You have an established college hitter of evident skill in Wyatt Langford, the University of Florida outfielder who might, or might not, be sitting and waiting on July 9 for the Tigers to make him their first pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Or, maybe there’s a choice with that third-overall pick. It’s possible the Tigers have the option to take a prep superstar: Walker Jenkins, 18, of South Brunswick High in Oak Island, N.C.
How do the Tigers sort this one out? Right-handed-hitting Langford, who has a high floor and a certain amount of big-league reliability due to his maturity and displayed skill against high-caliber college pitching?
Or, the left-handed-swinging Jenkins, whose upside might make him, long-term, the more impactful, more dynamic player and more enduring franchise-grade weapon?
Also, is timing allowed to factor into this potential coin-flip, which assumes — perhaps recklessly — the first two picks on July 9 are Dylan Crews of Louisiana State, and his flame-throwing teammate and LSU ace, Paul Skenes?
In such a debate for the Tigers, it will be known Langford can expect to reach Detroit and help a team in a hurry that’s desperate to win — now.
Jenkins naturally would warrant a longer incubation period, something approaching three or more years.
The Tigers aren’t talking, of course. But it is expected the Tigers, or any MLB club, would offer as a response the standard line: We will take the best player.
But who will be the best player?
Detroit News ranking of the top 10 amateur baseball talents as they currently sit leading into the 2023 MLB Draft, set for July 9-11.
▶ 1. Dylan Crews, Louisiana State University, outfielder, 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, right-handed batter: If a guy is doing this in slow-pitch softball — .496 batting average, 1.504 OPS — it’s understandable. That he has those numbers 43 games into a college baseball season, against a heavy helping of SEC pitching continues to defy supposed truths about hitting’s bedeviling ways. Crews was 6-for-11 against Alabama the past weekend, with a pair of home runs. Last week’s ranking: 1
▶ 2. Paul Skenes, Louisiana State, RH starter, 6-6, 240: Familiar work Friday against Alabama (six innings, five hits, nine strikeouts, zero walks). Skenes in 65.1 innings this year has punched-out 124 batters while walking 12. Pretty good. Last week’s ranking: 2
▶ 3. Wyatt Langford, OF, University of Florida, 6-1, .225, RH batter: It was about this time last spring that Langford began hitting every other pitch, it seemed, out of the park. He’s hinting at similar stuff in May. He tortured South Carolina during the weekend: 8-for-13, a homer and two doubles. He’s playing less center field these days and more left field, which is where he figures to land in the big leagues. Last week’s ranking: 3
▶ 4. Walker Jenkins, CF, 6-3, 205, South Brunswick High, Southport, N.C, LH batter: He’s a .500-grade hitter with big power, speed, Olympic-grade athleticism, and well, there’s a reason an 18-year-old is mentioned in the same conversation as those three gents ahead of him. Last week’s ranking: 4
▶ 5. Max Clark, OF, Franklin (Indiana) Community High School, 6-1, 190, LH batter: Not quite in Jenkins’ league, athletically, and neither is Clark likely to match Jenkins in the eyes of scouts filing their first-round endorsements. Last week’s ranking: 5
▶ 6. Jacob Wilson, shortstop, Grand Canyon University, 6-3, 190, RH batter: Every weekend seems to be a happy repetition for Wilson and for Grand Canyon State. Season stats tell us Wilson is batting .412, getting on base to the tune of .463 (16 walks vs. five strikeouts in 39 games), and carrying a 1.117 OPS. Last week’s ranking: 6
▶ 7. Rhett Lowder, RH starter, Wake Forest, 6-2, 200: Still, outside of Skenes, the steadiest of the Big Arms the 2023 college ranks offer. Consider his 11 starts: 1.83 ERA, 68.2 innings, 53 hits, 81 strikeouts and 15 walks. Last week’s ranking: 7
▶ 8. Jacob Gonzalez, SS, University of Mississippi, 6-2, 200, LH batter: A bit like Chase Dollander, in that if the undistinguished weekends continue, Gonzalez will remain first-round talent — but a deeper first-round option. Last week’s ranking: 8
▶ 9. Matt Shaw, IF, University of Maryland, 5-11, 182, RH batter: He hit three more homers the past weekend amid the chill and rain at Indiana and now has 18 homers to go with 15 doubles and a triple in 54 games. He is a third baseman or second baseman more than a shortstop, and he is a hitter, a good hitter, wherever some MLB team places him. Last week’s ranking: Unranked
▶ 10. Arjun Nimmala, SS, Strawberry Crest High (Dover, Fla.), 6-1, 170, RH batter: High school kid. Super-talented. Size. Bat. Hands. Skills on a special level. Wait till July 9 for confirmation. Last week’s ranking: 9
Dropped from top-10 ranking
▶ Chase Dollander, RH starter, University of Tennessee, 6-2, 210: Maybe he’s top-15 material. But, any insistence on Dollander being a top-10 guy runs, almost every week, into evidence he’s not. Friday’s game against Mississippi State: three innings, five hits, four runs, two walks — and two strikeouts. Last week’s ranking: 9.
Knocking at the door
▶ Kyle Teel, C, University of Virginia, 6-1, 190, LH batter: Teel is about one week from replacing Gonzalez on the top-10 board. Here’s a left-handed bat that consistently delivers, at a premium position.
▶ Jack Hurley, CF, Virginia Tech, 6-foot, 185, LH hitter: Ouch. On the shelf temporarily after he got plunked in the finger by a pitch against Florida State.
▶ Colton Ledbetter, OF, Mississippi State, 6-2, 202, LH batter: He’s perhaps on the underrated side, thanks to those Crews-Langford guys hogging the college limelight. Still a tough top-10 sell, but this is a quality prospect.
▶ Hurston Waldrep, RH starter, University of Florida, 6-1, 205: Still not making any dents at the top of the board: 4.2 innings of pedestrian work the past weekend against Missouri.
▶ Brayden Taylor, 3B, Texas Christian, 6-1, 180, LH batter: He’s, well, OK. Believe we’ve made our point.
▶ Colin Houck, SS, Parkview High, Lilburn, Georgia, 6-2, 193, RH batter: Another week in which Houck insisted on padding his batting average — he went from .516 to .536 as Parkview won two more games.
Lynn Henning is a freelance writer and retired Detroit News sports reporter.