Round 1 saw the shocking skip of the best player in the draft, Kodai Senga, and the drop of Yoshida Masataka all the way to No. 6.
Instead of waiting for the Hat of Destiny to select their draft position in 2024 and 2025, they used their mid-round picks here to draft the players who would have (could have) been at the top of the wish lists.
Four international players who have yet to sign were picked up in the second and third rounds, as well as a bunch of cowboys. You can't tell me Walker Jenkins, Jordan Westburg and Wyatt Langford aren't cowboys.
Here's a look at the players selected in the second and third:
ROUND 2
13. CHARLESTON BOILED PEANUTS: Shintaro Fujinami, OAK, SP: A potential first-round pick fell to the second round, and like that, the Nutz have two pitchers in green that will start in the majors. The Athletics signed Fujinami on Friday and will add him to their rotation. The 28-year-old righty wasn't as dominant as Senga, though, moving back-and-forth between the rotation and bullpen in Nippon. His numbers were decent in 2022, so how will that translate in the AL West.
14. SEX PANTHERS: Robert Gasser, MIL, SP: There is something funny about Pfaadt (assuming pronounced "fat" and Gasser being drafted by Panthers back-to-back, belly-to-belly. Gasser was No. 10 on the Brewers prospect list last year, putting up decent numbers across three levels. He struggled at Triple-A, though, so he'll need a bounce-back year before making the leap to the Brewers.
15. BIG OL' COUNTRY BREAKFAST: Connor Norby, BAL, 2B: The first of three Orioles to be selected in the second and third rounds, Norby was No. 11 on their prospect list a year ago. He had a pair of promotions last year reaching Triple-A, but he only had 39 at-bats there (making the most of them, batting .359). He spent most of the season at Double-A, and overall he batted .279 with 29 homers and 73 RBIs.
16. QUAD EH ALL-STARS: Bryce Miller, SEA, SP: The top pitching prospect in the Mariners system behind Emerson Hancock is Bryce Miller. He's yet another JLB draft pick that played across three levels last year, topping out at Double-A with 50.2 innings of work there. Overall he went 7-4 with a 3.16 ERA and 163 strikeouts. There was no drop-off from High-A to Double-A so one would think Miller could easily start in or quickly make his way to Triple-A before getting the call this season.
17. BENSALEM SLAMMERS: Luis Morales, N/A, SP: The window to sign this 20-year-old SP, considered to be a top-of-the-rotation starter, opens on Sunday, and the Athletics were considered a front-runner for him. It will be interesting to see if that still holds. He has decent grades on his four pitches with his fastball being the best. The A's have been cheap in spending but they haven't held back in starting young players, so if he lands there, we could see him on a Major League mound sooner than later.
18. LITTLE LEBOWSKI URBAN ACHIEVERS: Wyatt Langford, N/A, LF: Wyatt Langford could be the top college bat come July. He's got five-tool potential and is considered to be very even with Dylan Crews (No. 1 on the draft list right now), but that could change if he further impresses scouts after a breakout sophomore year at Florida. He batted .356/.447 with 26 home runs last year earning All-American status. If Crews falters a bit at LSU, the Dude could see Langford become a Bucco in July and finally traded to a contender in July of 2028.
19. TOPTON TORNADOES: Lee Jung-hoo, N/A, LF: The KBO star, who will be posted after next season, is nicknamed "Grandson of the Wind." Tommy, nicknamed "Son of the Mayor," is a bit of a weather junky, so this makes sense. Jung-hoo was the KBO MVP last year with a .349/.421/.575 slash line. He had 23 homers and 113 RBIs. You have to take those numbers with a grain of salt, but it's easy to see why Topton found him. There's swing contact comps to Vlad out there, so that's just what Tommy needs: another Vlad. #Sonofabitch
CORRECTION: 19. MAIN LINE GAMBLERS: Lee Jung-hoo, N/A, LF: The KBO star, who will be posted after next season, is nicknamed "Grandson of the Wind." He is essentially the next Bubba Starling. Just move on to the next capsule.
20. PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS: Sal Frelick, MIL, CF: If you were to walk into whichever Philly Cheese Steak restaurant you prefer and ask who is the cook on duty, you wouldn't be at all surprised to here the name Sal Frelick. He has to be back there flipping Steaks. ... But will the Steaks flip him? The short outfielder (5-foot-9) continued to get better and better as he was promoted from High-A to Triple-A Nashville. Overall, he batted .331 with 163 hits, 90 runs scored, 59 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. He has the speed and bat-to-ball skills to get the call this year — maybe even out of camp.
21. CROX SOX: Brice Turang, MIL, SS: Another Brewers top prospect, but unlike all of the other prospects mentioned already, Turang spent the entire 2022 season at Triple-A. And it's not like he didn't earn the shot to get to the majors. He batted .286 with a .360 OBP. He had 152 hits in 131 games with 78 RBIs, 89 runs and 34 stolen bases. He should have a chance to make his debut this year, maybe as soon as Opening Day.
ROUND 3
22. SEX PANTHERS: Walker Jenkins, N/A, SS: Possibly the top prep player to go this summer, Jenkins was North Carolina's Gatorade Player of the Year as a high school junior. He's 6-3 with power and a strong arm. He's committed to go to North Carolina, but if he stays hot in 2023, he'll get drafted and certainly leave UNC for the chance to go pro.
23. BIG OL'COUNTRY BREAKFAST: Josue De Paula, LAD, CF: De Paula is only 17 and won't turn 18 until June, but he's already got a season of rookie ball under his belt. The international signee from January 2022 will likely be in the Dodgers top 10 when the list comes out later this winter. He batted .349 in 53 games with 5 homers, 30 RBIs and 42 runs scored. He also walked more than he struck out. It is rookie ball, but he's also 17, so Sam has to be excited about what 2028 will bring for him!
24. QUAD EH ALL-STARS: Jordan Westburg, BAL, INF: Westburg's average was only .265 but he was a menace at the plate last year in Double- and Triple-A. In total, he had 144 hits, 27 homers, 106 RBIs and 70 walks. Even more impressive, he did most of the damage at Triple-A, batting .273 with a .361 OBP in 91 games. He hit 18 homers and 74 RBIs at that level. He should be a name to watch in camp this spring.
25. THE STANTONIANS: Coby Mayo, BAL, 3B: Sounds like a delicious deli hoagie. "Yes, I'll have the coby mayo with pickles." Mayo, being No. 1 on my list of condiments, was No. 7 on the Orioles' list of prospects last year. He wasn't overly impressive last year, batting .247 with 19 homers and 69 RBIs. Reaching only Double-A, one would expect him to return to Bowie before getting the call to Triple-A.
26. LITTLE LEBOWSKI URBAN ACHIEVERS: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, N/A, SP: It appears Tommy started a trend of drafting Asian players to be posted in future years. Yamamoto could be posted next winter, which would mean the Dude doesn't have to watch a JLB owner in next year's draft skip him with the overall No. 1 pick. Yamamoto went 15-5 with a 1.68 ERA and 205 strikeouts in 193 innings last season. If the 24-year-old duplicates that this year, he'll certainly be a hot signing next winter.
Comments