I’ve been a huge college baseball fan since, oh, 1987, when I shifted to the baseball beat for The Red & Black at the University of Georgia and the Bulldogs went all the way to the College World Series. Covering the college game was one of my primary responsibilities in my early years at Baseball America and I loved it. I’ve attended at least parts of 31 different CWS and I’ve lost track of how many games I’ve witnessed in Omaha, but it has to be close to 300.
So I’m excited that the 2023 college season starts this weekend. I’ll be in Arizona doing some broadcasting work for MLB Network at the Desert Invitational — aka the tournament formerly known as MLB4. Seven of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Draft Prospects will take the field, including three potential 2023 first-rounders in Tennessee right-hander Chase Dollander and shortstop Maui Ahuna and Grand Canyon shortstop Jacob Wilson. Another shortstop, Michigan State’s Mitch Jebb, is one of the best hitters in college baseball.
Dollander is the clear top pitcher in the 2023 Draft class and one of the headliners on my college all-prospect team. I only considered players eligible for this year’s Draft:
Kyle Teel, C, Virginia — Outstanding defender comes with questions about his offensive upside.
Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Florida Atlantic — Makes a lot of hard contact, scuffled with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer.
Matt Shaw, 2B, Maryland — The offensive-minded Cape MVP plays shortstop for the Terrapins but projects as a second baseman as a pro.
Brayden Taylor, 3B, Texas Christian — May lack a true plus tool yet can do a little bit of everything and makes it look easy.
Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Mississippi — Hit 18 homers for CWS champion Rebels last year, has outstanding defensive instincts.
Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, Vanderbilt — The fastest player in this Draft earns Kenny Lofton comps and went 46-for-46 on steal attempts last spring.
Dylan Crews, OF, Louisiana State — The No. 1 prospect on our Draft Top 100 could be a plus hitter with plus power — and maybe better.
Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida — Crews’ main challenger as the top position player in the class, he went from four at-bats as a freshman to 26 homers as a sophomore.
Paul Skenes, UTIL, Louisiana State — Will get drafted as a pitcher (fastball that reaches 99 mph, wipeout slider, power changeup), also has huge right-handed power.
Grayson Hitt, LHP, Alabama — Posted a 6.61 ERA in his first two seasons, wowed scouts with a mid-90s fastball and an upper-80s cutter last fall.
Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee — The best college pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Gerrit Cole (2011).