Dylan Crews or Paul Skenes? Which LSU star is favored to get picked No. 1 in the 2023 MLB draft?

The 2023 MLB draft is finally upon us today and there are a lot of question marks as to where certain players will end up. Typically the first couple of picks are locked in days before the draft but this one is not as clear.

Two college teammates from the 2023 National Champion LSU Tigers are fighting to hear their name first in the draft. Center fielder Dylan Crews and starting pitcher Paul Skenes are the two main choices for the Pittsburgh Pirates with the number one pick.

But which player will end up being selected as the top pick in the 2023 MLB draft?

What are the betting odds saying about the first pick in the 2023 MLB draft?

It seems like the betting odds typically can tell us what to expect and Dylan Crews was the favorite for a long time. However, the odds shifted during the 2023 College World Series as now Paul Skenes has taken the favorite spot for the top pick.

It is important to note that just because the betting odds shifted does not tell us the whole story and there could be a bevy of factors surrounding the change.

Whether or not that is the case, Paul Skenes has jumped teammate Dylan Crews as the favorite to become the first overall pick.

Dylan Crews or Paul Skenes, who will the Pirates take with the first overall pick of the 2023 MLB draft?

The Pirates can go either way here but there is one thing to discuss. The Pittsburgh Pirates have an interesting decision here but the philosophy most teams have is that they can never have enough pitching.

Crews finished 12-for-32 with a home run, three RBIs, and a 6:6 walk-to-strikeout raito during the 2023 College World Series. Skenes pitched three times during the 2023 College World Series and was 1-0 in three starts and threw 23.1 innings while giving up two runs on 11 hits with three walks and 30 strikeouts.

Many teams are going to side with the pitcher as they believe they can always trade a pitcher for a hitter as there is a lot more demand for pitchers. It is going to be interesting to see how each of these players do throughout their careers as they will always be linked to one another.

However, the ultimate decision should be to take starting pitcher Paul Skenes over center fielder Dylan Crews. This is not being a prisoner of the moment, this is selecting the better player for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in the 2023 MLB draft.