Advertisement

Ole Miss baseball, Mississippi State and Southern Miss names to watch at 2023 MLB Draft

david eckert, mississippi clarion ledger
·4 min read

If you root for a Mississippi college baseball team north of Jackson, you probably didn't enjoy the 2023 season very much, with Ole Miss and Mississippi State missing out on the SEC Tournament while Southern Miss carried the state's torch into the super regionals.

It was a down year for the state that came home from Omaha with a national championship in 2021 and 2022. But there's still plenty of Mississippi talent to monitor when the 2023 MLB Draft begins on Sunday (6 p.m. CT, ESPN and MLB Network).

Here are the names that Rebels, Bulldogs and Golden Eagles fans should watch as the draft approaches.

Ole Miss 2023 MLB Draft outlook

It seems reasonably likely that three of the top four hitters in the Ole Miss baseball lineup will be moving on to the professional ranks.

Junior shortstop Jacob Gonzalez has been talked about as a first-round pick for years, and he seems like a borderline lock to hear his name called on Sunday. MLB.com mocked Gonzalez to the White Sox at No. 15, and all of the other major prognosticators agree that he'll go in the first round. It would take a truly incredible twist of fate to see Gonzalez in a Rebels uniform again.

Further down MLB.com's prospect list is Kemp Alderman at No. 55. The Ole Miss outfielder played his way up draft boards this season, posting a 1.149 OPS. Catcher Calvin Harris enters at No. 133. The corresponding slot values to those rankings sit at $1,509,800 and $487,800, respectively.

There are a handful of draft-eligible players who could go later on, but, outside of those three, the majority of attention should be paid to Ole Miss' incoming recruiting class, which was ranked sixth in the country by Perfect Game and includes numerous draft risks.

Four Ole Miss baseball signees are ranked inside MLB.com's top 250 draft prospects:

  • Cooper Pratt, INF, No. 45 ($1,906,200 slot value)

  • Zander Mueth, RHP, No. 83 ($846,800)

  • Josh Knoth, RHP, No. 98 ($685,100)

  • Campbell Smithwick, C, No. 155 ($392,700)

FACILITIES: Ole Miss football's renovated Manning Center set to open this month

Mississippi State 2023 MLB Draft outlook

The most likely early MLB Draft departure for Mississippi State is outfielder Colton Ledbetter, who arrived from Samford to hit .320 with 12 home runs and 17 stolen bases for the Bulldogs as a junior. MLB.com ranks the Hoover, Alabama, native as the No. 49 overall prospect, which carries a $1,741,500 slot value.

Ledbetter is the only current Mississippi State player ranked in MLB.com's top 250, but there are several other Bulldogs who should be monitored later on in the draft. KC Hunt, Cade Smith and Aaron Nixon are arms to watch for the Bulldogs, while Kellum Clark and Amani Larry are players to monitor from the Mississippi State lineup.

As is the case with their in-state rivals, much of the draft intrigue for the Bulldogs will center on which members of the 10th-ranked recruiting class it can get to campus.

Here are the Mississippi State signees ranked inside MLB.com's top 250:

  • Colin Houck, SS, No. 12 ($5,043,800)

  • Aidan Smith, OF, No. 78 ($916,000)

  • Dylan Cupp, SS, No. 111 ($603,600)

Southern Miss 2023 MLB Draft outlook

A program that has become known for sending pitching to the MLB ranks thanks to new head coach and former pitching coach Christian Ostrander, Southern Miss looks to once again have some high-level arms on offer.

Two-time All-America righthander Tanner Hall is draft eligible and ranks 92nd on MLB.com's prospect list with a $736,400 slot value. He's followed by tall southpaw Justin Storm at No. 185. Storm burst onto the scene this season out of the bullpen with a 2.36 ERA, striking out 72 batters in 45⅔ innings. His slot value sits at $302,300.

Rounding out the current Golden Eagles in the top 250 is center fielder Matthew Etzel, who made the jump from junior college to post an .853 OPS last season. All three of those prospects are juniors and have one season of eligibility remaining.

Another name to watch out for is shortstop Dustin Dickerson, who exploded in the postseason for seven home runs after hitting just six in his first four seasons with the Golden Eagles. A handful of other lineup contributors could see their names called in the later rounds, too.

Unlike its northern SEC neighbors, Southern Miss does not have any incoming prospects in MLB.com's top 250.

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss 2023 MLB Draft names to watch