2024 MLB Draft Thread

[Pendleton]

[John_Havok]

Bit early for this thread isnt it?

[Laika]

never too early

[John_Havok]

never too early

 

What an excellent debate.

 

Interesting that of those 3 mentioned only 1 was a SS, you dont typically see alot of 1b and 2b guys super high in the rankings.

[Jimcanuck]

Bit early for this thread isnt it?

 

2024 picks are avail for trade in dynasty, one needs to know draft strength

 

Better debate?

[connorp]

One project that would be good, the kind of project AG does, would be to determine who the best fantasy drafter here is. It’d need to be based on per pick, to account for guys like me dealings picks

[Jimcanuck]

One project that would be good, the kind of project AG does, would be to determine who the best fantasy drafter here is. It’d need to be based on per pick, to account for guys like me dealings picks

 

Get some Adderal and get to work

[Laika]

What an excellent debate.

 

Interesting that of those 3 mentioned only 1 was a SS, you dont typically see alot of 1b and 2b guys super high in the rankings.

 

If you look at college draftees only, you sort of do

 

a) some of the best athletes don't go to college

you get these 1B and 2B hitters with big sample sizes of crushing the ball and the offense really slides them up

[Spanky99]

If you look at college draftees only, you sort of do

 

a) some of the best athletes don't go to college

you get these 1B and 2B hitters with big sample sizes of crushing the ball and the offense really slides them up

 

Bingo.

[Spanky99]

BA's top 100 spects listing, I'll just drop the top 25...

 

100 players

Expand all

Collapse all

1. Nick Kurtz

1B

 

Ht: 6'6" | Wt: 230 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: 20

 

School: Wake Forest. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.4

The towering 6-foot-5 Kurtz followed up his outstanding freshman season in which he hit .338 with 30 extra-base hits with an even better sophomore campaign. He hit .353 with 10 doubles, 24 home runs, and had an impressive 63-to-50 walk-to-strikeout ratio. His long levers and advanced bat-to-ball skills make Kurtz perhaps the most difficult hitter in the country to pitch to, and he can barrel the baseball no matter where it’s thrown. On top of his appealing offensive profile, Kurtz is a plus defender at first base and moves well enough to the point where he could hold down a corner outfield spot.

 

2. Travis Bazzana

2B

 

Ht: 5'9" | Wt: 170 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: null

 

School: Oregon State. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.9

Over the last two seasons, Bazzana has established himself as one of the premier hitters in college baseball. As a rising freshman, he tore up the West Coast League to the tune of a .429 average to go along with 18 doubles and five triples. This past spring was reminiscent of Bazzana’s WCL performance, as he hit .374 with 20 doubles, 11 home runs, and 36 stolen bases in 39 attempts. Bazzana’s bat-to-ball skills and approach have always been advanced, but this season he was noticeably more physical which translated to serious impact. He has a line-drive oriented swing and hammers the baseball to all fields. Bazzana is also an elite athlete, plus runner, and great defender on the dirt. His love for the game is evident, and he brings an infectious energy that rubs off on anyone with whom he shares a dugout

 

3. JJ Wetherholt

2B

 

Ht: 5'10" | Wt: 190 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: West Virginia. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.9

Wetherholt had a strong 2022 season for West Virginia, but played like one of the best hitters in the country during his followup sophomore season in 2023. He led the nation in hitting, slashed .449/.517/.782 with 16 home runs and 23 doubles, and also added 35 stolen bases—tied for 11th in the country. Following the season Wetherholt played with Team USA, where he once again stood out as a hitter who has plenty of strength in his hands and forearms with a filled out, 5-foot-10, 190-pound frame.

 

4. Vance Honeycutt

OF

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: North Carolina. Commit/Drafted: Giants ’21 (20)

Age At Draft: 21.2

Honeycutt is a dynamic athlete who was one of the most impressive freshman hitters in the country in 2022, when he put together a 25/25 season, with 25 home runs and 29 stolen bases. A 6-foot-3, 205-pound center fielder, Honeycutt has the speed, athleticism and instincts to be a plus defender and he brings impressive raw power to the table, though he has yet to hit over .300 in a single season and will need to prove his pure hitting ability in 2024. He did make strides as a sophomore by cutting his strikeout rate from 29.7% to 20.4%, though his overall 2023 production was lacking compared to his debut season.

 

5. Brody Brecht

RHP

 

Ht: 6'4" | Wt: 205 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Iowa. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.8

Brecht arrived at Iowa as a dual-sport athlete and he spent his freshman fall as a wide receiver on the football team, and his spring as a reliever on the baseball team. His arm talent was evident, but he struggled at times and walked 9.9 hitters per nine innings. While Brecht’s walk rate was still a bit high this spring, he worked a 3.74 ERA and collected 109 strikeouts as Iowa’s Friday starter. His fastball averages 97.5 mph and tops out at 101. This season it had a 28% miss rate, but his best offering is a hellacious, high-80s slider that had a whiff rate of 53%. Brecht’s combination of athleticism and stuff is second-to-none, giving him one of the highest ceilings of any player in the 2024 draft.

 

6. Tommy White

3B

 

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 242 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Louisiana State. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.4

After an historic freshman year at North Carolina State in which White hit .362 with 27 home runs, he opted to enter the transfer portal and would eventually end up at LSU. White did not miss a beat, again turning in a spectacular season. While some were projecting a dip in production against SEC pitching, White somehow improved upon his freshman year numbers and hit .374 with 24 doubles, 24 home runs, and a whopping 105 RBI. He is a physical player with electric hand speed, but what sets White apart is his bat-to-ball skills. He has an in-zone contact rate of 87%, including 92% against sliders, and he pulverizes the baseball to all fields. Although there are some questions where White might end up defensively, his bat alone warrants a top-10 selection.

 

7. Jac Caglianone

1B

 

Ht: 6'5" | Wt: 217 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: 20

 

School: Florida. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.4

A Golden Spikes award semifinalist after a sensational 2023 season, Caglianone is a tooled up lefthander and slugging first baseman who led the country with 33 home runs and also posted a 4.34 ERA as a weekend starter for the Gators. He has double-plus raw power and averaged 95 mph from the left side, though he needs to refine both his offensive approach and control on the mound. Caglianone is an aggressive hitter who expands the zone frequently, and he was exposed late in the season against a higher concentration of premium arms in the college world series. He has upside as great as anyone in the class, though scouts will want to feel more confidence in his pure hitting chops.

 

8. Konnor Griffin

OF

 

Ht: 6'4" | Wt: 210 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: null

 

School: Jackson Prep, Flowood, Miss.. Commit/Drafted: Louisiana State

Age At Draft: 18.2

As a freshman in 2022, Griffin led his high school team to a state title. After the season ended, Griffin announced that he was reclassifying from the 2025 to the 2024 class, making him the No. 1 high school player for 2024. This spring, he led Jackson Prep to another state championship, hitting .537/.636/.951 in 107 plate appearances with nearly more home runs (8) than he had strikeouts (9). Griffin excels both as a position player (at shortstop and center field) as well as on the mound, with an electric package of athleticism, physical upside, tools and ability to hit in games. He has a long, strong and high-waist frame with broad shoulders and more space to continue adding strength. Even as one of the younger 2024 players, his tools already stack up among the best in the class. He’s a bouncy athlete with plus-plus speed and a plus arm that could tick up to become a 70 tool. At the plate, Griffin sets up with his hands crunched behind his head, then is able to fire them through the zone with some of the best bat speed in the country. He makes hard contact that shows up as home run power in games, with raw power that should be at least plus once he fills out. Griffin’s offensive approach is advanced for his age as well, leading to high contact rates and typically strong game performance, both in terms of getting on base and hitting for power. He’s able to make athletic plays at shortstop with good body control for his size. With a chance for several tools that could be 60s or 70s down the road, Griffin is a standout position player, but he also has significant upside on the mound. He is already into the low 90s and has the physical projection to be throwing in the mid-to-upper 90s by draft time.

 

9. Chase Burns

RHP

 

Ht: 6'4" | Wt: 195 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Wake Forest. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.5

Burns was a flamethrowing high schooler back in the 2021 class, and he touched 100 mph before he set foot on campus. Scouts wondered about his control, and there might still be some reliever risk for Burns, but he put together back-to-back strong seasons for the Volunteers with a strikeout rate north of 30% and a walk rate between 7-8% both seasons—mostly in a starting capacity before piggybacking behind righthander Chase Dollander late in the 2023 season. Burns averaged 96 mph on his fastball and has been up to 102, with a wicked, upper-80s slider that makes hitters consistently look silly.

