Grading and recapping Day 3 of the Reds 2023 MLB Draft

The 2023 MLB Draft has officially come to a close, with the Cincinnati Reds making 21 selections across the three-day event.

During those three days, the Reds selected 12 pitchers, two shortstops, two outfielders, two first basemen, one catcher, and a two-way player. Of these 21 picks, 16 were college products.

The Reds didn't hide their strategy in this year's draft. Cincinnati was targeting older, more mature players, especially pitchers. This was strategy was clearly evident on Day 3 of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Grading and recapping Day 3 of the Reds 2023 MLB Draft.

Cincinnati continued their trend of selecting pitchers during Day 3 of the 2023 MLB Draft. On the final day, six of their ten selections were pitchers, with one of the position players being a two-way hopeful.

In the 11th round, the Reds landed on Jack Moss, a towering 6'5 first baseman from Texas A&M. Moss has tremendous bat to ball skills, but didn't tally the home run numbers that would be expected from a first baseman. Cincinnati added UTSA's relief pitcher, Simon Miller a round later. Miller converted 11 saves in 2023.

Potentially the most intriguing selection Cincinnati made came in the final round with pick No. 588. The Reds selected Gabe Gaeckle, an electric right-handed pitcher committed to Arkansas and ranked as MLB Pipeline's 159th-best MLB Draft prospect.

Though small in stature (5-foot-11), Gaeckle is said, per MLB Pipeline, to have a plus-curveball to go along with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s. Gaeckle also underwent Tommy John surgery at 15 years of age.

According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Gabe Gaeckle had said that he would withdraw from the draft and head to Arkansas in the fall. But, perhaps Cincinnati knows something that we don't. Stealing Gaeckle from Arkansas would be huge for this Reds draft class.

The Cincinnati Reds also selected two-way hopeful JeanPierre Ortiz in the 17th-round on Day 3 of the 2023 MLB Draft. Ortiz was drafted in 2022 by Washington, but didn't sign. He has potential both in the box and on the bump, but he does appear to be a rather raw prospect.

Kyle Henley was the Reds 14th-round selection. PerfectGame.org cites Henley's speed as his carrying tool. Henley is committed to Georgia Tech, so it'll be interesting to see if the outfielder decides to honor that commitment or sign with Cincinnati.

At firts glance, it would appear as though the Cincinnati Reds accomplished what they set out to do in the 2023 MLB Draft. The organization grabbed top-end talent, high-upside prospects, and a ton of pitching. Depending on which players sign, Cincinnati could earn an A for their efforts over the past three days, but for now, let's go with a solid B+.