Pirates Nab Potential Franchise-Altering Outfielder in MLB.com's First Mock Draft

For the first time in league history, MLB used a lottery system to determine the first six picks of the draft. The Pittsburgh Pirates nabbed the No. 1 overall pick in next July's draft after finishing 2022 tied for the third-worst record in baseball (62-100).

Fortunately, getting the No. 1 overall pick is a great opportunity for the franchise to continue its rebuild. Based on MLB.com's mock draft, the Pirates could end up with an elite outfielder.

Pittsburgh Pirates 2023 MLB Draft

According to Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com, Pittsburgh will draft LSU Tigers outfielder Dylan Crews with the No. 1 overall pick. Crews is considered the best player in the 2023 MLB Draft.

He already received first-round draft buzz as a senior in high school during the 2020 campaign. Crews then opted to play college baseball at LSU and his performance there has only elevated his draft stock. In two seasons, the cannon-armed outfielder slashed a ridiculous .356/.458/.677 with 40 home runs and 114 RBIs across 125 games played.

The 2021 SEC Player of the Year is considered at least an average defender in the outfield and has played both center and right field, making him a strong choice for the Pirates if they end up taking him.

Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.