2024 MLB Draft Review: Seattle Mariners

Full list of draftees

The Mariners stayed true to their tendencies with this draft class. They started things off with an ultra athletic college pitcher, moved on to blowing most of their remaining bonus pool on a first round-caliber high school pitcher in the second round, then spent the rest of the draft targeting 23 and 24 year olds to save money while also finding spots here and there for some big power bats. By starting early, the Mariners found some of the best senior signs in the country, and overall I really like the class they pulled together.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. "2-50" would indicate that a player was drafted in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-15: BHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, Mississippi State {video}
Slot value: $4.88 million. Signing bonus: $4.88 million.
My rank: #18. MLB Pipeline: #25. Baseball America: #24.
The Mariners made a splash in the first round by picking up the famous switch pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, and he's the perfect fit. Cijntje (pronounced saint-jeh) first rose to fame as a switch pitching, switch hitting, two-way high school senior at Champagnat Catholic in South Florida, where he earned serious day two interest on account of his pitching. Instead, he made it to campus at Mississippi State where he struggled to a tough-luck 8.10 ERA as a freshman in 2023. A draft-eligible sophomore in 2024 due to turning 21 in May, he slowly pushed his way back into the top five rounds, then the top three, top two, and eventually to the middle of the first round as he seemed to get stronger and stronger with every start. While he switch pitched for the Bulldogs, most see Cijntje as a right handed pitcher only going forward. From that side, he sits in the low to mid 90's and approaches triple digits at peak with his fastball, putting big riding action on the pitch despite a lower release point. As he's progressed in Starkville, it's turned into a true plus pitch. He also shows a tight, hard slider with late bite, giving him a second above average pitch. The changeup at this point is inconsistent and a bit too firm, but it's shown flashes and isn't completely rudimentary. Meanwhile, his stuff is a bit more muted from the left side, with a fastball sitting around 90 with more run and sink unlike his riding right handed fastball. The slider is a bit sweepier, showing less power but more depth. From the right side, it looks like a legitimate #3 starting pitcher profile, while from the left he's more of a two-pitch guy who would work better in the bullpen where the stuff could add a tick. Unsurprisingly, Cijntje is a superb athlete that has gotten more and more refined in repeating his delivery, working his way up to average command with the chance to continue improving in that regard in pro ball, especially if he gives up pitching left handed. This arm fits extremely well in the Mariners' system as the same type of low launch, high ride guy they've had success with in the past. You won't find this combination of polish, athleticism, and trajectory often. Next up will be refining his changeup and continuing to take incremental steps forward everywhere else.

2-55: RHP Ryan Sloan, York Community HS [IL] {video}
Slot value: $1.64 million. Signing bonus: $3 million ($1.36 million above slot value).
My rank: #27. MLB Pipeline: #19. Baseball America: #26.
After picking up Jurrangelo Cijntje, the Mariners sank a massive over slot bonus into Ryan Sloan, spending roughly the slot value of the #30 pick here at #55 to buy him out of a Wake Forest commitment. While Sloan was considered one of the top prep arms in the class, guys like William Schmidt (now at LSU) and Cam Caminiti (Braves) were able to jump out first this past spring as the seasons started in Louisiana and Arizona, respectively. However, once Chicago started to thaw, Sloan proved to be every bit as good as his warm weather counterparts and shot back into the first round conversation. While the Mariners typically target athletic pitchers, Sloan gives them more of a size and strength guy. His fastball ticked up this spring, sitting in the mid 90's and touching 99 with flat plane, a potential plus-plus pitch. His slider flashes plus with late sweep, while his changeup looks very promising with late tumble, both looking especially deadly when he can locate them. The 6'5" righty has a big league body already with a big, durable frame, and while he's not the most athletic pitcher in the class, he gets down the mound well for a big guy and comes with tremendous upside. He has average command, which is very impressive for a pitcher with his caliber of stuff. Sloan could be an ace.

3-91: RHP Hunter Cranton, Kansas {video}
Slot value: $812,900. Signing bonus: $50,000 ($762,900 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #213. Baseball America: unranked.
After giving Ryan Sloan that massive bonus in the second round, the Mariners had to start saving money quick and did so by giving Hunter Cranton the second smallest bonus of any player selected in the top four rounds. He's extremely well travelled, having played high school ball at JSerra Catholic High School in Orange County, California alongside names like Royce Lewis, Gage Jump, and Cody Schrier. Cranton began his career at Saddleback JC just down the street from his high school, then after two seasons transferred to San Diego State but barely pitched at the latter. He's spent the past two seasons at Kansas, where he has found his groove in the bullpen and figures to stay there going forward with Seattle. Cranton's fastball is borderline elite, sitting in the mid to upper 90's and touching triple digits with riding and running action from a low release point. It earned chases and whiffs over a third of the time, elite marks for a fastball, and projects as a plus-plus pitch in pro ball. He also rips off a hard, tight sweeper that flashes plus in its own right, giving him one of the nastier one-two punches out there. On top of it all, Cranton pounds the zone and, at least at the college level, was able to consistently stay ahead of hitters. The Mariners absolutely love these types of arms and have a great track record with them, so this pairing could not be more perfect. On the downside, the 6'3" righty turns 24 early in the offseason. He's also a pure reliever that throws with considerable effort, a demographic that does not have a strong track record coming from the college level. The Mariners will look to buck that trend and get his reasonably-commanded fastball/slider combination to the big leagues quickly. So far, he has allowed four runs (three earned) over 7.1 innings for Low A Modesto, striking out thirteen along the way.

4-121: C Josh Caron, Nebraska {video}
Slot value: $594,000. Signing bonus: $594,900 ($900 below slot value).
My rank: #131. MLB Pipeline: #172. Baseball America: #300.
If you liked Mike Zunino and Cal Raleigh, you're going to love Josh Caron, the next power hitting catcher in line for Seattle. He was more good than great for most of his career at Nebraska, but came on late hitting six home runs in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament to launch himself into day two draft conversations. The power here is the calling card. The ball really explodes off his bat like few in this class, with plus power in games and some elite exit velocities when he really gets a hold of one. Meanwhile, the hit tool is fringier as he can swing through quality stuff in the zone and has a tendency to chase offspeed pitches. If he's going to tap his power consistently against pro pitching, he'll need to shore up the approach a little bit. He's very physical with a sturdy 6' frame, with good feel for his body to stick behind the plate long term. The actions themselves are a bit raw, but he should be able to iron it out and become a power hitting, bat-first catcher. He also didn't turn 21 until after the draft, making him very young for a college junior and giving him extra time to refine his game on both sides of the ball. Doing so could earn him every day playing time in Seattle. Caron has taken just fine to pro pitching so far, slashing .300/.378/.400 with one home run and an 8/5 strikeout to walk ratio through eleven games at Low A Modesto.

5-154: RHP Charlie Beilenson, Duke {video}
Slot value: $431,400. Signing bonus: $25,000 ($406,400 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Still needing to save money from the Ryan Sloan pick, the Mariners picked up another senior sign reliever in Charlie Beilenson. He spent four years at Brown, but threw just 40 innings over those four years after losing 2020 to COVID and 2021 to the Ivy League voluntarily cancelling the season. Transferring to Duke for the 2023 season, he finally had his big breakout in 2024 when he was one of the best relievers in the country. As you might expect, he's extremely advanced and has a chance to move quickly through the minors. His low 90's fastball touches 95, but he leans heavily on his splitter to generate a ton of swing and miss. He also shows a tight slider and can split the difference with his fastball by utilizing a cutter, giving him a full array of weapons to mix and match against hitters. Beilenson's above average command is a separator as a reliever, while he sequences his stuff well and isn't afraid to go right after hitters. This complete profile didn't materialize overnight, though, and he'll turn 25 in the offseason. That makes him the oldest player in the entire draft and the only one born before the turn of the millennium. So far he has allowed one run over 3.2 innings at Low A Modesto, striking out four but walking five in the process.

