2023 MLB Draft Preview - kdutch98's Dynasty

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2023 MLB Draft Preview

Posted on May 12, 2023 at 05:22 PM.

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2023 MLB DRAFT PREVIEW

The 2023 MLB Amateur Draft is upon us. Most analysts believe that there are three "can't miss" prospects. Outfielders Neal Lantz, and Vaughn Beltre, and pitcher Thomas Reyes.

The Pittsburgh Pirates won the draft lottery, and will select first overall. Washington will pick second, followed by the Detroit Tigers. There is a substantial drop off after the top 3 picks.

2023 MLB Draft Projected Top 10 Picks
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Pittsburgh Pirates	Neal Lantz	OF	5-10	211
2	Washington Nationals	Vaughn Beltre	CF	5-10	211
3	Detroit Tigers	Thomas Reyes	SP	6-0	201
4	Texas Rangers	Omar Guerrero	SP	6-5	187
5	Minnesota Twins	Ryan Douglas	SP	6-1	211
6	Oakland A's	Alfonso Peralta	P	6-5	196
7	Cincinnati Reds	Dave Thacker	3B	6-4	209
8	Kansas City Royals	Johnny Hobbs	SS	6-5	191
9	Colorado Rockies	Sebastuab Duarte	P	6-0	171
10	Miami Marlins	Grady Bauer	C	6-5	232

Projected Top 5 Picks

1. Neal Lantz, OF Kentucky Junior College
Lantz is the consensus #1 pick among most analysts. Lantz has elite speed, and arm strength for an outfielder, and a great eye at the plate. He projects to be a high average, hitter with some pop in his bat. A left handed hitter, he handles left handed pitching just as well as right handed.

2. Vaughn Beltre, OF, Oklahoma High School
Most scouts project Beltre going second overall to the Nationals, though there is some concerns about signability. Beltre, just 18 years old, projects to be an elite hitter with good power, elite speed, and elite instincts in Center Field. Beltre opted out of the Dr. exam, so there is some concern over his health. This, along with the signability concerns could possibly cause him to fall a bit.

3. Thomas Reyes, SP, Univerisity of Washington
Reyes fastball tops out at 98, and has a power slider to go with it. Though he throws hard, he only struck out about 7 batters per 9 innings, which is likely due to the fact that he is basically a fastball/slider pitcher. Reyes does a good job of limiting hits, and doesn't walk very many hitters.

4. Omar Guerrero, SP, Penn State University
Guerrero is another hard thrower, with a fastball topping out at 96-98. His curve and slider are both plus pitches, though his changeup needs work. He doesn't strike out a lot of hitters, but keeps walks to a minimum, and limits hits well. He was plagued by arm problems, so there are injury/durability concerns, which could lead to him dropping a bit
5. Ryan Douglass, SP, New Mexico State University
Douglas throws 4 seam fastball that tops out at 97, and a 2 seamer that goes between 90-94, with a plus slider. He has good control, and rarely walks hitters, though he doesn't strike out as many as expected with his velocity.