 

10. Mike Sirota

OF

 

Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 180 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Northeastern. Commit/Drafted: Dodgers ’21 (16)

Age At Draft: 21.1

Sirota has one of the most tantalizing toolsets of any player in the 2024 draft, and he has true five-tool upside professionally. He has a proven track record with wood, as across 37 Cape Cod League games hit .312 with 10 extra-base hits. Sirota exploded this spring and hit a career-best .346 and set new career-highs in home runs (18), RBI (54), and stolen bases (19). He has an uber-projectable 6-foot-3, 187-pound frame and is an extremely twitchy athlete. In the box, Sirota has lightning-fast hands and advanced barrel sense. His speed and athleticism bode well in centerfield where he is able to track down balls in either gap and cover ample ground. Sirota profiles to stick at the position professionally and has 20 home run, 20 stolen base upside.

 

11. Derek Curiel

OF

 

Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 175 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: null

 

School: Orange (Calif.) Lutheran HS. Commit/Drafted: Louisiana State

Age At Draft: 19.2

Curiel has an ease of operation to his game that stands out at the plate and in the field. He has a calm, balanced swing that’s quick, fluid and direct to the ball with good bat control and strike-zone discipline. His contact rate stacks up among the best in the 2024 class with good plate coverage and a knack for going with where the ball is pitched to use the whole field. Curiel has a wiry frame that he has started to add strength to, which has helped him generate more bat speed and extra-base damage at times. It’s his on-base skills that stand out more than his power, but he drives the ball well during BP, and there could be another uptick in power once he fills out and learns which pitches to try to drive for pull-side damage in the air. He’s a plus runner with an easy stride, gliding around in center field with good instincts, efficient routes and an average, accurate arm.

 

12. Owen Paino

SS

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 200 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: 17

 

School: Roy C. Ketcham HS, Wappingers Falls, N.Y.. Commit/Drafted: Mississippi

Age At Draft: 18.6

Paino stands out immediately for his size as a 6-foot-3, 205-pound shortstop. Yet it’s Paino’s polish, instincts and smooth, easy operation that stand out more than just his physicality. Paino has a relaxed, balanced swing from the left side, starting with a simple lower half load before turning the barrel with a smooth, compact swing. He tracks pitches well, controls the strike zone and stays behind the ball well with good bath path, leading to frequent contact and a true all-fields approach. There are times where Paino will show some swing-and-miss on fastballs up in the zone, but he has a knack for being on time and barreling balls in games. Paino doesn’t have the elite bat speed of some of the other premium players in the 2024 class, but with his size, there’s obvious strength projection to grow into more power, though his strength as a hitter now leans more toward his on-base skills. Paino’s maturity and high baseball IQ are evident at the plate and in the field. He’s a below-average runner underway, but he has a quick first step and reads the ball well off the bat. If Paino does physically outgrow shortstop, he could be a plus defender at third base with the offensive game to fit well there, but right now he has the actions, instincts and body control for shortstop, where his hands and feet work well and his internal clock helps him slow the game down. For a bigger-bodied shortstop, he ranges well to all angles and finishes plays with a strong arm.

 

13. Braden Montgomery

OF

 

Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 201 | B-T: S-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: (Transfer Portal). Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.3

A recent entrant into the transfer portal, the 6-foot-2 Montgomery heads into the 2024 season as one of the most decorated names in the country. In 2023, Montgomery cut down on the swing-and-miss and refined his approach which paid serious dividends. After posting a minuscule 6.5% walk rate in 2022, Montgomery improved it to over 16% this spring. He hit .336 with 14 doubles, 17 home runs, and 61 RBI in 64 games. Montgomery has plus raw power and a borderline 80-grade throwing arm which will allow him to stick in right field long term. While his future is absolutely on the grass, Montgomery can be used for an inning or two at a time out of the bullpen where he features a riding fastball that tops out at 98 mph.

 

14. PJ Morlando

OF

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 200 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: null

 

School: Summerville (S.C.) HS. Commit/Drafted: South Carolina

Age At Draft: 19.2

Morlando is arguably the most dangerous offensive threat in the 2024 class thanks to an excellent combination of contact skills, plate discipline and power. A gold medalist on the USA 18U national team that won the U-18 World Cup Americas Qualifier in Mexico in Nov. 2022, Morlando has elite bat speed, which along with his strength and leverage in his swing generates the best lefthanded power for any 2024 hitter. It’s plus raw power with the bat speed and physical projection for more to come, giving him a chance to be a 30-plus home run threat. The way Morlando is able to generate that power is especially impressive and allows it to translate in games. He doesn’t have many moving parts to his swing, setting up with a wide base and a simple lower half load, keeping his head locked in to help him track pitches well. He has quiet hands before unleashing a tight, compact and pretty swing with clean, fluid path through the hitting zone, enabling him to punish the ball for extra-base damage to all fields with easy, explosive pop. Morlando has shown the ability to barrel mid-90s velocity with the plate coverage to hammer fastballs in any part of the zone and is especially effective on fastballs up. The best chance for hitters against Morlando is to try to get him to swing through soft stuff down and away, but he’s a patient hitter who will take his walks. Morlando has a catching background, but he is an outfielder and first baseman now. He has improved his speed and athleticism over the last couple of years to become an average runner. Morlando is capable of handling an outfield corner and has the glove skills to turn into a quality defender at first base as well, though it’s his offensive game that will drive his value.

 

15. Michael Mullinax

OF

 

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 190 | B-T: S-R

 

Age: 18

 

School: North Cobb Christian HS, Kennesaw, Ga.. Commit/Drafted: Georgia

Age At Draft: 19

Mullinax has an exciting combination of athleticism, tools and a strong offensive track record, especially for a player who projects to play in the middle of the field. He has strong legs and quick-burst athleticism, accelerating in a hurry into plus-plus speed in center field. His plus arm from a long, winding arm stroke is another asset for him in the outfield. Mullinax is a power/speed threat who makes some of the hardest contact in the 2024 class with plus raw power that shows up in games. Mullinax has developed an arm bar swing from both sides of the plate, but his explosiveness has helped make it work for him against live pitching. He takes consistent quality at-bats too, typically staying within the strike zone with good bat-to-ball skills.

 

16. Malcolm Moore

C

 

Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 210 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: 19

 

School: Stanford. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21

Moore was one of the best pure hitters in the 2022 high school class, but he made it to campus where he was a freshman All-American after hitting .311/.386/.564 with 15 home runs and 20 doubles in his first season with Stanford. Moore made the roster with Team USA after the season, and while he employs a unique, open setup at the plate, he has tons of bat speed and raw power from the left side. He has a strong throwing arm, but is more of a bat-first catcher currently.

 

17. Seaver King

SS

 

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Wake Forest. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.2

A 6-foot, 190-pound middle infielder, King is a twitchy righthanded hitter who dominated the competition in his first two seasons with Division II Wingate (N.C.). As a sophomore in 2023, King hit .411/.457/.699 with 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases, then he tore up the Cape Cod League for nine games before joining Team USA in Cary, N.C. King is one of the biggest summer risers in the class and has an exciting combination of athleticism, bat speed, contact skills and defensive actions that should allow him to stick on the left side of the infield. He is transferring to Wake Forest for the 2024 season.

 

18. Charlie Condon

1B

 

Ht: 6'6" | Wt: 211 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Georgia. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.3

A big and physical outfielder and first baseman with a 6-foot-6, 211-pound frame, Condon was named Baseball America’s freshman of the year after he led all freshman hitters with an .800 slugging percentage and hit 25 home runs. He’s a power-over-hit offensive profile with long levers and some swing-and-miss issues against spin and off-speed, but he’s got big raw power and averaged nearly 94 mph in exit velocity in his first college season.

 

19. Hagen Smith

LHP

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 215 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: 19

 

School: Arkansas. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 20.9

Smith was a talented lefthander in high school, though he missed his senior year after recovering from Tommy John surgery. In two seasons with Arkansas, Smith has been an effectively wild starter with big stuff but dicey control from outing to outing. Overall he’s posted a 4.17 ERA with a 30% strikeout rate and a 13.4% walk rate in 149 innings. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound lefthander averaged 93 mph in 2023 and has been up to 98, and he has a plus, low-to-mid-80s slider.

