LSU and the 2023 MLB Draft: Rounds 1-2

The 2023 Major League Baseball Draft is set to begin on Sunday at 6 p.m., and it will be streamed on both ESPN and the MLB Network.

The draft will continue on Monday at 1 p.m. with Rounds 3-10, and Rounds 11-20 will begin Tuesday at 1 p.m.

After winning the College World Series, LSU is expected to have at least a pair of first-round picks – and in recent weeks the number has grown to potentially three first-rounders.

Will the Tigers have the No. 1 overall pick? Can four players squeeze into Day 1? Here’s the latest buzz on draft day from MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, as well as The Athletic’s Keith Law.

Paul Skenes – RHP

All three analysts have Skenes going No. 2 to the Washington Nationals after projecting the Pittsburgh Pirates to select Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford with the No. 1 overall pick.

Law: Round 1, Pick 2 … “Tough call for the Nats if both LSU kids are here, but a source familiar with the team’s thinking told me the Nats would probably still take Skenes because he has the profile of a pitcher who’s in the majors in a year à la Stephen Strasburg. Neither is a wrong choice and I could easily see them taking Crews.”

Callis: Round 1, Pick 2 … “It’s a lock that the Nationals take Skenes if the Pirates don’t. Crews would be Washington’s backup plan.”

Mayo: Round 1, Pick 2 … “We’ve said for a while that the only thing that would keep the Nationals from taking Skenes was if the Pirates selected him. With Pittsburgh going bat, the Nats can get their man.”

Dylan Crews – OF

All three analyst have Crews coming off the board at No. 3 to the Detroit Tigers, which would follow Langford at No. 1 and Skenes at No. 2.

Law: Round 1, Pick 3 … “If this happens the Tigers should probably just take the rest of the week off. Other teams believe the Tigers will go college regardless, since one of the big three college prospects has to get here.”

Callis: Round 1, Pick 3 … “With Skenes almost certainly going No. 2, the Tigers will take whichever SEC outfielder remains on the board.”

Mayo: Round 1, Pick 3 … “Like I said earlier this week, this was a best college outfielder spot. They’ve just been flipped, with Langford going with the top selection, and the Tigers likely very happy to get the LSU star.”

Ty Floyd – RHP

After skyrocketing up draft boards, Law has Floyd going to the Baltimore Orioles at No. 17, while Callis has him landing with the Houston Astros at No. 28. Mayo has Law landing at No. 37 overall to the Tigers as part of the first round’s competitive balance picks.

Law: Round 1, Pick 17 … “If you’re asking me to bet on a category, I’d still bet they’re more likely to take a hitter than a pitcher, but Floyd has flown up everyone’s boards lately and he does have the fastball characteristics that the Orioles seem to value. If they go bat, it could be Houck, Arjun Nimmala or Eldridge, or maybe they just take any good college bat who slides like Troy or Shaw.”

Callis: Round 1, Pick 28 … “Floyd seems to have as much helium as any potential first-rounder coming off his CWS breakout performance, and he probably won’t get this far. If not, the Astros could hope for college performers (Morales, Wilken, Davis) to drop, travel the prep shortstop route (Stafura, Martin) or take one of the better high school bats (Velazquez).”

Mayo: Round 1, Pick 37

Is Tre’ Morgan up next for LSU?

With 70 picks in Rounds 1-2, it would take a team falling in love with Morgan to grab him off the board late in round two. Ranked as the No. 137 prospect on MLB.com, it’s likely the New Orleans native hears his name called early on Monday afternoon as Rounds 3-10 begin.

Here’s Morgan’s prospect breakdown from MLB.com:

“A three-year starter at Louisiana State, Morgan has some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the Southeastern Conference and is an elite defender. But he doesn’t really fit the first-base profile because he rarely hits home runs, and he did more damage as a freshman than he has since. Like former SEC star and 2017 Mariners first-rounder Evan White, he’s a potential Gold Glove first baseman whose power is his worst tool, but he can’t match White’s average pop. 

“A left-handed hitter, Morgan is a tale of two extremes at the plate. He focuses on working the ball from gap to gap and his uncanny hand-eye coordination means he rarely swings and misses, even against breaking balls and changeups. While he makes plenty of contact, it’s not quality contact, as he puts the ball on the ground too much and produces lackluster exit velocities. 

“More athletic than most first basemen, Morgan is an average runner who covers a lot of ground at first. He also has soft hands and makes difficult plays look easy, such as when he made a spectacular game-saving play on a safety squeeze in the College World Series semifinals, without which LSU wouldn’t have won the championship. He moves well enough that the Tigers gave him significant action this spring in left field, where he’s a fringy defender with arm strength to match.”