College World Series 2023: Predictions, Top Prospects to Watch in Finals
The 2023 College World Series best-of-three championship series could feature the top three selections in the 2023 MLB draft.
LSU Tigers pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews and Florida Gators outfielder Wyatt Langford sit at the top of many draft boards.
Crews and Langford will be front and center in the all-SEC matchup in Games 1 and 2 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Skenes turned in an incredible outing on Thursday to power LSU past the Wake Forest Demon Deacons into the championship round.
Skenes may not be used until Game 3, which is a massive bonus for Florida.
The Gators were able to sit back and watch LSU and Wake Forest duel it out on Thursday, one day after it clinched its spot in the final round.
Florida should have the slight edge over LSU going into the series, but it needs to win Games 1 and 2 to avoid the potential of Skenes pitching the Tigers to a title in Game 3.
LSU Top Prospects
Dylan Crews (OF) and Paul Skenes (RHP)
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals could each land a franchise-altering prospect at the top of the draft from LSU.
Most mock drafts have Crews and Skenes going in some order in the top two selections.
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo switched his No. 1 choice from Crews to Skenes for his latest mock draft, while The Athletic's Keith Law has Crews at No. 1 and Skenes at No. 2.
Crews owns a .423 batting average, 1.278 OPS, 18 home runs and 69 RBI. Skenes is 13-2 with 209 strikeouts and a 1.69 ERA.
Mayo noted that Skenes' pitching performance against Wake Forest was part of the reason why he switched the pitcher to the No. 1 overall pick.
"Jim Callis and I have had Crews in this spot in every mock, and there's still a very good chance the outfielder claims the top spot. But Skenes is still very much in play, with stuff many feel could get big league hitters out right now. So I decided to switch things up on the heels of his College World Series performance that saw him hit triple-digits with his fastball 46 times and saw him become the first college pitcher to hit 200 strikeouts in a season in a dozen years," Mayo wrote.
Skenes probably will not make an impact on the series until Game 3 because he pitched on Thursday, so that means Crews and the rest of the LSU offense may need to win Game 1 or 2 on their own to put Game 3 in play.
Florida Top Prospects
Wyatt Langford (OF) and Hurston Waldrep (RHP)
Florida has its own pitcher-outfielder combination that could land in the first round.
Langford is projected as the No. 3 overall pick in Mayo's latest mock draft, while Law landed the outfielder at No. 5.
Waldrep, who had 12 strikeouts in his first College World Series start, is No. 17 in Mayo's mock and No. 28 in Law's projection.
Waldrep could toe the rubber in either Game 1 or 2 for a Florida pitching staff that allowed six runs in the last two games.
Langford comes into the championship series with a .363 batting average, 1.251 OPS, 19 home runs and 49 RBI.
The Florida bats will still face a challenge against LSU's starters, but Langford and Co. have the benefit of not facing Skenes right away.
Waldrep could use a strong start to bolster his draft stock. Law noted his splitter has stood among some okay performances this season.
"Waldrep's got one of the best pitches in the draft in his splitter, but he hasn't had the results to match, so he's clearly sliding," Law wrote.
The right-handed hurler owns a 3.99 ERA, 8-3 record and 154 strikeouts over 18 appearances. Those are still impressive numbers, and another big showing in Omaha could secure his first-round spot.
Prediction
Florida over LSU in 2 Games
Florida comes into the championship series in much better shape.
The Gators needed just three games to reach the final, while LSU battled to beat Wake Forest twice to advance.
Florida has the fresher pitching staff, and that should shine through in Game 1. LSU went to 11 innings against the No. 1 overall seed two days ago.
LSU most likely will not use Skenes until Game 3, and to reach that point, it needs some combination of a stellar outing from another starter, or an offensive outburst.
Both of those things are possible, but Florida has looked like the more complete team in Omaha.
The Gators will be aware of the prospect of Skenes in Game 3, and that should increase the urgency to win Games 1 and 2 behind their top two arms, Waldrep and Brandon Sproat.