 

20. Bryce Rainer

SS

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 185 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: 18

 

School: Harvard-Westlake HS, Los Angeles. Commit/Drafted: Texas

Age At Draft: 19

With a long, rangy frame, Rainer has a good mix of hitting ability and big lefthanded power that plays in games and should tick up even more as he fills out, with the potential to be a 25-plus home run threat. Rainer is an advanced hitter for his age with a fast, fluid swing, usually staying within the strike zone and using the whole field with a knack for hanging in well against lefties. Rainer has spent time at shortstop and third base, with his size and range fitting best at third. He’s a good athlete with a plus arm that could climb to a 70 tool as he gets stronger. Rainer didn’t pitch in 2022, but he has been back on the mound in 2023, showing a fastball up to 94 mph with feel for both a breaking ball and lively changeup, so he would be a legitimate pitching prospect as well.

 

21. Jacob Cozart

C

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 205 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: North Carolina State. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.5

Cozart is a well-rounded catcher with solid bat-to-ball skills, lefthanded power and defensive actions behind the plate. He took a step forward with the Wolfpack in 2023 and hit .301/.392/.546 with 10 home runs and 14 doubles, and after the season was one of the most impressive players at USA Baseball’s college national team trials—though he wasn’t picked for the final roster.

 

22. Anthony Silva

SS

 

Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 19

 

School: Texas Christian. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21

Silva received plenty of draft interest out of high school, but instead took his talents to Fort Worth to suit up for the Horned Frogs. He enjoyed an excellent freshman season in which he hit .330 with 11 doubles, seven home runs, drove in 50 runs, and stole 17 stolen bases. Silva was one of the focal points of a high-powered TCU offense, but where he really shined was on the dirt at shortstop. He demonstrated the ability to move well in either direction, and was comfortable coming in on the baseball. Silva’s throwing arm grades out as average or a tick above, but he has the actions and frame to stick at shortstop professionally.

 

23. Jonathan Santucci

LHP

 

Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 205 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: 20

 

School: Duke. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.6

While his 2023 season was cut short due to injury, Santucci still was able to show off his ability to be an effective starter. He pitched his way to a 4.30 ERA and struck out 50 in 29.1 innings pitched. The 6-foot-2 southpaw has an easy, repeatable delivery and a three-pitch mix. Santucci saw an uptick in velocity this year, and his fastball topped out at 96 mph with an average of 93.3. It has riding life and explodes out of his hand, leading to a 30% miss rate. Santucci’s slider is his best secondary offering, and is a pitch that he is comfortable throwing to both right and lefthanded hitters. It is a plus pitch and had a 51% miss rate this season. Santucci’s changeup also has the makings of a potential plus pitch with late tumble and fade.

 

24. Cameron Smith

3B

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 221 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: null

 

School: Florida State. Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.4

Smith came into the 2023 season with significant buzz following a monster fall in which he established himself as an every-day member of the Seminoles’ lineup. He showed flashes of plus raw power and showed the ability to defend well at third with a plus arm, but swing and miss issues hindered the freshman’s production. This summer Smith has thrived in the Cape Cod League, and is currently hitting .323 with seven doubles, a pair of triples, and four home runs. His approach has improved drastically, and it is clear that he is far more comfortable in the box with refined pitch recognition skills. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds Smith already has a big league body and given his range and plus throwing arm, will be able to stick at third.

 

25. Cade Arrambide

C

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 17

 

School: Tomball (Texas) HS. Commit/Drafted: Louisiana State

Age At Draft: 18.8

Arrambide has established himself as the clear No. 1 catcher in the 2024 class. On the defensive side, Arrambide has just about everything scouts want to see for a catcher his age. He’s strong but loose, flexible and an athletic, agile mover behind the plate. He receives well, does an outstanding job of blocking balls and is elite at controlling the running game as well. He has a plus-plus arm with clean, efficient throwing mechanics, getting rid of the ball with exchange times on par with the top catchers in the big leagues. His pop times in games are regularly under 1.9 seconds and get into the low 1.7-second territory. The attributes are all there for Arrambide to develop into a plus-plus defender, and while it’s his work behind the plate that stands out the most, Arrambide can also do damage in the batter’s box. He has performed at a high level in games with a power-over-hit profile. He has quick hands, a pull approach and a swing geared to lift the ball with above-average raw power. There is some swing-and-miss to his game that he will have to keep in check, but he has a chance to be a 20-25 home run hitter.

[Terminator]

Looks like we have pick 20.

[Spanky99]

Looks like we have pick 20.

 

22, no?

[Terminator]

22, no?

 

https://www.tankathon.com/mlb

 

That says pick 20

[L54]

Ross is gonna pull an Angels and draft the closet ETA player available

[Spanky99]

https://www.tankathon.com/mlb

 

That says pick 20

 

I read on Pipeline we pick 22, hang on...

 

https://www.mlb.com/news/2024-mlb-draft-lottery-odds?t=mlb-draft-coverage

[Krylian]

Split the difference. We pick 21.

[Stangstag]

I read on Pipeline we pick 22, hang on...

 

https://www.mlb.com/news/2024-mlb-draft-lottery-odds?t=mlb-draft-coverage

 

Bah god that’s Marcus Stroman’s music

[Spanky99]

Bah god that’s Marcus Stroman’s music

 

lol

[Pendleton]

[John_Havok]

 

A physically underdeveloped high schooler... who is now 6'6" 216 at 20 years old. That's a timely growth spurt

[Pendleton]

[P2F]

Hagen Smith is appointment viewing

[Pendleton]

Hagen Smith is appointment viewing

 

[Spanky99]

Jays select at 20, I'll post the top 30 by BA as of the 24th...

 

 

 

1. Charlie Condon

OF

 

Ht: 6'6" | Wt: 211 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Georgia

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.3

 

A big and physical outfielder and first baseman with a 6-foot-6, 211-pound frame, Condon was named Baseball America’s freshman of the year after he led all freshman hitters with an .800 slugging percentage and hit 25 home runs. His 2023 season was one of the best seasons in Georgia history and led to an invite to Team USA’s college national team, where he hit .256/.302/.538 with three home runs in 10 games. Condon has a power-over-hit offensive profile with long levers and some swing-and-miss questions about spin and off-speed stuff, but he’s shown more than enough impact ability with huge raw power and averaged nearly 94 mph in exit velocity as a freshman. Most of his power has gone to the pull-side, but he should have the power for all-fields juice and while he played first base mostly as a freshman, he could get looks in the outfield for the Bulldogs in 2024. Condon is already viewed as one of the better sluggers in the class—a strong followup campaign as a draft-eligible sophomore will only cement that status.

 

2. Travis Bazzana

2B

 

Ht: 5'9" | Wt: 170 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: null

 

School: Oregon State

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.9

 

Bazzana has done nothing but hit since his college career kicked off, and is now viewed as one of the premier hitters in the 2024 class. Before he got to campus at Oregon State, the Australian native played in the West Coast League where he slashed .429/.471/.593 with 18 doubles and 18 stolen bases. He has hit over .300 in both of his seasons with Oregon State, enters the 2023 season as a career .340/.463/.549 hitter with the Beavers and during the 2023 summer won the MVP award in the Cape Cod League where he ranked as the No. 1 prospect of the field. A 6-foot, 197-pound lefthanded hitter and second baseman, Bazzana has an unusual looking swing with a deep bat tip behind his shoulder, a sizable leg kick and a flat path, but his contact skills are excellent and he pairs that with an advanced approach and standout swing decisions. He’s made contact at a 79% overall rate in two seasons with Oregon State, and hammers the ball on a line to all fields. Bazzana has improved his power year over year thanks to added physicality, though most of his home run power goes to the pull side in games. Defensively, he is a strong athlete and above-average defender at second base, though when he throws he has a tendency to drop down to a fully sidearm slot, which could create some questions moving forward. Bazzana is a plus runner with great instincts on the bases and has gone 50-for-56 (89.3%) in his college career.

