We’re getting nearer to crunch time, with the 2024 Draft just a bit over every week away. I really like this time of 12 months as a result of I get to make use of the phrase “penultimate.”
As in, that is my penultimate mock draft of 2024. Jim Callis can have one every week from now, then we’ll each do a last projection of the highest 39 picks late Saturday night time so everybody can digest it Sunday morning earlier than the Draft festivities start in Texas at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT).
I’d like to report that we’ve obtained all of it discovered, however we’re not fairly there but. There may be undoubtedly extra intel on which gamers every workforce likes (although the Guardians nonetheless stay very, very tight-lipped). However as Jim famous in his mock final week, it’s the cash that’s largely being discovered now. That and the medical studies being digested will actually assist decide who goes the place. This week’s projection is a snapshot of the way it might go down, with hopes that we’ll have much more concrete info for that last mock proper earlier than the Draft.
The Day 1 preview present will start at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT) adopted by the Draft on MLB Community and ESPN, and can be considered on MLB.TV, MLB.com and within the MLB App.
1. Guardians: Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State (No. 1)The Guardians are rightfully doing due diligence on a reasonably big selection of gamers nonetheless, to allow them to alter as they proceed to get details about what gamers will signal for. As we mentioned on this week’s MLB Pipeline Podcast, I performed a survey of scouting administrators included on this week’s e-newsletter on who they thought Cleveland will take. Bazzana obtained 15 of the 20 votes, one of many explanation why he stays on this spot this week. However West Virginia’s JJ Wetherholt did get 4 votes, with many groups following the logic that Wetherholt will value much less, and if you happen to’re assured his hamstrings gained’t be a difficulty, there isn’t that a lot separation between the 2 infielders. Georgia’s Charlie Condon obtained the opposite vote because the notion that he gained’t take any sort of low cost continues to minimize buzz round him going on the high.
2. Reds: Charlie Condon, OF/3B, Georgia (No. 2)It feels like the controversy is continuous in Cincinnati about which faculty participant to take right here. I’m going with Condon, however Florida’s Jac Caglianone may be very a lot within the combine. Wake Forest’s Chase Burns is within the dialog in the event that they’re taking a look at pitching, with Arkansas lefty Hagen Smith not utterly out of that image both.
3. Rockies: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida (No. 3)I’m going in response to chalk right here, the highest three gamers going within the high three spots. It does look like the hitters are within the lead, although Burns and Smith (in that order) are nonetheless being mentioned. The Rockies may additionally kick the tires on slicing a take care of one of many faculty hitters projected to go extra in the course of the primary spherical, somebody like Oklahoma State’s Carson Benge.
4. A’s: Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M (No. 8)Whereas that is probably Bazzana’s flooring (and touchdown spot if he doesn’t go 1-1), he’s off the board on this state of affairs. That leaves the A’s to take a look at different faculty choices with Montgomery, Wetherholt and Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz the bats and Burns and Smith the arms into account.
5. White Sox: JJ Wetherholt, SS/2B, West Virginia (No. 4)If he doesn’t go No. 1, this could possibly be an excellent touchdown spot for the center infielder, although the White Sox are additionally digging into Kurtz, Smith and Burns on the faculty aspect together with the highest two highschool hitters — Konnor Griffin and Bryce Rainer.
6. Royals: Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest (No. 7)Whereas there’s nonetheless the chance the Royals go for one of many faculty arms right here, with Smith having the sting over Burns, Kurtz’s legit huge league energy may be an excessive amount of for them to cross up and would get to Kansas Metropolis quicker than one of many prep bats out there they could even be contemplating.
7. Cardinals: Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas (No. 5)This appears to be a spot the place faculty arms land, although they could nonetheless be desirous about one of many faculty bats taken above, with Smith getting the sting over Burns this week.
