The Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft of 2023 is set to take place in Seattle from July 9th to 11th. This year’s draft class is being hailed as one of the most impressive since the legendary group of 2011. The talent pool is brimming with exceptional college position players, a strong contingent of high school position players, and a sufficient number of college arms to keep the first round intriguing. However, it’s worth noting that there’s a noticeable scarcity of left-handed pitchers (southpaws) and catchers.
The draft will kick off with the first two rounds on Sunday, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). The subsequent rounds, 3-10, will be held on Monday, followed by rounds 11-20 on Tuesday, starting at 2 p.m. ET on both days. Over the course of these three days, a total of 614 players are expected to be selected.
To help fans and followers prepare for this event, various resources are available, including lists of top prospects, mock drafts predicting early picks, and guides explaining the rules of the draft. Additionally, there are features on college teammates who have been selected among the top-10 picks, analysis of the first round, and updates on where the top 30 picks are now.
Interestingly, this year’s draft has more players worthy of a first-round pick than there are actual first-round picks (28). As a result, several players may be drafted later than they would in a typical year. However, they could still receive first-round bonuses, which ultimately hold more significance.
The Pittsburgh Pirates will have the honor of making the first selection for the second time in three years, thanks to their victory in the inaugural draft lottery. The lottery system assigns odds to the 18 teams that missed the playoffs based on their win percentage from the previous year.
A draw then determines the order of the top six selections. The remaining non-playoff teams are arranged according to their 2022 win percentages, followed by the playoff teams, who are ordered based on their elimination from the postseason and their revenue-sharing status.
Among the top prospects, this year are LSU’s Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, who are potential contenders for the No. 1 pick. Other notable prospects include Max Clark, Wyatt Langford, and Arjun Nimmala. Despite their immense talent, the competition is so fierce that some of these players might not secure the top spot this year. Regardless, the 2023 MLB Draft promises to be an exciting event filled with promising talent and potential future stars of the sport.
