2023 MLB Draft | Louisville Preview

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - At long last, the 2023 MLB Draft is finally here. Mock draft and big board season is now behind us, and soon we will find out where the top talents in college and high school baseball will have the opportunity to start their professional careers.

The draft is now in its third year of being slashed from 40 rounds to 20, but the Louisville baseball program still has several players who will likely hear their name called. While Louisville isn't expected to produce a day one draft pick, a couple Cardinals are still projected to go very high.

Among scouts, league executives and the baseball media, catcher Jack Payton and shortstop Christian Knapczyk are both viewed as fringe top-150 prospects. Louisville has produced an impressive 23 MLB Draft picks inside the top five rounds since the 2016 season, and there's a very good chance that Payton and/or Knapczyk will increase that number.

Payton was unquestionably Louisville's best offensive weapon in 2023. Playing in 48 games with 47 starts, he batted .374/.472/.642 with 12 home runs, 41 RBI, 10 doubles and 22 walks. All three of his slash line categories led the team, as well as his 115 total bases, his home run total tied for the team lead, and his RBI mark came in third. Despite not making an All-ACC team, he was named one of the three finalists for the Buster Posey Award, which is given to the nation's top college catcher.

Knapczyk has been one of the best leadoff men in the ACC for the past two seasons. While his overall production took a bit of a step back in 2023, he still hit .331/.455/.408 with one homer, 24 RBI, eight doubles, a triple, 21 walks and a team-high 19 stolen bases in 45 games and 44 starts. His stolen base mark was good for fifth in the ACC, while his 19 hit-by-pitches came in second in the league and 29th nationally. He was named to the All-ACC Third Team for his efforts.

Behind Payton and Knapczyk, Louisville has a handful of prospects that could hear their name called, but are unsure if or when. The only other Cardinal that comes in as a Top 500 draft prospect by either Baseball America or MLB.com is right-handed pitcher Ryan Hawks.

Hawks started the season as the Cardinals' Friday night starter, and never gave up that title. While he did have a handful of shaky outings, he still led the team in strikeouts with 80, only allowed 23 walks, and posted a 4.58 ERA over 15 appearances, 14 starts and 76.2 innings pitched.

Left-handed relief pitchers Greg Farone, Tate Kuehner, Riley Phillips and Evan Webster could also hear their names called at some point during the back end of the draft. This is especially true for Kuehner and Webster, who are upperclassmen that teams could take a late round waiver on.

It seemed early that Farone would be a lock to be a high draft pick due to his high strikeout rate, but his ability to throw quality strikes dipped very quickly, eventually resulting in him moving to the bullpen. Kuehner transitioned from a pseudo-starter role in 2022, and wound up being one of Louisville's better relievers this past season. Phillips bounced in between the starting rotation and the bullpen during the 2023 season, and saw varying results in both capacities, performing much better as a reliever. Webster earned a reputation for helping Louisville get out of bases loaded jams, and was statistically the Cardinals' most consistent relief pitcher.

There's also a few high school commits who could end up choosing the professional route. Left-handed pitcher Colton Hartman, right-handed pitcher Parker Detmers - who is the younger brother of former Louisville ace Reid Detmers - and catcher Zion Rose are all viewed as top-250 draft prospects by Baseball America and MLB.com. None are projected as day one picks, but all it takes is for one team to draft them high or give them more money than what their slot value calls for, so this will be something to monitor.

The 2023 MLB Draft will begin with rounds one and two on Sunday, July. 9 at 7:00 p.m. EST. Rounds 3-10 will start on Monday, July 10 at 2:00 p.m. EST, and rounds 11-20 on Tuesday, July 11 starting at 2:00 p.m. EST. Day one will be televised on ESPN and MLB Network, while days two and three will be streaming on MLB.com

(Photo of Rob Manfred: Alex Trautwig - Getty Images)

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