LIVE: Draft Day 2: Overview, schedule, best available
Jonathan Mayo
@JonathanMayoSEATTLE -- A total of 70 players were selected on Day 1 of the 2023 Draft, but things are just getting started. On Monday’s Day 2, eight more rounds will unfold and hundreds more will hear their names called.
That includes 38 of the Top 100 prospects in this year’s class who remain on the board and seven of the top 50. It’s a group that is topped by a solid college bat and several projectable high school pitchers.
How to watch and when
The Draft continues Monday with rounds 3-10. MLB.com will stream all eight rounds, starting at 2 p.m. ET. There will be one minute between picks.
The Draft concludes with rounds 11-20 on Tuesday, starting at 2 p.m. ET, with no delay between selections, all heard on MLB.com.
Top prospects remaining
Below are quick scouting reports on the 11 highest-ranked players from MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 250 who are still available. If they're drafted on Day 2, especially in the early rounds, that's usually an indication that they'll turn pro because teams lose the bonus slot amount from their overall pool if the player doesn’t sign.
Jack Hurley, OF, Virginia Tech (No. 36)
A left-handed-hitting outfielder, Hurley makes a lot of contact and started tapping into his raw power in 2022 (14 homers) and carried it over into this season (17 home runs). He’s athletic enough to be given the chance to play center field at the next level and plays with a ton of energy.
Travis Sykora, RHP, Round Rock HS, Tex. (No. 40)
Physical and athletic, Sykora is one of the hardest throwers in the class, reaching triple digits with his fastball. He can throw his mid-80s slider and splitter for strikes, missing bats with both. The Texas recruit has some projection in his 6-foot-6 frame and is the kind of high-end high school arm who often gets taken when things get going in Round 3.
Cam Johnson, LHP, IMG Academy, Fla. (No. 42)
Johnson could have very well catapulted himself to the top of the high school lefty crop and even landed in the first round, but some elbow tendinitis shelved him for some time at the end of the season. The LSU recruit did return and threw well at the Draft Combine, showing off his mid-90s fastball and a solid upper-70s slider.
Cole Schoenwetter, RHP, San Marcos HS, Calif. (No. 43)
Athletic and projectable, Schoenwetter reminds some scouts of Braves prospect, and 2022 draftee, JR Ritchie. He has the chance to have three at least above-average pitches in the future, with a high spin fastball up to 94 mph that misses bats up in the zone, a spike curve with hard, downer depth and a fading changeup he sells well with good arm speed.
Roch Cholowsky, SS, Hamilton HS, Ariz. (No. 44)
The son of former Minor Leaguer and current Reds scout Dan Cholowsky is a premium athlete who could potentially go on to UCLA to play both football (he’s a QB) and baseball. He’s developed into a very good shortstop who can throw on the run from all angles with excellent defensive instincts. He’s hit-over-power now with a knack for contact with the chance to add more impact as he fills out his frame and learns to drive the ball more.
Cooper Pratt, SS, Magnolia Heights HS, Miss. (No. 45)
As a big, athletic shortstop from the south, Pratt has drawn some comparisons to the Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson, though Pratt is a right-handed hitter. He has excellent contact skills and understanding of the strike zone, with bat speed and projectable strength that point to power in the future. The Ole Miss recruit has a chance to stick at short even though he’s 6-foot-4.
Maui Ahuna, SS, Tennessee (No. 48)
Scouts hoped Ahuna would follow up a big sophomore season at Kansas by developing into a first-round pick after transferring to Tennessee for the 2023 season, but struggles with contact hurt his Draft stock. He’s an aggressive hitter who uses a leg kick and has been streaky, though there’s surprising pop given his size. His defense didn’t suffer and he has every chance to play shortstop for a long time.
Paul Wilson, LHP, Lakeridge HS, Ore. (No. 51)
The son of former big leaguer Trevor Wilson, Paul has the makings of a very good three-pitch mix. His fastball velocity had climbed up to the upper 90s last year, and was more around 93-94 mph this spring with good carry and life. He has a power curve and feel for a changeup, though the Oregon State recruit’s third offering needs more work.
Hunter Owen, LHP, Vanderbilt (No. 56)
Had he been healthy, Owen may have very well been the top college lefty in the class, but he missed the final two months of the season. When healthy, he showed a fastball that topped out at 97 mph, an upper-70s curveball and a mid-80s slider that might be even better, while showing feel for a sinking changeup as well.
Steven Echavarria, RHP, Milburn HS, NJ (No. 60)
While he’s not the biggest guy in the world, Echavarria does have a strong feel for pitching and the potential to have a legitimate four-pitch mix. It’s a sneaky fastball that was tracking upwards, touching the upper-90s at times this spring. The Florida recruit also has a low-90s two-seamer down in the zone, a distinct slider and curve and feel for a changeup.
Travis Honeyman, OF, Boston College (No. 61)
Honeyman looked like he could be the type of college performer to work his way into the first round, but an uneven performance and then an injury that shut him down early hurt his stock. At his best, he’s a twitchy athlete with Hunter Pence-like wiry strength. He can make a lot of contact with some raw pop to grow into. He might be athletic enough to play center field, though he’s seen a lot of time in the corners.
Draft order
The Nationals will kick off the day with the 71st overall selection, the first in the third round. Day 2 will conclude at the end of the 10th round, marked by the final selection of the day from the Astros.
Bonus pool & slot value
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team gets an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club’s selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool.
Any bonus greater than $150,000 for a player taken after the 10th round is also applied to the bonus pool total. The assigned values for the 2023 Draft have risen 9.9 percent compared to 2022, mirroring the growth in industry revenues.
After winning the first Draft lottery for the first overall selection, the Pirates came into the Draft with the largest pool in ‘23 at $16,185,700, including $9,721,000 for that first pick. They are followed by the Tigers ($15,747,200) and Nationals ($14,502,400). The Twins ($14,345,600) and A’s ($14,255,600) round out the top five.