BYB Roundtable: Who do you want to Tigers to select first in MLB draft

The 2023 Major League Baseball amateur draft is set to begin on Sunday night in Seattle, Washington, to kick off the annual selection of top prospects from around the nation — both at the high school and college levels. This year’s draft class is packed with talent at the top of the order and the Detroit Tigers have the third pick overall, which puts them in a great position to pick up a franchise-altering player.

The general consensus has the top three selections coming out of the Southeastern Conference this year, with contributions from both the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators, who duked it out in an epic College World Series last month. From the former, outfielder Dylan Crews and starting pitcher Paul Skenes stand out from the class while the latter produced outfielder Wyatt Langford, who had a season for the ages in 2023.

Ahead of Sunday night’s action, the Bless You Boys staff convened for a roundtable discussion on who we would like the Tigers to pick when their turn is called. Take a look below at what we came up with in our pre-draft chat.

Peter Kwisniak: The best available player. Period.

Zane Harding: Dylan Crews. I hope Langford goes to the Pirates under slot at 1 and Skenes goes to the Nats at 2 so I don’t have to pray that a pitching prospect limits his visits to the Injury God — although any of the three works depending on circumstances. In the situation I outlined, Avila would have taken Noble Meyer. (I do have Crews and Skenes a tick above Langford; Skenes is damn near generational so I’d take the risk if Crews goes.)

Adam Dubbin: I think it goes without saying that I want Langford. The difference between him and Crews is minutely marginal, and with some scouts comparing Wyatt to Mike Trout, that just sounds too good to be true. Plus, the Tigers need more Gators in their system.

What I DON’T want is a high school player… or Skenes, to be honest — that “generational” tag gets thrown around a lot (says the guy who thinks Langford might be one).

Zane: Yeah, Casey Mize got some “generational” talk. It only sticks if they hit immediately.

Peter: Crews, Skenes, Langford. One of them has to be available. They are the clear best three and fairly close in ceiling/floor. This is not the draft to get crafty with money and take an underslot guy at No. 3. However the board falls, grab one of those three, I don’t particularly care which one. If I had to pick one, I guess Langford.

Cameron Kaiser: Victor Wembenyama.

Zane: Connor Bedard?

David Rosenberg: Langford. Crews would be fine too, but I think Langford has the better MLB career in the long run. When he’s healthy and at his best, Langford punishes fastballs and shows 70-grade speed. He has the most power in the draft unless I’m forgetting someone.

He’ll probably stay in left field long-term, but he and Greene in the outfield could work. Both have enough range to play some center.

Trevor Hooth: Dylan Crews or Wyatt Langford. Hard to go wrong with a top 3 pick this year. There’s not a ton of difference between the two, so walking away with one would be awesome.

Brady McAtamney: Crews is best case scenario with Langford shortly after. If they somehow go 1-2, Skenes. Miss me with that high school BS.

Patrick O’Kennedy: 1. Crews, 2. Langford, 3. Skenes. I’d prefer to not draft a HS player.

Jeremy Loucks: A human baseball player and not three raccoons in a trench coat masquerading as one.

There you have it — the BYB roundtable opinion when it comes to the first pick of the 2023 MLB draft. Who do YOU pick? Answer the poll below and share your thoughts with the group in the comments.