The first round of the 2023 Major League Baseball player draft will get underway on July 9th in Seattle, Washington and will then continue through July 11th with picks for rounds 2 through 20. In addition, compensation picks will be distributed for players who did not sign from the 2022 MLB Draft.
Overall, MLB scouts are looking for athletes with tools. They have evaluated players who understand how to play the game, fundamentally sound, experience, competitive in nature and are the standouts who have scouts excited.
Major League baseball has selected pitchers from HBCUs in the last two draft classes. I don’t think that trend will change in the 2023 draft, but HBCU baseball pitchers can fill the window of logging innings or in short relief who throw hard as a starter, but can be used as either a starter, set-up pitcher, or a back end closer.
From my scouting sources, the draft can lead to those with top potential rather than those filling a need especially with the history of selecting college bats in the draft would lead to going after a “toolsy” HBCU player with a solid bat.
According to a recent conversation with a scout, some general managers are looking at HBCUs as either a shortstop or corner infielder with a heavy bat… a defensive infielder who can hit a ton and has the tools of a leadoff or number two, three or four hitters in a line up plus speed on the base paths.
In typical fashion, from pre-draft reports this year, teams are looking at drafting order of four college players, one high school, one pitcher, one hitter, is their way of thinking, then selecting free agent signees. One source of rumored information has the Atlanta Braves draft prospects for a hard-throwing right-hander.
North Carolina A&T right-handed pitcher Xavier Meachem is crafty, can sit in the 90s with quality breaking stuff, throws hard and uses every square inch of the strike zone. Meachem has reached 97 mph on the radar gun during his collegiate career.
According to the Statcast standouts from the 2023 Draft Combine, Meachem had the third highest maximum pitch spin rate during his bullpen session (2888 RPM) out of the 10 collegiate bests. His appearance at the Combine has elevated his potential to be drafted by an MLB team in July.
Like Meachem, HBCU baseball has a number of talented all-around position players and hurlers who are high-level athletes. They grade out as average or better in all tool areas by MLB standards and are on the plus side with raw power, speed, arm strength.
Several HBCU players are among 343 major league hopefuls who were selected to participate in the Major League Baseball Combine in Phoenix, Arizona this month which is in its third year.
The combine allows for a pro-style workout which includes batting practice, infield and outfield, and bullpen sessions. Players can meet with general managers, scouting directors, and other team executives at the Combine to improve their draft stock before the July draft in Seattle.
Black College Nines (BCN) presents its annual pre-mock draft of HBCU Baseball players worthy of the MLB Draft.
Here we highlight 60 of the top HBCU prospects in the 2023 season that are draft eligible, potential free agent signee, and future prospect based on our contact with scouts, head coaches, their coaching staff, and BCN who attend HBCU and non-HBCU baseball games during both fall ball scout day and during this past season. We breakdown our top candidates in the draft, plus rumors and potential picks.
This year’s HBCU Baseball MLB draft class is one of the strongest in years, especially with players who could find minor league spots on MLB rosters. This year there’s more draft depth especially with hitters. The HBCU pitching crop is better than last year’s, and the hitter group is above the typical level. It has been a good year, and it was a very fun group to watch and cover this past season.
Included in this report are potential HBCU MLB draft prospects and potential draft/free-agent signees.
