The 2023 MLB Draft is just hours away

The Detroit Tigers have the 3rd overall pick. There’s no need for lengthy intros now. You can read all about the outfielders, and the pitchers, and the corner infielders to get our overall view of the draft. Today, we make with the names.

Detroit Tigers Catcher Options

Kyle Teel has been tied to the Detroit Tigers, and fans don’t like it. That has much more to do with the quality of the top of this draft than the quality of Teel. He’s an excellent overall player and the clear best college catching prospect in the draft. He’s unusually athletic for a catcher, and though it’s a hit-over-power profile, he swings with a controlled violence that leads to hard line drives and tons of doubles. On defense he shows great mobility behind the plate, he’s a solid receiver, and he has a plus throwing arm.

https://twitter.com/UVABaseball/status/1667213090897936385?s=20

Blake Mitchell is the consensus top prep catcher in the class. He stands out for his patient approach and left-handed power, though some swing-and-miss issues may keep him from hitting for a high average. He’s a very strong defender with good agility behind the dish, and his plus-plus arm is a huge weapon for him. He’s hit 98 mph from the mound before, and he could theoretically try pitching down the road if things go south with the bat.

Ralphy Velazquez is considered one of the better pure hitters in the prep class, with a balanced swing, patience, and plenty of raw power. He performed well all spring and has positioned himself as a probable first-round pick. He’d likely be a top-20 pick if there weren’t so many questions about his defense. He has the arm for it, but he’s stiff behind the plate and may need to move to first base down the road.

Rocket hits and RBIs have been at the heart of Ralphy Velazquez's time at the National High School Invitational.@JonathanMayo has more from the @ASU_Baseball commit, who's out to prove himself in Cary: https://t.co/HofFR3GCD2 pic.twitter.com/eRbCrtbd2I

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 31, 2023

Cole Carrigg has only played a handful of games behind the plate, and he’s a terrific athlete who could just as easily be drafted as a shortstop or center fielder. He doesn’t have much power, and he leaves the strike zone more than is ideal, but he has a good feel for contact from both sides of the plate and he’s a plus runner. Carrigg did hit .329 with wood bats in the Cape Cod League, but he stands out most for his huge arm. That cannon, and his athleticism, would make for a fascinating project at catcher.

We finish with Luke Shliger, who may not go in the top three rounds, but is nevertheless an interesting name to know. Why? Because he gets on base. Shliger is a small (5’9, 180), but sturdy backstop who shows terrific plate discipline, with a minuscule 14% chase rate, and good feel for the barrel. He’s a decent defensive catcher, with an average arm, and he was Maryland’s team captain. But there’s very little raw pop here — he produced a .026 ISO in the Cape Cod League — and some worry he might not hold up physically in pro ball.

Luke Shliger loves a good back-side extra-base hit.

After an oppo HR yesterday, the #Terps C drops this down the LF line for an RBI 2B. Really impressive approach this weekend. pic.twitter.com/Q7F6oDNeyq

— Ian Smith (@IanSmittyGA) March 25, 2023

College Middle Infielders

Jacob Wilson is the most extreme contact hitter in this draft class, with an absurdly low 4.4% strikeout rate in his college career. But that contact also comes with an average walk rate and even less raw power than Shliger. But at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, there’s still a chance Wilson can grow into more power as he ages. He’s also an above-average defensive shortstop, much like his All-Star father Jack.

Gets robbed of a base hit here, but Jacob Wilson (‘23 elig.) did his thing tonight; absolute barrel magnet w/ fast bat. Elite pitch recognition skills and approach on full display. Great actions on dirt and will stick at SS.

Top-15 overall pick in July pic.twitter.com/PV2PwIJtQo

— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) March 23, 2023

Heading into the season there was some thought Jacob Gonzalez could be an option for the Detroit Tigers with the 3rd pick. But while Gonzalez was very good this year, as he has been in all three seasons with Ole Miss, other players put up much louder numbers. Still, Gonzalez could go as early as pick five to the Twins, because he’s a polished hitter with a good approach and average power. He’s a solid defender with a good arm, but he’s not particularly fast or twitchy, so he might have to move off shortstop.

Matt Shaw is one of the most well-rounded players in this year’s college crop. He has a three-year record of terrific offensive production at Maryland, batting .320 with 53 career home runs. Shaw also earned MVP honors in the Cape Cod League last year after batting .360 with five home runs and 21 steals. He combines a strong approach with above-average contact skills and power potential. He’s also an above-average runner whose speed plays up because of good instincts. He was primarily a shortstop in college, but most expect him to move to second in pro ball.

Matt Shaw hit this ball 507 ft. Yes you read that correctly pic.twitter.com/1LcCObVTu6

— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) March 31, 2023

Tommy Troy and Matt Shaw are pretty similar players. He made slightly less contact and chased outside the zone slightly more this year, but he was in the better conference. Troy shows above-average raw power and makes plenty of hard contact. He also had a strong showing in the Cape, batting .310 with five home runs. He’s a well above-average runner, though his pure speed hasn’t translated to many stolen bases, and he’s a quality defender who will probably move to second base as a pro.

