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LSU’s Paul Skenes favored over teammate Dylan Crews to be No. 1 pick in 2023 MLB draft

LSU, fresh off their College World Series win, has two players at the top of the odds board to be top overall pick

With the college baseball season in the rearview mirror, and LSU having captured its seventh national championship after a 18-4 beat-down of Florida in Game 3 of the College World Series, the MLB draft takes center stage as we approach the MLB All-Star break.

The draft is set for July 9 during All-Star Weekend in Seattle. The Pittsburgh Pirates have the top overall pick, followed by the Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, and Minnesota Twins to round out the top five.

Two of the best players this season happened to be on the same team: Dylan Crews, an outfielder for LSU, and Paul Skenes, the Tigers’ ace coming off a dominant men’s College World Series run. The college stars sit atop the odds at DraftKings sportsbook to be the Pirates’ No. 1 overall pick. Here’s a look at the odds 10 days from the start of the draft.

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No. 1 draft pick odds (via DraftKings)

Just six players have 100/1 odds or better to be top overall pick:

  1. Paul Skenes, LSU: -225

  2. Dylan Crews, LSU: +170

  3. Maxwell Clark, Franklin (Ind.) Community High School: +2000

  4. Wyatt Langford, Florida: +2500

  5. Walker Jenkins, South Brunswick (N.C.) High School: +9000

  6. Chase Dollander, Tennessee: +10000

Skenes transferred in to LSU after spending two seasons at Air Force, where he was the 2021 Mountain West Conference freshman of the year and a two-time All-American. This season, he won the CWS’ Most Outstanding Player award. He went 12-2 in 19 starts and recorded double-digit strikeouts in 14 games and posting a 1.69 ERA.

Crews won the 2023 Golden Spikes Award, honoring the top amateur baseball player in the U.S. based on athletic ability, sportsmanship, character, and overall contributions to the sport. The Tigers outfielder finished the season with a .426 batting average, 18 home runs, 70 RBIs and drew 71 walks in 71 games.

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Most experts expect the two Tigers to be the first two players off the board. The Phillies will not pick until later in the first round, at 27th overall after their run to the World Series last season.