Are you a baseball fan eagerly anticipating the upcoming draft? Look no further! We’ve got the inside scoop on this year’s top prospects. Our first full first-round projection of the year boasts more certainty than usual, with the consensus top two prospects being Louisiana State outfielder Dylan Crews and right-hander Paul Skenes, who are vying to become the first ever teammates to go 1-2 in the same draft.
The next three best talents, according to virtually every team, are outfielders Wyatt Langford (Florida), Walker Jenkins (South Brunswick HS, Southport, N.C.), and Max Clark (Franklin, Ind., HS), though the order in which they are ranked varies. Beyond them, the top tier of prospects is shrouded in uncertainty, making the back half of the first round anyone’s guess.
This year, the hitters outshine the pitchers in both the college and high school ranks, leading us to project that twenty of the top twenty-eight choices will be bats. This may be why the Pirates elected to do a discount deal with Henry Davis last year, but don’t expect to see a repeat of that strategy this time around.
Detailed scouting reports for all the players mentioned in our projection can be found via our Draft Top 150 list, which ranks Dylan Crews at No. 1 and Paul Skenes at No. 2. The top choice comes with an assigned worth of $9,721,000, so Pittsburgh can take the best player, break the existing bonus record — the $8,416,300 that the Tigers paid Spencer Torkelson in 2020 — and still have plenty of leftover cash.
We only went 28 picks deep because the Mets’ and Dodgers’ top choices fell 10 spots due to exceeding the competitive balance tax threshold by more than $40 million. We have provided a brief rundown of the top five picks:
1. Pirates: Dylan Crews, OF, Louisiana State (No. 1)
2. Nationals: Paul Skenes, RHP, Louisiana State (No. 2)
3. Tigers: Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida (No. 3)
4. Rangers: Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick HS, Southport, N.C. (No. 4)
5. Twins: Max Clark, OF, Franklin (Ind.) HS (No. 5)
It’s worth noting that the first round gets murkier after this point. Are you excited to see which prospects your favorite team ends up drafting? We sure are!
Source: www.mlb.com