Michigan State’s Mitch Jebb really put his name on the map with his strong performance in the Cape Cod League. He batted .356, walked almost as much as he struck out (20BB/24K), and swiped 26 bases in 38 games. Jebb has a bit of a funky, old-timey swing geared for a lot of hard contact to the opposite field. He’s more of a 2nd round name because he hasn’t hit for much power in college, but his exit velocity is right in line with Jacob Gonzalez. Jebb is a plus runner but his defensive actions and arm point to a future at second base or center field.

Mitch Jebb, PL’s 58 ‘23 prospect, has had an incredible summer with a slash of .346/.417/.496. Last night he went 4/5 with a homer, double, and steal. Below is every hit but the Homer. He sprays the ball all over the field though his power seems to mostly come to the pull side pic.twitter.com/6af8fh2XZA

— Daniel Garcia (@danielpgarcia01) July 30, 2022

Luke Keaschall spent his first two seasons at San Francisco, but then transferred to Arizona State after a sold performance in the Cape. He didn’t miss a beat in the Pac-12, batting .353 with 18 home runs and 18 steals for the Sun Devils. His raw power is more fringy that his home run totals suggest, but his contact skills are good. Keaschall is also an above-average runner who could potentially play multiple positions, though his best spot is likely second base.

We finish with Brice Matthews, Nebraska’s tooled-up shortstop. He didn’t produce much for the Cornhuskers in his first two seasons, but he broke out this year to hit .359 with 20 home runs and 20 steals. The power is very real, with exit velo numbers on par with Dylan Crews, but there are also real concerns about swing-and-miss and overall contact. He’s a plus runner and more than athletic enough to stick at shortstop, but he isn’t terribly consistent there, so he could move to center field.

https://twitter.com/mason_mcrae/status/1644392503259299854?s=20

Detroit Tigers High School Middle Infield Options

Arjun Nimmala owns a very interesting story and some of the most electric bat speed in the class. He shows shocking power for someone with such a wiry (6’1, 170) frame, and he’s one of the youngest players in the class. There’s concern about his ability to make consistent contact, and he’s average runner, but he shows the arm and athleticism to potentially stick at shortstop.

Colin Houck isn’t quite as explosive as Nimmala, but he’s arguably a more well-rounded player. Houck is a very good athlete with the potential for above-average tools across the board. He’s strong and shows a quick bat with good power potential, and he has above-average agility, speed, and arm strength. He owns multiple DI scholarship offers to play quarterback, and there’s a chance he really takes off as a hitter once he focuses on baseball.

Walker Martin was one of the big risers this spring thanks to outlandish stats (.636 AVG, 20 homers) and off-the-charts athletic testing. He’s one of the oldest players in the prep class, but his above-average feel for hitting and power potential could get him to the majors relatively quickly. He’s a shortstop now, but he may grow into a third baseman as he fills out his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame.

https://twitter.com/TA450/status/1608273954824658944?s=20

Sammy Stafura is another riser this spring thanks to some strength gains and confidence in his ability to stick at shortstop. He’s a plus runner and an above-average athlete with agility and solid-average arm. He’s mostly projected to go in the 25-40 range because of some concerns about his contact ability.

There’s no worry about contact with Kevin McGonigle. He’s long been considered one of the best pure hitters in the prep class, with a short, quick swing, and the ability to barrel just about everything. He has some pop, though it may top out at a tick above average in terms of in-game production. He’s a fundamentally sound defender at shortstop, but he’s likely to be bumped to second base by more athletic defenders in pro ball.

https://twitter.com/WBSC/status/1568755596312121348?s=20

Adrian Santana was one of the first big movers this spring. Part of that was him playing in Florida, but another part was him gaining some usable strength, as Perfect Game’s Brian Sakowski told us a few weeks ago. Santana is a no-doubt shortstop thanks to excellent hands, a solid arm, and near top-of-the-scale speed. He also shows solid contact skills from both side of the plate, but he projects more in the 25-50 range because there won’t ever be much pop here, even with his strength gains this spring.

Tai Peete is a legitimate two-way talent who appears to rising up boards late in the draft process. He’s among the youngest players in the class, but he’s a plus athlete with plus power potential. He’s also a plus runner, and as a pitcher he has shown low-90s velocity and an impressive changeup. He didn’t pitch this spring, and it’s possible his arm is injured, but there’s enough offensive potential here for Peete to sneak into the first round.

https://twitter.com/JGoetzPBR/status/1641594231197163522?s=20

And we finish with Roch Cholowsky, who is generally considered one of the best defensive shortstops in the class. He’s a fluid mover who excels at throwing off platform, and he’s an above-average runner with an above-average arm. Cholowsky also shows good feel for putting the bat on the ball, but scouts worry about a potential lack of power. There’s a chance he could grow into more pop as he fills out his 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame.

Roch Cholowsky (‘23, AZ) displaying a fluid path w/ advanced barrel accuracy #PGAAC pic.twitter.com/fbrqu3Tvgc

— Dick’s Sporting Goods All-American Classic (@PGAllAmerican) August 26, 2022

Check back after the draft for scouting reports on the newest Detroit Tigers prospects.