2023 MLB Draft: The Guys That Should Be Available at 13 for the Chicago Cubs

Today we’ll be continuing our breakdown of collegiate hitters that will be available in the MLB draft on July 9th. A couple of weeks ago we looked at two of the SEC’s best that likely won’t be there when the Cubs pick at number 13, last week we looked at four guys that should go somewhere in Chicago’s range, and this week we’ll look at another handful of players that should definitely be there. 

Other writers may choose to write about high school bats or pitchers in either the college or high school ranks, but as I posited earlier this week, the safest and highest upside play in the first round over the last 20 years has been to draft the college hitter so that’s what I’m going to hone in on. 

Next week we’ll hit on some underslot options, and the week prior to the draft we’ll post a piece that has a smattering of the writers from Cubbies Crib weighing in on the pick they want to see the Cubs make. 

For now, here are four players that the Cubs could draft and save some money to spend on high-end players later in the draft.  

Brayden Taylor 3B TCU

Athletic: #16

Fangraphs: #31

MLB.com: #30

Taylor reminds me a lot of Josh Jung when he was coming out of Texas Tech. The fact that he’s a third baseman rather than a shortstop hurts his draft stock because teams want the up-the-middle player. That being said, Taylor has produced at his highest levels in the biggest moments.

Keith Law of the Athletic said: 

He had a low BABIP this year of just .307, inconsistent with how hard he hits the ball and how often he does so. He also slumped in the middle of the season, but had a huge Big 12 tournament, going 8 for 16 with four doubles and three homers, with a .305/.430/.650 line heading into the regionals, and a career-best 21 homers.

Having a guy that turns it on in the playoffs is something you love to see. Would I have loved to see him hit for the entire season? Yes. But baseball is a game of inches and more than that it’s a game of luck and when you get BABIP’d to death the way he was during the season you have to know that a bounceback is coming. 

He may have sold out for his power a little bit this year posting a career low in batting average and OBP but a career-high in slugging and OPS, but it worked. He hit 23 homers this season, almost as many as his previous two seasons combined (25) and he still managed to walk (53) almost as often as he struck out (58). He doesn’t have incredible speed but he does take advantage with his baserunning ability as he hasn’t been caught stealing since his freshman season and has gone 38-for-39 in his attempts for his career. 

In Jim Bowden’s breakdown of his top 25 players in the draft he said:

He profiles as a future .290 hitter with 40 doubles and 25 home run power. There is not a lot of risk with this pick: He has a high floor and an All-Star-type ceiling.

Finally, Fangraphs took a deeper look at him as a defender as they didn’t love the bat as much as Bowden or Law and said:

He's a very rangy defender with a plus arm, and as long as he's getting to most of his power, he can have a 40-grade hit tool and still be an important big league contributor, if not an everyday third baseman.

I wouldn’t be upset if this were the pick. Taylor has good baserunning ability, and defensive capabilities that have scouts saying he could be a less-than-mediocre hitter and still be an everyday player at an important defensive position, and other scouts love his bat enough to slap All-Star caliber numbers on it. Not bad. 

Brock Wilken 3B Wake Forest

Athletic: #18

Fangraphs: #28

MLB.com: #24

Another third base option, Wilken profiles a little differently from the deceptively speedy, all-star caliber defender that Brayden Taylor was. Wilken is a straight-up slugger. This season he hit .357/.516/.835 with 31 homers and 15 doubles. This season he cut his strikeouts (54) way down and doubled his walks (67) while also doing his best Anthony Rizzo impression by getting hit by 11 pitches. 

MLB.com raved about Wilken in their scouting report:

Wilken burst onto the college baseball scene in 2021, setting a Wake Forest freshman record with 17 homers during the spring and winning Cape Cod League MVP honors during the summer. He encored by slamming 23 homers as a sophomore and breaking the school mark with 27 entering the NCAA playoffs this spring, burnishing his reputation for having as much raw power as anyone in his class.

Fangraphs also loves the power but also touches on where the struggles may come against higher level competition:

Wilken has plus-plus present raw power and has hit several balls harder than 115 mph during his career at Wake, and he generates that power with a comically simple swing. He's an extremely patient hitter who rarely chases, and most of Wilken's whiffs come against sliders that finish in the strike zone but that he simply can't reach.

Keith Law doesn’t love the power as much but he still recognizes that he has an excellent bat to ball ability with easy extra base pop:

He has a very good swing with great balance and excellent hip rotation, showing 55 power right now, with improved exit velocities down the stretch and one of the best barrel rates among college prospects in the draft class.

Last week was the week of the shortstop in terms of options that the Cubs could have, and so far this week it’s been the week of the third baseman. Wilken has shown success as a power hitter every year in college, and he’s shown success with the wooden bat in the Cape Cod League as the MVP after his freshman season. He’s not going to be as agile as Brayden Taylor, but he has a stronger arm and more pop in the bat and the major league squad could absolutely use both of those things right about now.