’t miss many fastballs and his power has started to show up more as his approach has gotten better, especially to the pull side.

Where a team can put Ceballos’ bat remains in question. He doesn’t have terrible actions at third base and possesses at least an above-average arm. But as a well-below-average runner, most see a move to first in his future, although an adventurous team might want to try him out behind the plate. He saw some time there last summer in the Draft League, showing off that arm and some defensive feel, though there’s work to be done on his blocking and receiving.
 
just drafted our back up 1B. Olson getting some rest at the end of the season.

What has a better chance of happening - our third round pick getting to the majors this year, or Snit electing to give one of our position players a day off? It's a coin flip.
 
Atlanta has selected Ceballos with the 94th overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft.

Ceballos was announced as a shortstop by Atlanta but seemingly has little-to-no chance of staying there, with a move to third base where he mostly played at Oregon or possibly first base likely. He can hit, though, with good plate discipline and improving power.
 
Drafted in the 4th Garrett Baumann

It’s hard not to notice Baumann when he’s on the mound, with the kind of 6-foot-8 frame that makes any scout take notice. It comes with plenty of arm strength, which was on display at summer showcase circuit events like PDP League and Perfect Game’s All-American Classic. While he didn’t pitch well at USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational early this spring, his name was floating up as he performed better as the spring wore on at Hagerty HS in Florida.

Big and strong with that extra-large frame, Baumann has plenty to dream on. In shorter stints over the summer, Baumann was up as high as 97 mph with his fastball, but he’s generally around 93 mph with his heater that features some sink. Right now, his changeup is his best secondary offering, thrown up to the mid-80s with decent fade and sold with arm speed. His breaking ball is behind and inconsistent, a slider that can be good at times, but it gets slurvy and lacks bite to be an out pitch, though some scouts believe he has enough feel for spin for it to be a decent option in the future.

Baumann’s arm action can get long and he needs to work on refining his delivery, with mechanical inconsistencies leading to spotty command at times. Even with the question marks, though, his size and raw ingredients could have teams interested in drafting him away from his commitment to Central Florida.
 
Garrett Baumann, HS pitcher with the next pick. Might have to go overslot to get him, UCF signee.
 
Isaiah Drake pick round 5.

High schooler from Atlanta. #215 for Baseball America:

A 6-foot, 180-pound outfielder and lefthanded hitter, Drake stands out for his impressive athleticism and loud tool set. He’s an 80-grade runner who also has plus raw power from the left side, though scouts wondered about his offensive approach and pure hitting ability. He was one of the most impressive hitters at the 2023 MLB Draft Combine, where he showed quick, twitchy hands and a compact stroke that led to loud hits during the high school game and consistently impressive rounds of batting practice. He has tended to show a heavy pull-side approach in games, and will try to yank pitches down the right field line without much of a plan at the plate. If he’s able to improve that approach and use the opposite field more naturally, he has the sort of power/speed combination to be an impactful offensive player. Defensively, his speed alone should give him a chance to be a plus defensive center fielder, but like his offensive game, he also needs to improve his routes, reads and instincts. He is committed to Georgia Tech and is young for the class—he turns 18 just a few days after the draft.
 
RD 6 Lucas Braun
Cal State Northridge (CA)
USA
P
R/R
4YR SR
--
6' 0" 185lbs
DOB:08/26/01

2023 All-Big West Second Team
2022 All-Big West Second Team

2023 Season (Senior)
Braun collected his second consecutive All-Big West honor with another Second Team selection ... Served as the team's Friday starter ... Ranked third in The Big West in strikeouts (100) and tied for third in innings pitched (91.1) while he was tied for seventh place in wins (6) ... Became the first Matador since 2016 to reach 100 strikeouts in a season ... Posted a 6-5 record with a 4.83 ERA in 15 total starts ... Collected five wins in Big West play ... Tallied eight quality starts with seven in Big West action ... Reached double digits in strikeouts in three games ... Fanned 10 batters in eight innings at UC Davis (3/17/23) ... Struck out 10 more over six innings vs. UC Riverside (3/31/23) ... Notched a win with seven innings of work, allowing two runs at Long Beach State (4/14/23) ... Defeated Cal State Fullerton by working seven innings and allowing two runs (4/28/23) ... Struck out eight batters after working eight innings and yielding three runs in his final start at CSU Bakersfield (5/25/23)


Seems like a $$$ saver there...
 
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That tells you how much Ive been paying attention - I didn't even know the draft started yesterday. I assumed it was going to be the day after ASG. Love the Waldrep pick and not surprised its been pitching heavy so far.
 
