MLB Draft 2023 Day 1: Grades from the first day

The Pittsburgh Pirates pick Paul Skenes as the Top Pick of the 2023 MLB Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates pick Paul Skenes as the Top Pick of the 2023 MLB Draft

Day 1 of the 2023 MLB draft has come to a close after all 70 picks were completed. While there have been many surprises along the way, a lot of the highest-ranked prospects have landed where they were expected to.

After all the dust has settled, here's a look at the grades of all the teams after an eventful draft.

Arizona Diamondbacks: B

The Diamondbacks started with shortstop Tommy Troy from Stanford with the No. 12 overall pick. He has .394/.478/.699 with 17 doubles, 17 home runs and 17 steals from last year. Third baseman Gino Groover and pitcher Caden Price were both decent picks.

Atlanta Braves: B-

The Braves went for right-handed pitcher Hurston Waldrep from Florida in the first round. Waldrep finished with a 10-3 record, a 4.16 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 101.2 innings last season. They then added two more pitchers, Drue Hackenberg and Cade Kuehler.

Baltimore Orioles: B-

The Orioles picked outfielder Enrique Bradfield in the first round after the speedster from Vanderbilt went 130-for-143 in stolen bases last year. They then added Mac Horvath from North Carolina and pitcher Jackson Baumeister from Florida State. Both the picks suggest they could have done better.

Boston Red Sox: A

The Red Sox picked up the highly rated 2023 ACC Player of the Year from Virginia, Kyle Teel. The catcher hit .407/.475/.655 with 25 doubles, 13 home runs and 69 RBIs in 65 games in the spring and was one of the top prospects. Their second pick was shortstop Nazzan Zanetello, who shows a lot of potential and could be one of the surprises of the draft.

Chicago Cubs: B

The Cubs landed a big one in the first round with shortstop Matt Shaw from Maryland. He was one of the Big Ten Players of the Year, hitting .341/.445/.697 with 20 doubles, 24 home runs, 69 RBIs and 18 steals this spring. Their second-round pick was pitcher Jaxon Wiggins from Arkansas, who is a wild card at best.

Chicago White Sox: A

The White Sox were one of the big winners of the day with shortstop Jacob Gonzalez and pitcher Grant Taylor. Both players are coming off impressive seasons and are likely to draw the attention of other teams in the MLB.

Cincinnati Reds: A+

The Reds were another team that came off looking like big winners on the night. Having landed Wake Forest star Rhett Lowder in the first round, they added Ty Floyd from LSU in the balance round. Lowder was one of the best pitchers in college baseball, while Floyd showed his worth in the College World Series.

Both pitchers showed plenty of promise, while final pick Sammy Stafura was surely one of the high-value picks of the day.

Cleveland Guardians: B

The Guardians' first-round pick Ralphy Velazquez was a decent one considering the season he put together last year. However, the second-round pick Alex Clemmey is the one who shows more potential in the long run. Their third pick was Andrew Walters from Miami.

Colorado Rockies: A+

The Rockies landed Chase Dollander from Tennessee, one of the favorites to go No. 1 after having a 10-0 season. The second-round pick was Sean Sullivan, who may not catch the eye at first, but is capable of putting up impressive numbers. The final pick was catcher Cole Carrigg from San Diego State: a versatile player with a lot of promise.

Detroit Tigers: B+

First-round pick Max Clark and second-round pick Max Anderson are both high-potential bats who may fill various positions in the franchise. However, balance-round pick Kevin McGonigle is the most exciting for the Tigers. McGonigle is one of the purest hitters in the draft this year.

Grading a few more teams from Day 1 of MLB 2023 Draft

The Houston Astros were another team with an A+ grade after landing Brice Matthews, an all-round player, and Alonzo Tredwell, a towering pitcher with a mean fastball.

On the other hand, Kansas City Royals look to have missed out on several high-value names and instead went for catcher Blake Mitchell in the first round. It is something that other teams avoid due to the unreliable statistics of college-level catchers. However, pitcher Blake Wolters and outfielder Carson Roccaforte were the picks that might have saved the day for the Royals.

Quick Links

Edited by Shamik Banerjee
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications