Here are 5 Missouri State baseball players who could be picked in the 2023 MLB Draft

Missouri State will hear its name called this upcoming week during the 2023 MLB Draft.

Keith Guttin's Bears will send at least two to professional baseball teams with the possibility of more. The Bears have multiple players capable of going in the first 10 rounds and a pair of incoming recruits who have attracted some pre-draft buzz.

Here are the players to keep an eye on when the draft begins on Sunday.

Spencer Nivens, Missouri State

Nivens went from a player who barely made Missouri State's roster into being the program's next top prospect. He will likely go in the first five rounds and become the first Bears outfielder to be selected since Hunter Steinmetz went in the 11th round in 2018.

The Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year batted .341 this past season with 14 homers, 45 RBI and a slugging percentage of .650. It was on par with his redshirt freshman season with the Bears in which he batted .346 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI.

More: How Missouri State OF Spencer Nivens almost got cut and then turned into an MLB prospect

D1Baseball currently considers Nivens as the No. 78 college prospect. He's been considered a Day 2 pick which would see him going in the first 10 rounds. He would be the 39th Bear in the program's history to be taken in the first 10 rounds if he hears his name called.

During the predraft process, Nivens' high-level bat has gotten him most of his love. Defensively, he had a fielding percentage of .981 this past season.

Jake Eddington, Missouri State

A weekend starter for the Bears, Eddington is expected to be selected one year after transferring from Alabama.

Eddington went 4-2 with a 4.20 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 55.2 innings this season. He held opponents to a .226 batting average and improved it to .206 in league play alone.

Eddington came to the Beas as a highly-touted draft prospect. Dozens of scouts made their way to watch the 6-foot-2, 185-pound righty throughout the preseason and season. He throws in the mid-90s with his fastball consistently along with a good slider and changeup.

Missouri State knew it was going to get just one year of Eddington when it signed him. He showed that he has recovered from Tommy John surgery which sidelined him for the 2022 season. His draft stock slipped a little bit from where he was slated going into the season but it wouldn't be a surprise to see a team go after an arm with an extremely high ceiling earlier than he's being projected as a possible Day 2 to Day 3 prospect.

Hayden Minton, Missouri State

Two-thirds of the Bears' weekend rotation could be headed to the pros with Minton being one the team thinks it can lose. He's not popping up on MLB Draft boards written by national media but Minton showed this season he's worthy of a selection.

Minton went 6-2 with a 4.07 ERA this season and ranked second in the Valley with 96 strikeouts. His opposing batting average was .253 and he was in control with the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the league.

Minton saved his best performance of the season for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in which he went seven innings and allowed three hits with seven strikeouts to keep the Bears alive against Illinois Chicago.

After a year away from Missouri State, the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder helped make the Bears a competitive team in the league. The senior would have another year of eligibility but he could be a Day 3 selection or sign as an undrafted free agent — considering his age, it might be the best for him to move on.

Caden Bogenpohl, Jackson

Bogenpohl is an incoming freshman who was a monster from in-state Jackson this season. He doubles as an arm on the mound and a power hitter at the plate.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder batted .441 with 15 extra-base hits and 34 RBI this past season. He was the best player on a Jackson team that qualified for the state final four for the first time in school history. He's a three-time all-state performer.

Bogenpohl attracted some attention last offseason with his bat by crushing balls at the home of the Miami Marlins that traveled as far as Bryce Harper launched them in previous showcases out of high school. His frame and strength will make him attractive whether it's in the upcoming draft or a few years from now.

Missouri State is confident that it will get Bogenpohl on campus which should lead to some big home runs at Hammons Field for the next few years.

Kaleb Thomas, Canada

Another incoming freshman attracting MLB Draft buzz is Thomas, although Missouri State believes he will be in a Bears uniform next season.

Thomas was the first indigenous player to ever make Canada's junior national team. He's one of the top prospects out of Ontario as a right-handed pitcher throwing his fastball in the lower 90s, doubling as a middle infielder.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MLB Draft: Missouri State's Nivens, Eddington to be selected