6-183: RHP/C Grant Knipp, Campbell {video}
Slot value: $334,200. Signing bonus: $275,000 ($59,200 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #412.
If Josh Caron doesn't become the next Mike Zunino, Grant Knipp could give it a shot. He spent his freshman year at Alabama but did not see the field, so he transferred to Campbell and got better and better each season, culminating in a massive 2024 where he hit .402/.547/1.029 (not a typo) with 18 home runs in 29 game despite missing a month with a hamstring injury. He clocks in at a burly 6'2", 230 pounds an produces massive raw power from a quick right handed swing, absolutely pummeling baseballs with the best of them – you don't slug over 1.000 by accident and the exit velocity data backs that up. Pitchers simply refused to throw to him in 2024 if they were smart, and he didn't help himself by chasing at a fairly high clip. He still walked a very impressive 19.4% of the time, but he also swung through far too many pitches both inside and outside the zone. It's only going to get tougher against pro pitching, so Knipp will really have to shore up his approach and find pitches he can ambush to continue tapping that huge power. Sticking behind the plate will help the profile, but he's bulky behind the plate and will have to work hard to catch long term. If he moves to first base, he'll really have to get to that power in games consistently. Meanwhile, the Louisville native is also an extremely talented pitcher who could absolutely pitch in pro ball. He runs his fastball up to 98 and shows a semblance of command despite barely pitching at Campbell. He'll have to bring along his slider and hold that command together, but the arm talent is certainly there to pitch in a major league bullpen.

10-303: OF Anthony Donofrio, North Carolina {video}
Slot value: $181,100. Signing bonus: $50,000 ($131,100 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #449.
This is sneakily one of the better value picks of the draft. Like many players in this Mariners class, he's been around a long time, having begun his college career with Division III SUNY Cortland way back in 2019, where he didn't play much in his two seasons. He transferred to Stony Brook as a student but failed to make the baseball team, so he transferred again to Quinnipiac in 2022 and caught fire, hitting .355/.415/.623 with 23 home runs in two seasons. That caught UNC's attention, which he made his fourth home and slotted directly into the everyday lineup for a big season. Donofrio grades out well metrically, with above average raw power that played more to the gaps in games as he looked to knock the ball around the field. The approach is controlled aggression, as he'll chase out of the zone but makes adjustments and works counts well regardless, leading to an even strikeout to walk ratio that becomes all the more impressive when you consider the jump in competition he faced. Adding to the profile is his glove, as he's a plus runner who will be able to handle center field at the next level. Given that the bat might have some tweener indicators, that could serve as a big factor for him earning playing time at the major league level. Donofrio, a sixth year senior, is very old having turned 24 before the draft, but he's plenty advanced and has fought hard to be where he is. In just a few short years, the Long Island native rocketed from riding the bench at a D-III school, then getting cut from Stony Brook, to playing professional baseball in the Mariners' organization. So far he is slashing .241/.362/.362 with a 13/11 strikeout to walk ratio though eighteen games at Low A Modesto.

11-333: RHP Christian Little, Louisiana State {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $200,000 ($50,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #328.
At barely 21 on draft day, Christian Little has to be one of the youngest senior signs in the history of the draft. Despite having pitched four years in college and exhausted his eligibility, he's younger than Mariners first round pick and true sophomore Jurrangelo Cijntje. Little has taken a winding road to get where he is. Back in 2021 he was arguably the top high school pitching prospect in the entire country, but reclassified before his senior season to enroll at Vanderbilt early. Pitching as just a 17 year old freshman, he immediately became the Commodores' midweek starter and showed well for his age. He continued to show well as a sophomore in 2022, but amid a crowded Vanderbilt rotation picture he transferred to LSU for his junior season. However, he did not progress in his two years in Baton Rouge and now finds himself with the Mariners in the eleventh round. Despite his name, Little is a big guy with big stuff. The fastball can sit mid 90's and touch 98-99 at peak, and while it can get straight, he's added a cutter at LSU to give hitters a different look. He throws a hard slider that flashes above average at best, but it can blend into his fringier curveball, while his changeup grades out as fringy. The 6'4" righty has tacked on about ten pounds a year at school and now clocks in at 235 pounds, leading to a bit of stiffness in his delivery. While he was a solid strike thrower in high school, he has never found the zone consistently in college with a career 12.7% walk rate that never dipped into single digits in any season. The Mariners may look to completely overhaul his delivery and pitch mix to help him reach his former ceiling. The arm strength and talent is still tremendous, and given that he only turned 21 shortly before the draft, he's younger than most college draftees. The change of scenery from Nashville to Baton Rouge did not help, and while both are premier pitching development destinations in college baseball, the Mariners have one of the best pro pitching development systems out there as well. He profiles as a reliever on the surface due to his lack of command and the effort in his delivery, but his size, strength, and the depth of his arsenal could lead the Mariners to bank on his youth and see if they can't figure something out as a starter.

13-393: 3B Brandon Eike, Virginia Commonwealth {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Brandon Eike gives the Mariners a big bat late in the draft. He spent two years at UNC, but barely saw the field with just eleven total at bats and transferred closer to home at VCU. There, the Rams have made much better use of his bat and he hit .363/.435/.637 with 25 home runs in 116 games over two seasons. He capped it off in a big way, absolutely losing his mind in the 2024 A-10 Tournament where he went 12-19 with five home runs in four games as VCU swept its way to a conference championship. Two games later, he had a five hit game against Evansville in the Greenville regional. He's not the tallest guy in the world, but he's very physical regardless with long arms and a leveraged 6' frame. That helps him consistently tap above average power in games without selling out. Eike hasn't faced the toughest pitching in the A-10 but showed well on the Cape last year, where he hit .309/.369/.455 with one home run and a nice 11/7 strikeout to walk ratio over fifteen games. He's a patient hitter that controls the zone well, both against ordinary A-10 pitching and against much better pitching on the Cape. That should ease his transition to pro ball and help him continue tapping his power as he moves up the rungs. Sticking at third base will be key, as he has seen time at first base and a move across the diamond would put make it more difficult to find at bats. The bat looks playable at third base but he'll need to find an extra gear to earn regular playing time at first base. Through eighteen games at Low A Modesto, he is slashing .261/.329/.406 with two home runs and a 12/5 strikeout to walk ratio.

The top 5 unsigned college prospects returning to school for 2024

Now that I have finally completed all thirty team by team draft reviews, it's time to look at the guys who didn't sign. We'll start with the college players, and only five from my whole draft list went unsigned, one less than last year. All five are pitchers, and they all have different reasons for returning. Two are coming off major injuries, two had inconsistent seasons, and most are on the younger side for the class giving them better prospects if they return. Interestingly, Texas has the top two names on this list. Last year, of the six college players on my draft list to go unsigned, four were drafted in the top one hundred picks this year (two by the Mets) led by Ty Floyd at pick #38 to the Reds, one fell to the eleventh round, and one was not eligible. That's a very nice track record and puts the five names below in a good spot.
Note, the ranking in parentheses denotes their ranking on my 2023 draft board.

