2024 MLB Draft

[Slateman]

Take Tommy Tanks this year at 10, and then we get a top 3 pick in 2025 and take Chase Shores

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Pitching-wise, I would be happy with a 2-3-4 out of Gore, Cavalli, and Gray. Even that might be pushing it

[Slateman]

Pitching-wise, I would be happy with a 2-3-4 out of Gore, Cavalli, and Gray. Even that might be pushing it

Would be nice if they turned out that way

[Natsinpwc]

Yup.

[zimm_da_kid]

Pitching-wise, I would be happy with a 2-3-4 out of Gore, Cavalli, and Gray. Even that might be pushing it

Even 3-4-5 wouldn’t be bad

[imref]

Keep an eye on Hagen Smith out of Arkansas: 63Ks in 29 innings, including 12 tonight in 6IP. MLB.com has him currently as the #15 draft prospect. Seems like a Rizzo-type guy if he's still available. Already had TJ once (in high school).

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 65 | Splitter: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 55

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The Nats had such an unproductive run of 1st round pitchers that you almost hate to get back into that, but they absolutely need to get the pitching development and production to more normal MLB levels. Irvin looks like a success but it only a back end guy / multi inning reliever. I like Rutledge, and think Henry will be a good MLB pitcher either out of the pen or less likely as a starter, but there's no potential #1 / #2 other than Sykora.

[zimm_da_kid]

Currently looking like there's a well-defined top 8 with Condon and Bazzana at the top with a mish mosh of Montgomery, Smith, Burns, Wetherholt, Caglianone and Kurtz.  At 10 we're looking at a Honeycutt (Ew no, just a college elijah green), Seaver King (would be ok with this), Santucci (also ok with this), lomavita (a catcher, but athletic enough, and hits enough, to play other positions), or a upside high schooler like griffin, morlando, or Caminiti

[Natsinpwc]

They need a college pitcher.  Someone they can plug into the rotation by the end of 2025.  Even if not huge upside.  Like they’re Aaron Nola.  Yea I know.  He was drafted 7th.  Next year you can get a guy with high upside.  Should be a higher pick. 

[imref]

BA has the Nats taking ECU's Trey Yesavage at #10.  Seems like a Rizzo guy at 6'4", 225lbs.

https://ecupirates.com/sports/baseball/roster/trey-yesavage/12895

MLB pipeline has him at #36

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/draft/trey-yesavage-702056

[JCA-CrystalCity]

IF there is a bat-only kind of college kid with power who is maybe a couple years from MLB, I'd grab him and have him play 1st. Sort of Yoyo with pull power.

[imref]

Another mock draft:

https://futurestarsseries.com/mlb-draft-mock-draft-4-0/

10. Washington Nationals
Cam Smith, 3B — Florida State
HOMETOWN: Lake Worth, FL
HEIGHT: 6-3
WEIGHT: 222
BAT/THROW: R-R

The Washington Nationals hiring Brad Ciolek away from the Baltimore Orioles should not be ignored. The Birds under Mike Elias and Ciolek have selected bats at the top of the draft with every opportunity provided to them. A bat should be expected in this spot. Smith is having a tremendous year with the stick and arguably represents the most complete college hitter on the board at 10.

This is probably the starting point for discussions on Florida State outfielder James Tibbs III as well. It’s also not out of the question Washington takes a stab at a high school bat here with guys like Griffin and Theodore Gillen checking a lot of boxes.

[NatsLSU]

I’ve cooled a good bit on Tommy Tanks. Could see him slipping to the second round now honestly. I wish we could somehow draft Jac from Florida. He would be the perfect pick. I guess give me Burns at 10.

[imref]

I’ve cooled a good bit on Tommy Tanks. Could see him slipping to the second round now honestly. I wish we could somehow draft Jac from Florida. He would be the perfect pick. I guess give me Burns at 10.

I saw a post earlier that he's now projected in the 20-30 range.

[welch]

Baseball America suggests Trey Yesavage. And then we can practice pronouncing his name.

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.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-mock-draft-2024-version-2-0-first-round-picks-for-every-team/

[welch]

And BA summarizes:

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.

[Natsinpwc]

East Carolina. I think they need a college arm. Don’t mess up Rizzo.

[zimm_da_kid]

BA has the Nats taking ECU's Trey Yesavage at #10.  Seems like a Rizzo guy at 6'4", 225lbs.

https://ecupirates.com/sports/baseball/roster/trey-yesavage/12895

MLB pipeline has him at #36

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/draft/trey-yesavage-702056

This was before mlb pipeline's update to their draft rankings.  BA did their update first.

On mlb's new list, yesavage is #11

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-great-college-home-run-chase/

Nice article on the number of mashers in college ball, with the SEC  emphasis. Baumann wries.

Condon, LaViolette, and Montgomery are engaged in a historic five-player home run chase. As recently as 2015, Andrew Benintendi of Arkansas wowed the country by leading Division I with 20 home runs. In 2024, 13 players ended April with at least 20 home runs.
***
My longstanding dislike for spending high picks on first basemen being what it is, these guys could be the exception that proves the rule. For starters, Condon has played more outfield than first this year, and Caglianone — in addition to having plus-plus power — is also one of the top left-handed pitchers in the draft. (I have fielded several questions about the Gators’ two-way star from a visibly sweaty Ben Lindbergh, noted Shohei Ohtani superfan and college baseball ignoramus.)

Other two with 20 (+) HRs are Lyle Miller-Green from Austin Peay and Braden Montgomery from Texas A & M. Lot of discussion of Condon and Caglione.