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The Florida Gator baseball team defeated South Carolina this past weekend to get to the 2023 College World Series in Omaha starting June 15. The second seed performed as expected, narrowly winning game one on Friday before blowing South Carolina out of the water with ease on Saturday.
There's a reason why three of the Gator's players have been named as some of the top baseball prospects in the nation and are expected to be drafted in July. If not for LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, then Florida's Wyatt Langford would probably be this year's number-one draft pick.
2023 MLB Draft: Florida's Wyatt Langford as the third pick?
Twenty-one-year-old outfielder Wyatt Langford is viewed by many as easily the most talented player of this draft year. The MLB's most recent prospect ranking had him at third overall in the class of 2023, but who knows how high he can go depending on what he can do at the College World Series.
Langford is fast and sprightly and, in 2020, was said to have run the 60-yard dash in just 6.96 seconds. He'll be hoping to be drafted third, where he's currently ranked, to emulate fellow Florida Gator Mike Zunino, who was picked third in 2012.
Wyatt Langford was already a diamond even during his time playing catcher for Trenton High School, making the later switch to outfielder even more impressive. He put up frankly ridiculous numbers with a stunning batting average of .394, 13 home runs and 114 runs batted in over a mere 402 plate appearances.
In his sophomore year, Langford almost broke the Florida single-season home run record of 26 but ended up equalling it. Who had it before him? The seventh pick in the 2007 draft, Matt LaPorta. Considering he also maintained a .355 batting average and 63 runs, the future looks bright for the boy from Trenton.
Wyatt Langford has been nicknamed 'Evel Knievel' because of his daring approach to everything, and that quality, alongside his talents, will make him a highly sought-after man in the 2023 MLB draft.
Florida baseball's other top prospects
At this stage, the draft prospects and picks are just mockups, but a few Gators have caught the eye so far apart from Wyatt Langford. The team is collectively talented and a big reason why they made it out of the Super Regionals.
Brandon Sproat is being mocked for going to the Philadelphia Phillies with a 4.85 ERA this season. His fastballs are top-notch, and he has 100 strikeouts to 35 walks alongside.
Hurston Waldrep has an ERA of 4.83 but has one of the best splitters around. Additionally, he has had four games with ten or more strikeouts which will appeal to quite a few MLB teams.
