2024 MLB Draft Review (First Round)

Today, Sunday the 14th of July in 2024, is the day that many College and High School young men have been waiting for. It’s not so cut and dry as it was in 2023 where we knew it was going to be Crews and Skenes or vice versa (at it ended up being). The only thing known is that Travis Bazzana is probably the best hitting talent on the board, and Chase Burns is probably the best pitching talent in this year’s talent pool. Bazzana should go first overall but even that’s not a lock, just like the majority of the first round, which will come down to how much teams want to spend and what they’re looking for. Do you want the college guy who’ll be in the Majors next year or the year after? A high school kid who’ll take 4 to 5 years to develop at minimum? Most, if not all teams, will draft for who’s best on the board come their time, and not for need. I’ll take you through each of the first round picks, describing who your team just decided to put their faith in for the future.

First Round Picks

• 1. Guardians: Travis Bazzana, 2B Oregon State – Bazzana has plus power, plus defense, and a plus eye at the plate; more than your typical well-rounded prospect going into the Draft. He becomes the first Second Baseman to go number one in the MLB Draft, and could be up in the Majors as soon as next season.
• 2. Reds: Chase Burns, RHP Wake Forest – A lot of mock drafts had Charlie Condon here at number two, but after striking out 191 Batters this season, Burns’ stock skyrocketed. He projects to be a Starting Pitcher in the Major with a 4-FB/2-FB/CH/CV/SL mix. He’ll have to work on his Changeup and Command in the Minors if he wants a lethal 5-pitch arsenal, so I don’t see him in the Majors next year.
• 3. Rockies: Charlie Condon, 3B Georgia – Condon possesses MASSIVE power from the right side of the plate, and played five positions this past season (All three OF, 1B, and 3B). Condon without a doubt had the biggest bat going into the Draft, but his hit tool is still something that he’ll have to work on in the Minors, as well as figuring out which position he’ll play at the Majors (Most likely Third Base).
• 4. A’s: Nick Kurtz, 1B Wake Forest – Kurtz was a top 10 prospect going into this Draft, and comps as an Anthony Rizzo-type guy. Standing 6’5 and hitting Left-Handed with real opposite field power, which could well translate to the Majors. The only questions are about his defense, but he looks comfortable at First Base. Wake Forest walks away with the 2nd and 4th picks with more to come.
• 5. White Sox: Hagen Smith, LHP Arkansas – Smith is the type to take the route of All-Star Garrett Crochet and move up through the Minors quickly to get to the Majors in a year or two as a Reliever with his FB/CB/SL mix. The future projection is that he (hopefully) turns into a nasty Starter in the rotation. Chicago is the perfect team to pick him and run with this project. The only knock on Smith is the lack of command.
• 6. Royals: Jack Caglianone, 1B Florida – Caglianone was talked about possibly being the first overall pick, with a great contact bat and ability to Pitch along with play First Base. His ceiling comp is Bryce Harper, the worst is Joey Gallo. He CAN certainly pitch, but the Royals didn’t want to take the risk and drafted him as a First Baseman; pitching is his fallback option, if anything.
• 7. Cardinals: JJ Wetherholt, SS West Virginia – He is above average at just about every aspect as far as contact and defense (which can transfer to 2B if needed) on the field, even though he only stands at 5’10 and 190lbs. He has grit and tries harder than the next guy. This draft was always going to be very College heavy, and has been so far. He also won the 2023 Big 12 Player of the Year Award. A previous Hamstring injury is something to keep an eye on.
• 8. Angels: Christian Moore, 2B Tennessee – Another college pick, as has been the Angel’s M.O. these last few Drafts (Schanuel, Neto). In 2025, the Angels MLB infield could have their last three first round picks. He has 30HR potential, .250/.260 hitter-type. After winning the 2024 College World Series with Tennessee, he’ll look to help the Halos bring back some hardware to Anaheim.
