MLB mock draft ahead of 2023 college baseball season
Opening day in college baseball is slated for Feb. 17.
Tennessee will play in the 2023 MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona Feb. 17-19. The MLB Desert Invitational field will consist of Tennessee, Arizona, Fresno State, Michigan State and San Diego.
2023 D1 Baseball preseason poll
The 2023 season will be Tennessee’s sixth under head coach Tony Vitello. Vitello has compiled a 191–77 (71–49 SEC) record as the Vols’ head coach and appeared in the 2021 College World Series.
Tennessee won the Southeastern Conference East division for the second consecutive season, the league regular-season and tournament championships in 2022.
The Vols were a No. 1 overall national seed in the NCAA Tournament, winning the Knoxville regional and advancing to the Knoxville super regional in 2022.
Tennessee was ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll for 10 consecutive weeks (March 28-May 30) during the 2022 season.
Ahead of the 2023 college baseball season, MLB.com released a first-round mock draft. The mock draft includes two Tennessee student-athletes and projections are listed below.
Pittsburgh
Jake Crandall/USA TODAY NETWORK
Dylan Crews, OF, LSU
Washington
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee
Detroit
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Max Clark, OF, Franklin HS (Indiana)
Texas
AP Photo/Matthew Hinton
Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU
Minnesota
Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK
Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida
Oakland
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick HS (North Carolina)
Cincinnati
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Ole Miss
Kansas City
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida
Colorado
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Aidan Miller, 3B, JW Mitchell HS (Florida)
Miami
Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK
Enrique Bradfield, OF, Vanderbilt
Los Angeles Angels
Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Brayden Taylor, 3B, TCU
Arizona
Patrick Breen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon
Chicago Cubs
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Yohandy Morales, 3B, Miami
Boston
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Blake Mitchell, C, Sinton HS (Texas)
Chicago White Sox
Will Sanders boasts a strong four-pitch mix, which could make him the highest chosen pitcher in South Carolina history.
See where the 6-foot-6 righty lands on our Top 100 Draft Prospects list: https://t.co/uN5oEKGULU pic.twitter.com/eP8XbejG6g
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) December 18, 2022
Will Sanders, RHP, South Carolina
San Francisco
2022 ACC Pitcher of the Year 🏆
2023 Preseason ACC Pitcher of the Year ✅@PerfectGameUSA ✘ @lowderrhett pic.twitter.com/mFf7tnqvj8— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) January 14, 2023
Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest
Baltimore
Christine Peterson/USA TODAY NETWORK
Matt Shaw, SS, Maryland
Milwaukee
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Maui Ahuna, SS, Tennessee
