MLB draft: 10 notable bloodlines in 2023 class, including top-10 pick and Yankees' first rounder

As usual, there are plenty of familiar names in the 2023 MLB Draft

By R.J. Anderson

Jul 10, 2023 at 7:47 pm ET • 3 min read

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If there's one guarantee about Major League Baseball's amateur draft (see every pick so far here), it's that you're going to walk away feeling the full weight of your mortality. It makes you aware of it in a few inescapable ways. There's the birthdates that keep creeping up to and then beyond significant dates in your own lifetime; there's the quotes about who the players grew up watching -- the same players who you remember knowing about as prospects; and then there's the bloodlines.

MLB's draft, by virtue of being the longest of the four major American professional men's leagues, is downright inundated with legacy players: sons, cousins, brothers, and so on. It's a good reminder of how often the sport is passed down within family trees. It's also a bad reminder, in a sense, about the fleeting nature of time.

The clock is ticking ever closer to that existential midnight, folks. But, rather than think too hard about it, why not rage, rage against the dying of the light by slowly scrolling with us down the page as we highlight some of the most notable bloodline connections in this year's class? Do note that the players are presented in order of their selection.

1. Jacob Wilson, SS, Oakland Athletics (No. 6 overall)

Jacob's father, Jack, was a smooth-fielding big-league shortstop. In parts of 12 seasons (primarily spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates), he amassed more than 23 Wins Above Replacement despite sporting a 76 OPS+. It's hard to pick out which accomplishment fact is more surprising: that Wilson never won a Gold Glove Award despite his sterling reputation, or that he somehow did win a Silver Slugger Award in 2004. He also made his only All-Star Game appearance that season. Jacob probably doesn't remember it on account of being 2 years old.

2. George Lombard Jr., SS, New York Yankees (No. 26 overall)

George Lombard Sr. is currently the bench coach for the Detroit Tigers. He appeared in parts of six big-league seasons as a player, notching eight home runs and 23 stolen bases in 144 games.

3. Myles Naylor, 3B, Oakland Athletics (No. 39 overall)

Naylor has two brothers in the major leagues at this point, and they both play for the Cleveland Guardians: rookie catcher Bo and first baseman Josh. In case you were wondering, the last time three brothers appeared on the same team was in 1973, when Hector, Jose, and Tommy Cruz pulled off the hat trick with the Cardinals. Only time will tell if Myles ever links up with his kin.

4. Jake Gelof, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers (No. 60 overall)

Jake's professional career is just about to get started. Meanwhile, his older brother Zack is a second baseman in the Athletics system who should debut in the majors this year. Zack entered Monday hitting .304/.401/.529 with 12 home runs in 69 games. Oddly enough, both Jake and Zack were the 60th overall picks in their respective drafts.

5. Paul Wilson, LHP, Detroit Tigers (No. 76 overall)

Paul's father Trevor was a left-hander who started in 115 of his 169 big-league appearances. He pitched almost exclusively for the San Francisco Giants, and while he never had pretty component measures, he did finish his career with a 3.87 ERA (94 ERA+).

6. Homer Bush Jr., OF, San Diego Padres (No. 128 overall)

Homer Bush Sr. was an infielder who played in parts of seven seasons. He split that time between the Blue Jays, Yankees, and then-Florida Marlins. Bush Sr. might be best remembered as part of the trade that sent Roger Clemens to New York in February 1999.

7. Kyle Karros, 3B, Colorado Rockies (No. 145 overall)

Kyle's father, Eric, was a veteran first baseman who made appearances across 14 seasons. He won the 1992 Rookie of the Year Award with the Dodgers, and by the time he retired he had homered 284 times and received down ballot Most Valuable Player Award consideration twice. You might recall that one of Eric's other sons, Jared, was drafted by the Dodgers last year.

8. Kevin Sim, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks (No. 148 overall)

OK, perhaps it's cheating to include a player whose bloodlines connect to a foreign league. So be it. Sim's father, Jeong-Soo, hit more than 300 home runs over a 15-year career in the Korea Baseball Organization. That total includes a two-year stretch, in 2002-03, where he launched 99 home runs and collected 261 RBI as a member of the Hyundai Unicorns.

9. Connor O'Halloran, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays (No. 157 overall)

Connor's father, Greg, had a cup of coffee as a member of the '94 Marlins. He appeared in 12 games, entering each one as a pinch-hitter, and tallied two hits in 11 at-bats.