• 9. Pirates: Connor Griffin, SS Jackson Prep HS – The first High School pick, the Bucs have on their hands a high ceiling power bat with extreme speed and a hard throwing arm (he can also pitch). The one hole that needs to be worked on is his glaring hit tool, but once the franchise can get that squared away, he’s a Tatis Jr.-type player on the field in a few years.
• 10. Nationals: Seaver King, SS Wake Forest – 21 year old 6-foot King brings immense bat speed to the plate. The best comp to King is Mookie Betts, which would be great for the Nats. He also has played multiple positions like Mookie; in the Outfield, Third Base, but he was set on being a Shortstop in the pros. Another comp for King is a slightly less powerful Corey Seager.
• 11. Tigers: Bryce Rainer, SS Harverd-Westlake HS – Bryce Rainer can also throw it 94+ on the mound, but won’t be a Pitcher in the Minors. At 19-years old, he is one the older High School talents in the pool. He’ll need time in the Minors to develop his swing, and power will come as he does have another physical jump in him. The extra height, weight and power will come in time.
• 12. Red Sox: Braden Montgomery, OF Texas A&M – Montgomery came into the Draft as a top 10 prospects, but slipped to 12 here. He is a complete physical athlete with 30+HR power as a Switch-Hitter who had an injured right leg during the Super Regionals and Texas’s run in the CWS. Starting out at Stanford, he was awarded Freshman of the Year in 2022, and transferred to Texas A&M in 2023. A somewhat risky pick with the injury history and unknowing if he’ll be a true elite Switch-Hitter in the Pros. IF he does start to struggle, going to strictly Righty as far as a hitter has been discussed by Front Offices and Scouts.
• 13. Giants: James Tibbs III, OF Florida State – One of the more polished players in the pool, you’re not looking at a slam dunk All-Star in Tibbs. He’ll provide 25HRs and play decent RF everyday while hitting from the left side. He may struggle with the left-on-left matchups in the Pros. Tibbs may be the last Blue Chip draftee, as he won the 2024 ACC Player of the Year Award.
• 14. Cubs: Cam Smith, 3B Florida State – Smith was a top 100 prospect in 2022, and made the 2nd Team All-ACC this year with Florida State. His biggest asset is the power, no doubt. However, he pounds the ball into the ground a lot as well, and sticking at Third is a question mark for the Cubs.
• 15. Mariners: Jurrangelo Cinjtje, P Missippi State – An ambidextrous pitcher, he was drafted as a RHP by the Mariners. Over the last year, he has slowly but surely started to throw less from the left side, and work on throwing from the right side. He started out as a switch-throwing Shortstop, which has now transferred to pitching. He may be remembered for his Little League World Series pitching performance in 2016. Although he says that he wishes to throw from both sides
• 16. Marlins: PJ Morlando, RF Summerville HS – This is a stunner pick, but Miami apparently cut a deal with PJ for underslot so they can pay overslot in later picks. He was seen as a later pick of the first round, 20-30’s. He does have a 30HR ceiling, and getting that power Lefty bat early on could possibly work out in the future for the Marlins.
• 17. Brewers: Braylon Payne, CF Elkins HS – Back-to-back Outfielders, this is another surprise pick at how high he went. Same as Morlando, he is probably getting an underslot offer from Milwaukee for a decent bat with comps to Sal Frelick at the plate and good defense/speed. An underslot of $2.5-3M at 17 could be the difference of getting $2-2.5 at pick 30, money talks in the Draft.
• 18. Rays: Theo Gillen, SS Westlake HS – A Texas HS kid coming up with power is seen as the best High School bat in the Draft as far as that goes, the only worry is his hit tool, and how often he’ll get on base. Outfield is a secondary position, but the Rays are signaling that they see him in the Infield. There are names (college names especially) sliding down the list as we go, but the Rays have made a good pick at spot in the First Round.
