All profiles from MLB.com
Matt Shaw: SS,Maryland
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 45 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
The University of Maryland has produced some solid middle-infield talent that has gone in the top five rounds, notably 2015 third-rounder Brandon Lowe and fourth-rounder Kevin Smith in '17. Shaw has a good chance to beat both Terrapins alumni after hitting .332 as a freshman, blasting 22 homers as a sophomore and then greatly enhancing his Draft stock by capturing Cape Cod League MVP honors thanks to a .360/.432/.574 line.
Shaw might be one of the better college hitters in the Draft class. He rarely strikes out and draws walks while making consistently hard contact. He can drive the ball to all fields and he showed off impressive opposite-field power last year for Maryland, with many of his homers going out to right and right-center field. He’s a plus runner who is a legitimate basestealing threat.
Shaw is currently the Terrapins' shortstop, but he’s shown off some defensive versatility, playing second, third and the outfield as a freshman and seeing time on both sides of second on the Cape. A team taking him could certainly send him out as a shortstop, but most feel his arm will push him to second long-term. Wherever he plays, it’s his bat that could get him drafted in the first round.
Tommy Troy: SS, Stanford
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
A solid high school prospect from Northern California in Las Gatos -- just south of San Jose -- Troy went undrafted in 2020 due to a combination of the shortened Draft and his strong commitment to Stanford. He’s been a regular almost from the get-go and saw his offensive production increase exponentially as a sophomore in '22 before spending his second strong summer in the Cape Cod League, where he was named the circuit’s best prospect after slashing .310/.386/.531.
Troy’s standout tool is his ability to make consistent, hard contact from the right side of the plate. He has impressive bat-to-ball skills and rarely strikes out or chases out of the zone, showing excellent pitch recognition, though there are some moving parts of his swing. There’s enough extra-base pop in there for there not to be concerns about impact at the next level and he could have average power in the future. He’s answered some concerns about his approach and lack of walks by being more selective in 2023.
Troy is an above-average runner, though he hadn’t been much of a basestealing threat until this spring, and he slid over and played a good amount of shortstop on the Cape last summer. He moved to the hot corner for Stanford this year, but most teams see him as a future solid second-base type, with enough speed to perhaps play center field, to go along with some offensive upside.
Brayden Taylor: 3B, TCU
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55
Taylor flew under the radar as a Utah high schooler but has developed significantly at Texas Christian, setting the stage for him to become the program's first-ever first-round position player. He doesn't feature a true plus tool but does a little bit of everything and has performed well everywhere he has gone. The Big 12 Conference freshman of the year and a Cape Cod League All-Star in 2021, he played for the U.S. collegiate national team last summer.
Using a sweet left-handed swing and fine bat-to-ball skills, Taylor makes repeated contact to all fields. He's not afraid to work deep counts and controls the strike zone well. Though he has sacrificed some batting average while looking to pull and drive more balls this spring, he demonstrated increased power and set TCU records for single-season (23) and career (48) home runs.
An average runner, Taylor has played mostly third base for the Horned Frogs and provides solid defense at the hot corner with arm strength to match. He also has seen action at second base and shortstop, and while he lacks typical middle-infield quickness, his instincts help him make plays there. He's younger and more projectable than most college hitters, so he could continue to get better.
Blake Mitchell: C, HS TX
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 35 | Arm: 70 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
Although the high school catching demographic scares clubs in the first round, it's otherwise hard to find fault with Mitchell, who could go in the top 15 picks come July. He has tools on both sides of the ball, a fallback option as a pitcher and a long track record of performance. He played for the U.S. junior team the last two summers, winning the gold-medal game at the 18-and-under World Cup with 2 2/3 scoreless innings against Taiwan in September. He also led Sinton HS to the Texas 4-A title as a junior and won Gatorade state player of the year honors in both 2022 and 2023.
Mitchell's strength, bat speed and patient approach should allow him to hit for power and average from the left side of the plate. A Louisiana State recruit, he shows the aptitude to work counts in search of pitches he can drive and attacks them with a left-handed stroke with loft that produces pop to all fields. He doesn't have the smoothest swing and his power comes with some strikeouts, but he still makes a lot of hard contact.
Mitchell would fit the offensive profile in right field if he couldn't stick behind the plate, but there's no reason to doubt he'll be a catcher. Although he's a well-below-average runner, he's an athletic and agile defender who projects at least as an average receiver and blocker with double-plus arm strength. He'd fit into the top two rounds as a pitcher, with an easy delivery that produces a fastball that reaches 97 mph, a downer curveball and a promising changeup with tumble.
