A Look Back at the 2023 Draft Class

It's been less than a year, but today we'll look back at last year's draft and discuss which organization's class is looking the best so far...

Half a year is far too early to evaluate a draft class, but there is a lot of signal in early career performance. This is increasingly true as teams shift more and more to preferring college players, and moving them quickly through the minor leagues. Today I wanted to look back at the 2023 draft, and take a look at which teams have gotten the most value out of their draft classes.

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1. Milwaukee Brewers

I felt this as soon as the draft was over that the Brewers had the best class of 2023, and a year later still feel the same way. What made this class especially exciting was just how much high school talent they were able to select. The Brewers were able to sign 8 high schoolers, which is a high number in this day and age, without sacrificing quality in terms of the college players they signed.

They lead the draft off with Brock Wilken, who I felt was a top 10 player in the class, who they were able to sign to an underslot deal at pick 18. The first half of the season has been fairly mediocre, but he was dealing with injuries and has really picked it up as of late, so I expect a better second half. Next came Josh Knoth, who I wrote about on Monday and think that he is one of the most talented pitching prospects coming out of that class.

Mike Boeve is more of a typical Brewers draftee compared to Wilken, a hit tool driven infielder they selected in the second round out of University of Omaha-Nebraska to save a bit of money. He torched High-A competition this year before getting promoted to Double-A, where he has put up a respectable .286/.347/.400, albeit with a lot of grounders and just 3 homers. He has shown more raw power though, he just needs to lift the ball more.

The Brewers were able to take a couple of seven figure high schoolers a bit later in Day Two, selecting Eric Bitonti for $1.75mm in the 3^rd and Cooper Pratt for $1.35mm in the 6^th. Bitonti had some of the biggest raw power in the class, which came with some strikeout concerns. So far in rookie ball this year, he’s kept the strikeout rate to 28%, which is high but not untenable, and is slugging .583 with 6 homers. Bitonti doesn’t provide a ton of defensive value, likely ends up at first or a corner outfield spot, but the power is exciting. Pratt seemed unsignable at the time once he slid to the sixth, but the Brewers were able to come to an agreement with him, and so far he has performed well. He’s hit for a little less power than expected, with just two homers, but his overall slash line of .312/.411/.405 in A ball is excellent for a first-year player. He’s spent most of his time at short, and while not a slam dunk to stay there, if he has to move he can handle third base and provide above average defense, while hitting the requisite amount. Pratt was named to the Futures Game this year, and deservedly so.

On Day 3, the Brewers signed 5 high schoolers for mid-six figure bonuses with the money they saved earlier. Bishop Letson is leading the pack right now, breaking camp with the Single-A team to start his pro career and has a 3.23 ERA in 39 innings, but Hayden Robinson and Josh Adamczewski have also done well to start their careers in Rookie ball.

It wasn’t just high schoolers they hit on. They also snagged one of the top senior signs in Craig Yoho in the 8^th round. He’s battled multiple arm injuries but is up to Double-A now and has some of the nastiest stuff in the minor leagues. Barring injuries, Yoho could end up in a high leverage relief role at some point in his career, and looks like a steal. Tate Kuehner, a lefty senior from Louisville, has a 3.35 ERA in 53.2 innings so far in High-A.

A couple draftees have been injured (Jason Woodward and Ryan Birchard), but you can’t really point to anyone in this class and say they are doing bad. I don’t want to call this a “franchise defining” draft because it’s not like when the Nationals drafted Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper, but this feels like the type of class that puts them in World Series contention for multiple years. Massive fan of what was done here.

Mike Boeve. Photo Credit: Javik Blake / Biloxi Shuckers

2. Philadelphia Phillies

Two of the Phillies draftees from the 2023 draft have been spotlighted here at the site, so it only makes sense that this is one of the strongest classes right now. There were concerns about Aidan Miller’s swing efficacy heading into the draft, along with his age, but that has not been an issue so far this year. The bat speed is unbelievable, he doesn’t really chase, doesn’t really whiff, and hits for a ton of power while also holding his own at shortstop. A clear Top 100 prospect right now. George Klassen is the other pick that popped this year, a 6^th rounder out of Minnesota, and this is really just a testament to how good both the scouting and development groups are in Philadelphia.