USA Baseball reveals '23 Golden Spikes Watch List

February 10th, 2023

Who will be the best amateur player in the country this season? There's a pretty good chance it'll come from this list.

USA Baseball announced its 2023 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List on Friday, featuring 55 players considered to be among the top candidates for the postseason award.

The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain the award’s watchlist on a rolling basis, allowing athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award based on their performances throughout the season.

In addition to the Advisory Board, amateur baseball fans will also have the chance to vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, starting on May 22 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 7 and fan voting will open at GoldenSpikesAward.com through June 21.

Headlining this year's preseason list is 2022 semifinalist Dylan Crews, an outfielder from LSU who ranks as the No. 1 prospect for the upcoming Draft, according to MLB Pipeline. Crews' Tigers teammates -- and fellow returning semifinalists --  RHP Paul Skenes (No. 4 Draft prospect) and 3B Tommy White also cracked the list.

In total, 31 of the 55 players named to the list rank among Pipeline's Top 100 Draft prospects, including each of the top 11 and 15 of the top 20.

Last year's winner, Texas Longhorns 1B Ivan Melendez, was ultimately selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round of the 2022 Draft. Nine former winners -- including the likes of Bryce Harper (2010) and Adley Rutschman (2019) -- played in the Major Leagues last season.

Here is the complete list of all 55 players on the 2023 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list and where they fall on MLB Pipeline's Draft prospect rankings:

Jeremy Adorno, RHP, Southern Arkansas
Maui Ahuna, SS, Tennessee (No. 22 Draft prospect)
Drew Beam, RHP, Tennessee
Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, Vanderbilt (No. 8 Draft prospect)
Chase Burns, RHP, Tennessee
Michael Carico, C, Davidson (No. 62 Draft prospect)
Max Clark, OF, Franklin HS (IN) (No. 6 Draft prospect)

Carlos Contreras, OF, Sam Houston
Dylan Crews, OF, LSU (No. 1 Draft prospect)
Wyatt Crowell, LHP, Florida State (No. 73 Draft prospect)
Chase Davis, OF, Arizona (No. 51 Draft prospect)
Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee (No. 2 Draft prospect)

Hunter Elliott, LHP, Ole Miss
Kendal Ewell, OF, Kentucky
Jake Gelof, INF, Virginia (No. 38 Draft prospect)
Evan Giordano, 3B, Stony Brook
Jacob Gonzalez, INF, Ole Miss (No. 5 Draft prospect)

Joseph Gonzalez, RHP, Auburn
LuJames Groover III, INF, NC State (No. 64 Draft prospect)
Tanner Hall, RHP, Southern Miss (No. 89 Draft prospect)
Carter Holton, LHP, Vanderbilt
Vance Honeycutt, OF, UNC
Jack Hurley, OF, Virginia Tech (No. 37 Draft prospect)
Mitch Jebb, INF, Michigan State (No. 44 Draft prospect)
Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick HS (NC) (No. 7 Draft prospect)

Kennedy Jones, INF/OF, UNCG
Caden Kendle, OF, UC Irvine
Sam Kulasingam, INF, Air Force
Nick Kurtz, INF/OF, Wake Forest
Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida (No. 3 Draft prospect)

Ryan Lasko, OF, Rutgers (No. 47 Draft prospect)
Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest (No. 14 Draft prospect)
Quinn Mathews, LHP, Stanford
Nolan McLean, OF/INF/RHP, Oklahoma State (No. 81 Draft prospect)
John Michael Faile II, C, North Greenville
Braden Montgomery, OF/RHP, Stanford
Yohandy Morales, INF, Miami (No. 15 Draft prospect)
Tre' Morgan, 1B, LSU
Jack Payton, C, Louisville
Carson Roccaforte, 1B/OF, Louisiana
Will Sanders, RHP, South Carolina (No. 18 Draft prospect)
Jason Savacool, RHP, Maryland
Nolan Schanuel, INF/OF, FAU (No. 65 Draft prospect)
Cody Schrier, INF, UCLA
Matt Shaw, INF, Maryland (No. 20 Draft prospect)
Paul Skenes, UTIL/RHP, LSU (No. 4 Draft prospect)

Bobby Sparling, OF, Saint Leo
Brayden Taylor, INF, TCU (No. 11 Draft prospect)
Kyle Teel, C/INF, Virginia (No. 28 Draft prospect)
Tommy Troy, INF/OF, Stanford (No. 29 Draft prospect)
Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida (No. 10 Draft prospect)
Juaron Watts-Brown, RHP, Oklahoma State (No. 39 Draft prospect)
Levi Wells, RHP, Texas State (No. 49 Draft prospect)
Tommy White, 3B, LSU
Jacob Wilson, INF, Grand Canyon (No. 9 Draft prospect)