TAMPA, Fla. — As expected, 17-year-old Strawberry Crest shortstop Arjun Nimmala made local history when Major League Baseball’s 2023 draft commenced Sunday night.
On deck: cultural history.
Hailed for his raw power and ability to drive the ball to all fields, Nimmala became the first Chargers player ever to be drafted when the Blue Jays chose him with the No. 20 overall selection in Sunday night’s first round. Should he ultimately make Toronto’s roster, he’ll become the first player of Indian descent to play in the majors.
“This could be great for the game,” ESPN college baseball analyst and former big leaguer Chris Burke said. “This is a pioneer for the sport globally — could be.”
Nimmala was one of two local high school players taken in Sunday’s first round. Mitchell High infielder Aidan Miller, an Arkansas signee, was chosen by the Phillies with the 27th overall pick.
The son of Indian immigrants who cut his teeth on the sport of cricket, Nimmala took up baseball relatively late and evolved into a prodigy of sorts. He batted .479 with six home runs, 29 RBIs, 30 runs and a .904 slugging percentage last season, earning Florida Gatorade Player of the Year honors.
An FSU signee, he was a Rawlings/Perfect Game preseason first-team All-American and No. 11 on MLB.com’s list of the top draft prospects.
“I can’t put into words how excited I am,” Nimmala told ESPN’s Karl Ravech on the network’s live draft broadcast. “All my supporters around me, it’s such a big deal for me and I’m super excited to get a pro career going.”
Nimmala (6-feet-1, 170 pounds) projects as a shortstop initially but could evolve into a third baseman depending on how he develops physically.
“The sales pitch here is really easy — he could have the highest upside in the entire draft,” ESPN big-league insider Kiley McDaniel said. “There’s a chance that he is a shortstop that gets 30 home runs and looks a little like Carlos Correa, Alfonso Soriano, Javier Baez. These are the names that have been thrown out.”
Miller, who missed most of his senior season with a broken hamate bone, also carved a historical niche, becoming the first player from a Pasco County high school to be taken in the first round. His selection comes three years after the Reds took his older brother, Jackson, with the 65th overall pick.
Teeming with national experience, Miller has represented Team USA on its 12-under, 15-under and 18-under national teams. He was named MVP at the 2022 High School All-American Game at Dodger Stadium, going 4 for 5 with three RBIs.
Creating the initial Florida firework Sunday was Gators outfielder Wyatt Langford, who was taken fourth overall by the Rangers after leading UF in several offensive categories in 2023 including batting average (.373) and slugging percentage (.784).
A former three-sport star at tiny Trenton High near Florida’s Big Bend, he becomes the second-highest Gators draft pick ever, behind former Rays catcher Mike Zunino (third overall, Mariners, 2012).
Langford’s teammate, right-handed pitcher Hurston Waldrep, was taken by the Braves with the No. 24 overall pick after posting a 10-3 record with a 4.16 ERA and 1.40 WHIP as a junior this past season.
Despite only four at-bats in 2021, Langford (6-feet-1, 220 pounds) transformed his body and evolved into one of college baseball’s top power hitters the last two seasons. He tied the program single-season record with 26 home runs in 2022 (eclipsed this season by Plant High alumnus Jac Caglianone) and had 21 this past season.
His signature moment occurred in Game 2 of the best-of-three College World Series final last month, when he went 5 for 5 with a home run and six RBIs in a 24-4 romp of LSU. His 456-foot homer earlier in the series was the longest in the history of Omaha’s Charles Schwab Field.