The spotlight was dimmed on Day 2 of the MLB Draft in Seattle as All-Star Game festivities began in earnest on Monday. However, there were still prospective future stars to be had for the taking as rounds 3-10 took place.
While no one will know who did well in this year's draft for years, prognosticators had their takes on who did well and who did poorly on the second day of the selections.
Let's take a closer look at the winners and losers of Day 2 of the MLB 2023 Draft. First the winners:
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- Kansas City Royals. The Royals are among the worst teams in MLB this season, however they are among the more successful "small market" teams over the past 50-plus seasons. The team snagged a left-handed pitcher on Day 2 in the form of Vanderbilt's Hunter Owen, who struck out 76 batters in 64 innings during his final college season.
- San Francisco Giants. With shortstop Brandon Crawford heading towards 37 years old, the team took a shot on his possible future successor in Tennessee's Maui Ahuna on Day 2. He has a 65-grade speed and is known as a stout defender who hit .396 as a sophomore at Kansas before transferring to Tennessee.
- St. Louis Cardinals. While the Cardinals are having an atypically down season, the organization has built a tradition of success on the strength of pitching. In that vein, St. Louis pounced on lefty Quinn Matthews from Stanford. Matthews threw 156 pitches in a 16-strikeout Super Regional win over Texas.
And some losers:
- Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have a lot of holes to fill and took a chance on third baseman Kyle Karros from UCLA. Kyle is the son of former major leaguer Eric Karros, but suffered an ankle injury this past spring.
- Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee took a shot on high school shortstop Cooper Pratt in the sixth round, but will likely have to overpay him with a signing bonus to prevent him from attending Ole Miss rather than going pro.
- Miami Marlins. For a team that has struggled for offense until trading for Luis Arraez last winter, Miami went with five pitchers through the team's first eight picks.
Day 3 of MLB Draft coming on Tuesday
Day 3 of the MLB Draft will take place Tuesday in Seattle. The third and concluding day of the draft will cover Rounds 11-20 and begin at 2 p.m. ET.
Edited by Tom Carothers