No. 20 selection Arjun Nimmala is one of seven Florida-Georgia high school products selected on 1st day of the 2023 MLB Draft

The Major League Baseball (MLB) 2023 Draft started on Sunday with its first two rounds of 20, which also includes Competitive Balance Rounds A and B. 

High school baseball players from the 2023 Florida prep season awaited anxiously to hear their names announced by commissioner Rob Manfred.

Of the first 70 selections, seven of those picks were players that played high school baseball last season out of the Sunshine State and Peach State. We list below the draft picks, team they were selected by and their statistics from the 2023 campaign, including players who played collegiately and played high school ball in the region. 

No. 2, Washington Nationals: Dylan Crews, outfielder, Lake Mary (LSU collegiately) 

Crews missed out on his 2020 senior year of baseball due to the pandemic, but ended up playing on the collegiate level at LSU and shined there. The outfielder was named to back-to-back SEC Player of the Year awards and this past season hit 17 home runs, batting .426. 

No. 4, Texas Rangers: Wyatt Langford, outfielder, Trenton (Florida collegiately) 

After his high school days playing at Trenton, Langford didn’t venture too far from home when it came to playing college baseball. The outfielder went over to Gainesville, within an hour from home and really made a name for himself. The slugger belted 21 home runs with a .373 batting average in 2022 for the Gators. 

No. 9, Colorado Rockies: Chase Dollander, pitcher, Evans (Georgia) (Tennessee collegiately) 

Picked just inside of the top 10 was Dollander, who was coming off a stellar 2022 campaign with the Volunteers. Named the 2022 SEC Pitcher of the Year, Dollander went 10-0 with a 2.39 ERA. 

No. 11, Los Angeles Angels: Nolan Schanuel, first baseman, Park Vista (Florida) (Florida Atlantic collegiately) 

Don’t have to look too much further down this list to find another player that didn’t travel to far from home to play college baseball than Schanuel. The first baseman stayed in the area and played for the Owls. Selected by Angels, Schanuel batted .447 this past season with a .868 slugging percentage. 

No. 20, Toronto Blue Jays: Arjun Nimmala, shortstop, Strawberry Crest (Florida)

The shortstop was as good as they come on the diamond for the Chargers, with Nimmala only committing four errors all season long. At the plate, Nimmala was solid with a .479 average, six home runs, 29 runs driven in, 30 runs, seven doubles and three triples. Was a Florida State commit. 

No. 26, New York Yankees: George Lombard Jr., shortstop/third baseman, Gulliver Prep (Florida) 

Interchangeable between shortstop and third base, Lombard is coming off a strong senior campaign with the Raiders. Lombard led Gulliver Prep with a .478 batting average, hitting six home runs, driving in 22 and notching 14 doubles. His fielding percentage was at .915, committing 11 errors through 29 games played. 

No. 27, Philadelphia Phillies: Aidan Miller, shortstop, Mitchell (Florida)

Missing the entire 2023 season didn’t stop MLB teams from wanting to draft Miller in the opening round. Miller dealt with an arm injury all 2023, but prior to the season showed why he’s one of the best players coming out of the high school ranks. The shortstop was named the Most Valuable Player for the High School All-American Game after going 4-for-5 with three runs driven in. 

No. 30, Seattle Mariners: Tai Peete, shortstop, Trinity Christian (Georgia) 

Coming off the kind of season Peete had for the Lions, the shortstop showed tremendous promise in route to being selected in the opening round. Last season, Peete batted a team-high .444 with 12 home runs, 36 RBI’s, 36 runs, seven doubles and three triples. 

No. 31, Tampa Bay Rays: Adrian Santana, shortstop, Doral Academy (Florida) 

All around baseball player could do just about anything for the Firebirds on the diamond. From playing more of his natural position at shortstop to anywhere in the infield, Santana was the definition of utility. The senior batted .360 with 11 home runs, 30 runs driven in on 36 hits. 

No. 32 New York Mets: Colin Houck, shortstop, Parkview (Georgia) 

Winning the prestigious Gatorade Player of the Year out of the state of Georgia is a great honor all within itself, but it was deserving after the kind of season Houck put on. The senior shortstop put up eye-popping statistics as Houck batted .487 with eight home runs, 50 RBI, 56 runs scored, 16 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .589 for the Panthers. 

No. 34 Minnesota Twins: Charlee Soto, pitcher, Reborn Christian Academy (Florida) 

When it came to his actual high school statistics, that’s not exactly what scouts looked deep into. What Soto brings is the ideal pitcher’s frame and arm strength to the mound. Soto stands 6-foot-5, 210 pounds and throws primarily between 94-98 miles per hour. 

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.