 

3. Jac Caglianone

1B / LHP

 

Ht: 6'5" | Wt: 217 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: 20

 

School: Florida

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.4

 

In terms of pure talent, it will be hard for any player in the 2024 class to match what Caglianone brings to the table. A 6-foot-5, 245-pound lefthanded hitter and lefthanded pitcher, Caglianone led the country with 33 home runs during the 2023 season as a middle-of-the-order hitter behind Wyatt Langford and also posted a 4.34 ERA as Florida’s Sunday starter in 74.2 total innings. He has gargantuan raw power that earns double-plus grades currently, with the bat speed and strength projection to get to top-of-the-scale grades in the future. On the mound, he averaged 94-95 mph last spring and can get his fastball up to 99 mph. Given his natural tools and ability, Caglianone has perhaps the highest pure upside in the class with legitimate two-way potential in pro ball, but his flaws on both sides of the ball give him wide error bars and also make him a polarizing prospect in the industry. Caglianone’s swing is lengthy and steep, which helps him put the ball in the air frequently, but also leads to holes that pitchers can exploit. His 18% career strikeout rate with Florida is actually quite tame, and more than reasonable for a 30+ home run hitter, but his overall swing decisions and chase rates (44% between the 2022 and 2023 seasons) need to improve in order for him to maximize his power against pro pitching. On the mound, Caglianone is a below-average strike thrower who will need to improve his fastball command and his consistency with a slider and changeup to profile as a starter.

 

4. Chase Burns

RHP

 

Ht: 6'4" | Wt: 195 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Wake Forest

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.5

 

Burns was a flamethrowing high schooler back in the 2021 class, and he touched 100 mph before he set foot on campus at Tennessee. Scouts wondered about his control, and there might still be some reliever risk for Burns, but he put together back-to-back strong seasons for the Volunteers with a strikeout rate north of 30% and a walk rate between 7-8% both seasons—mostly in a starting capacity before piggybacking behind righthander Chase Dollander late in the 2023 season. Burns transferred to Wake Forest for the 2024 season when he will be part of one of the deepest pitching staffs in the country. He has averaged 96 mph on his fastball in college, touched 102 and has shown an upper-80s slide that makes hitters look silly and grades as plus. Burns also has a firm changeup around 90 mph but he has thrown it less than 5% of the time.

 

5. Braden Montgomery

OF / RHP

 

Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 201 | B-T: S-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Texas A&M

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.2

 

Montgomery is a 6-foot-2 outfielder and righthanded pitcher who is more than capable of contributing on both sides of the ball in college, but has greater upside as a hitter in pro ball. He spent his first two seasons with Stanford and made significant strides with his approach year-over-year. After posting a 6.5% walk rate as a freshman in 2022 that figure jumped to 16% in 2023 and he slashed .336/.461/.611 with 17 home runs and 14 doubles. Montgomery is a better hitter from the left side but has some swing-and-miss tendencies as both a lefty and a righty. His greatest tool is a borderline 80-grade throwing arm which affords him a prototypical right field profile and has manifested on the mound with a fastball that has been up to 97-98 mph. He transferred to Texas A&M for his 2024 draft season, where he is expected to contribute as an everyday outfielder, hitter in the middle of the lineup and occasional hard-throwing reliever.

 

6. Hagen Smith

LHP

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 215 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: 20

 

School: Arkansas

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 20.9

 

Smith was a talented lefthander in high school who threw seven no-hitters during his senior season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Despite that dominance, he made it to campus at Arkansas where Smith has been an effectively wild starter with big stuff but dicy control. Through two seasons Smith has posted a 4.17 ERA in 149 innings with a 30% strikeout rate and a 13.4% walk rate. Smith has a solid pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds and now sits around 93 mph with a fastball that has touched 98. His best pitch is a slider in the 82-85 mph range that has hard breaking action and plus potential. He also throws an upper-80s changeup that needs a bit more refinement. Smith has some effort and recoil in his delivery which creates some reliever risk, but he has some of the most electric arm talent from the left side in the class.

 

7. Nick Kurtz

1B

 

Ht: 6'6" | Wt: 230 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: 20

 

School: Wake Forest

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.4

 

One of the most well-rounded offensive players in the 2024 class, Kurtz is a towering, 6-foot-5, lefthanded hitting first baseman who has been a lethal middle-of-the-order presence in Wake Forest’s lineup since the day he stepped on campus. He went from 15 home runs as a freshman to 24 in his sophomore season, and is a career .345/.499/.708 hitter with the Demon Deacons, while posting a 16.8% strikeout rate and 21.2% walk rate. Kurtz has long levers, but pairs advanced bat-to-ball skills with a surprisingly compact swing and a savvy batting eye. His swing decisions lead infrequent chases out of the zone, though the length of his levers and his bat speed allows him to to get the barrel to all parts of the zone—making him tough to beat. He has plus raw power and has homered to all fields throughout his college career, and in the 2023 season he posted a strong 108.9-mph 90th percentile exit velocity. Kurtz is a strong defender at first base and has a chance for plus defensive upside at the position, thanks to impressive body control and better athleticism than is typical for the position. He is an average runner underway and because of that teams might be inclined to try him in a corner outfield position at the next level.

 

8. JJ Wetherholt

2B

 

Ht: 5'10" | Wt: 190 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: 21

 

School: West Virginia

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.9

 

Wetherholt is one of the most advanced pure hitters in the 2024 class, and after a solid freshman campaign with West Virginia in 2022 he turned in one of the best offensive seasons in the country in 2023. He led the nation in hitting and slashed .449/.517/.782 with 16 home runs, 23 doubles and 35 stolen bases. After the season Wetherholt played with Team USA where he again looked like the best hitter in the field and ranked as the top prospect on the roster. A 5-foot-10, 190-pound lefty-hitting second baseman, Wetherholt has a clean and fluid lefthanded swing with a slightly uphill bat path and plenty of hand speed through the zone. He handles velocity and secondaries equally well and does a nice job recognizing pitches out of the hand and tracking the ball to the plate, with no clear holes to exploit offensively. While his contact skills and pure hitting ability stand out first and foremost (he had an 85% overall contact rate in his first two seasons with WVU), Wetherholt also has above-average power that plays to all fields. He’s filled out with lots of strength in his wrists and forearms with a heavy barrel that has a knack for finding the baseball and a home run spike from 2022 to 2023 came after he put the ball in the air with more frequency. He dealt with a hamstring injury during the 2023 summer, but is an above-average runner when healthy and is a fine, if not flashy, defender at second base. West Virginia has said it intends to try him at shortstop this spring.

 

9. Konnor Griffin

OF / SS

 

Ht: 6'4" | Wt: 210 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: null

 

School: Jackson Prep, Flowood, Miss.

 

Commit/Drafted: LSU

 

Age At Draft: 18.2

 

As a freshman in 2022, Griffin led his high school team to a state title. After the season ended, Griffin announced that he was reclassifying from the 2025 to the 2024 class, making him the No. 1 high school player for 2024. Griffin excels both as a position player (at shortstop and center field) as well as on the mound, with an electric package of athleticism, physical upside, tools and ability to hit in games. He has a long, strong and high-waist frame with broad shoulders and more space to continue adding strength. Even as one of the younger 2024 players, his tools stack up among the best in the class. He’s a bouncy athlete with plus-plus speed and a plus arm that could tick up to become a 70 tool. At the plate, Griffin sets up with his hands crunched behind his head, then is able to fire them through the zone with some of the best bat speed in the country. He makes hard contact that shows up as home run power in games, with raw power that should be at least plus once he fills out. Griffin’s offensive approach is advanced for his age as well, leading to high contact rates and typically strong game performance, both in terms of getting on base and hitting for power, though he had just a lukewarm showing during the 2023 showcase period. Griffin is able to make athletic plays at shortstop with good body control for his size. With a chance for several tools that could be 60s or 70s down the road, Griffin is a standout position player, but he also has significant upside on the mound. He is already into the low 90s and has the physical projection to be throwing in the mid-to-upper 90s by draft time.

 

10. Trey Yesavage

RHP

 

Ht: 6'4" | Wt: 225 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: ECU

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.0

 

Yesavage made the back end of the BA 500 out of high school in the 2021 class thanks to a fastball that had touched 96 but fairly raw aspects in his game otherwise. He pitched out of the bullpen for ECU in 2022 and transitioned to a starting role in 2023 when he was one of the best pitchers in the American Athletic Conference. In 14 starts and 76 innings Yesavage posted a 2.61 ERA with a 33.9% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate—which was a significant improvement from the 17.2% mark he posted the previous year. Listed at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Yesavage has a fastball that averages 94 mph and has been up to 98, and he also mixes in a firm mid-80s slider, a power curveball in the low 80s and a low-80s changeup he deploys more against lefthanded hitters.

 

11. Bryce Rainer

SS / RHP

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 185 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: 18

 

School: Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif.