1. (#93) RHP Tanner Witt, Texas.
Tanner Witt is a tough fish to reel in. He was the seventh best high school pitcher to reach campus after the pandemic after ranking #87 on my 2020 draft list, and now he's the highest ranking college player to return to school since #10 Kumar Rocker after the 2021 season. Upon reaching campus, he immediately became a key piece out of the Texas bullpen in 2021, then looked sharp in his first two starts of 2022 to push himself into very early discussions for the 2023 first round. Unfortunately, he went down with Tommy John surgery and missed the rest of the season, then returned in May of 2023. Before the injury, he had been 7-0 with a 2.91 ERA and an 87/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 68 innings, but after he returned this spring, he put up a 10.97 ERA and an 8/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 10.2 innings. Heading to the Cape Cod League to try to rebuild his stock before the draft, he continued to struggle with an 11.93 ERA and an 11/9 strikeout to walk ratio over 14.1 innings. For that reason, he turned down the Orioles in the eighteenth round and will return to Austin for his senior season. When healthy, Witt is a pretty complete starting pitching prospect. His fastball sits in the low 90's and has scraped as high as 97 in the past, coming in with nice riding life from a high release point. He has great feel for a big 12-6 curveball with great depth, while he also shows a solid slider and an above average changeup. The big 6'6" righty repeats his delivery very well and has long had above average control, exuding polish as an underclassman. The stuff was flatter in 2023 as he looked rusty coming back from surgery, and because of that he got hit hard. Witt's delivery already lacks deception with a unique double tap of the ball out of and back into the glove, giving hitters an extra look, and its lack of moving parts make it easy to track the ball even if it helps his command. Fortunately, the Houston native was very young for the 2023 class and will pitch his entire senior season at 21 years old, putting him just a little on the older side for the 2024 draft class but still more or less age appropriate. The son of former first baseman Kevin Witt, who had a nice year with the Tigers in 2003, Tanner has tremendous feel for pitching and a great head on his shoulders, fully understanding what he needs to do to become a better pitcher. Hopefully, he'll shake off the rust and push his way back into the top couple of rounds for the 2024 draft while leading the Longhorns to another competitive season in the Big 12 alongside Lebarron Johnson.

2. (#106) RHP Lebarron Johnson, Texas.
Tanner Witt isn't the only star pitcher heading back to Austin. While Witt is the more famous name due to his long history as a draft prospect, Lebarron Johnson may actually have more upside in the long run. He didn't pitch as a freshman in 2021, worked out of the bullpen in 2022, then was primarily a starter in 2023 as he posted a 2.91 ERA and a 98/38 strikeout to walk ratio over 86.2 innings. I'm definitely one of the high guys on Johnson. He sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, touching 98 with extreme downhill plane that gives him a unique look. His power slider gets into the low 90's and looks like a plus pitch, while his nasty splitter gives him another weapon. It's really, really loud stuff that you don't come by every day. To this point, the Jacksonville native has been inconsistent with his command, especially with his offspeed stuff, but he's trending in the right direction there. Going back to Texas will give him an opportunity to add a little more polish, and it would be nice to see him incorporate something softer into his arsenal as well so he can change speeds more effectively. Like Witt, he was on the younger end for the class and will only turn 22 during the 2024 College World Series, so he won't be crazy old for the 2024 class. Back at school for his redshirt junior season, he'll look to prove his ability to start long term and with Witt gives the Longhorns one of the better, more experienced one-two punches in the country.

3. (#185) RHP Terry Busse, Georgia Tech.
Terry Busse began his career at powerhouse John A. Logan JC in Illinois, then transferred to Georgia Tech as a junior. "Scary Terry" was untouchable to start the 2023 season, kicking off with 12 shutout innings on just five hits, one walk, and 23 strikeouts against such opponents as Georgia, Notre Dame, and Auburn. Unfortunately that was the high water mark for his draft stock, as he faded over the course of the season and had a 7.12 ERA the rest of the way, finishing with a 5.10 ERA and a 58/28 strikeout to walk ratio over 42.1 innings overall. The fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and touches 97 with run and sink, playing up further from a deceptive slot. The slider looks like a plus pitch at its best with late diving action, and when he's on, those two pitches are untouchable. Early in the season, he was locating both pitches to both sides of the plate and keeping hitters well off balance, but that unraveled later on as the command slipped. He's 65 pounds lighter and doesn't throw quite as hard, but the profile overall reminds me of Brusdar Graterol especially with the mechanics. Busse has a disjointed-looking delivery in which he picks up and drops his front leg quickly before pausing then planting and whipping his arm around. It's not pretty, but it effectively transfers energy from his lower half to his upper half. With two pitches, a funky delivery, and the way he faded down the stretch, it's a pure relief profile. He'll go back to Atlanta to prove he can hold his peak stuff over longer periods of time. Unlike Witt and Johnson above him on this list and Little below him, he's already on the older side and will pitch the entire 2024 season at 22 years old.

4. (#197) RHP Christian Little, Louisiana State.
As if LSU needs any more help, they're getting back one of the best unsigned college pitchers in the country. Christian Little's career has been a roller coaster ride, to say the least, so by returning to Baton Rouge he'll hope to right the ship and get his payday. One of the top high school pitchers in the entire country in 2021 earning top ten (!) buzz, he graduated early from Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis to enroll at Vanderbilt as a 17 year old. Serving as the Commodore midweek starter in 2021, he worked mostly out of the bullpen in 2022 and decided to transfer to LSU in search of his breakout. The change of scenery unfortunately had the opposite effect and he posted a 7.79 ERA and a 42/29 strikeout to walk ratio over 34.2 innings, making for the worst season of his young career. However, he was one of the youngest players in the entire 2023 college class, not turning 20 until just before the draft at nearly two years younger than Terry Busse, who himself was age appropriate. So even though he's going back to school for his senior year, he'll still be very young for the 2024 class and will only turn 21 right around draft day. Little has nasty stuff at his best. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and can touch 98 with some ride, and he can take a little off to turn it into an upper 80's cutter. He has a sharp slider that looks above average at best, though it can blend into his fringier curveball at times. He also shows a decent changeup. The command was solid during his prep career, but he has never taken a step forward in that regard and now grades below average, causing all of his stuff to play down as he works from behind in the count. Standing 6'4", 225 pounds, he's very physical but his delivery can get rigid, which also works against his command, and he'll have to watch his conditioning going forward. Returning to LSU will give the young arm a chance to iron out the kinks in his delivery and get more consistent with his stuff, in which case he could shoot back up boards. The age is a huge boon for him in possibly being able to make that happen.

