Test Sketch: Preparation Talent Creates a Great Pushup Board (2023)

It's been two weeks since Jim Callis officially kicked off our mock draft season.our first screeningfirst round of the 2023 Draft. Now it's my turn.

While there has been some hype around player up and down movements, and I've tried to reflect that below, much of what Jim wrote remains unchanged. Namely, the top five names continue to establish themselves at the top of the class: LSU teammates Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes, Florida outfielders Wyatt Langford, and high school outfielders Walker Jenkins and Max Clark. There was no reason to prevent them from taking the top five, although I messed up the order a bit after the top two.

After that, the keyword remains "uncertainty". Anyone who scoffs at this time of year will tell you that the goal is to try to put a name on each place that is at least doable, and I think I've at least come close to that by being a little creative with what's going on. forward with this superior quintet.

As always, the scouting reports of all the players in this screening are on ours.Top 150 Project(ratings in parentheses). We're going as deep as 28 after the top picks the Mets and Dodgers dropped 10 spots (to No. 32 and No. 36 respectively) as they passed the Competitive Balance tax threshold by more than $40 million.

1. Pirates: Dylan Crews, OF, Louisiana (nr 1)
He has an OPS north of 1300 and twice as many walks as strikes, leading to lines of .445/.600/.757. He's been productive all three years at the SEC, and that means something.

2. Citizens: Paul Skenes, RHP, Louisiana (nº 2)
In many other years there would be no debates and Skenes would be the obvious choice for 1-1. And he still can, given his 1.69 ERA, 17.2 K/9, 10.9 K/BB and 0.162 opponent average as data points that keep him in the conversation.

3. Tigres: Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick HS, Southport, North Carolina (nr 4)
Jenkins has been talked about since early spring, and nothing has dimmed that glow. He always had an impressive left swing with power potential, he ran better and showed that he could play midfield.

4. Rangersi: Max Clark, OF, Franklin (ind.) HS (nº 5)
He is undoubtedly the central defender with the best chance of becoming a true five-tool player. He is highly watched by all the Texas teams.

5. Gemelos: Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida (nº 3)
Langford's 1.347 OPS lags only slightly behind Crews at this point, with a higher shooting percentage (0.813) than his SEC counterpart. If you're going to be nitpicky, he didn't actually play middle (like Crews) and he didn't hit right-handed (unlike Jenkins and Clark).

6. Atletismo: Kyle Teel, C, Virginia (nº 15)
Some may see this as an exaggeration, and it may be. But in the Wild West anything can happen after being in the top five and it's not unreasonable because teams at this level aren't afraid to kill a college hitter with a 1.133 OPS (answering questions about the bat) while continuing to show that you can reach it. long time.

7. Rojos: Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit HS, Portland, Ore. (nº 16)
That might be too much for the best high school representative in the class, but the Reds are pretty much following the Pacific Northwest prepter.

8. Royal Family: Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon (nº 7)
Jack's son never attacks (five of 189 appearances this year), hits (.428/.476/.669) and can play shortstop. What's not to like?

9. Rocky Mountains: Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee (number 6)
He's been up and down this year, especially in the SEC playoffs, but he still has a solid four-pitch mix for the year without too many college shooting options. Some good starts in the stage can fix the boat.

10. Marlins: Jacob González, SS, Mississippi (nº 8)
He can hit, with power, displaying enough offensive feats to overcome questions about his ability as a shortstop long-term. In the 6-10 picks there isn't much of a difference between college bats these days.

11. Aniołowie: Arjun Nimmala, SS, Strawberry Crest HS, Dover, Floryda. (nº 14)
There is still a good chance that Nimmal, who has plenty of pop and athleticism that should allow him to play short for a long time, will finish in the top 10.

12. D-back: Colin Houck, SS, Parkview HS, Lilburn, Georgia (nº 18)
An advantaged high schooler who plays in the middle? Sounds straight out of the D-backs guide, right? (Druw Jones, Jordan Lawlar, Corbin Carroll)

13. Modelo: Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest (nº 9)
He may not have the Lowd stuff (sorry, couldn't resist), but he was extremely consistent and has a sub-2.00 ERA. He had seven straight innings, which certainly doesn't hurt his action.

