Paul Skenes has been selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the No. 1 overall pick in MLB’s 2023 Draft
Top pitcher Paul Skenes is selected by the Pirates with the No. 1 overall pick in MLB’s 2023 amateur draft with college teammate Dylan Crews second by the Nationals, making history with an LSU 1-2 start
Paul Skenes, the top pitcher, was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the number 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft Sunday night.
Skenes spent the past six months lighting radar guns with impressive fastballs, convincingly proving himself to be the most major league-ready college pitcher since Stephen Strasburg more than a decade ago.
The Pittsburgh Pirates won baseball’s first lottery in December, giving them first picks among the eligible amateurs on Sunday night.
Skenes was the first No. 1 college pitcher roster overall since Casey Mize by Detroit in 2018.
For the second time in three years, the Pirates had the best overall roster after picking catcher Henry Davis at the top of the 2021 draft. Davis made his major league debut for Pittsburgh last month.
Paul Skenes, the top pitcher, was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the number 1 pick
Skenes was the first No. 1 overall on the college pitcher roster since Casey Mize by Detroit in 2018
Having spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career with Air Force, Skenes shone during his time with the Tigers, going 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA in 19 starts in 2023.
He was named National Player of the Year and National Pitcher of the Year before helping LSU triumph at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., where he earned CWS Most Outstanding Player honors.
In addition to his time with the Tigers and Falcons, Skenes also played for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2021.
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The value of Skenes’ lock is expected to be around $9.7 million.
It appeared to be a debate between Skenes and his LSU teammate, Dylan Crews, for the best choice.
But Crews, who hit .426 with 18 home runs while playing center field for the Tigers, didn’t have long to wait.
The Washington Nationals placed second after finishing the 2022 season with the worst record in the majors at 55-107.
And Skenes was quickly joined by his college teammate as the Nationals used their No. 2 pick to make it an LSU 1-2 start to the draft.
Crews had a 26-game hitting streak as part of his standout season for the Tigers, finishing his LSU career by reaching base in each of his last 75 college games.
Skenes and Crews are the first pair of teammates to go 1-2 in draft history.
It appeared to be a debate between Skenes and his LSU teammate, Dylan Crews, for the best choice
The Nationals used their No. 2 pick for crews to make it an LSU 1-2 start to the draft
Detroit selected high school outfielder Max Clark of Franklin, Indiana, ranked No. 3. Clark was the Gatorade National Player of the Year after batting .646 with six home runs and 33 RBIs during his high school season.
Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford went No. 4 to Texas, and Oak Island, North Carolina outfielder Walker Jenkins went fifth to Minnesota.
Oakland took college shortstop Jacob Wilson, the son of former major league shortstop Jack Wilson, from Grand Canyon at number 6.
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