5. (#208) RHP Joseph Gonzalez, Auburn.
Joseph Gonzalez put up a great sophomore season in 2022, posting a 3.22 ERA and a 54/15 strikeout to walk ratio over 78.1 innings, positioning himself as a potential top one hundred pick in 2023 entering the season. He showed well in his first start of 2023 against Indiana, tossing five shutout innings while allowing just three baserunners and picking up one strikeout, but he hurt his shoulder and hasn't seen the mound since. Shoulders injuries are about the most unpredictable injury a pitcher can get, so teams were naturally scared off by the fact that he hadn't pitched and weren't willing to roll the dice with the reasonably large signing bonus his talent would have earned him. So he'll head back to the Plains and look to prove his health in 2024. When healthy, Gonzalez sits in the low 90's with his fastball and tops out around 93-94 with running and sinking action. He has nice feel for both his low 80's slider and his above average changeup, though none stands out as a true strikeout pitch. Instead, the Puerto Rico native keeps hitters off balance by changing speeds and executing all three pitches to both sides of the plate with plus command, making him more of an old school pitching prospect in that regard. So long as he's healthy, he's a high floor type that looks like a high probability #4 or #5 starter in the long run, especially if he can add a tick of power to his stuff. However, the injury takes away that high floor, so it's hard to sell scouts on a low ceiling/low floor type. Showing that he's healthy and pounding the strike zone again in 2024 will get him back to the low ceiling/high floor type that typically does well early in day two.

2023 MLB Draft Review: New York Mets

Full list of draftees

Steve Cohen's massive spending spree pushed the Mets' first pick back to #32, but they still landed a consensus first round talent in Colin Houck for a surprisingly reasonable signing bonus. They did get two extra picks after the fourth round as compensation for losing Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt, and they also got an extra third round pick for failing to sign Brandon Sproat last year (who they ironically drafted again this year). The two major themes of this packed draft class were college pitchers and high school shortstops, with each of the Mets' first eleven picks falling into those categories. Behind Houck, New York also drafted A.J. Ewing and Boston Baro, the three of whom combined to sign for over $800,000 above their respective slot values. I'm a big fan of the Houck pick, personally, and I think that pick makes the Mets' draft.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. "2-50" would indicate that a player was drafted in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-32: SS Colin Houck, Parkview HS [GA] {video}
Slot value: $2.61 million. Signing bonus: $2.75 million ($142,500 above slot value).
My rank: #13. MLB Pipeline: #12. Baseball America: #21. Prospects Live: #18.
Arguably the best prep shortstop in the country, Colin Houck somehow made it to the Mets at pick #32 despite buzz he could go as high as the top ten. Perhaps even more surprisingly, he only signed for slightly above slot value, with his $2.75 million bonus sitting between the values of the 29th and 30th picks. This all amounts to a huge coup for the Mets, as Houck is as talented as they come. The Atlanta-area product is an excellent athlete who had Division I football offers as a quarterback, and that athleticism translates seamlessly to the diamond. He's a well-rounded hitter with more polish at the plate than you'd expect from a two-sport star, showing the ability to recognize offspeed stuff and work counts effectively. Utilizing a clean, powerful right handed swing, he shows off above average power in games, especially this spring where he teed off against strong Atlanta-area competition. Some swing and miss can occasionally creep into his game when he gets too big and tries to yank balls to the moon, though he usually does a good job of staying within himself and he's a very impactful hitter when he does. Defensively, Houck shows off the plus arm that served him well on the football field, and his athleticism helps him make all the plays at shortstop. He's more of an average runner than a plus one, so there is the potential that he gets forced to third base by a better defender, but the Mets will give him every shot to stick at shortstop and it's very possible that renewed focus on baseball alone could help him pull his defensive game together fully. Houck had been committed to Mississippi State before the Mets brought him on.

2-56: RHP Brandon Sproat, Florida {video}
Slot value: $1.47 million. Signing bonus: $1.47 million.
My rank: #88. MLB Pipeline: #54. Baseball America: #48. Prospects Live: #48.
A year ago, the Mets drafted Brandon Sproat in the third round at 90th overall, but couldn't come to terms with him and he was the second highest pick to go unsigned, behind fellow Mets 2023 draftee Nolan McLean. This time, they got the deal done at slot value and they'll get an older, wiser, more developed version of Sproat. One of the major concerns that held his stock back was a low 21.5% strikeout rate in 2022, but he bumped that up to 28.8% in 2023 while holding down a 4.66 ERA across over one hundred innings. He's all about the arm strength, sitting in the mid 90's deep into his starts and touching as high as 101 in short bursts. The fastball can get straight, often playing below its impressive velocity, but he does have a full arsenal of secondaries to keep hitters off balance. The Pensacola-area native shows solid feel to spin the ball, with his slider likely ahead of his curveball and a cutter to go with them, though he really stands out for an above average changeup that plays very well off his fastball. Sproat is more control over command and his walk rate ticked up to 10.3% in 2023 from 8.6% a year ago. The 6'3" righty also has some effort and moving parts in his delivery, including a double leg break as he extends towards the plate, that might point to a future in the bullpen, but he has so much present arm strength that he still maintains his stuff over longer outings. In drafting him this early despite turning 23 in September, the Mets are buying in on Sproat as a starting pitcher and hoping they can find a way to add some bat-missing qualities to his fastball. Given his age, he'll want to move fairly quickly.

3-91: RHP/OF Nolan McLean, Oklahoma State {video}
Slot value: $747,600. Signing bonus: $747,600.
My rank: #184. MLB Pipeline: #97. Baseball America: #184. Prospects Live: #289.
Ironically, the only player drafted higher than Brandon Sproat last year to go unsigned was Nolan McLean, the Orioles' third round pick at #81 overall. Even more ironically, this pick is actually compensation for failing to sign Sproat last year. McLean is very well known to scouts, having been an early round draft prospect out of high school in the Raleigh area in 2020 before being draft eligible as a sophomore in 2022 and again as a junior in 2023. A year ago, it was seen as a tossup whether he'd be a hitter or a pitcher in pro ball, maybe leaning pitcher, and though the Mets drafted him as a two-way player, his future likely lies on the mound. After mostly working one inning at a time in 2022, he earned a longer leash and often went three to four innings in his outings in 2023. There is plenty of arm strength here, as he can sit in the mid 90's in short stints while topping out around 98, with nice running life to boot. He has steadily improved his feel for spin and his slider now flashes plus, while his curveball and changeup are usable pitches as well. Like Sproat, McLean is more control over command but has looked more polished as he's gotten more innings under his belt. A tremendous athlete, the 6'4" righty originally committed to Oklahoma State as a quarterback as well, so he has projection remaining and moves well on the mound. Most of the signs point to him being a reliever in the long run, but if the Mets are taking him in the third round and have him give up hitting, they may have hopes of trying to stretch him out. The Mets did draft him as a two-way player, and there is certainly talent on that side of the ball as well. He has massive raw power, as evidenced by this 478 foot opposite field home run last year, and has clubbed 36 home runs over his three years in Stillwater. He's also a patient hitter, running low chase rates and walking at a very healthy 17.6% clip in 2023. However, McLean has a very grooved swing and struggles to make contact even on pitches over the plate, with his 107 strikeouts in 2022 setting a Division I record and his 37.3% strikeout rate in 2023 being equally as frightening. It's hard for me to see him tapping his power in pro ball with swing and miss issues like that. Defensively, Oklahoma State moved him to the outfield in 2023 to take pressure off his arm, but he is athletic enough to handle third base. I expect him to move to pitching full time sooner rather than later.