8. Angels: Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest (No. 6)The Angels have gone with the “fast to the large leagues” faculty hitter the previous two Drafts within the first spherical, and so they might nonetheless try this and lower your expenses with among the hitters you’ll see beneath. Nevertheless it may be very onerous to look previous Burns’ frontline starter potential, and he additionally won’t take lengthy earlier than being able to get huge league hitters out.
9. Pirates: James Tibbs, OF, Florida State (No. 12)In the event that they wish to go the highschool hitter route, the Pirates will certainly think about Griffin or Rainer right here. They’ll additionally think about Tennessee’s Christian Moore as a substitute faculty bat and East Carolina right-hander Trey Yesavage ought to they shift focus to a school pitcher.
10. Nationals: Bryce Rainer, SS, Harvard-Westlake, Calif. (No. 10)Whereas Rainer actually might go larger than this, it looks as if he wouldn’t go a lot past right here as the highschool scouts appear to really feel has the perfect pure hit instrument. It’s actually not out of the query that the Nats go along with the toolsy Griffin, permitting Rainer to go subsequent.
11. Tigers: Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Jackson Prep, Miss. (No. 9)It is a spot that retains getting highschool buzz, with a robust likelihood they’ll take whichever of the highest prep bats remains to be out there. It’s additionally the primary spot highschool lefty Cam Caminiti has been talked about.
12. Purple Sox: Christian Moore, 2B, Tennessee (No. 13)The Purple Sox would like it for one of many dozen gamers chosen above to succeed in them, and let’s face it, that normally occurs. However on this state of affairs, Moore seems to be the perfect of the following group that may be very college-hitter heavy. Boston may additionally have a look at Florida State’s Cam Smith from that demographic or Yesavage from the faculty arm bucket.
13. Giants: Cam Caminiti, LHP, Saguaro HS, Ariz. (No. 15)This connection is made so typically it’s nearly unimaginable to imagine it, however there’s curiosity for positive. They might additionally have a look at Yesavage or one of many remaining faculty bats like Smith, Benge, North Carolina’s Vance Honeycutt or LSU’s Tommy White.
14. Cubs: Trey Yesavage, RHP, East Carolina (No. 11)The Cubs look like leaning faculty right here, with the arm getting the nod for proper now over hitters like Smith, Honeycutt and Wake Forest’s Seaver King.
15. Mariners: Seaver King, 3B/OF, Wake Forest (No. 17)This could possibly be the tip of the three-year run of highschool hitters taken by the Mariners within the first spherical, however King could possibly be the selection in the event that they nonetheless need a bat. It could possibly be debate within the Draft room between him and Mississippi State switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, whereas Illinois prep right-hander Ryan Sloan remains to be within the combine.
16. Marlins: Cam Smith, 3B, Florida State (No. 14)The Marlins are nonetheless sending out faculty hitter vibes with Smith being thought of together with Benge and Kentucky’s Ryan Waldschmidt. In the event that they shift to arms, it sounds prefer it could possibly be Cijntje from the faculty set or Sloan in the event that they go along with a excessive schooler as they did final 12 months.
17. Brewers: Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina (No. 22)Extra faculty bats right here, with Honeycutt and Benge having an edge proper now over White.
18. Rays: Carson Benge, OF, Oklahoma State (No. 18)Sticking with the theme right here, with Benge the selection over Waldschmidt. Cijntje and Sloan are additionally within the combine.
19. Mets: Slade Caldwell, OF, Valley View HS, Ark. (No. 27)This has lengthy been one other faculty hitter touchdown spot, and so they nonetheless might think about hitters like Mississippi State’s Dakota Jordan or Kansas State’s Kaelen Culpepper, however there’s extra buzz that issues may be leaning towards highschool hitting, with Caldwell becoming a member of prep shortstops like Theo Gillen or Kellon Lindsey atop their board. Caldwell may solely be 5-foot-9, however the Mets haven’t shied away from undersized prep bats previously (see Williams, Jett).