Colin Houck: SS, HS GA
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
One of the better two-sport prospects in the 2023 high school crop, Houck is a three-star quarterback recruit who passed for 2,189 yards and 24 touchdowns as a Parkview HS (Lilburn, Ga.) senior. He turned down football offers from Power 5 programs to commit to Mississippi State for baseball, though he's unlikely to get to Starkville as a projected first-round pick in July. He's the latest phenom out of Parkview, which has won three national championships and nine state titles in the last 25 years, while producing four big league hitters, most notably Matt Olson.
Houck's combination of strength and bat speed give him plus raw power, and the right-handed hitter already shows a propensity for driving balls in the air to his pull side. He does swing and miss and chase pitches more than is ideal at times, though there's optimism that he can improve as a hitter once he concentrates solely on baseball. He has looked more consistent at the plate this spring and does use the entire ballpark, though most of his pop goes to left field.
Gatorade's Georgia state player of the year, Houck can flash solid speed but projects as an average runner once he fills out his 6-foot-2 frame. Though he's more physical than twitchy, his plus arm and outstanding body control give him a chance to be a big-bodied shortstop. At worst, he'll move to third base and could be a plus defender while fitting the offensive profile there.
Arjun Nimmala: SS, HS FL
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
The area in and around Tampa has long been a hotbed in terms of producing premium high school Draft talent, and this year is no different, with hitters like Aidan Miller and Nimmala high on most teams’ boards. Nimmala’s age and offensive upside were on display all summer, including at Major League Baseball’s High School All-American Game, and he's poised to become the first draftee ever from Strawberry Crest High School.
A 6-foot-1 right-handed hitter and shortstop, Nimmala is all about projection. He calls himself a “patient-aggressive” hitter and definitely doesn’t get cheated at the plate. He has at least plus raw power and can drive the ball to all fields, and while there are still some issues about his pitch selection and inconsistency in the quality of his at-bats that sometimes keeps him from tapping into that power, scouts are bullish about his offensive upside.
A tick above average as a runner, Nimmala has every chance to play shortstop for a long time, with enough arm and range for the premium position to go along with loose actions. If it all clicks, the Florida State recruit could have plus grades across the board, a big reason why he's vaulted himself into serious first-round conversations.
Jacob Wilson: SS, Grand Canyon
Scouting grades: Hit: 65 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
Wilson played his high school ball at Thousand Oaks High School in California, playing for his father, former big league All-Star Jack Wilson. Jacob went on to Grand Canyon University and was named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2021. He was even better in 2022, finishing with a 1.004 OPS as a sophomore before raising his profile even more over the summer with a solid stint in the Cape Cod League and then Team USA.
Wilson, whose dad followed him to Grand Canyon and is an assistant coach this season, has an intriguing combination of baseball IQ and tools. He might be one of the better pure hitters in the class, one who consistently finds the barrel and struck out just seven times in 275 plate appearances as a sophomore. He’s starting to tap into his power more consistently as well, smashing 12 homers and slugging .585 in 2022.
A fringy-to-average runner, Wilson has the skills to stick at shortstop, with good actions, range and an above-average arm. He might not have the pure power profile should he have to slide over to third, where he played as a freshman, but scouts feel he’ll hit plenty for the hot corner. That makes him a prime candidate to go near the top of the first round.
Aidan Miller: 3B, HS FL
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
In 2020, Jackson Miller came out of J.W. Mitchell High School in Florida as one of the better prep catchers in the class, going in the second round to the Reds. Now it’s his younger brother Aidan’s turn. After a strong summer on the showcase circuit -- highlighted by All-American Game MVP honors and a Home Run Derby title as part of the All-Star break in Los Angeles -- he has the chance to get taken earlier than his brother, even though he missed much of his senior season because of a broken hamate.
Miller is a corner infielder with the kind of offensive profile pro teams want at that spot. The right-handed hitter has easily plus raw power and has shown he can get to it in games against good competition, showing no difficulty in turning around elite velocity. He already has a lot of strength.
When he first got to high school, a leaner Miller played shortstop. As he’s physically matured, he’s slowed and is bigger and more of an average runner. He has the arm, hands and actions to play third base, his current position, at least in the short-term. Even if he had to move to first, his bat looks like it will play, with the kind of offensive upside that could land the Arkansas recruit in the first round.