3-101: RHP Kade Morris, Nevada {video}
Slot value: $666,500. Signing bonus: $666,500.
My rank: #119. MLB Pipeline: #142. Baseball America: #166. Prospects Live: #123.
Kade Morris gives the Mets an interesting arm to play with. Earning a bigger and bigger role at Nevada every year, he served as the Wolfpack's Friday night starter this spring with solid results, posting a 5.42 ERA and an 85/27 strikeout to walk ratio over 81.1 innings despite playing in one of college baseball's most hitter-friendly environments. Morris sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and can touch 97 at best, though the pitch has modest life and gets hit when he leaves it over the plate. He drops in an above average slider that functions as his main bat misser, while his deeper curveball looks like an average pitch and his changeup has made nice progress in Reno. He improved his strikeout rate from 18.5% as a sophomore to 22.5% as a junior, but it's still a lower number than you'd expect given his stuff and the Mets will want to find a way to help him continue that upward trend. The 6'3" righty still has projection remaining and is a very good athlete on the mound, giving New York a lot to work with to help him on his progression towards becoming a major league starting pitcher. He doesn't walk a lot of hitters and I think all the ingredients are there save for a lack of deception. The Central Valley native is also on the younger side for the class, nearly a year younger than Nolan McLean, signed for full slot value.

4-123: RHP Wyatt Hudepohl, Charlotte {video}
Slot value: $536,500. Signing bonus: has not yet signed.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #299. Prospects Live: #216.
Wyatt Hudepohl pitched two seasons at Kentucky, then transferred to Charlotte this spring where he has stepped into a larger role. Making seventeen starts, he posted a 4.27 ERA and a 129/27 strikeout to walk ratio over 105.1 innings, including a seventeen strikeout complete game against Old Dominion and five more double digit strikeout games after that, including in the Clemson Regional against Lipscomb. The stuff here is pretty interesting – Hudepohl sits in the low 90's with his fastball, touching 95-96 at best with nice riding action, while adding a power curveball and a hard changeup with nice fade. He can also work the fastball into a cutter. The entire four pitch mix plays as at least average to above average, and when it's all working, he can be impossible to hit as you can see from the numbers above. The 6'4" righty has some effort in his delivery, getting deep into his back leg before pushing off towards the plate, but has shown the ability to maintain his stuff and control over long outings while leaning on his offspeed and should get a shot to crack it as a starter. He has a chance to be a solid #4.

4C-134: SS A.J. Ewing, Springboro HS [OH] {video}
Slot value: $483,000. Signing bonus: $675,000 ($192,000 above slot value).
My rank: #139. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #171. Prospects Live: #101.
A.J. Ewing was a favorite of many evaluators before the draft, and it looks like the Mets were big fans too. The second straight pick out of the Cincinnati area, Ewing showed very well on the showcase circuit and continued to perform back in Ohio, steadily climbing up boards. He's very skinny at a listed 6', 160 pounds, but stands out for springy athleticism on top of his track record of performance. Ewing can really whip the barrel through the zone for a kid his size and has shown nice pull side power with metal bats, and if he can tack on 15-20 pounds of muscle in pro ball, it should play with wood as well. He can handle quality offspeed stuff and moves well in the box in general, making him a very projectable hitter to dream on. In the field, his athleticism is apparent on the dirt and the Mets will send him out as a shortstop, though he needs to use a longer arm stroke to make throws on balls to his right and may fit better at second base, where he can more easily flick the ball to first base. This profile hinges on added physicality as he matures, which would help both in the power and defense departments. He's a little old for the class already. Previously committed to Alabama, he signed for nearly $200,000 above slot value.

4C-135: RHP Austin Troesser, Missouri {video}
Slot value: $478,200. Signing bonus: $350,000 ($128,200 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: #143.
Austin Troesser didn't get much love on public boards (credit to Prospects Live for being in on him), and he wound up signing for early sixth round money here at the end of the fourth round. Troesser has been a valuable member of the Missouri bullpen the past two seasons, and in 2023 put up a 4.73 ERA and a 53/17 strikeout to walk ratio over 45.2 innings for the Tigers. He primarily stands out for a low to mid 90's fastball that gets up to around 98 at best, playing up with riding life and helping him miss a high number of bats. The slider is a little more inconsistent at this point but has looked good at times, while he hasn't really needed much of a changeup in the bullpen. He'll stay in the bullpen going forward, where the Mets will look to help him continue adding velocity and find consistent feel for that slider. The 6'3" righty has thrown strikes in his career at Missouri and profiles as a medium leverage reliever.

5-159: LHP Zach Thornton, Grand Canyon {video}
Slot value: $378,000. Signing bonus: has not yet signed.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #165. Baseball America: #190. Prospects Live: #142.
Zach Thornton was on the annual shortlist of names I would have researched if I had a few more days before the draft. Every year you have to cut it off somewhere, and Thornton just missed. He put up a great season at Grand Canyon, posting a 3.87 ERA and a 91/18 strikeout to walk ratio over 88.1 innings, numbers which look even better when you consider college baseball's offense-friendly environment this year. The stuff isn't all that loud, with a fastball hovering around 90, touching 94, a pair of breaking balls that stand out more for their depth than their velocity, and a seldom-used changeup. Instead, the calling card is his pitchability, as the Kansas native mixes his pitches exceptionally well to keep hitters constantly off balance. He gets the kind of swings you see when position players pitch in MLB and mix 85 MPH fastballs with 38 MPH eephuses, which is also a testament to the deception in his delivery. To succeed in pro ball, the 6'3" lefty will have to add considerable strength to his lanky frame. If he can get his fastball more consistently into the low 90's and add some power to his breaking balls, he becomes a very interesting back-end starting pitching prospect. For now, he'll likely go torment low minors hitters used to seeing poorly located 96 instead of deceptive 89.

8-246: SS Boston Baro, Capistrano Valley HS [CA] {video}
Slot value: $192,900. Signing bonus: $700,000 ($507,100 above slot value).
My rank: #181. MLB Pipeline: #224. Baseball America: #98. Prospects Live: #127.
In their biggest over slot splurge of the draft, the Mets went and spent late third round money to sign eighth rounder Boston Baro away from a UCLA commitment, where he would have been competing for playing time with one of the top incoming shortstop recruits in the country in Roman Martin. Baro is an advanced prospect for a high schooler, taking impressively professional at bats and performing very well against strong Southern California pitching this spring. Very skinny at 6'2", there is very little impact power in the bat at this point from a line drive approach, though the Mets hope that he can get to fringy power in time as he fills out. Doing so would elevate the profile considerably. He's very light on his feet at shortstop and moves well to both sides, making all the plays consistently with enough arm strength to make it work. He figures to stay at shortstop initially, though in competing with Colin Houck and A.J. Ewing from this class alone, he may be forced to second base in the long term. Like Houck and Ewing, Baro is on the older side for the class and will be 19 before his first professional season is through.

9-276: 3B Nick Lorusso, Maryland {video}
Slot value: $175,100. Signing bonus: $50,000 ($125,100 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #292. Prospects Live: #194.
The Mets went with a bit of a hometown pick in Nick Lorusso, who grew up in Monroe in Fairfield County, Connecticut a little northeast of New York City. He began his college career at Villanova, where he had a solid but unremarkable three years. Since he transferred to Maryland in 2022, though, he's been a different hitter. After hitting five home runs in three years at Villanova, he broke out for fifteen in 2022, then in 2023 had one of the better offensive seasons in the country by slashing .379/.446/.765 with 26 home runs and a 46/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 61 games. Lorusso is strongly built at 6'2" and effectively channels that strength into a powerful right handed swing, with impressive batted ball data that should continue to play with wood. Against moderately strong pitching in the Big Ten, he hammered all kinds of pitches and looked like an advanced hitter in the box, which should be expected given that he'll turn 23 in September. A third baseman at Maryland, he's just alright over there and may ultimately move to first base, where his bat should profile just fine. Lorusso will want to move quickly given his age but he did provide the Mets with $125,100 in savings.

