MLB Draft 2023: Every Texas high school prospect selected

Blake Mitchell (Sinton) goes No. 8 overall, Kendall George (Atascocita) taken at No. 36, Travis Sykora (Round Rock) No. 71

Sinton High School catcher Blake Mitchell went No. 8 overall to the Kansas City Royals on Day 1 of the 2023 MLB Draft in Seattle Sunday. 

Mitchell headlined 12 Texas high school baseball prospects taken across the three-day event. 

Atascocita's Kendall George, speedy Arkansas-signed outfielder, was the second Texas high schooler off the board, picked 36th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Round Rock's Travis Sykora was taken with the first pick of the third round (No. 71) by the Washington Nationals.

>> SBLive Texas All-State Baseball 2023: Blake Mitchell is Player of the Year

>> MLB Draft 2023: A state-by-state look at all the high school players picked

Players who have signed national letters of intent to play in college can void them by signing with a team that drafts them.

If an athlete is drafted out of high school but opts for college, draft rules say they have to wait three years after enrolling or after their 21st birthday — whichever comes first.

MLB.com projected 10 Texas prospects would be taken straight out of high school. In draft analyst Joe Doyle's last Best Available list of the top 614 prospects before the draft, 21 Texas high school prospects made the cut. 

Here is every Texas high school baseball player whose name could be called according to the order MLB.com has them ranked as available draft prospects, as well as the corresponding round and pick owner. (Projected pick values are according to Baseball America).

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MLB DRAFT 2023: TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL PROSPECTS CHOSEN

FIRST ROUND, 8TH OVERALL, KANSAS CITY ROYALS

Blake Mitchell, catcher/RHP, Sinton

No. 8 pick value: $5,980,100

College: Signed with LSU

Scouts have had a long look at Mitchell, who played for the junior U.S. national team the last two summers. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Mitchell, who led Sinton to a UIL Class 4A state title as a junior then back to the semifinals as a senior, projects as a top-15 lock. His arm strength and defensive statistics reinforce a mid-first-round selection, he hits for power — and is a projectable prospect as a right-handed pitcher. SBLive's Texas State Player of the Year.

Read more here.

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COMPETITIVE BALANCE ROUND A, 36TH OVERALL, LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Kendall George, outfield, Atascocita

No. 36 pick value: $2,362,700

College: Signed with Arkansas

Speed is the name of George's game. MLB.com scouting report grades running his best attribute (a perfect 80 out of 80) and says he's "as fast as any player in the draft." Played with the Team USA at the under-18 World Cup last fall.

Read more here.

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THIRD ROUND, 71ST OVERALL, WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Travis Sykora, RHP, Round Rock

No. 71 pick value: $1,021,300

Projected: Second round (No. 40) - Washington Nationals

College: Signed with Texas

SBLive's Texas Pitcher of the Year was projected to go as high as the first round, but was the first to hear his name called on Monday. Sykora went 7-0 on the mound in 58 innings as a senior, but the strong 6-foot-6 hurler really jumped into high-round draft conversation last summer touching 100 at the Perfect Game All-American Classic.

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FOURTH ROUND, 124TH OVERALL, SEATTLE MARINERS

Aidan Smith, outfielder, Lucas Lovejoy

Projected: Third round (No. 78) - Miami Marlins

College: Signed with Mississippi State

Five-tool prospect knows how to get on base — and has running strength and fielding abilities that excite scouts about his prospects to potentially remain in center field. First team Rawlings All-American Hit .491 with a .582 on-base percentage and seven home runs as a senior.

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EIGHTH ROUND, 234TH OVERALL, LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Barrett Kent, RHP, Pottsboro High School

234th pick value: $206,500

Projected: Fourth round (No. 126) - Atlanta Braves

College: Signed with Arkansas

Both a hitter and a pitcher, Kent followed up strong junior and senior high school seasons with a head-turning 96 mile-per-hour fastball at the MLB Combine, the third hardest throw of the event.

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EIGHTH ROUND, 251ST PICK, SAN DIEGO PADRES

Kannon Kemp, RHP, Weatherford

Projected: Seventh round (No. 209) - Chicago White Sox

Pick value: $248,500

College: Signed with Oklahoma

One of the best right-handed pitchers in the state this spring, his velo sits in the low 90s. Earned consecutive spots on the Perfect Game’s Preseason All-American team. Could become Weatherford's fourth big league pitcher in the last 20 years.

