LSU National Champs Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews May Go 1, 2 In Major League Baseball Draft Tonight

BATON ROUGE, La. - The Major League Baseball Draft will pick up Sunday (7 p.m., ESPN, MLB Network) in Seattle where the College World Series left off last month in Omaha, Nebraska - with LSU all over the place.

Two national champion Tigers could make LSU the first college in MLB Draft history to produce the first two selections of the first round after leading their team to the College World Series title. That would be right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes to Pittsburgh and center fielder Dylan Crews to Washington, or the other way around.

But Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford could sneak in as the No. 1 or No. 2 pick for the Gators, who lost the national championship best-of-three series to LSU, two games to one.

Crews' agent is Scott Boras, who tends to push more than any other agent for maximum money for his clients. So that could produce a trade by Pittsburgh or Washington as one or the other or both could try to get a second pick in the first round for a bargain. In addition, Boras does not always get along well with smaller budget teams such as the Pirates, adding energy to trade winds or draft movement. So, Langford could vault into the top two because of a cheaper price.

If Pittsburgh wants Crews, but does not want to pay Crews' salary request via Boras, the Pirates could go for Langford first. Detroit follows with the third pick of the first round, followed by Texas and Minnesota.

The rest of the draft order top 10 has Oakland at sixth, followed by Cincinnati, Kansas City, Colorado and Miami.

MLB.com has Skenes, Crews and Langford going in that order to Pittsburgh, Washington and Detroit, followed by a pair of high school players. Those are outfielder Walker Jenkins of Southport, North Carolina, going to Texas at No. 4, and outfielder Max Clark of Franklin, Indiana, to Minnesota at No. 5.

The rest of the top 10 draft projections by MLB.com are Wake Forest pitcher Rhett Lowder at No. 6, Virginia catcher Kyle Teel at No. 7, pitcher Noble Meyer of Portland, Oregona at No. 8, Tennessee pitcher Chase Dollander at No. 9 and Grand Canyon shortstop Jacob Wilson at No. 10.

The slot value for the first pick of the 2023 draft is $9.7 million - up from $8.8 million in 2022.

Skenes or Crews could become the first MLB rookie in history to sign a contract worth more than $9 million. Boras may get Crews over $10 million.

LSU also may have three players go in the first round for the first time in its history. Junior pitcher Ty Floyd is projected as a late first round pick or second round selection.

After the first two rounds Sunday night, the draft continues Monday and Tuesday (2 p.m., MLB.com) with rounds 3 to 10 and 11-20, respectively.

MLB Draft Came Close To Top 2 From Arizona State In 1978

The MLB Draft started in 1965 with outfielder Rick Monday of Arizona State going to the Kansas City Athletics with the first pick, followed by the New York Mets taking left-handed pitcher Les Rohr of Billings West High in Billings, Montana.

The closest the draft ever came to featuring the first two picks from the same college was in 1978. Atlanta took third baseman Bob Horner of Arizona State with the first pick. After Toronto took first baseman Lloyd Moseby of Oakland High in Oakland, California, the Mets picked shortstop Hubie Brooks of Arizona State with the No. 3 selection.

Vanderbilt produced No. 1 and No. 2 picks, but over two years in 2007 and '08. Tampa Bay took left-handed pitcher David Price with the first pick in 2007. A year later, Pittsburgh picked third baseman Pedro Alvarez with the second pick.

"I started thinking about that early this year," said one MLB scout from Louisiana this week. "Never happened. I feel fortunate to have watched both Skenes and Crews play in person."

LSU's Paul Skenes And Dylan Crews Produced All Season

Skenes and Crews played like top overall picks virtually all season.

Skenes led the nation with 209 strikeouts - 51 more than No. 2 Quinn Mathews of Stanford with 158. He also broke the Southeastern Conference record of 202 strikeouts by 1989 first pick Ben McDonald of LSU that stood since 1989. Skenes (13-2, 1.69 ERA) led the nation with 15.3 strikeouts a game and in WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) at 0.75. He also finished second in wins and in ERA.

Crews finished second in the nation with 110 hits, third in batting average at .426 and first in runs with 100 and in walks with 71. He hit 18 home runs with 70 RBIs.

Skenes won the Dick Howser Trophy as the nation's best player. D1 Baseball and Collegiate Baseball also named him player of the year. Crews won the Golden Spikes Award that goes to the nation's best player, and he was the SEC's Male Athlete of the Year.

Langford hit .373 with 21 home runs and 57 RBIs for Florida.

"I would say the consensus is Crews and Skenes will go 1 and 2," Chicago Cubs scout Bobby Filotei told OutKick on Thursday. The Cubs pick No. 13 Sunday.

Major League Baseball 1st Round Dilemma: Pitcher Or Position

"It's going to come down to what does Pittsburgh want - a pitcher or a position player? I favor position players because they can help you win every game," Filotei said. "Taking a pitcher can be a little dicey, but Skenes is a generational pitcher. Picking a position player is less risky, and Crews' skill set is generational."

