MLB Draft Preview: Kyle Teel and Jake Gelof Among Top Draft Prospects

See where Virginia baseball stars Kyle Teel and Jake Gelof are projected to be selected in the 2023 MLB Draft

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

The 2023 MLB Draft is set to begin on Sunday night in Seattle and Virginia baseball stars Kyle Teel and Jake Gelof are among the top prospects hoping to hear their names called on the first night of the draft. 

According to the most recent projections, Teel is a sure-fire top 10 pick, while Gelof is expected to be selected in the late first round or early second round. With the first and second rounds of the draft being held on Sunday starting at 7pm ET at Lumen Field in Seattle, both Kyle Teel and Jake Gelof have a good chance of becoming MLB Draft selections on Sunday night. 

UVA baseball fans should also be on the lookout for another prospect potentially getting picked in the first two rounds.  Jonny Farmelo, a star centerfielder who just finished his high school career at Westfield in Fairfax County, Virginia, is now listed as the No. 39 overall prospect in MLB.com's Draft Pipeline and is projected as an early second round pick in the latest mock drafts. Farmelo has been committed to the UVA baseball program since July of 2020, but his draft stock has now risen to the point where, depending on when he is selected in the draft, Farmelo may decide to turn pro right out of high school instead of attending the University of Virginia. 

Here's what some of the latest MLB mock drafts look like ahead of the real 2023 MLB Draft on Sunday night: 

MLB.com - Jonathan Mayo (July 6th)
Kyle Teel - No. 10 overall to the Miami Marlins
Jonny Farmelo - No. 33 overall to the Milwaukee Brewers
Jake Gelof - No. 38 overall to the Cincinnati Reds

ESPN - Kiley McDaniel (July 7th)
Kyle Teel - No. 8 overall to the Kansas City Royals
Jonny Farmelo - No. 29 overall to the Seattle Mariners
Jake Gelof - No. 43 overall to the Cincinnati Reds

The Athletic - Keith Law (July 7th)
Kyle Teel - No. 8 overall to the Kansas City Royals
Jonny Farmelo - No. 29 overall to the Seattle Mariners
Jake Gelof - not listed in first 32 picks

BetOnline also has Kyle Teel listed as having the sixth-highest odds of being the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft: 

MLB Draft 1st Overall Pick - 2023 [BetOnline]
Wyatt Langford 6/5 (+120)
Max Clark 5/2 (+250)
Paul Skenes 11/4 (+275)
Dylan Crews 6/1
Walker Jenkins 25/1
Chase Dollander 75/1
Jacob Gonzalez 75/1
Kyle Teel 75/1
Colin Houck 80/1
Matt Shaw 80/1
Brayden Taylor 100/1
Enrique Bradfield Jr. 100/1
Noble Meyer 100/1
Rhett Lowder 100/1
Tommy Troy 100/1

The Virginia baseball program has had 14 players selected in the first round of the MLB Draft, with 12 of those picks coming under Brian O'Connor. UVA has had 143 all-time MLB Draft selections, including four in 2022: Nate Savino, Brandon Neeck, Chris Newell, and Matt Wyatt. The most recent Cavaliers to be picked in the first round were Daniel Lynch and Jake McCarthy in 2018. 

The 2023 MLB Draft begins Sunday at 7pm ET, with the first two rounds airing on ESPN and the MLB Network. Rounds 3-10 will be held on Monday at 2pm on MLB.com and rounds 11-20 will take place on Tuesday at 2pm, also on MLB.com. 

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