Pittsburgh Pirates select LSU pitcher Paul Skenes with No. 1 pick in 2023 MLB draft
The question entering the 2023 MLB draft wasn't whether the Pittsburgh Pirates would select a player from the LSU Tigers first overall.
The question was which of the top two prospects – right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews, fresh off leading the program to the 2023 national championship last month – on scouts' boards would go No. 1.
Pittsburgh provided its answer by selecting Skenes with the top pick on Sunday. Skenes became the first player to win the Men’s College World Series, be named the MCWS MVP and be drafted first overall in the same year.
Crews did not have to wait long to hear his name called, as the Washington Nationals selected him with the second pick, and LSU became the first school to have two players go back-to-back to start a MLB draft.
Last season, Crews batted .426 with a 1.280 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. The Longwood, Florida, native slugged 58 homers over his three-year career and was the 2023 Golden Spikes Award winner, given to the best player in college baseball.
MLB draft takeaways: SEC dominating another sport's first round
Paul Skenes scouting report
A transfer from Air Force, Skenes was a first-team All-American twice before his arrival to the Bayou. The 6-foot-6 righty struck out 209 hitters over 122 2/3 innings to lead all of Division I and set a new NCAA record. His fastball, which averaged 98 mph last season, has been bestowed a maximum 80-grade on the scouts' scale.
"You’re getting one of the most amazing human beings on the planet when you talk about (being a) leader, character, elevating the level of everyone else around him," LSU head coach Jay Johnson told USA TODAY Sports last week. "He was really the unquestioned leader of our team, and that’s special, given that he was here for only 10 months."
In Johnson's mind, Skenes is a surefire No. 1 starter on a perennial postseason team, with multiple All-Star Game starts potentially in the future.
The slot value for the first pick is $9,721,000. The pick was announced by Ken Griffey Jr.; the draft was held in Seattle ahead of the 2023 All-Star Game.
Recent No. 1 picks who have become stars in MLB include Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (2019), who will be participating in the Home Run Derby on Monday, New York Yankees' Gerrit Cole (2011), Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper (2010) and Minnesota Twins' Carlos Correa (2012).
Catcher Henry Davis, whom the Pirates selected first overall in 2021, made his major league debut in June.
Paul Skenes college stats
In two seasons at Air Force and one season at LSU, Skenes went 23-6 with a 2.18 ERA over 19 starts and 235 innings. He finished with 335 career strikeouts, 239 for Air Force and 96 for LSU.
MLB draft picks so far
Pittsburgh Pirates ― Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU
Washington Nationals ― Dylan Crews, OF, LSU
Detroit Tigers ― Max Clark, OF, Franklin Community (Indiana) High School
Texas Rangers ― Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida
Minnesota Twins ― Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick (N.C.) High School
Oakland Athletics ― Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon
Cincinnati Reds ― Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest
Kansas City Royals ― Blake Mitchell, C, Sinton (Texas) High School
Colorado Rockies ― Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee
Miami Marlins ― Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit (Oregon) High School
Los Angeles Angels ― Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Florida Atlantic
Arizona Diamondbacks ― Tommy Troy, SS, Stanford
Chicago Cubs ― Matt Shaw, SS, Maryland
Boston Red Sox ― Kyle Teel, C, Virginia
Chicago White Sox ― Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Ole Miss
San Francisco Giants ― Bryce Eldridge, 1B/RHP, James Madison (Virginia) High School
Baltimore Orioles ― Enrigue Bradfield Jr., OF, Vanderbilt
Milwaukee Brewers ― Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest
Tampa Bay Rays ― Brayden Taylor, SS, TCU
Toronto Blue Jays ― Arjun Nimmala, SS, Strawberry Crest (Florida) High School
St. Louis Cardinals ― Chase Davis, OF, Arizona
Seattle Mariners ― Colt Emerson, SS, John Glenn (Ohio) High School
Cleveland Guardians ― Ralphy Velazquez, C, Huntington Beach (California) High School
Atlanta Braves ― Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida
San Diego Padres ― Dillon Head, OF, Homewood Flossmoor (Illinois) High School
New York Yankees ― George Lombard Jr., SS, Gulliver Prep School (Florida)
Philadelphia Phillies ― Aidan Miller, SS, J.W. Mitchell (Florida) High School
Houston Astros ― Brice Matthews, SS, Nebraska
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB draft picks so far: Pirates select LSU's Paul Skenes with top pick