 

Commit/Drafted: Texas

 

Age At Draft: 19.0

 

Rainer is one of the most advanced two-way players in the high school class, and is a legitimate day one draft talent as both a shortstop and righthanded pitcher. Listed at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Rainer has a long and rangy frame with a solid mix of hitting ability, power and defensive actions. He has a sound approach at the plate and could project for 20-plus more home runs as he continues to fill out, though his swing can get lengthy and he will need to make more contact to get to that power projection. He’s a fluid defender with double-plus arm strength in the infield, though he’s big enough that he might slide over to third base in the future. While Rainer has spent more of his high school career as a hitter and shortstop, some scouts prefer his pro upside on the mound. He has a remarkably easy delivery and clean operation and throws 95-96 mph fastballs with shocking ease. Rainer also spins an above-average curveball in the 79-83 mph range with impressive depth, has flashed a low-80s changeup and has a chance for above-average control with more reps. He’s committed to Texas but could be the fifth first-round pick out of Harvard-Westlake in the bonus pool era: joining Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jack Flaherty, Max Fried and Lucas Giolito.

 

12. Vance Honeycutt

OF

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: North Carolina

 

Commit/Drafted: Giants ’21 (20)

 

Age At Draft: 21.2

 

Honeycutt is a dynamic athlete who was one of the most impressive freshman hitters in the country in 2022, when he put together a 25/25 season, with 25 home runs and 29 stolen bases. A 6-foot-3, 205-pound center fielder, Honeycutt has the speed, athleticism and instincts to be a plus defender and brings impressive raw power to the table, though he has yet to hit over .300 in a single season and will need to prove his pure hitting ability in 2024. He did make strides as a sophomore by cutting his strikeout rate from 29.7% to 20.4%, though his overall 2023 production was lacking compared to his debut season. In terms of toolset, athleticism and defensive profile, Honeycutt is one of the most appealing all-around profiles in the 2024 draft class, but without any significant wood bat track record he’ll need to instill confidence in his pure hitting chops in 2024.

 

13. Caleb Lomavita

C

 

Ht: 5'11" | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 21

 

School: California

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.7

 

Lomavita is a 5-foot-11, 200-pound catcher who has developed a strong reputation as a hitter with surprising athleticism for a catcher in two seasons with California. He is a career .292/.355/.507 hitter who went from seven home runs in 2022 to 16 home runs in 2023 and has also been a strong hitter with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League. Lomavita has spent two summers with Cotuit and in the combined 49 games he has slashed .323/.364/.460 with four home runs and 10 doubles. While Lomavita is a catching prospect through and through, he is fast and athletic enough to play the outfield and he has turned in plus run times. He has above-average arm strength and has steadily improved as a receiver behind the plate as well. Lomavita’s well-rounded game and toolset place him in first round contention entering the spring, and he can solidify that status by showing a bit more all-fields pop, cutting his miss rates against secondaries and improving his defensive chops.

 

14. Seaver King

OF

 

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Wake Forest

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.2

 

A 6-foot, 190-pound middle infielder, King is a twitchy righthanded hitter who dominated the competition in his first two seasons with Division II Wingate (N.C.). As a sophomore in 2023, King hit .411/.457/.699 with 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases, then he tore up the Cape Cod League for nine games before joining Team USA in Cary, N.C. He continued to impress scouts during the summer with Team USA and also slashed .424/.479/.542 in a 16-game stint with Harwich in the Cape Cod League. King has the defensive ability to play all over the infield and has spent time in center field with Wake Forest, where he could be a solid-average or better defender. He enters the 2024 spring season as one of the biggest risers in the class, and if he can maintain his offensive production in the ACC while adding some clarity to his future defensive home he has a chance to be selected inside the first 10 picks.

 

15. Kaelen Culpepper

SS

 

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 185 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 21

 

School: Kansas State

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.6

 

Culpepper is a 6-foot, 190-pound physical freak who had a standout sophomore season for Kansas State. After slashing .283/.356/.428 as a freshman in 2022, Culpepper hit .325/.423/.576 in 2023 with 10 home runs and earned an invitation to Team USA’s college national team, where he was one of the better hitters on the club. He has electric bat speed with present strength that leads to solid power to the pull side, though with a wood bat he’s more likely to be a line drives and doubles hitter than an impact home run threat. Culpepper is an above-average defender at third base, but he is expected to slide over to shortstop in 2024 and should have the athleticism, quickness and hands to stick there. His arm is more than enough for either position on the left side of the infield, and it’s at least plus with plenty of velocity and carry across the diamond. Culpepper is an above-average runner and instinctual base stealer. In a draft class that’s lacking in first round shortstops, Culpepper could fill the void at a coveted demographic.

 

16. Cam Smith

3B

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 215 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Florida State

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.4

 

Smith came into the 2023 season with significant buzz following a monster fall in which he established himself as an every-day member of the Seminoles’ lineup. He showed flashes of plus raw power and showed the ability to defend well at third with a plus arm, but swing and miss issues hindered the freshman’s production. Smith had a great summer in the Cape Cod League and addressed some of those concerns by hitting .347/.406/.575 with six home runs and 12 doubles and showing a more advanced approach and better contact ability against all pitch types. Smith has a big league body now at 6-foot-3, 221 pounds and his plus throwing arm should give him a chance to stick at third if he can improve his glovework and throwing accuracy.

 

17. James Tibbs

1B / OF

 

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 205 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: 21

 

School: Florida State

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.8

 

Tibbs is a stocky, 6-foot, 201-pound outfielder and first baseman who has been a productive power hitter everywhere he’s been. In his first two seasons with Florida State, Tibbs slashed .321/.444/.622 with 27 home runs and in a 2023 summer in the Cape Cod League he showed power with a wood bat and homered six times in 40 games while slashing .303/.390/.472. Tibbs’ power comes with plenty of swing and miss, but despite some contact questions he does a nice job with his swing decisions and has managed a more than respectable 16.4% walk rate with FSU. Tibbs played first base in 2023, but he played corner outfield over the summer and might get more time in left or right with the Seminoles in 2024.

 

18. William Schmidt

RHP

 

Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 180 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: null

 

School: Catholic HS, Baton Rouge, La.

 

Commit/Drafted: LSU

 

Age At Draft: 18.8

 

Few pitchers in the country have the ability to spin the ball like Schmidt. At 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, Schmidt has a starter look and projectable pitcher’s build with long limbs and significant room to pack on weight. That projection has already started to come through. After topping out around 91 a few years ago, Schmidt now sits in the low 90s and has been up to 95 mph. What sets him apart from his peers is a 77-79 mph hammer curveball with 12-to-6 shape and fantastic life. The pitch has huge spin rates in the 2,700-3,000 rpm range and it has depth, sharp biting action and more control than you would expect of a prep curveball with that sort of movement. It’s viewed as one of the best overall breaking balls in the class. Schmidt’s fastball/curveball combo is his bread and butter, but he has shown some feel for an upper-70s changeup. He has day one draft upside but is committed to LSU.

 

19. Malcolm Moore

C

 

Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 210 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Stanford

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.0

 

Moore was one of the best pure hitters in the 2022 high school class, but he made it to campus where he was a freshman All-American after hitting .311/.386/.564 with 15 home runs and 20 doubles in his first season with Stanford. After the season Moore played with Team USA. Now a draft-eligible sophomore, Moore is expected to be one of the first college catchers off the board thanks to exceptional power potential and a chance to stick behind the plate. He is solidly a bat-first catching prospect who has a 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame and employs a unique, extremely open setup at the plate before using a few toe taps in his load to get back to a neutral stance. He has tons of bat speed and raw power, though most of his homers have gone to the pull-side and straightaway center. He has some swing-and-miss questions against secondaries in particular and the significant movement that happens in his load could lead to timing issues against pro pitching as well. Moore has a strong throwing arm that could be plus, but he needs to refine his receiving and blocking to stick at the position long term.

 

20. Billy Amick

3B

 

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 210 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 21

 

School: Tennessee

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.7

 

Amick logged just 19 at-bats as a true freshman in 2022, but exploded in 2023 to the tune of an eye-popping .413 average with 17 doubles, 13 home runs, and 63 RBI in 46 games. A righthanded hitter with a 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame, Amick has a simple setup at the plate with a minimal load, but has serious strength in his forearms and really gets the barrel moving through the strike zone. He consistently extends well through the baseball, which enables him to drive the ball with authority to all fields. After spending his first two seasons with Clemson he transferred to Tennessee for the 2024 season where he figures to be the team’s everyday third baseman.