• 19. Mets: Carson Benge, RF Oklahoma State – Two-Way lefty hitter, he comps like Colton Cowser of the Orioles and Christian Yelich of the Brewers. Take away the pitching entirely, focus on hitting and playing in the Outfield entirely, he could be in the Majors in a few years.
• 20. Blue Jays: Trey Yesavage, RHP East Carolina – Yesavage was a top 10 prospect, but had a scary lung injury earlier in the season. This is surely why he slipped all the way down to the Jays, but Toronto now has a guy with an arsenal similar to Dan Haren and Michael Wacha at a low price tag. He comes in with a FB/CH/SL/CV mix with the Splitter being a devastating separating pitch that will get a lot of Strikeouts. This may be signaling that the Jays aren’t ready to move Bichette or Guerrero as he could be in the rotation next year.
• 21. Twins: Kaelen Culpepper, SS Kansas State – Culpepper led his team in multiple offensive statistics in 2024, but isn’t the strongest runner. Many people saw him as a Third Baseman, but he has made the Twins believe in his defense and ability to stick at Short in the long-term. He hit .314 with 26HR and 122RBI over his College career. He has got the quick and smooth hands that will finish double plays with ease.
• 22. Orioles: Vance Honeycutt, CF North Carolina – Honeycutt is another big college name who helped his team get to the College World Series. He’s a projected Gold Glover in the Majors, but whether or not he wins those as an All-Star or Batting Champion is to be seen. There’s speed, defense, and baseball IQ. If Baltimore figures the bat out with Honeycutt, he could be in the Majors no later than 2026.
• 23. Dodgers: Kellon Lindsey, SS Hardee HS – A two-sport player, playing Football in the Fall, he has 80-grade Speed (the best you can have), but the swing is an issue. Separating the hips and loading up will give power to the hitting, and comps are a weaker Trea Turner. The kid will steal bags, and play at Shortstop (perfect timing to take over for Mookie after his contract ends).
• 24. Braves: Cam Caminiti, LHP Saguaro HS – Another high school kid with that looked to be a third or fourth round talent, but Atlanta must’ve seen something in him. He has trouble with the breaking pitches, but if you have any team that can fix that, it’s the Braves. At 17, he won the Arizona H.S. Baseball Gatorade Player of the Year. He is also the cousin of 1996 Ken Caminiti.
• 25. Padres: Kash Mayfield, LHP Elk City HS – A 19-year old Senior, he has the possibility for plus command and plus movement. Kash was already throwing 90MPH at the age of 14 and is a two-time Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year.
• 26. Yankees: Ben Hess, RHP Alabama – Hess goes higher than most predicted at 26, but the Yankees may see him as a college arm who could be used in the Bullpen soon. He has a FB that reaches 99, Slider, Curveball, and a Changeup. This was a name most expected to see in the second round or later.a
• 27. Phillies: Dante Nori, OF Northville HS – Dante brings extreme speed to the Phillies organization, a future CF with the speed/defense. The oldest of the HS class, his raw athleticism will hopefully be developed over the years.
• 28. Astros: Walker Janek, C Sam Houston State – Solid Catcher with good arm and pop time, will stick at the position. Safest pick at Catcher, and first so far. His bat has advanced since 2022 in his Freshman year, now it’ll be time to see how he does as a Professional ballplayer.
• 29. D-Backs: Slade Caldwell, CF Valley View HS – A left-handed bat who doesn’t lack speed, but only stands at 5’6 right now. A grinder, he works on his swing and defense constantly and comps to a Sal Frelick-type of guy. Whether he’ll be a utility guy or average everyday player is his current range.
• 30. Rangers: Malcolm Moore, C Stanford – Another Catcher to wrap up the initial 30 picks! He has above average power from the left side, okay arm and fielding. His batting average lacked this past season and the contact will be the question. Can he hit? And if Catcher doesn’t work out, can he play First? Lots of questions surrounding Malcolm here at the last pick of the First Round.

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