12-366: RHP Brady Kirtner, Virginia Tech {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: has not yet signed.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: #428.
Brady Kirtner is a pure reliever profile, but an interesting one nonetheless to nab here in the twelfth round. A local kid from Christiansburg who stayed home to attend Virginia Tech just down the road, he didn't get into a game as a true freshman and had an uneven redshirt freshman season in 2022, but took a step forward in 2023 with a 4.62 ERA and a 36/15 strikeout to walk ratio over 25.1 innings. Kirtner sits in the mid 90's with his fastball in short stints, up to around 96 with nice riding action, while his slider flashes nice late bite at times and can generate ugly swings with high spin. Skinny at 5'11" and utilizing an uptempo delivery, he's unlikely to make the transition to the rotation especially considering his shallow arsenal and fringy command. But he's trending in the right direction and if the Mets can help him continue down that path, perhaps by adding a little more velocity and improving his command by smoothing out the delivery a little, he has a future as a fastball/slider reliever in Flushing.

13-396: RHP Ben Simon, Elon {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: has not yet signed.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked. Prospects Live: unranked.
There is not a ton of information out there on Ben Simon, but I wanted to highlight him quickly as another hometown pick. Simon grew up in East Windsor in Central Jersey and attended nearby Highstown High School along the Jersey Turnpike a little east of Trenton. After an up and down freshman season, he has been a valuable reliever at Elon the past two seasons with a combined 3.36 ERA and a 68/19 strikeout to walk ratio over 56.1 innings. At 5'11", he's mostly physically maxed out and likely remains in the bullpen with average control. I only found video of him throwing two pitches, both riding fastballs up and away from lefties for strikeouts from what looks like a moderately low release.

19-576: RHP Christian Little, Louisiana State {video}
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: has not yet signed.
My rank: #197. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #306. Prospects Live: #161.
It's unlikely that Christian Little signs here, but he's a famous name and deserves a spot in this writeup. One of the top high school pitchers in the entire class in 2021, he instead reclassified and enrolled early at Vanderbilt at just 17 years old. He held his own in two seasons as a swingman for the Commodores, then transferred to LSU for his junior season in 2023 where things did not quite go as planned, with a 7.79 ERA and a 42/29 strikeout to walk ratio over 34.2 innings. Little has plenty of stuff, sitting in the low to mid 90's and touching 98 with his fastball, also showing the ability to cut it in the upper 80's. His offspeed stuff is inconsistent, though the slider flashes above average and he also shows a curveball and changeup. The biggest thing holding him back has been command, as he regularly falls behind in the count and has to find a way to dig himself out. The delivery can get rigid, which doesn't help, and now in three years in the SEC he has not progressed as a prospect. The good news is that not only is the arm strength absolutely still there, but he is also extremely young for the class, nearly three years younger than Brandon Sproat and still nearly two years younger than some college juniors. If he goes back to LSU for another season, which it looks like he will, he'll still be young for the class in 2024.

2023 MLB Draft: an early look at the SEC West

2022 draftees: 41. Top school: Arkansas (9)
2022 preseason writeup (published 10/17/2021, full SEC)

Top 2022 draftees:
1-6, Marlins: 3B Jacob Berry (Louisiana State)
CBA-34, Diamondbacks: RHP Landon Sims (Mississippi State)
2-48, Twins: LHP Connor Prielipp (Alabama)
2-49, Royals: 3B Cayden Wallace (Arkansas)
2-55, Reds: C Logan Tanner (Mississippi State)
2-62, White Sox: RHP Peyton Pallette (Arkansas)
CBB-72, Brewers: 2B Robert Moore (Arkansas)

Ironically enough, the SEC West exactly matched the SEC East last year with 41 players drafted among the seven teams, though no team could reach double digits on its own like Tennessee did. In all, the SEC's 82 players drafted smashed the previous year's mark of 68 while also easily beating the second place ACC's total of 57 draftees. Arkansas (9) and Auburn (8) led the way last year for the division, but this year it looks like LSU will lap the competition with a loaded roster that features half of the top ten prospects in the division, including arguably the top prospect in the entire class in Dylan Crews. Three of the top ten prospects here are transfers, highlighting the incredible influx of talent heading to the SEC that will only continue to grow, and two are presently in the conversation for the first overall pick. Moving further down the list, there is a tightly packed tier of players all in that late second to fourth round range, with little daylight separating them at this point.

1. OF Dylan Crews, Louisiana State.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6', 205 lbs. Born 2/26/2002. Hometown: Longwood, FL.
2022: 22 HR, .349/.463/.691, 5 SB, 56/42 K/BB in 62 games.
At this point, Dylan Crews has to be the favorite to go first overall. A first round talent out of Lake Mary High School in the Orlando area back in 2020, he struggled on the showcase circuit leading up to his senior season and the COVID shutdown didn't give him much of an opportunity to rebuild his stock. Many teams viewed him more as a second round talent at that point due to questions about swing and miss, but Crews knew who he was and pulled his name out of the draft so he could attend LSU. As it turns out, all he did was slash .356/.458/.677 with 40 home runs over 125 games, and with Ivan Melendez out of college baseball and into the Diamondbacks system, it's safe to say he's now the best hitter in the world at the amateur level. From the minute he stepped on campus in Baton Rouge, it has been readily apparent that he simply does not belong in college baseball, and opposing pitchers are paying dearly for that. So how does he do it? Crews possesses the most explosive right handed swing in college baseball, producing elite exit velocities with astonishing consistency. Hitting from a wide base, he can hit the snot out of the ball to any field, putting tremendous carry on his line drives that just never seem to come down, even when he goes the other way. Not just a power hitter, he also possesses a very strong eye at the plate and rarely expands the strike zone. With those big, explosive hacks he takes, there will always be some swing and miss and his strikeout rate actually rose from 15.3% as a freshman to 18.2% as a sophomore, but that's still a very solid number for a power hitter in the SEC and it hasn't inhibited his production for the Tigers one iota. His time with the US Collegiate National Team was a bit more up and down, but you'd be hard pressed to find any scouts that are particularly concerned by that. The fact of the matter is that Crews has simply bullied some of the best pitching in the country for two years now with no signs of slowing down, showing off the potential for 30+ home runs per season with high on-base percentages, perennial All Star-caliber production. He brings a solid glove, too, with above average speed and a plus arm that makes him a bit of a weapon out there. He started all 62 games for the Tigers in center field last season, and may have a shot to continue doing so in pro ball until a quicker defender pushes him to right field.