 

21. Tommy White

3B

 

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 242 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: LSU

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.4

 

After a historic freshman year at NC State in which he hit .362 with 27 home runs, White entered the transfer portal and moved to LSU where he didn’t miss a beat and turned in another sensational season while helping power the Tigers to a College World Series championship. The 6-foot, 236-pound third baseman is one of college baseball’s premier sluggers. Between two seasons he has hit .368/.429/.740 with 51 home runs and 36 doubles. White is physical with huge raw power and electric hand speed that allows him to homer to all fields. What makes him particularly dangerous to opposing college pitchers are his standout bat-to-ball skills. He has an overall 75% contact rate as a college hitter, but an 85% in-zone contact rate and connects against all pitch types equally well. He loves to swing the bat and will expand the strike zone with an aggressive chase rate, which is perhaps the lone offensive question mark scouts have when projecting him in pro ball. White is a fine enough college third baseman but scouts expect him to make the shift over the diamond to first base at the next level, which will place more strain on his hitting chops. Even with a right-right first base profile, White has a chance to warrant a top-10 selection.

 

22. Walker Janek

C

 

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 21

 

School: Sam Houston State

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.8

 

Janek is a well-rounded catcher who has earned a reputation as one of the better catch-and-throw backstops in the country, while also hitting .304/.403/.507 combined in his first two seasons with Sam Houston State. A 6-foot, 190-pound backstop, Janek has a prototypical catcher’s build and looks the part behind the plate. He presents the ball well and sets up comfortably and athletically and employs a one-knee setup with a kickstand left leg frequently. He moves well laterally and has soft, deft hands and centering ability while blocking, and also has a quick and efficient transfer on throws. He has plus arm strength and gets rid of the ball quickly with solid accuracy, and will turn in 1.85-second pop times in games. Between his first two seasons at Sam Houston State and a 2023 stint in the Cape Cod League, Janek has thrown out 27.3% (33-for-121) of baserunners. Offensively, Janek sets up with a crouched and spread stance. He shows power to the pull side and is a low ball, fastball hitter who needs to improve his production vs. spin. His bat can get in and out of the zone quickly and he’ll expand the zone a bit too often, though he has solid contact skills and has still managed a 10%+ walk rate. Janek is a solid runner for a catcher and has all the tools to stick at the position and be an above-average defender there.

 

23. Carson Benge

OF / RHP

 

Ht: 6'1" | Wt: 184 | B-T: L-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Oklahoma State

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.5

 

Benge missed the 2022 season with Oklahoma State while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he hit and pitched in 2023 for the Cowboys. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound righthander posted a 6.69 ERA and struggled with control through 10 starts and 35 innings, but he also slashed .343/.466/.535 with seven home runs, 17 doubles and more walks than strikeouts as a hitter. Benge has been up to 96 mph on the mound and throws a curveball, slider and changeup. His bat speed and pull side power as a lefthanded hitter might give him greater upside as a position player and he has the speed and arm strength to play all three outfield positions—though the industry will continue scouting him on both sides of the baseball.

 

24. Cam Caminiti

LHP

 

Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 205 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: null

 

School: Saguaro HS, Scottsdale, Ariz.

 

Commit/Drafted: LSU

 

Age At Draft: 17.9

 

Caminiti ranked as the No. 3 player in the 2025 class, then in June 2023 he announced he was reclassifying into the 2024 class. Caminiti has two-way talent, but what he does on the mound separates himself from the pack. He boasted loud velocity from a young age and has been touching 96 mph since he was 16 years old and does it from a lean, 6-foot-2, 205-pound pitcher’s frame. Caminiti throws with an easy and fluid operation and has a bit of a crossfire landing. His best pitch is a low 90s fastball that misses plenty of bats, and he’s also flashed both a slider in the upper 70s with sweeping shape and more of a top-down curveball in the mid 70s. Both pitches are inconsistent and need more power and he tends to miss arm side or not get fully on top of them. Caminiti’s 81-84 mph arm-side fading changeup looks like a solid fourth offering in the works. There are some adjustments that need to be made, but Caminiti’s athleticism, frame, arm talent and feel for pitching point to high-upside starting potential. He is committed to LSU.

 

25. Dakota Jordan

OF

 

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 215 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Mississippi State

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.2

 

Jordan is a powerful athlete with otherworldly bat speed that leads to tremendous raw power and some of the best exit velocity numbers in the country. Jordan was a notable prep prospect out of high school, when he was also a three-star football player, but he made it to campus at Mississippi State where he slashed .307/.397/.575 with 10 home runs and nine doubles in his 2023 freshman season. He has significant contact questions and will need to improve on the 25% strikeout rate he posted in his first college season, but he did walk at a solid 13.6% clip and he also managed a 112.6-mph 90th percentile exit velocity—which is one of the better marks you’ll see in college. Now a draft-eligible sophomore for the 2024 season, Jordan’s athleticism and power offer unique upside potential.

 

26. Jonathan Santucci

LHP

 

Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 205 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: 21

 

School: Duke

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.6

 

Santucci is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound lefthander with a solid trio of pitches that could be above-average or better, though his innings in college have been limited. He split time as a reliever and starter as a freshman in 2022 and missed all but seven starts in 2023 after a season-ending injury. In his 70.1 total innings with Duke Santucci has a 4.22 ERA, 35% strikeout rate and 11.7% walk rate. His velocity took a step forward in 2023 before he went down with injury, and he averaged 93 mph with his fastball and touched 96. The heater explodes out of his hand with above-average riding life and generated a 30% miss rate in 2023. He pairs it with a low-80s slider that has plus potential and a mid-80s changeup with nice late tumbling action and fade. Santucci has first-round arm talent—he just needs to put together a fully healthy 2024 season, prove his starting role and log more innings.

 

27. Slade Caldwell

OF

 

Ht: 5'9" | Wt: 170 | B-T: L-L

 

Age: null

 

School: Valley View HS, Jonesboro, Ark.

 

Commit/Drafted: Ole Miss

 

Age At Draft: 18.1

 

One of the younger players in the class, Caldwell has a small frame but is strong for his size with some of the more polished game skills in the country. The 5-foot-9, 182-pound lefthanded hitter has a smaller strike zone that he’s able to use to his advantage with some of the best plate discipline in the 2024 high school class. He’s a patient hitter, but when he does swing, he has short levers to the ball, accelerates his hands quickly with an accurate barrel that leads to a high contact rate and strong on-base skills. He was one of the most consistent in-game performers during the 2023 showcase season, and is a plus-plus runner whose high-level instincts for the game show up in center field and on the bases. Caldwell is committed to Ole Miss but there are some scouts who think he fits as a first rounder despite his smaller size.

 

28. Kellon Lindsey

SS / OF

 

Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 175 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: null

 

School: Hardee HS, Wauchula, Fla.

 

Commit/Drafted: Florida

 

Age At Draft: 18.8

 

Lindsey quickly became one of the most fascinating pop-up players in the class during the spring as a lean righthander hitter with a 6-foot, 175-pound frame and standout athleticism. He’s a two-sport athlete who threw for 1,200+ yards and 13 touchdowns with Hardee High before moving to the baseball field and showing tremendous improvement as a hitter and defender at shortstop. Lindsey is an 80-grade runner who was previously expected to move to center field where he had a chance to be an above-average defender, but scouts now think he can stick at shortstop at the next level. As a hitter, Lindsey has quick hands and bat-to-ball skills that give him a chance to profile as a top-of-the-order hitter even if he doesn’t develop above-average power. He’s a Florida commit but has serious day one and potentially first round upside.

 

29. Drew Beam

RHP

 

Ht: 6'4" | Wt: 208 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 20

 

School: Tennessee

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.4

 

Beam established himself as one of college baseball’s most reliable starting pitchers in his first two seasons with Tennessee. In 32 starts and 160.1 innings, the 6-foot-4, 208-pound righthander posted a 3.20 ERA with a 22.5% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate. He has a starter’s frame and deep pitch mix that includes five different pitches, though he primarily relies on a fastball, curveball and changeup. He averages 93-94 mph on the fastball and has been up to 98 and he does an excellent job moving the pitch around the zone to set up the rest of his arsenal. His 78-82 mph curveball is his go-to swing and miss pitch and has above-average potential, as does his mid-80s changeup. Beam has also mixed in a slider and a cutter. He has a prototypical starter build and above-average command that should make him one of the safer college pitching options in the 2024 class.