20. Blue Jays: Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Kentucky (No. 23)The Blue Jays favor a hitter on this spot and wouldn’t be upset if one of many ones simply taken slips all the way down to them. Waldschmidt may lead a pack that features White and Sam Houston catcher Walker Janek.
21. Twins: Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Kansas State (No. 31)So many faculty hitters, with the Twins probably favoring Culpepper or Tennessee third baseman Billy Amick over somebody like White on this spot.
22. Orioles: Caleb Lomavita, C, California (No. 33)It’s potential the O’s would love for Lomavita to be out there with their subsequent choose at 32, however he won’t be there, so we’ll give him the sting over the opposite faculty hitters nonetheless out there or pitchers like Cijntje or Iowa’s Brody Brecht.
23. Dodgers: William Schmidt, RHP, Catholic HS, La. (No. 16)The Dodgers seem to need an arm right here, and there’s some inner help for Schmidt, the top-ranked highschool right-hander in our Prime 250. Brecht could possibly be the selection in the event that they go for a university pitcher.
24. Braves: Brody Brecht, RHP, Iowa (No. 21)The hard-throwing Brecht will get the nod over Cijntje from the faculty pitching sector. If they need a highschool pitcher, California prepster Braylon Doughty’s identify comes up fairly a bit right here.
25. Padres: Ryan Sloan, RHP, York HS, Sick. (No. 19)Possibly it’s too straightforward to fit in a excessive schooler right here because the Padres (as each Jim and I’ve stated quite a few instances) have gone that route with their final eight first-rounders. However I’m doing it anyway, with the Padres in a position to select from a bunch that features Sloan, Doughty and lefty Kash Mayfield on the pitching aspect and Lindsey or Gillen among the many hitters.
26. Yankees: Jurrangelo Cijntje, RHP/LHP, Mississippi State (No. 25)This could possibly be a terrific state of affairs for the Yankees, who sound like they do favor an arm and like Cijntje. They might additionally think about Doughty on the prep aspect, stick at Mississippi State with Jordan or go to LSU and White in the event that they go for a university hitter.
27. Phillies: Tommy White, 3B, Louisiana State (No. 20)The Phillies have taken excessive schoolers within the first spherical 4 years in a row, however might this 12 months break the streak? A spirited dialog over a university bat like White vs. highschool hitters like Gillen and Lindsey or a prep arm like Mayfield or Doughty will probably happen.
28. Astros: Theo Gillen, SS/2B, Westlake HS, Texas (No. 28)Proper now, a prep infielder like Gillen might need the sting over the faculty catchers (Janek and Stanford’s Malcolm Moore) or an infielder like Amick.
29. D-backs: Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford (No. 26)The D-backs have plenty of picks developing right here and might combine and match how they please. Left-handed-hitting catchers are sometimes a scorching commodity and Moore’s identify does pop up all around the finish of the primary spherical and sandwich spherical.
30. Rangers: Walker Janek, C, Sam Houston (No. 24)The three faculty catchers might go in any order within the again half of the primary spherical, and each Lomavita and Janek’s names pop up in conversations even larger than that.
31. D-backs: Kellon Lindsey, SS, Hardee Senior HS, Fla. (No. 29)32. Orioles: Billy Amick, 3B, Tennessee (No. 32)33. Twins: Wyatt Sanford, SS, Independence HS, Texas (No. 35)34. Brewers: Griff O’Ferrall, SS, Virginia (No. 38)35. D-backs: Kash Mayfield, LHP, Elk Metropolis HS, Okla. (No. 30)36. Guardians: Braylon Doughty, RHP, Chaparral HS, Calif. (No. 36)37. Pirates: Bryce Meccage, RHP, The Pennington College, N.J. (No. 51)38. Rockies: Dakota Jordan, OF, Mississippi State (No. 34)39. Royals: PJ Morlando, OF, Summerville HS, S.C. (No. 43)
