MLB Draft 2023: Tre Morgan gets selected by the Tampa Rays in the Third Round

Morgan becomes the fifth Tiger to be drafted in this year’s MLB Draft.

The Tampa Bay Rays draft LSU 1B/OF Tre Morgan with the 88th overall pick in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft on Monday.

According to the MLB Pipeline, Morgan was listed as the No. 137 prospect going into the draft. The slot value for Morgan’s selection sits at around $783,800, but it is not known what Morgan and the Tampa Bay organization have agreed upon. The deadline to sign his contract is on Aug. 1.

Morgan finished the 2023 campaign with a .316 batting average with 15 doubles, nine home runs and 53 RBIs. Morgan also has a team-high in triples (4). Morgan has been known to have one of the best batter’s eyes in baseball as he has struck out the least amount of times among LSU’s lineup with an astonishing 8.15 plate appearances per strikeout.

Morgan is also one of the best defensive first basemen in all of college baseball as he was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team in both 2021 and 2022. This was evident when he came in the clutch against Wake Forest in the College World Series when he delivered scoop-and-toss on a safety squeeze by the Demon Deacons to preserve a 0-0 game that LSU eventually won 2-0 in 11 innings to advance to the College World Series finals. That led to him earning a spot on the CWS All-Tournament Team.

Another thing that makes MLB teams drool over Morgan other than his timely hitting, athleticism and his defensive prowess is his versatility on the field. Although he has been a first baseman for most of his career, Morgan played most of his games in left field. Morgan had 40 starts in left field and 29 at first base. While a part of that was due to an injury to his wrist in February, it helped his status since Morgan isn’t the stereotypical first baseman in the Big Leagues.

Morgan is the fifth Tiger to be selected in this year’s draft after his teammates Paul SKenes, Dylan Crews, Ty Floyd and Grant Taylor were all drafted last night. Skenes and Crews went first and second overall, to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals respectively, making them the first teammates to be selected No.1 and No.2 in the same draft. Floyd was picked up in the Competitive Balance Round with the 38th overall pick to the Cincinnati Reds while Taylor went to the Chicago White Sox with the 51st overall pick. .