 

30. Ben Hess

RHP

 

Ht: 6'5" | Wt: 215 | B-T: R-R

 

Age: 21

 

School: Alabama

 

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted

 

Age At Draft: 21.9

 

Hess is an imposing 6-foot-5, 255-pound righthander who was in the middle of a strong 2023 season with Alabama before it got short thanks to injury. In his 36.1 innings he pitched his way to a 3.22 ERA with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 49-to-8. Hess features a mid-90s fastball that has been up to 99 and has two secondaries with above-average potential. His mid-80s slider is his best breaking ball and it features two-plane break and plenty of depth. He also has confidence in a mid-80s changeup with ample arm-side fading life and has mixed in the occasional mid-70s downer curve, though the slower breaking ball is not used frequently as his other pitches. With a deep pitch mix, durable frame and easy delivery Hess has the makings of a solid mid-rotation arm.

Edited April 26, 2024 by Spanky99

[Pendleton]

Jays select at 20, I'll post the top 30 by BA as of the 24th...

 

We've struck out on those types of guys in the past (can't really recall the last true leadoff type hitter this org has developed?) but I still like the sounds of #s 27/28, Caldwell and Lindsey.

[Spanky99]

ARTICLEDRAFT

MLB Mock Draft 2024 Version 2.0: Updated Picks For Every Team

April 22, 2024

 

Welcome to MLB Mock Draft V 2.0 and our second in-season mock draft of the 2024 class.

 

The college season is more than halfway finished and the draft itself is roughly three months away. That’s still plenty of time for more movement and for players to jump up boards, though things are starting to solidify—at the top of the class at least.

 

The general feeling around the industry is that there’s a fairly clear-cut group of eight players at the top of the class with all of the same names in some order or another. Here’s that group in the order we’ll have them in our draft update coming later this week:

 

Top 2024 MLB Draft Prospects

Charlie Condon, OF, Georgia

Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State

Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida

Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest

Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M

Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas

Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest

JJ Wetherholt, 2B, West Virginia

 

The first name after this grouping is almost always Mississippi prep shortstop and outfielder Konnor Griffin. There are scouts who would happily throw him into the first tier. Others have him as the next man up, but on the outside looking in.

 

The top of the class looks better today than it did entering the season. But most scouts still view the 2024 class overall as lacking.

 

“It’s definitely below average,” said one scout. “No brainer below average. I guess if you cut the draft off after the top 10 picks it would be a good draft.”

 

There are 20 teams who will need to figure things out beyond the top 10. It seems fairly wide open in that range. Many scouts expect a run on college hitters thanks to a below-average class of high school players and a college pitching demographic that’s simply not performing as expected outside of the top two arms plus ECU righthander Trey Yesavage.

 

For now, here’s our best projection of how the first round could play out as of April 22.

 

1. Guardians — Charlie Condon, OF, Georgia

Condon has done nothing to weaken his grip on the top spot in the class after the first 39 games of the season. He still leads the country in homers at 26, is the only qualified D-I hitter with a slugging percentage north of 1.000 and through 39 games is slashing .483/.584/1.119 with some of the best batted-ball data in the class.

 

Condon’s still-projectable frame and shockingly real defensive versatility are perhaps separators from the other top college bats in the class. I can’t think of a real reason to get cute with another name at this pick on April 22.

 

It’ll be interesting to see how Condon is selected on the position front. He is most likely to land in a corner outfield spot, but has a legitimate chance to play third base and (less likely) center field in pro ball. Does a team try to get the most defensive value out of him? Or will they let him stand in an outfield corner in order to give his bat the path of least resistance to the bigs?

 

 

2. Reds — Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida

Caglianone has emerged as Condon’s biggest threat to the home run crown, which is not surprising in the least considering his immense raw power and the fact that he led all D-I hitters in the category last year. He put together a nine-game homer streak this month and is currently hitting .401/.495/.854 with 23 home runs. Caglianone has only doubled twice, which means 23 of his 25 extra-base hits on the season have been homers.

 

He’s doing all of this while still maintaining a strikeout rate less than 10%, which is a significant step forward from his freshman and sophomore seasons. Caglianone’s chase rate is still among the highest of first-round bats, but his overall contact rate and in-zone contact rate has been reassuring.

 

Caglianone and Condon will face off in the final weekend of SEC play from May 16-18. There will surely be plenty of heavy hitters from each of the top-five teams in to watch the two.

 

3. Rockies — Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest

Burns and Arkansas lefthander Hagen Smith are still the top two arms in the class. There’s not much separating the two. Burns leads the country with 113 strikeouts, but Smith has a narrow edge with strikeout rate. Both have elite pure stuff to provide top-of-the-rotation upside.

 

Burns’ last two outings have not been great by his standards but he’s still managed eight strikeouts in both outings and on the season he has posted a 3.19 ERA in 62 innings with a 46.3% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate. With a pair of 70-grade pitches and two more that are solid, it would be quite easy to make a case for Burns as high as No. 1 depending on your philosophy with pitching prospects.

 

 

4. A’s — Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State

Bazzana “falls” to No. 4 in this mock though it’s tough to get a gauge on how teams line up the top tier bunch beyond Condon at this point. Bazzana could be the best pure hitter in the class. He is an up-the-middle defensive player who should maintain that status in the long run. He is second in the country behind Condon with a .992 slugging percentage and 1.590 OPS and is slashing .439/.598/.992 with 19 home runs and eight stolen bases.

 

At the same time, he offers less projection and upside than players like Condon and Caglianone provide, though his combination of contact skills, swing decisions and added pop this spring make him a fairly complete and well-rounded hitter.

 

5. White Sox — Braden Montgomery, OF/RHP, Texas A&M

Montgomery’s name comes up most frequently after the first four players listed in front of this pick. He has continued to put up a monster season in his first year in the SEC. He’s hitting .376/.518/.906 with 22 home runs, a 21% walk rate and a 15.4% strikeout rate.

 

His top-end exit velocities are among the best in the class. Montgomery has the physicality and tools to supplement his performance numbers and batted ball data under the hood. If you wanted to nitpick him you could say that his contact skills aren’t quite at the level of the other hitters around him—though he’s neck and neck with Caglianone here—but he has consistently shown impressive swing decisions and on-base skills.

 

Additionally, he profiles as an above-average right fielder with a 70-grade arm. He continues to get top-five chatter though he feels closer to No. 5 than No. 1.

 

6. Royals — Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas

In terms of strikeout rate and batting average against, no pitcher in the country has been as dominant as Hagen Smith this spring. His 48.3% strikeout rate is tops among qualified D-I arms and so the .136 opponent average he’s posted. Smith allowed three earned runs in his first outing of the year (just one inning against James Madison) and since then he has allowed just six earned runs in 40 innings.

 

He’s currently generating a 47% miss rate on all of his pitches, sitting 94-96 with his fastball from the left side and batters are hitting just .087/.125/.152 against his slider. He’s a nightmare matchup at the moment.

 

Potential critiques include the Tommy John surgery on his resume, a walk rate that is higher than you’d like for a top-10 pitcher (10.6% this season and 12.7% for his career) and perhaps some questions about what his third pitch is going to be beyond the fastball/slider combo. Even with those, he fits as a tier-one arm in the class. It wouldn’t be shocking if he were the first pitcher off the board.

 

7. Cardinals — Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest

Kurtz was hitting under .300 for the first 25 games of the season. But if you look at his overall production he’s still managed to be one of the very best hitters in the country thanks to exceptional plate awareness and power that has surfaced in a huge way in April.

 

His 26.1% walk rate is second among D-I hitters and his 14.4% chase rate is the best of any college hitter you’ll see in this mock draft. His 17 homers are tied for ninth in the country which is perhaps not ideal for a top-of-the-draft first baseman but much more impressive when you consider he had just two homers through his first 20 games.

 

Being a first base-only profile could hold Kurtz back among the top tier players, as could his more lengthy injury history. But his offensive track record and toolset seems as safe as any in this draft class.

 

 

8. Angels — JJ Wetherholt, 2B, West Virginia

One of the players in our top tier of prospects in the class has to come off the board last and in this version it’s Wetherholt, who has simply been on the field less than anyone else. Wetherholt missed a significant amount of time dealing with a hamstring injury, but he returned to action earlier this month in a limited role as a DH.

 

The bat has been as advertised. He’s hit or walked in all 14 games this season and is slashing .326/.492/.535 with bat-to-ball ability and zone control skills that stack up with the elite hitters in these areas like Bazzana and Kurtz. If a team before this spot thinks Wetherholt is the best pure hitter in the class still—which is a perfectly reasonable claim—it’s possible a hamstring injury won’t be enough for them to pass him up.

 

If Wetherholt does make it here, he seems to fit the advanced college hitting profile the Angels have prioritized in recent drafts. He also hits the ball harder than the 6-foot-4 first baseman they drafted in the first round last year.