LSU pitcher Paul Skenes (left) enjoys a victory cigar with a teammate after the Tigers beat Florida for the College World Series title last month in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo By OutKick's Glenn Guilbeau).

Skenes (6-foot-6, 247 pounds) is viewed as the first true generational pitching prospect since Washington took 6-5 Stephen Strasburg with the first pick of the 2009 draft out of San Diego State. Skenes' fastball has averaged at or close to 100 mph for entire games this season. He also throws a slider, a curve, a changeup and has a two-seam and a four-seam fastball.

"He could pitch in the Major Leagues this season," Filotei said. "That would probably be out of the bullpen late in the season. Depending on who picks him, I could see him pitching as a reliever in the playoffs. There has not been someone as dominant and physical as him since Strasburg."

Skenes began approaching legendary status in his first season at LSU after arriving from Air Force as a junior and projected as a second round pick. His mph jumped by five after less military routine, more rest and better diet.

"They don’t come around like that," LSU coach Jay Johnson said after Skenes struck out nine in seven and two-thirds innings with a walk and four hits allowed in a 14-0 win over Kentucky in the Super Regional opener.

"This is as A+ a human being and character as it gets, and that’s why the talent ascends to the level that it has," Johnson said. "We’re talking Michael Jordan-type stuff. Paul is what a Major League Baseball pitcher looks like. He just absolutely models how you do it at the highest level. He’ll pitch for as long as he wants to because of his talent and the habits he has."

Jordan? That may be an overstatement, but Skenes is a rarity.

Paul Skenes And Dylan Crews Could Be "Generational"

"That kind of pitcher only comes around every 15 or 20 years," the Louisiana scout said. "The only way he doesn't go No. 1 is if Pittsburgh tries to cut a deal with another team to try to get two first round picks. As great as Crews is, there may be another Dylan Crews next year or soon. You can't find another guy like Skenes that quick. He could pitch in the Majors tonight."

LSU center fielder Dylan Crews scores against Florida in the national championship series against Florida at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, last month. (Photo By Dylan Widger of USA TODAY).

Crews, meanwhile, has a tool for almost every day of the week, as in six. He has the conventional five - hits for power, hits for average, fielding prowess, strong throwing arm and speed.

"The sixth is he's mentally ready," Filotei said.

"He's mentally tough," the Louisiana scout said. "He usually has no emotion."

Crews, too, may be playing in the Big Leagues very soon.

"Dylan is the best college hitter I’ve ever seen," said Johnson, who took Arizona to a runner-up finish in 2016 and returned to the CWS in 2021 before coming to LSU the next season. "And that’s all encompassing. There are guys in the Major Leagues that can’t do what he does as far as managing the strike zone and staying away from bad pitches. Guys like him don't come around very often. I wish I could coach him forever."

Crews would have been a high first round pick out of Lake Mary High near Orlando, Florida, in 2020, but he decided on LSU and then-coach Paul Mainieri instead. He withdrew his name from the draft.

Dylan Crews Attracted People To LSU

"He’s one of the reasons I came here,” Johnson said.

“I don’t know if I would’ve come here if he wasn’t here,” Skenes said.

Crews' teammates have been in awe of him even before they were teammates.

"I remember in high school, I used to be in Biology class and watching videos of Dylan on D1 Baseball," said LSU first baseman Tre Morgan, a fourth round draft projection.

"He was the pinnacle. I thought I was good, until I saw him," Morgan said. "I think I got a B in Biology, but I really didn't pay too much attention. I'd say it was just how Dylan did everything well. I watched how hard he played the game every time, how he played defense. He expects to bat .500."

Crews hit .500 for much of this season.

"He's the complete player," said LSU senior second baseman Gavin Dugas. "I don't know how many tools you can put on a player. I'd give him 10. He's got power, contact, hand-eye coordination, vision. When he speaks, everybody listens."

Around teammates, Crews barely mentioned the draft throughout the season.

"Whether he likes it or not, he's the guy," Morgan said.

Unless Skenes is.

"No, we don't ever talk about that," Crews said during the NCAA Regional. "We'll wait. Looking back, I'm glad I came to college. I really recommend kids go to college and experience this. I wasn't developed coming out of high school."

Like Crews, Skenes was too focused.

"I just don't think about it," he said at the Regional. "There's no sense in worrying about what I can't control."

Dylan Crews Vs. Paul Skenes At MLB Park Near You Soon

But Skenes did talk about facing Crews in the Big Leagues.

"Yeah, it's going to require a lot of mixing of all five of my pitches," he said.

"It's going to be a battle," Crews said. "I have nothing but respect for him. I respect his presence every single day."

Crews actually did homer off Skenes in 2021 when Air Force played at LSU.

"He's always throwing at my throat since then," Crews said. "It's nothing but love."

With the first pick of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates select ...