RD 7 : Justin Long pitcher from Rice (Not the comedy actor)

Honors at Rice
C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll 2022, 2023
2022: Finished 3-4 with a 4.93 ERA in 21 appearances (two starts) in his first year on the mound after 71 games at catcher in 2021 & 2022… 3-3 with a 4.35 ERA in his 19 relief outings (41.1, 39, 22, 20, 13, 35)… Made his pitching debut with a start vs. Louisiana on 2/18 (1.2,3,6,5,2,1) then bounced back to work a season-long 4.2 innings in relief at #2 Stanford one week later (4.2,4,0,0,0,3)… Earned his first career win with 2.2 scoreless innings in relief vs. Texas Tech on 3/3... Picked up his second win of the season by tossing 3.2 scoreless innings and striking out four at UAB... Third win came at at MTSU on 4/22 (2.1,0,0,0,0,2… Fanned a season-high five vs. DBU on 4/30… 3-3 with a 2.86 ERA in nine relief outings on the road (22, 19, 97, 4, 19)… Held lefthanded hitters to a .218 batting average (12x55).

2022: Opened the year by starting 30 of the first 35 at catcher and then made nine starts at third in the final 16 games of the year… Threw out 10 base runners to tie for ninth in C-USA… Opened the year with a season-best, four-game hitting streak, going 3x8 in the opening series at Texas and 1x3 vs. HBU… Scored three runs vs. SFA on 3/15 to match his career high… Drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly vs. Sam Houston the following night as the Bearkats centerfielder made a diving stop of his liner in the gap, but could not make the throw in time to stop the second runner from scoring… Collected a pair of hits in seven games, including back-to-back efforts at LA Tech on 4/9 &10… Second on the team with 29 walks.


2021: Stepped in as the starting catcher as a true freshman, making 37 starts behind the plate… Threw out 22 of 36 runners attempting to steal, the most by a Rice catcher since Geoff Perrott threw out 28 in 2013… Second on the team with a .395 on-base percentage and tied for second on the team with 21 walks… Let the team with a .407 OBP in conference action… Hit .333 over his final 11 games (9x27), highlighted by a 3x3 day against Charlotte that also included his first home run and two RBI… Also collected a pair of hits in his two pinch-hit at-bats.
 
RD 7 : Justin Long pitcher from Rice (Not the comedy actor)

Honors at Rice
C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll 2022, 2023
2022: Finished 3-4 with a 4.93 ERA in 21 appearances (two starts) in his first year on the mound after 71 games at catcher in 2021 & 2022… 3-3 with a 4.35 ERA in his 19 relief outings (41.1, 39, 22, 20, 13, 35)… Made his pitching debut with a start vs. Louisiana on 2/18 (1.2,3,6,5,2,1) then bounced back to work a season-long 4.2 innings in relief at #2 Stanford one week later (4.2,4,0,0,0,3)… Earned his first career win with 2.2 scoreless innings in relief vs. Texas Tech on 3/3... Picked up his second win of the season by tossing 3.2 scoreless innings and striking out four at UAB... Third win came at at MTSU on 4/22 (2.1,0,0,0,0,2… Fanned a season-high five vs. DBU on 4/30… 3-3 with a 2.86 ERA in nine relief outings on the road (22, 19, 97, 4, 19)… Held lefthanded hitters to a .218 batting average (12x55).

2022: Opened the year by starting 30 of the first 35 at catcher and then made nine starts at third in the final 16 games of the year… Threw out 10 base runners to tie for ninth in C-USA… Opened the year with a season-best, four-game hitting streak, going 3x8 in the opening series at Texas and 1x3 vs. HBU… Scored three runs vs. SFA on 3/15 to match his career high… Drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly vs. Sam Houston the following night as the Bearkats centerfielder made a diving stop of his liner in the gap, but could not make the throw in time to stop the second runner from scoring… Collected a pair of hits in seven games, including back-to-back efforts at LA Tech on 4/9 &10… Second on the team with 29 walks.


2021: Stepped in as the starting catcher as a true freshman, making 37 starts behind the plate… Threw out 22 of 36 runners attempting to steal, the most by a Rice catcher since Geoff Perrott threw out 28 in 2013… Second on the team with a .395 on-base percentage and tied for second on the team with 21 walks… Let the team with a .407 OBP in conference action… Hit .333 over his final 11 games (9x27), highlighted by a 3x3 day against Charlotte that also included his first home run and two RBI… Also collected a pair of hits in his two pinch-hit at-bats.

I hope this guy is paying us to sign.
 
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