 

9. Pirates — Konnor Griffin, OF/SS, Jackson Prep, Flowood, Miss.

As mentioned previously, Griffin is the first name up for most scouts after the big eight group of college players. He’s done everything he’s needed to do this spring and still has perhaps the most exciting raw toolset and foundation of athleticism in the draft class. If he hits he will be as good as any prospect already off the board and better than most.

 

That if is significant though because his hit tool requires more projection and is significantly less polished than any of the bats I currently have going in front of him. The Pirates in recent years have targeted college players or more polished hitters (in the case of Termarr Johnson) with their top-10 selections so Griffin would be a change of pace for them but one that provides plenty of excitement.

 

10. Nationals — Trey Yesavage, RHP, ECU

It’s probably easier to say which pitcher is No. 3 on the board than which pitcher is No. 1 thanks to how consistent Yesavage has been this spring. He doesn’t have quite the electricity that Burns and Smith provide and some scouts might have qualms with the delivery, but it’s hard to argue with what he’s done:

 

A 1.92 ERA in 10 starts and 61 innings with a 42.8% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. Third in the country with 101 strikeouts. Third in the country with a 34.7 K-BB%. Fourth in the country with a 0.85 WHIP. One earned run or fewer in seven of 11 starts. Six or more innings in eight of 11 starts.

 

He’s posted each week and been extremely consistent all spring. While his stuff is not Burns or Smith-esque it’s plenty good with a fastball averaging 94 and touching 97 and three secondaries that are solid-average or better. Look around at the other college pitchers available and let me know what you find. That vacuum at the demographic will only benefit Yesavage on draft day.

[Spanky99]

11. Tigers — Bryce Rainer, SS/RHP, Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif.

Rainer was far and away the best player at a relatively down field of talent at USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational two weeks ago. He had all five of the hardest-hit balls of the event and has largely received unanimous positive feedback about his hitting ability and overall performance this spring in Southern California with one of the nation’s most premium high school programs.

 

He’s not a pure-polish-no-tools SoCal hitter either. His raw power projects as plus, he has a 70-grade arm now and his defensive actions will give him every opportunity to stick at shortstop and be a very good defender there. Like Yesavage on the pitching side, Rainer could benefit from the fact that the shortstop capital in this draft is below-average and fits much closer to the top 10 picks and Konnor Griffin today than he did before the season started.

 

12. Red Sox — Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina

This is around the range where the class is just wide open with little to no consensus. It does seem like Boston could be a fit for Honeycutt though, who is sort of like a college version of Konnor Griffin. The tools are excellent and his power/speed combination is probably second to none in this class, but his hit tool questions persist and he’s nearing a 30% strikeout rate for the second season in his UNC career.

 

Honeycutt is slashing .313/.419/.681 with 16 homers and 22 stolen bases and has more than 50 homers and 70 bags in his three-year career while playing an excellent center field. There’s a huge range of opinions on where Honeycutt fits but for now I’ll keep him toward the higher end thanks to his tools and premium defensive profile.

 

13. Giants — Cam Smith, 3B, Florida State

Smith continues to have an excellent followup season as a draft-eligible sophomore. He’s hitting .405/.484/.656 with significantly more contact and fewer strikeouts than his 2023 freshman season. He also has a shot to stick at third base with big league physicality, arm strength and raw power.

 

Some scouts question how Smith’s going about his business in the box this year and wonder how it will translate to pro ball. He is more grounded in the box with less rhythm and is using an extreme opposite-field approach that has hampered his ability to get the ball in the air to the pull side and fully tap into his power. Most scouts note he has plenty of raw power in the tank and credit him for his adjustments even if they wonder how the swing will look in five years.

 

14. Cubs — Seaver King, SS/OF, Wake Forest

Like Kurtz, King started the year a bit slowly and scouts wondered whether or not his D-II success with Wingate would translate fully to the ACC. He’s figured some things out over the last few weeks though and is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak.

 

On the season he’s hitting .321/.380/.642 with 13 home runs, eight stolen bases, a 12.5% strikeout rate and a 7.5% walk rate. King expands the zone too often, but he does have a unique ability to get the barrel to all quadrants of the zone and outside of it and still drive the ball hard. His exit velocities could separate him from other middle infielders in the college ranks. Some scouts have also been impressed with the defensive ability he’s shown at shortstop this spring.

 

15. Mariners — James Tibbs III, 1B/OF, Florida State

Tibbs has received plenty of first-round buzz of late and he’s been inching closer and closer to the teens. I feel pretty bullish about him at this point because at this stage teams are going to look around and wonder where the best hitters are and that player might just be Tibbs at this stage. He’s universally praised among scouts for his feel for hitting. He’s currently slashing .396/.497/.826 with 16 home runs, 14 doubles and twice as many walks as strikeouts.

 

If he feels like a nontraditional No. 15 overall pick, it’s because he’s quite limited defensively. He will have to stick in a corner outfield spot—where he might not be a great defender—or first base. He reminds me a bit of Trevor Larnach in the 2018 draft (who went 20th overall) and in a weaker draft class that profile might go off the board a bit sooner. Ultimately, hitting is the most important tool and Tibbs has proven himself to be quite good in the batter’s box.

 

16. Marlins — Caleb Lomavita, C, California

Lomavita still seems to be the favorite to be the first catcher off the board, though I’m not confident there’s a huge gap between him and whoever is next—whether that is the bat-first Malcolm Moore or glove-first Walker Janek.

 

Lomavita could be the best blend of hitting and fielding at the position. He’s in the midst of a career-year with a .347/.419/.640 slash line, 12 homers, a 16.3% strikeout rate and 5.2% walk rate.

 

While he’s a strong athlete and likely to stick behind the dish, Lomavita is also one of the freest swingers of this first-round mock. He expands the zone far too frequently. That approach is a real question and something scouts will bear down on down the stretch to try and get the best gauge of his true hit tool as possible. His 37.2% chase rate is second only to Caglianone among college hitters in this mock and his overall 54.3% swing rate is the most aggressive.

 

17. Brewers — Tommy White, 3B, LSU

Like all players in this range of the draft White has flaws. His 2024 draft season might be the worst single-season of his career, but for a player like White that’s still a year where he’s hitting .331/.418/.601 with 13 homers and as many strikeouts as walks. Those who are lowest on White think of him as a two-tool player who doesn’t quite fit in the first round. Those highest will point to his tremendous collegiate track record, raw power and bat-to-ball skills. Ultimately, I think someone toward his higher range of outcomes will find the track record of hitting too appealing to pass up.

 

18. Rays — Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Kansas State

Culpepper might not have a carrying tool to rely on, but he’s athletic with above-average arm strength, above-average bat speed and has quietly put together a solid three-year career with Kansas State. He’s hitting .315/.397/.549 with seven homers, nine doubles and 12 stolen bases. Those highest on him see an up-the-middle athlete who can do a lot of things well and has a chance to stick at shortstop. His biggest critics might point to underwhelming batted ball data (light exit velocities and a 75% contact rate) and say he’s not going to play shortstop in the long run.

 

19. Mets — Carson Benge, OF/RHP, Oklahoma State

Benge is an exciting athlete with tools on both sides of the ball. He has big arm strength and has been up to 96 mph on the mound. As a lefthanded hitter, he has shown impressive plate discipline and contact skills this spring with perhaps a bit more power potential waiting to be unlocked at the next level. He’s only hit six home runs so far this spring—one off his seven from 2023—but has encouraging exit velocity data and raw power if he can learn how to elevate to the pull side more consistently in the future. He’s hitting .312/.433/.558 with a 16.5% strikeout rate and 18% walk rate and gets some back-half-of-the-first-round buzz.

 

20. Blue Jays — William Schmidt, RHP, Catholic HS, Baton Rouge, La.

I initially had Schmidt going off the board in the late teens, but got some pushback that might be a bit too aggressive. That makes sense to me given the industry’s tendency to slide prep righties and push college bats up the board on draft day, but I’m not sure how far the top prep arm in the class is going to last. Schmidt isn’t the sort of pitching prospect that Noble Meyer was a year ago, but he has velocity, size and elite feel to spin the baseball. His feedback this spring has been largely positive, though like every prep arm it’s easy to see him going later on an overslot deal.

[Pendleton]

[Spanky99]

 

Beast.

[Pendleton]

 

71 innings across 13 starts and he's still averaging almost two K's per inning, just incredible.