2024 MLB Draft

[CoryTheFormerExposFan]

Luke Dickerson HS SS

[imref]

Interesting pick…a Catcher

Caleb Lomavita, Callis says he's "Probably the most athletic catcher in this draft."

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Finally, at 44, nats select a new New Jersey hs ss  luke Dickerson, likely movrs to a corner

[CoryTheFormerExposFan]

Dickerson had first round buzz…probably use the extra slot money on him.

[imref]

Draft pick scouting reports from MiLB:

Seaver King, 3B/OF/SS (Pick 10, MiLB had him at 17)

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 65 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

King starred for two seasons at NCAA Division II Wingate (N.C.), fashioning a 47-game hitting streak in 2022-23 and slashing .411/.457/.699 with 11 homers and 13 steals as a sophomore. He has proven himself with wood bats, winning MVP accolades in the Valley League in 2022 and distinguishing himself with the U.S. collegiate national team and in the Cape Cod League last summer. He has started games at four positions this spring after transferring to Wake Forest and is one of three Demon Deacons projected to go in the first round. 

King excels at putting the ball in play with a compact right-handed stroke geared for hitting line drives to all fields. He needs to improve his plate discipline, however, because he swings and chases too much, making a lot of weak contact and cutting into his walk totals. While he has added 20 pounds since arriving in college and has impressive bat speed, his approach and flat stroke may not be conducive to more than 12-15 homers per year.

With well above-average speed and solid arm strength, King is a versatile defender. He opened this season as a center fielder before settling in at third base, also seeing action at shortstop and second base. He'd have the most pro value at shortstop, though he's merely average there and would need to polish up his actions and throwing accuracy. He's solid at the other spots and may fit best in the outfield because his hands are just OK.

Caleb Lomavita, C (Pick 39, MiLB had him at 33)

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

Lomavita came out of a St. Louis High School program in Hawaii that produced such big leaguers as Jordan Yamamoto and Brandon League, but didn’t garner much pro attention in his senior season in 2021. He started making a name for himself as a freshman at Cal, then raised his profile with a .979 OPS and 16 homers as a sophomore. Hitting well for two straight summers in the Cape Cod League hasn’t hurt, making him one of the better catching prospects in the class.

Lomavita’s stock has soared as his bat potential has improved. He utilizes an unusual approach and swing mechanics from the right side, with the drop of his back leg to create a launch-oriented swing, but he routinely finds the barrel. He can drive the ball to all fields and really started to tap into his raw power in 2023 as he chased less and recognized spin better. The chase rate did creep back up this spring and Lomavita could use some approach refinement as he is a very aggressive hitter who swings at everything. He runs very well for a catcher and can steal a bag with excellent instincts on the basepaths.

While his athleticism helps him behind the plate, he’s still learning the nuances of receiving. He has plus arm strength, it would easily be a 60 arm from third base, but he’s still learning to shorten his arm stroke and quicken his release behind the plate. He could handle the hot corner or even the outfield if needed, but there’s no reason to think he can’t stick behind the dish and he was appearing to win the Northern California college catcher battle with Stanford’s Malcolm Moore.

Luke Dickerson, SS (Pick 44, MILB had him at 49th)

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

Multi-sport standouts in high school can come in all shapes and sizes … and sports. Most prospects come from the football-baseball combination. Sometimes athletes will come from the basketball court to the diamond, but Dickerson pulls off a rarely-seen trifecta. The New Jersey star was late to baseball this spring because he was busy helping his Morris Knolls High School win a state championship in hockey. He didn’t create much buzz early as a result, but he was more than making up for it with some serious helium as the season went on, positioning himself as perhaps the best prep bat in the Northeast.

A strong and athletic right-handed hitter and middle infielder, Dickerson has some exciting offensive traits. Some have seen a very good feel for the barrel and an all-fields approach that focuses on the center of the diamond. Others feel his swing is more strength-based than bat speed, but he has a short and simple swing that he repeats easily and has shown the ability to adjust to make plenty of contact. Anyone who has seen him feels there’s plenty of power for him to tap into, some of which was showing up more this spring.

With a compact and strong build that reminds some of fellow Garden State product Mike Trout, Dickerson is a plus runner with some 6.3-60 times to his credit. He has good hands and easy actions, so he could start his career at short, though some feel his arm is a touch short for the premium position. He should be able to stay up the middle, with a move to second or center field distinct possibilities. He was moving up into top few rounds conversations, with teams knowing they’ll have to sign him away from his commitment to Virginia.

[imref]

Tommy White taking his talents to Las Vegas (via Sacramento)

[aBaltoNat]

Underwhelming so far. I was hoping JJ Weatherholt was going to drop to us. Profile read on the C not super great on MLB.com....seems positionless at this point with the hope he sticks at C.

Surprised we didn't take a single P in those first three picks.

[Slateman]

Took a catcher at 39, Cam Lomavita, from Cal, and passed onTommy Tanks, who went next pick.

