While still months away from the 2023 MLB Draft, it's never too-early to take a look ahead at some of the potential first round targets at pick No. 24 for the Atlanta Braves later this year. So, let's do just that, and take a way-too-early look at a few potential first round targets for the Braves in the 2023 MLB Draft.
3 way-too-early Atlanta Braves first round targets for 2023 MLB Draft
SS Colin Houck (Parkview, GA)
The Braves are certainly no stranger to talent out of nearby Parkview High School in Lilburn, GA, with Jeff Francouer and Matt Olson among the biggest names to have come out of the Panthers program over the years. Well, next in line to join that duo this summer as a potential first round pick is Houck, who is one of the top two-sport athletes in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Also a three-star quarterback recruit on the gridiron, Houck, a Mississippi State baseball commit, is considered as one of, if not, the top high school shortstops in the 2023 MLB Draft, and is coming off a junior season in which he hit .412 with 15 HR and 44 RBI for one of Georgia's top teams. It feels likely that Houck is a back-half of the first round pick at the moment, and could very easily be a name to watch for at No. 24 to Atlanta come July.
SS Maui Ahuna (Tennessee)
On the topic of shortstops, there will be few collegiate prospects available in the 2023 MLB Draft better than Ahuna at the position. Yes, Jacob Gonzalez and Jacob Wilson are also in that conversation, but when it comes to the production alone, it's hard to find more impressive numbers than what Ahuna has done.
Transferring to Tennessee from Kansas during the offseason, Ahuna would slash .396/.479/.634 with eight HR, 48 RBI, and 13 SB for the Jayhawks a year ago, and could very easily post similar numbers this season for the Volunteers, who are one of college baseball's elite entering the year. Simply put, you could easily make the case that Ahuna will be one of the top shortstops in the 2023 MLB Draft, and will likely be a coveted hitting prospect by multiple teams in the first round.
1B/RHP Bryce Eldridge (Madison, VA)
The third name on this list, there are likely few two-way prospects better in the 2023 MLB Draft than Eldridge. A prep prospect out of Madison High School in Virginia, Eldridge is currently committed to Alabama for baseball, but could very easily jump straight to the professional level as a potential first round pick this summer.
The Braves are also no stranger to selecting two-way prospects in recent years, with Austin Riley and Spencer Schwellenbach among the names who come to mind. If Atlanta wants to do the same this year, then there are simply few names more intriguing than that of Eldridge.
Other Potential Targets: RHP Tanner Witt (Texas), RHP Travis Sykora (Round Rock, TX), RHP Cole Schoenwetter (San Marcos, CA), OF Travis Honeyman (Boston College), UTL Cole Carrigg (San Diego State)