Our five rising HBCU players are draft eligible and already showing the potential to go in this year’s draft…
Top Five For 2023:
- Jordan Hamburg – LHP/Outfielder Coppin State
- Xavier Meachem – RHP North Carolina A&T
- Hylan Hall – Outfielder Bethune Cookman
- Trey Paige – Infielder Delaware State
- Hunter Viets – RHP Florida A&M
Top Draft/Free-Agent Signee:
- Joseph Esparza – Infielder Kentucky State
- Joe Smith – Outfielder Savannah State
Jordan Hamberg HBCU baseball’s best two-way player and also one of the nation’s best on the mound and at the plate was one of 12 semifinalists for the 2023 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year after being named a finalist in 2022. Hamberg led the Northeast Conference and finished 24th nationally with 12.12 strikeouts per nine innings while also holding batters to a league-best .221 batting average. He finished the season with a 4-4 record while striking out 70 batters in 52.0 innings while accumulating a 5.19 earned run average. At the plate, Hamberg led the Eagles in OPS (1.005), triples (4), home runs (7), total bases (89), slugging percentage (.556) and on-base percentage (.449) while hitting .306 with 38 runs, 11 doubles, 38 RBI, 35 walks and 14 stolen bases.
Hamburg was named the Northeast Conference Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Xavier Meachem during the 2023 season, went 2-1 with five saves and a 5.59 ERA in 48.1 innings pitched. He ranked fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association conference in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.82) and seventh in saves. He finished the season with a career-high 47 strikeouts.
Meachem’s velocity tops out at 97 mph on the radar gun. In his 2023 Draft Combine, had the third highest maximum pitch spin rate during his bullpen session.
Hylan Hall was one of the best bats in the SWAC in the 2023 season. He finished in the top ten in the conference in batting average (.364), OPS (1.016), runs scored (51), hits (71), doubles (17), triples (6), and total bases (112). He led Bethune Cookman in average, OPS, runs scored, hits, triples, and total bases. He also led the Wildcats in RBI (45), and slugging percentage (.574).
Hall ranked in the top ten in the SWAC in batting average (.364), OPS (1.016), runs scored (51), hits (71), doubles (17), triples (6), and total bases (112). Led the Wildcats in RBI (45), and slugging percentage (.574), recorded 19 multi-hit games this season, including six three-hit games.
Trey Paige recorded his second-straight season of more than 70-plus hits and double-digit home runs (13 in 2022, 14 in 2023) and became the eighth player in program history to join the 200-hit club. He finished the year with a team-high batting average of .372 at the plate with 15 doubles and two triples to go with his home runs, he tallied a slugging percentage of .691% and collecting 132 total bases. He scored 55 runs while driving in 53.
Paige was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division I Team. Joined the baseball program’s 200-hit club. During the 2023 season he collected 132 total bases.
Hunter Viets the Rattlers’ ace finished his collegiate career with a 16-6 record. Viets led the Rattlers on the mound when they upset #24 Florida Gulf Coast in Tallahassee in 2023. Viets finished his career with an earned run average of 3.21 and struck out 174 batters. His velocity peaked at 97.
Viets led the Rattlers on the mound with a 8-2 record, 81 strikeouts with a 3.45 earned run average. Top out at 97 MPH when they upset #24 Florida Gulf Coast in Tallahassee in 2023.
Top Rising Stock Potential Draft/Free-Agent Signee:
Joseph Esparza, whose 17 doubles, 16 home runs, 73 runs batted in 43 games this season makes him too difficult to go undrafted especially when tough non-conference opponents brought the heat and got lit up. Black College Nines Small School Player of the Year has been an offensive force. He hit .428 this year and was at the top of NCAA DII statistical categories. Good first baseman but his bat should give him an opportunity at the next level.
Esparza brings a great deal of raw athleticism to the field and at the plate. His power, sound swing, and bat speed translate to fourth or fifth hitter in the lineup in the minors. A gap-to-gap hitter with power, he could provide teams with plenty of run support.
Joseph Smith was a regular in the lineup for the Tigers. As a three-year starter, his bat carried plus raw power and above average hit tools. He was projected to perform well, and he lived up to the hype. This past season Smith hit .404 at the plate, with 67 hits, scored 62 runs, 11 doubles, 7 triples, knocked in 6 home runs and 57 runs batted in with a .663 slugging percentage. He also swiped 25 bases. He’s a plus runner who has the skills to handle centerfield or left field at the next level.