[imref]

first time the Nats have drafted a catcher this high.

[Lintyfresh85]

Looked up video of the catcher... and his swing looks completely normal - not sure where they get that it's unorthodox

[GataNats]

Dickerson is a stud.  Seen him play in person.  Reminds me of Betts with better speed

[aBaltoNat]

Dickerson is a stud.  Seen him play in person.  Reminds me of Betts with better speed

That's some high praise.

[zimm_da_kid]

Wouldn’t have been my pick at 10 but I still like the three picks

[Section214]

I'm excited for all three guys. It was a bummer when Griffin was taken at nine because I felt like every guy I wanted was off the board, so I didn't know who to want, but King surprised me. That doesn't mean he won't be a great player, I just didn't have him on my radar. King and Lomavita seem like guys that will move fast and Dickerson is the home run swing.

[zimm_da_kid]

Lomavita was getting pick 10-15 buzz midway through the college season

[Slateman]

Dax Whitney still there on the third round. Might be able to overslot and convince him to forgo Oregon State. Same for Joey Oakie.

[imref]

Dickerson says he's forgoing his commitment to UVA.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Dickerson might need to be paid overslot to get him out of the UVa commitment.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Dickerson says he's forgoing his commitment to UVA.

Dickerson might need to be paid overslot to get him out of the UVa commitment.

no one said he was a good negotiator

[welch]

Piling up the shortstops. Drafted two last year, and Philip Glasser deserves a promotion to AA. The other, Marcus Brown, hasn't done much. And got Kevin Made in the Candy trade. I still would have preferred Braden Montgomery.

[Slateman]

Piling up the shortstops. Drafted two last year, and Philip Glasser deserves a promotion to AA. The other, Marcus Brown, hasn't done much. And got Kevin Made in the Candy trade. I still would have preferred Braden Montgomery.

Generally, if you can play shortstop, you can play anywhere else.

[Section214]

Piling up the shortstops. Drafted two last year, and Philip Glasser deserves a promotion to AA. The other, Marcus Brown, hasn't done much. And got Kevin Made in the Candy trade. I still would have preferred Braden Montgomery.

They've moved Glasser to the OF, but yes he deserves a promotion to AA soon with how he's hitting.

[imref]

Got another catcher with the 79th pick: Kevin Bazzell out of Texas Tech. Ranked as the 55th overall prospect on mlb.com.  Law had him ranked at 35th, ahead of Lomavita.

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 45 | Run: 40 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

Bazzell impressed scouts with his bat and transition to catching as a Texas high school senior in 2021, but he went undrafted and headed to Dallas Baptist. He transferred to Texas Tech after his first semester, which required him to sit out the 2022 season, then played third base as a redshirt freshman. With Hudson White transferring to Arkansas, Bazzell is back behind the plate for the Red Raiders and has played his way into the top two rounds despite battling mononucleosis early this spring.

Bazzell repeatedly barrels balls with a controlled right-handed stroke and a disciplined, all-fields approach. He rarely swings and misses or chases pitches out of the strike zone, and he made contact 92 percent of the time that he offered at fastballs in 2023. He hits balls hard but on a low trajectory and projects to hit 15 homers per season with a healthy amount of doubles, though there's more power in there if he looks to lift pitches more often.

An underrated athlete, Bazzell has average speed but will slow down as he spends more time behind the plate. He moves well back there, should develop into at least an average receiver with more experience and has average to solid arm strength that plays up thanks to a quick release and good accuracy. He did a decent job at third base last spring and could handle filling in at any of the infield and outfield corners.

[imref]

Finally selected a pitcher at 108: Jackson Kent, lefty out of Arizona. MLB.com had him ranked at 136.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Kent was a two-sport standout at his Illinois high school, playing wide receiver, quarterback and punting for three years while pitching varsity for four years and attracting the attention of the University of Arizona. He redshirted his freshman year in 2022, then worked mostly as a reliever in his first collegiate action, racking up 41 innings. His excellent performance as a starter in the Cape Cod League served notice that he might be ready to jump on the Draft map this spring, and he’s done just that serving as a very effective Friday night starter for the Wildcats.

An athletic 6-foot-3 left-hander, Kent can come at hitters with as many as five pitches. He is throwing his fastball a tick harder these days. After averaging around 89 mph last year and over the summer, he’s been sitting comfortably in the low 90s and touching 95 this spring. His go-to secondary pitch is his changeup, which generates both swings-and-misses and ground-ball contact. He has both a low-80s slider and a mid-70s curve, with the former missing more bats, and he also folds in a cutter that is often similar to the slider.

While Kent was effective on the Cape, he did struggle with consistent strike-throwing. He’s improved that considerably this spring while handling the pressures of being the team ace. His ceiling might be somewhat limited without plus stuff, but if the gains he’s shown this year are real, he has the kind of starting pitching traits from the left side that many teams covet.

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

Not too crazy about the picks so far. But it’s also a total crapshoot so I just hope they all work out.