2. SS Jacob Gonzalez, Mississippi.
Bat: L. Throw: R. 6'2", 200 lbs. Born 5/30/2002. Hometown: Glendora, CA.
2022: 18 HR, .273/.405/.558, 4 SB, 32/50 K/BB in 65 games.
There may not be a more complete player in the country than Jacob Gonzalez. A well-known prospect out of high school, he set the college baseball world on fire as a true freshman by slashing .355/.443/.561 with twelve home runs and more walks (38) than strikeouts (34). That's just something you don't see often in the SEC. The power was just as potent in 2022 with 18 home runs, but his overall numbers weren't quite as gaudy (.273/.405/.558) as pitchers often pitched around him. Still, you'd be hard pressed to find a hole in his game. The Southern California native has an extremely disciplined approach at the plate, running a 16.7% walk rate and just a 10.7% strikeout rate in 2022 against some of the best pitching in the country. Hitting from a wide base, he does a great job of leaving the hands back and getting that coveted hip/shoulder separation that enables him to both track pitches deep as well as generate plus raw power from the left side. Gonzalez prefers to yank line drives to the pull side, and he has such strong pitch selection skills and plate coverage that he can get away with that approach easily even against elite competition. Not just an elite hitter, he also provides plenty of value on defense as well. Gonzalez has started all 132 games at shortstop for Ole Miss the past two seasons, showing off a plus arm and solid feel for the position that will give him a chance to stick there in pro ball. He's not the quickest player on the diamond, though, so a stronger defender may be able to push him to third base if he slows down at all with age. Still, that would be an above average glove at third combined with a 25+ home run bat and high on-base percentages, a perennial All Star projection if it works out. The discipline and underlying ability to hit the ball hard point to a high floor as a solid everyday third baseman, and with a late May birthday, he's fairly young as far as college juniors go. This may be the safest pick in the draft at this point combined with a very high ceiling. He's very much in play for the first overall pick at this point.

3. RHP/DH Paul Skenes, Louisiana State.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'6", 235 lbs. Born 5/29/2002. Hometown: Lake Forest, CA.
2022 (@ Air Force): 10-3, 2.73 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 96/30 K/BB in 85.2 innings.
2022 (@ Air Force): 13 HR, .314/.412/.634, 0 SB, 40/21 K/BB in 52 games.
Make that three players in a row who had fantastic true freshman seasons, though Paul Skenes did his damage in the Mountain West as opposed to Dylan Crews and Jacob Gonzalez in the elite SEC. Still, as an 18 year old in 2021, Skenes hit .410/.486/.697 with 32 extra base hits in 48 games, all while hopping on the mound and putting up a 2.70 ERA out of the Air Force bullpen. Like Gonzalez (and unlike Crews), his bat came back to earth a little bit in 2022 but he still hit .314/.412/.634 in 52 games, while his pitching took a big step forward and he held down the Friday night starter role all season long. He is one of numerous famous transfers heading to Baton Rouge this spring, and he does so as perhaps the best two-way player in the country. He's a better prospect as a pitcher right now, even if he's a career .367/.453/.669 hitter. Skenes has seen his fastball steadily tick up throughout his college career, from the low 90's early on into the mid 90's more often lately and touching as high as 99 in the fall. Coming from a three quarters slot, he puts high spin rates and good carry on the pitch in addition to tough angle from a crossfire delivery. He adds a hard, tight slider that plays average for now and stands out more for velocity than movement, while his changeup flashes plus at its best and gives him a weapon to play off his fastball. The 6'6" righty also shows improving command and spots the ball especially well to his glove side, so if he can miss a few more bats with that slider, he becomes a very intriguing #2 starter candidate. At the plate, Skenes packs plenty of punch as well. He shows above average raw power from the right side and was an on-base machine at Air Force, though those long arms that help him send the ball deep also lead to some swing and miss concerns with a strikeout rate over 20% in both of his seasons so far. As a below average athlete that may find himself as a 1B/DH type in the long run, there will be a lot of pressure on the bat to come along, but that transition from the Mountain West to the SEC will be no easy task. If he does keep hitting against that famous gauntlet, suddenly a unique prospect becomes even more interesting. To boot, the Southern California native is young for the class with a late May birthday, in fact one day before fellow SoCal product Gonzalez.

4. RHP Nathan Dettmer, Texas A&M.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'4", 215 lbs. Born 4/26/2002. Hometown: San Antonio, TX.
2022: 6-3, 4.99 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 82/25 K/BB in 92 innings.
Nathan Dettmer is yet to put it all together in College Station, but he has the stuff to become the next great Aggie arm. He earned a dozen starts as a freshman with promising results, then brought a 3.13 ERA into the month of May this year but embarked on a late season slide that saw him allow thirty earned runs over a seven start stretch, ballooning that ERA to 5.40. He salvaged the season with a dominant showing against Notre Dame in the College World Series, bringing his final mark down to 4.99, but the best is likely still ahead for Dettmer. He sits in the low to mid 90's with his sinker and ran it as high as 99 in the fall, and if he can maintain that higher velocity going forward, we could be in turbo sinker territory. The San Antonio native also flashes plus with his slider with nasty bite at its best, while his changeup plays well off his sinker to give him a third above average pitch. However, despite a big league arsenal, he has struggled to miss bats so far with the Aggies and ran just a 20.1% strikeout rate last year. His control is ahead of his command to this point and he gets hurt when his pitches catch too much plate, so next on his to do list will be refining that command and potentially even creating more deception to keep hitters from picking up his stuff out of the hand. The 6'4" righty has the stuff and frame to become a mid-rotation starter at the big league level, but he'll have to miss more bats this year for evaluators to be comfortable even if he projects as more of a ground ball guy in pro ball. Like many other names on this list, his age will be a bonus, not turning 21 until late April.

5. OF Colton Ledbetter, Mississippi State.
Bat: L. Throw: R. 6'1", 200 lbs. Born 11/15/2001. Hometown: Hoover, AL.

2022 (@ Samford): 16 HR, .318/.407/.640, 14 SB, 28/30 K/BB in 57 games.
The SEC is filled with famous transfers like Paul Skenes, Tommy White, Hurston Waldrep, and Maui Ahuna, among many others, but don't sleep on Samford transfer Colton Ledbetter. Auburn struck gold when they took Sonny DiChiara from the Bulldogs a year ago, and Mississippi State is looking to do the same with Ledbetter. Not only is Ledbetter following DiChiara's path from Samford to the SEC, but they're actually from the same hometown of Hoover in the Birmingham suburbs, home of the SEC Tournament. He's coming off a huge season at Samford in which he showed a broad array of tools, which he backed up with a strong .380/.478/.675 run through the NECBL, one of the top non-Cape summer leagues in the country. Ledbetter has a very athletic 6'1" frame that he deploys into a loose left handed swing, channeling that strength into big bat speed and separation that helps him project for plus power. Not only that, but he walked more (12.1%) than he struck out (11.3%) against a solid SoCon schedule and nearly did so again in the NECBL. His combination of power and plate discipline should help make the jump to the SEC much more manageable, where he could really rise up boards with more exposure. Ledbetter is also a good runner that stole 26 bases in 30 attempts between Samford and the NECBL, giving him an outside shot to stick in center field if he doesn't slow down with age. Even in left field, he has the bat to be an every day player at the big league level.

6. 1B Tre' Morgan, Louisiana State.
Bat: L. Throw: L. 6'1", 190 lbs. Born 7/16/2002. Hometown: New Orleans, LA.
2022: 5 HR, .324/.414/.462, 0 SB, 26/25 K/BB in 62 games.
This is a profile you don't see often, but it's one you really, really want to see work out. Tre' Morgan joined Dylan Crews in putting up a fantastic freshman season at LSU in 2021, slashing .357/.441/.526 with six home runs despite not turning 19 until after the season, then nearly matched it in 2022 at .324/.414/.462 with five home runs. Morgan is an extremely disciplined hitter in the box with a plus hit tool, utilizing a short, simple left handed swing that helps him guide the barrel to the ball with consistency and helping him post just an 8.8% strikeout rate last year. While he can elevate the ball when he needs to, that's not really his game and the power hasn't shown up much in games, and it's unlikely that he'll ever be a big home run threat. For a first baseman, that's unusual even if he projects to get on base at a high clip, but Morgan is no ordinary first baseman. He has tremendous range, footwork, and instincts around the bag that make him an elite defender by that position's standards, bailing out his infielders on poor throws on one play and then going over his shoulder to catch a fading foul popup on the next. An above average athlete with an above average arm, he would make a very solid third baseman if he were right handed, but unfortunately that's not on the table for the southpaw. It's a profile reminiscent of Evan White, the seventeenth overall pick out of Kentucky in 2017, though Morgan has the advantage of batting left handed even if he is a couple inches shorter. The New Orleans native doesn't project to go quite that high, fitting more in the third round range right now. White doubled his home run total from five to ten between his sophomore and junior seasons, and if Morgan can do something like that and show average or better power in 2023, he could creep closer to that range. To boot, he's very young for a junior and won't turn 21 until right around draft time, giving him extra time to tack on a little more physicality.