Smith was one of the better hitters in HBCU baseball during 2023. Elite speed and the ability to cover a lot of ground in the outfield. His offensive success is high, good pop in his swing and enough contact to tap into his power.
The 2023 HBCU Baseball draft class also offers a healthy number of talented all-around pitchers and position players with many new prospects who will emerge from the HBCU Swingman Classic scheduled in Seattle, WA, to showcase noticeable risers the best athletes to compete showing the potential to go in this year’s draft.
The team rosters for the event features 50 HBCU baseball players highlighted by student-athletes from HBCU baseball programs in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Northeast Conference, and the Colonial Athletic Association.
In the 50-plus years of the MLB draft, the only HBCU baseball player picked No. 1 overall in the regular phase of the draft has been Danny Goodwin of Southern University in 1975. Rickie Weeks was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers who selected him second overall in the 2003 MLB Draft. That could change in the coming years.
Potential draft prospect names to watch for in the MLB Draft in 2023 include:
Jordan Hamburg – Coppin State
Mike Dorcean – Coppin State
Xavier Meachem – North Carolina A&T
Trey Paige – Delaware State
Phillip Bryant – Grambling State
Cameron Bufford – Grambling State
Trevor Hatton – Grambling State
Keanu Jacobs-Guishard – Grambling State
Keylon Mack – Grambling State
Lorenzo Petersen – Grambling State
Kyle Walker – Grambling State
Omar Melendez – Alabama State
Jamal George – Alabama State
Randy Flores – Alabama State
Ian Matos – Alabama State
Luis Rodriguez – Alabama State
Ali Lapread – Alabama State
Corey King – Alabama State
Ricardo Rivera – Alabama State
Kewan Braziel – Alcorn State
Hunter Viets – Florida A&M
Ty Hanchey – Florida A&M
Janmikell Bastardo – Florida A&M
Jalen Niles – Florida A&M
Ty Hill – Jackson State
Erick Gonzalez – Jackson State
Jesse Caver – Jackson State
Jatavis Melton – Jackson State
Victor Figueroa – Mississippi Valley State
Dreylin Holmes – Mississippi Valley State
Jaylen Armstrong – Southern
O’Neill Burgos – Southern
Gustavo Nava Sanchez – Southern
Khyle Radcliffe – Southern
Nicholas Wilson – Southern
Manny Jackson – Norfolk state
Nolan Santos – Bethune Cookman
Hylan Hall – Bethune Cookman
Irvin Escobar – Bethune Cookman
Joan Gonzalez – Bethune Cookman
Roderick Coffee – Texas Southern
Daalen Adderly – Texas Southern
Abraham DeLeon – Texas Southern
C.J. Castillo – Texas Southern
Alexander Olivo – Texas Southern
Michael Dews – Prairie View A&M
Brantley Cutler – University Maryland Eastern Shore
Tommy Easley – Alabama A&M
Potential Draft/Free-Agent Signee:
Joe Esparza – Kentucky State
Tahir Meulens – Bluefield State
Joseph Smith – Savannah State
Enrico Peele – Savannah State
Jared Showalter – Savannah State
Lavoisier Fisher – Albany State
Jeremiah Reddell – Albany State
Jalen Young – Florida Memorial
Jordan Varela- Payne – Bluefield State
Jalin Thomas – Rust College
Payton Shubert – Edward Waters
Conner Fizer – West Virginia State
Let’s go Jalen Young, I see you! Strong hitter and awesome outfielder with great speed!
Brantley hits bombs!!! It’s a no brainer, sign this guy now @mlb!!! You won’t be disappointed!
Let’s go Ty Hanchey!
⚾️⚾️GO BRANTLEY CUTLER!!⚾️⚾️
So excited and happy for Brantley Cutler. I know Aunt BooBoo and Uncle Walter are with you celebrating and watching you every step.
Pulling for you Brantley Cutter
GO BRANTLEY CUTLER!