2023 MLB Mock Draft 2.0: A surprise No. 1 pick?

The MLB Draft is only months away. With that in mind, here is our MLB mock draft 2.0.

Back in December, we here at FanSided dropped our first MLB Mock Draft right after the Pittsburgh Pirates won the MLB Draft Lottery. Since then, a lot has changed as the college baseball season comes to a close as teams prepare for the postseason. That goes for high school teams across the country as well.

This year's draft has the makings to being one of the deepest drafts in recent memory, and the first one that is under the new lottery system. The ongoing theme seems to be is it will be a draft that will be college bat and pitcher heavy, sprinkled in with a few new risers from high school.

MLB Draft slot values

Before we dive into our Mock Draft, let's look at the slotted values for each pick in the first round and bonus pool money they will be receiving.

Adding up the total pools for all 30 teams, it adds up to $307 million, an increase from $280 million. Not too shabby. Now that we have those figures out of the way, we are going to look at just the Top 10 and where we think they may end up going.

2023 MLB Mock Draft: Predicting 1-10

Miami has been developing pitching over the last decade with arms in their rotation like Braxton Garrett, Eury Perez and Edward Cabrera. White, a high school arm out of of Massachusetts that stands at 6'5 with a fastball that touches 96-97 and has good mechanics for his size. He is considered the best prep arm in the draft.

Why a prep pitcher over a bat? Last season, the Marlins selected Jacob Berry out of LSU, who will more than likely be a DH in his pro career. Right now, for High-A Beloit, he is off to a slow start, batting just .186. The Marlins, according to Keith Law of the Athletic, have been reported to be scouting White heavy.

Something else to consider, the Marlins do have the 35th overall pick in the Competitive Balance Round, so drafting White to then perhaps get a bat could also be a play Miami could do. White still will be growing in his 6'5 frame, so the upside may be too hard to ignore.

In baseball, teams tend to draft on upside and talent, compared to the NFL, where it is often the case for drafting for position. For Colorado, some of their better prospects are positional players, and Dollander would be a significant gain to a group that is thin on pitching depth.

Despite the pedestrian like numbers compared to his 2022 season, Dollander has tremendous upside, with a fastball with good riding action that tops at 99 with a slider that has some sweeping action to it. According to several reports, the Rockies have been scouting him heavy, and both Keith Law and MLB Pipeline have him going at 9.

The only other arm that could go here could be Hurston Waldrep, the right-hander out of the University of Florida.

The Royals farm system needs a bit of everything. Various mock drafts have them slated to take shortstop Jacob Wilson, another shortstop out of Grand Canyon. Whomever KC picks here in either Gonzalez or Turner, both have tremendous offensive upside.

The Reds have a host of prospects, including Elly De La Cruz, who might soon become regular contributors. With Lowder, who has a steady constant for Wake Forest, he has the potential to rise quickly through the system.

Now, this is the part of the draft where things get interesting. Picks one through three sets up how the rest of the top 10 goes. Oakland, who had the second-worst record in 2022, thanks to the lottery, ended up with the sixth pick. Getting a bat like Jacob Wilson is not bad of a consolation prize wherever the A's call home in the future. He has a good glove and strong recognition of the strike zone.

Teel was recently named the ACC Player of the Year and his draft stock continues to climb. He led the ACC in batting average (.414) and started every game behind the plate for Virginia. He can also play in the outfield. The Twins have not drafted a catcher in the first round since Joe Mauer went number one overall in 2001. Minnesota may decide that the upside may be too hard to ignore.

Texas is reportedly interested in two high school players, Clark and Walker Jenkins, both of whom are left-handed hitters with significant offensive potential. According to MLB Pipeline, Clark's hitting ability is rated at 60, fueling rumors that he could be among the top three picks. If Clark is still available at fourth, Texas should not hesitate to select him.

Dylan Crews and Wyatt Langford have much in common; both have been excelling against ACC pitching and are right-handed hitters. However, Crews displays slightly more potential for power than Langford. Crews' ability aligns well with the new directive from Tigers' President of Baseball Operations, Scott Harris, who advocates for players capable of controlling the strike zone.

As the Harris era begins, the Tigers' initial pick appears promising. While there may be speculation that Harris could select a 'dark horse' like catcher Teel to maybe have the "smartest guy in the room" title, it's unlikely in this situation.

Regardless, if the Pirates do not pick Crews, and he falls to Detroit at three, this should be the choice. Crews has had one of the best seasons by an ACC player and could reach the majors quickly, something the Tigers would not mind with a system that currently thin in the outfield.

Standing at 6-6, Skenes has been a commanding presence for LSU this season. He has hit 102 on the radar gun and striking out 167 in 90 innings of work this season. This is a front line starter who could move quickly through the Nats system. Seems like a no-brainer here at two.

Earlier in the year, Langford was predicted to go number one and because of the season that Crews has had, a vast majority of mock drafts have Crews over Langford. But the Pirates always throw people for loops. Case in point, the pick of Henry Davis, who was not projected to go in the top 5, let alone number one overall.

Langford fell from that distinction because of an injury after taking a foul ball off his own bat and came back in two weeks, which is impressive, considering the injury, which was slated to have a healing time of six weeks.

He is a five-tool player who has put up an impressive resume in his time at Florida. Langford or Crews, you cant go wrong either, both have the potential to reach the majors quickly.