7. RHP Christian Little, Louisiana State.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'4", 210 lbs. Born 7/5/2003. Hometown: St. Louis, MO.
2022 (@ Vanderbilt): 1-2, 3.72 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 46/17 K/BB in 38.2 innings.
Christian Little is one of the most enigmatic prospects in the SEC, likely to draw very split opinions as he enters his junior season. Arguably the top arm in the 2021 high school class entering the season, he instead enrolled early at Vanderbilt well shy of his 18th birthday. Working as a midweek starter, he showed promise but was hit around a bit as you'd probably expect from a 17 year old, then took a modest step forward as a swingman in 2022 as he dropped his ERA from 5.48 to 3.72, upped his strikeout rate from 25.4% to 27.7%, and improved his walk rate from 11.4% to 10.2%. Heading to the Cape Cod League, he had an opportunity to put it together on a big stage, but never found his groove there either. So now, that leaves us with a post-hype prospect that never put things together at Vanderbilt but is still set to play his entire junior season at just 19 years old as he transfers to LSU. Little sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and can reach 98 with riding action, adding a cutter, curveball, and changeup that all flash above average even if none have stepped forward to become a true strikeout pitch. Control is ahead of command here as the St. Louis native tends to get hit over the plate, and he'll need to get more consistent with at least one of if not multiple offspeed pitches to navigate pro lineups going forward. The good news is that given his extreme youth, he could choose to go back to school next year and still be very young for the 2024 class if things don't come together in 2023, even though his eligibility will run out before he's old enough to drink. At this point, I am choosing to bank on Little's youth, arm strength, and frame and I think he'll figure things out enough to crack it as a big league starting pitcher.

8. LHP Grayson Hitt, Alabama.
Bat: R. Throw: L. 6'3", 195 lbs. Born 12/11/2001. Hometown: Germantown, TN.

2022: 4-3, 5.34 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 68/30 K/BB in 60.2 innings.

Grayson Hitt was one of the best pitching prospects to reach campus following the 2020 draft, but he struggled mightily as a freshman before landing a full time role in the rotation in 2022. Still, his 5.34 ERA and so-so peripherals left room for improvement. As it turns out, that improvement showed up in a big way in the fall, where he was Alabama's most impressive arm and set himself up for a potential breakout in 2023. His fastball now runs up to 97 while sitting in the low to mid 90's, albeit with steeper angle. His slider has emerged as an above average pitch with two plane bite, while his curveball and changeup represent fringier show-me options that he's still working to hone. While he didn't miss a ton of bats as a sophomore (24.5%), he actually bumped his strikeout rate up to 26.6% in the Cape Cod League over the summer and could continue to rise in 2023. With a projectable 6'3" frame and a repeatable delivery, he looks the part of a starting pitcher so long as his command continues to make the necessary improvements. He has an up arrow next to his name right now and those highest on him think he could pitch his way into the first round with continued success in the spring, though he fits more in the second to third round range right now.

9. RHP Grant Taylor, Louisiana State.
Bat: R. Throw: R. 6'3", 220 lbs. Born 5/20/2002. Hometown: Florence, AL.
2022: 4-1, 5.81 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 39/21 K/BB in 31 innings.
In 2018, a big right handed pitcher graduated from Florence High School in North Alabama and made his way to LSU, where he would be draft-eligible as a sophomore and earned a second round selection from the Nationals in 2020. Grant Taylor is hoping to follow the exact same path as Cole Henry three years later, and despite a mediocre freshman season, a very strong run through the Cape Cod League (2.14 ERA, 30/2 K/BB in 21 IP) has him in the right position. Taylor's fastball has been steadily ticking up, now sitting in the low to mid 90's and frequently reaching 95. He throws a four seam, two seam, and cutter, so he can really vary the shape of his fastball to work in different locations and against different types of hitters. His best pitch is an above average hammer curveball that flashes plus with hard bite, giving him a true strikeout option, while his slider and changeup are also solid pitches he can pull out when he needs them. It's a strong four pitch mix from a durable frame, but the command has come and gone so far. He ran a 13.9% walk rate last year at LSU then lived in the zone on the Cape, so how that balances out this year will be closely watched. If he can hold onto average command, it's a mid-rotation starter profile, but there is one drawback that's partially out of his control – LSU has an incredibly crowded rotation outlook this year between Skenes, Little, Blake Money, Ty Floyd, Samuel Dutton, and Will Hellmers, among others, and it may not be easy to earn innings as a starter.

10. 2B Cole Foster, Auburn.
Bat: S. Throw: R. 6'1", 195 lbs. Born 10/8/2001. Hometown: Plano, TX.

2022: 9 HR, .267/.395/.488, 2 SB, 46/29 K/BB in 53 games.
One of the more famous names to reach campus from the 2020 high school class, Cole Foster didn't play much in 2021 but showed well as a full time player in 2022 and is looking to build on that foundation in 2023. He brings average tools across the board, even if he lacks a true carrying tool. A switch hitter, Foster takes good at bats and finds good pitches to hit, frequently barreling the ball up from both sides of the plate. He did run a 21.3% strikeout rate last year, which is a little higher than you'd like to see for this profile, so it's probably more of an average hit tool than above average. He has an average build at 6'1", and as he adds strength he has the quick bat and feel for the barrel to tap into above average, 20+ home run power at his ceiling, though that power is closer to average right now. It's not the most exciting offensive profile, but I like the way he's trending and I get a good feeling overall that he'll develop into at least a useful part time bat. A decent athlete, he has the ability to play all over the diamond, though he's not quite explosive enough for shortstop or center field. He likely profiles best as an offensive-minded second baseman, but the flexibility should help him move up.

Honorable Mentions
The last five names on this list are all pretty close, with many being more or less interchangeable, and there are a couple names that just missed the list that fit in the same tier. Texas A&M first baseman Jack Moss is coming off a huge year for the Aggies (.380/.437/.520), showing big exit velocities from the left side. His swing can get a bit swoopy and his inside-out approach doesn't lend itself to much over the fence power, which is a question for a 1B/LF defensive profile. Meanwhile Arkansas righty Jaxon Wiggins has one of the best fastballs in the conference, sitting in the mid 90's and touching triple digits with explosive riding life. For now, he's kind of a one tool player with a fringy slider that stands out more for its velocity than its movement in addition to a solid changeup that flashes above average at its best. His command is fringy and he ran a 13.8% walk rate last year, and I think it comes down to what MLB development organization he ends up in – a team like the Dodgers or Mariners could make him an impact starting pitcher, but in the Nationals or Tigers organizations he likely ends up a middle reliever.