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ELEVENTH ROUND, 344TH PICK, HOUSTON ASTROS

Nehomar Ochoa Acosta, outfield, Galena Park

Nehomar Ochoa Acosta (‘23 TX) capped-off a dominant day on the mound. FB 88-90; T92 (2247 RPM) & jumped out of hand. Flashed traits of downer 72-74 CB w/ 12-6 shape, depth. Uber physical athlete both ways. #Houston commit. #PGHS #PGDraft @B_Sakowski_PG @vcervinoPG @ParkGalena pic.twitter.com/8qWg7Slj4O

— Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) April 15, 2023

College: Signed with Houston

The outfielder/right-handr hit .602/.685/1.277 as a senior with 50 RBI, 55 runs and 11 homers. How's this for a weeklong stretch in late March: 4-for-6 hitting (.667 AVG) with nine RBI, five runs scored, three SBs, two walks, two HRs and a .750 OBP in a 21-0 win over Houston Worthing and a 17-0 win over Houston Worthing.

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SEVENTEENTH ROUND, 508TH PICK, BOSTON RED SOX

Dylan Schlaegel, outfield, Mansfield Legacy

College: Signed with Dallas Baptist

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SEVENTEENTH ROUND, 512TH PICK, MILWAUKEE BREWERS

BOOMER SOONER!!!☝️☝️☝️ pic.twitter.com/qgYW2b0IRT

— Jacob Gholston (@JacobGholston9) July 12, 2023

College: Oklahoma

Gholston said on Twitter he's signing with Oklahoma and turning down the draft selection.

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EIGHTEENTH ROUND, 530TH PICK, DETROIT TIGERS

Ethan Farris, third base, Cypress Woods 

College: Texas State

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EIGHTEENTH ROUND, 546TH PICK, NEW YORK METS

Gavyn Jones, LHP, White Oak

College: Signed with Texas Tech

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NINETEENTH ROUND, 555TH PICK, WASHINGTON NATIONALS

James Ellwanger, RHP, Magnolia West

Projected: Fourth round (No. 107) - Detroit Tigers

Pick value: $627,900

College: Signed with Dallas Baptist

Took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and walked away with a 17-strikeout shutout to send Magnolia West to the UIL Class 5A state title, where it won its first championship in program history. Boasts a mid-to-high 90s fastball that he could deal through an entire start in high school.

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OPTED FOR COLLEGE

Zane Adams, LHP, Porter

Projected: Third round (No. 73) - Pittsburgh Pirates

College: Signed with Alabama

Adams was projected in the third round, which would have made him the highest draft pick in Porter's history. That will have to wait. After going undrafted, he confirmed on Twitter Tuesday he's opting to head to Tuscaloosa and play for Alabama. The rangy, 6-foot-4 left-handed hurler missed time his junior season with a broken ankle, then came back as a senior with a fastball in the mid-90s — as well as reliably nasty off-speed pitches (curveball, changeup).

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Caden Sorrell, outfielder, Flower Mound Marcus 

Projected: Third round (No. 79) - Los Angeles Angels

College: Signed with Texas A&M

Sorrell pulled his name from the draft and will attend Texas A&M in the fall. The lefty, who was named District 6-6A Offensive Player of the Year, is lauded for his size (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) and athleticism. Both of his grandfathers, Billy Sorrell and Tom Griffin, played in MLB in the 1960s.

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UNDRAFTED

More class of 2023 standouts who appeared on draft boards but did not hear their names called. Names are in alphabetical order, colleges they are signed to are in parantheses:

Mason Bixby, RHP, San Antonio-Johnson (TCU)

Jackson Brasseux, LHP/outfield, North Lamar (Texas A&M)

Dondreone Kennedy, shortstop, Prestonwood Christian (Texas)

Ethan Mendoza, second base/shortstop, Southlake Carroll (Arizona State)

Hayden Morris, RHP, Oak Ridge (Texas)

TJ Pompey, shortstop/outfield, Coppell (Texas Tech)

MJ Seo, shortstop/RHP, John Paul II (LSU)

Brayden Sharp, LHP/outfield, The Woodlands (Tennessee)

Easton Tumis, RHP, Friendswood (Texas)