SEATTLE, WA — For the first time in MLB history, teammates in college were selected No. 1 and No. 2 in the MLB Amateur Draft on Sunday night. LSU’s ace pitcher Paul Skenes and fellow Tiger Dylan Crews made history just weeks after winning a national championship for their school. Skenes went No. 1 overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Crews, the power-hitting outfielder, went No. 2 overall to the Washington Nationals.
Skenes, announced by Seattle Mariner legend Ken Griffey Jr., was the first Pitcher drafted no. 1 overall since the Detroit Tigers selected Casey Mize no. 1 in 2018. "I was in shock when I heard," Skenes said over video conference. "A year ago, two years ago, I never thought it was a possibility to be the first overall pick. I don't know what I was expecting going into today, but it means a lot."
Ex-LSU and Current Pittsburgh Pirates Paul Skenes
(Credit: NCAA.com)
Skenes, 21, put up phenomenal stats in 2023 en route to a national championship. He went 12-2 on the year with a mindblowing 1.69 ERA (earned run average) and a Div. I led 209 strikeouts. The 209 strikeouts set a new SEC record. Skenes won the Men’s College Baseball World Series Most Outstanding Player Award after the Tigers won the National Championship. The 6’6” right-handed pitcher might be the most MLB-ready player in this year’s draft.
Ex-LSU and Current Washington National Dylan Crews
(Credit: cbssports.com)
At no. 2 overall, Dylan Crews made his fair share of history last night. The young man became the first person in College Baseball history to win the Golden Spikes, win a national title, and be drafted in the top 5 in the same year. Crews put up outstanding numbers during his time at LSU. In 2023, he hit a .426/.567/.713 slash line with 18 home runs in 71 games. The Nationals’ president of baseball operations, Mike Rizzo, had great things to say about the young man.
"He can hit at the top of the lineup, he can be a middle-of-the-lineup run producer, he's got on-base percentage credentials, he's got batting-average credentials, he's got power numbers, he can steal a base, and he's a two-way player," Rizzo added. "You can't have enough of those types of players."
Crews, a fan of Bryce Harper growing up, hopes to have the same impact as Harper on the Nationals. "Seeing him in a Nationals uniform, it was pretty awesome," Crews said. "I'm going to play my game and hopefully have as much impact as him. ... He's just a complete player."
Ex-Florida and Current Texas Ranger Wyatt Langford
(Credit: si.com)
Other notable players who went in last night’s MLB draft were Florida Outfielder and on the opposite side in the National Championship game this season, Wyatt Langford and high schoolers Max Clark and Walker Jenkins. Langford went no. 4 to the Texas Rangers. Max Clark went no. 3 to the Detroit Tigers, and Jenkins went no. 5 to the Minnesota Twins.
The 1st round of the MLB Draft concluded on Sunday night, but the draft continues its 3-day process with Round 2 on Monday.
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