Why do MLB teams draft high school players? Breaking down a front office's draft process

With the 2023 MLB draft in the books, fans can look forward to the slew of new players their favorite team drafted. Some of these players come from college, and some of these players coming from high school.

Of the 608 players that had their names called in Seattle, 113 of those names were high school players. Max Clark was the highest overall high school player selected, as he was the number three pick going to the Detroit Tigers.

One of the reasons that high school players get drafted so much is because of their eligibility. High school students are eligible for the draft right after graduation. College players are eligible after their third year or upon turning 21. Junior college players must play for one year before being eligible.

If a high school player excites a front office enough, they will try and draft them. They do not want to wait years for the player to become eligible again.

Baseball is in good hands with the amount of talent that was taken in the 2023 MLB Draft

2023 MLB Draft presented by Nike

LSU dominated the headline of the draft as teammates Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews were selected first and second overall. The Pittsburgh Pirates received one of the best arms in the draft while the Washington Nationals got one of the best overall players.

Eleven high school players were selected in the first round alone. 113 high school players were taken overall, making that five more players selected than in last year's draft.

This year's draft was among the most stacked draft classes fans have ever seen. There nearly was not a bad pick in the first round with the amount of talent eligible to be drafted. Baseball will be in good hands with these prospects in the future.