14. Medias Rojas: Matt Shaw, SS, Maryland (nº 19)
It will probably move up to second place, but who cares? The guy can hit, and with power (45 homers in the last two years), not to mention he was named Cape Cod League MVP last summer.

15. Medias Blancas: Aidan Miller, 3B, Mitchell HS, New Port Richey, Floryda (nº 12)
He's tough to rank as a hamstring injury has kept teams from seeing him this spring, but his strong performances on the summer show track may be enough. He could move up when he works for the teams.

16. Gigantes: Henry Bradfield Jr., OF, Vanderbilt (16).nº 10)
Incredible speed and central defense will be coveted, and a team facing him at some point in the first innings will believe they can hit the ball enough to excel in the league.

17. Orioles: Yohandy Morales, 3B, Miami (nº 23)
One of the college bats that seems to be floating on the boards, and for good reason: Morales is now slashing .402/.471/.656 with a dozen home runs.

18. Browary: Colt Emerson, SS/3B, Glenn HS, New Concord, Ohio (nº 31)
Milwaukee is always a good place for college bats (freshman players in this group for the last three years), but they rank high for this prep infielder who climbs the spring-loaded boards.

19. Rayos: Brayden Taylor, 3B, Texas Christian (nº 22)
Though it wouldn't surprise anyone if the Rays took someone not as well-qualified in the industry (seeIsaac, JavierIWilliams, Carson), Taylor's TCU power (17 home runs), coupled with the fact that he's been heating up of late, belongs somewhere in this stage of the Draft.

20. Azulejos: Tommy Troy, SS, Stanford (nº 20)
Another college bat with a name on the rise, Troy certainly helped his struggle by hitting .379/.460/.676 with 11 home runs and 15 interceptions in the Pac-12 this year.

21. Kardynałowie: Thomas White, LZ, Academia Phillips, Andover, Massachusetts (nº 17)
Many evaluators believe White will come out on top, considering him the best lefty in the class and close to Meyer in terms of being the best arm to pick in high school. On the other hand, he might as well not last that long, although setup pitchers are hard to predict.

22. Sailors: Blake Mitchell, C, Sinton (Texas) HS (nº 13)
The Mariners certainly won't back down on a high school bat in the first round if it's the right one consideringharry fordw 2021 r. iyoung colelast year.

23. Guardianes: Kevin McGonigle, SS/2B, Monsignor Bonner HS, Drexel Hill, Pensilvania (nº 26)
Rangers like guys who can hit with advanced methods, and McGonigle has one of the best hitting tools and understands what every high school bat in the class wants to do at home plate.

24. Bravos: Walker Martin, SS, Eaton (Colonel) HS (nº 41)
There's some sense that the high school batting pool may be the deepest at this stage, with Martin, a two-sport standout, drawing a lot of attention from lawmakers.

25. Address: Bryce Eldridge, 1B/RHP, Madison HS, Vienna, Virginia (nº 21)
Eldridge would have been a legitimate mound contender, but his ability to hit a ton of power from the left side of the plate carried him into the first round.

26. Jankesi: Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Floryda (nº 11)
As far as things go, he's still in a much higher position and could very well go to a team that feels like they can move him, but his ERA is around 5.00 (5.52 in SEC) and his rating is 5.4 BB/ 9 have a lot of scouts scratching their heads over the transfer from Southern Miss.

27. Phillies: Charlee Soto, RHP, Reborn Christian Academy, Kissimmee, Florida (nº 24)
they tookandres painterImick abelin the early final rounds, and Soto's combination of stuff and athleticism on the mound has him in a lot of first-round conversations.

28. Astros: Nolan Schanuel, 1B/OF, Florida Atlantic (nº 39)
He is one of the best hitters during his college baseball stint, leading the Division I Bats in on-base percentage, ranking second in average and batting percentage for a very solid .454/.614/.891 line. .