Jeremy Nygaard

Draft Day is finally upon us! You've found the right place to follow the day's events, and you're all invited to be a part of the conversation. This year’s draft will again feature just 20 rounds. Day 1, which begins tonight at 6 p.m. CT and can be viewed on ESPN and MLB Network, will include the first and second rounds as well as both competitive balance rounds and all compensation rounds. There will be 74 selections total. The Brewers will make four picks tonight, with the first one coming 17th overall in the first round. They will also draft 34th overall in the competitive balance round A (a pick acquired in the Corbin Burnes trade), 57th overal, and 67th overall (Competitive Balance Round B). We're excited to bring back the Brewers Draft Tracker which will be kept up-to-date not only during the draft but through the entire signing period. So keep coming back for updates! There will be a lot going on during the draft both on and off this website. We will try to make updates to the story (and add links) as things happen, so keep refreshing! Otherwise, there will be plenty of activity in the comments. This is the place to be tonight during the draft! Of course, we invite all of you to join us on tonight's livestream, which will run for the entirety of tonight's draft. The draft will continue tomorrow, Monday, with Round 3, beginning at 1 p.m. CT. View full article

It's finally here: THE MLB DRAFT. Here's everything you need to know for the next three days. When is the draft: Sunday, July 14 at 6pm (Rounds 1-2 with comp rounds; MLB.com, MLB Network and ESPN) The Brewers will have four picks on Day 1. Round Pick Slot Value Round 1 17 $4,534,100 Compensation Pick (Burnes Trade) 34 $2,698,300 Round 2 57 $1,562,100 Competitive Balance Round B 67 $1,226,800 Monday, July 15 at 1pm (Rounds 3-10; MLB.com) The Brewers will have eight picks on Day 2. Round Pick Slot Value Round 3 93 $788,700 Round 4 123 $583,400 Round 5 156 $422,900 Round 6 185 $328,700 Round 7 215 $257,400 Round 8 245 $210,700 Round 9 275 $190,900 Round 10 305 $180,400 Tuesday, July 16 at 1 pm (Rounds 11-20; MLB.com) The Brewers will have ten picks on Day 2. These picks are capped at $150,000. Any signing that exceeds $150k will have the overage count to towards the overall pool Total Bonus Pool Allocation $12,984,400 (9th in MLB). Teams are allowed to exceed their pool by up to 5% without penalty. Have more questions about the intricacies of the draft? Here is an in-depth primer on all things MLB Draft. Jamie Cameron has been doing a killer job of using around a dozen national boards and compiling them into one consensus ranking. Then those rankings are turned into a "mock draft board." It's an awesome tool. Give it a click. 2024 MLB Mock Draft Consensus Board - Brewer Fanatic BREWERFANATIC.COM Draft Articles 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Outfielders 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Prep Pitchers 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: College Pitchers 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: First Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Second Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Preview: Midwest Highlights 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Third Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Shortstops 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Catcher Mock Drafts! Mock Draft v.4.0 (Final Edition): Brewers Draft Third Baseman Mock Draft v.3.0 (Dual Edition): Brewers Pair Hitter and Pitcher Mock Draft v.2.0 (Cameron Edition): Brewers Take High Octane Arm, Backstop Mock Draft v. 1.0 (Nygaard Edition): More Slugging Infielders! Follow the Brewers pick-by-pick throughout the three-day event. The draft tracker will be updated not only with each pick, but throughout the following information with scouting reports and signing information. 2024 Milwaukee Brewers Draft Picks - Brewer Fanatic BREWERFANATIC.COM Live Coverage Saturday Twitter Space Join Jamie and Jeremy as we take a Draft Eve deep dive. Coverage begins at 8pm. Sunday LiveStream Join Jamie and Jeremy as we talk through the first day of draft. There will be guests and all sorts of draft coverage. Coverage begins 6pm. Draft Day Threads Day 1 Thread Day 2 (Coming Monday) Day 3 (Coming Tuesday) View full article

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. In this episode, Jamie and Jeremy go back-and-forth making all selections through the comp round. 0:00 Intro 1:55 Housekeeping 6:31 Final Mock Draft 7:41 Cleveland selects... 9:31 Cincinnati selects... 10:27 Colorado selects... 12:02 A's select... 13:40 Chicago White Sox select... 14:57 Kansas City selects.... 16:56 St. Louis selects.... 18:50 Anaheim selects... 20:16 Pittsburgh selects... 21:00 Washington selects... 21:55 Detroit selects... 22:46 Boston selects... 23:53 San Francisco selects... 24:30 Chicago Cubs select... 27:51 Seattle selects... 28:30 Miami selects... 30:03 Milwaukee selects... 32:15 Tampa Bay selects... 33:31 New York Mets select.. 34:54 Toronto selects... 36:25 Minnesota selects.... 41:20 Baltimore selects... 42:37 Los Angeles Dodgers select... 43:20 Atlanta selects... 44:39 San Diego selects... 45:25 New York Yankees select... 46:45 Philadelphia selects... 47:49 Houston selects... 48:52 Arizona selects... 49:53 Texas selects... 50:48 Arizona selects... 51:24 Baltimore selects... 52:45 Minnesota selects... 54:22 Milwaukee selects... 56:51 Arizona selects... 57:37 Cleveland selects... 58:47 Pittsburgh selects... 59:42 Colorado selects... 1:01:04 Kansas City selects... You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Ok, ok… we know that you can’t trade draft picks. Well, except for just a few, you can’t trade draft picks. That doesn’t mean you can’t manipulate your bonus pool in such a way to operate like you’re trading draft picks. And maybe that’s an approach the Brewers should consider taking this year. Image courtesy of © Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports Teams do this to some extent each year. They draft seniors and sign them for tiny bonuses, planning to reallocate their funds to higher draft picks to pay them more money. That’s the biggest difference between the MLB Draft and the NFL and NBA drafts. In those drafts, pick bonuses are hard-capped. If you’re drafted earlier, you’re making more money. Sure, you can nitpick and say the NBA has a scale that goes 20% above to 20% below the value, so Knicks draft pick Pacome Dadiet will make less than the guy who was drafted after him. And that the NFL draft picks always get hung up on “offset” language, which could eventually change the bottom line for some. But the drafts on a whole are apples and oranges. I’m not going to get too deep into the minutiae of everything. It would get wordy, and you’d lose interest. Instead, I’m going to give you a few examples of how teams have done this in the past. The first example I can remember is the Royals in 2013. Drafting 8th overall and possessing the 34th pick (the first of the competitive-balance round), the Royals had money to play games. They drafted Hunter Dozier with the eighth pick, who was considered a back-half of the first-round guy, at best. Dozier signed for a bonus of $2.2 million, below his slot allotment and more in line with what the 16th or 17th pick would get. In essence, they traded down. They now had extra money to spend, or “trade up.” When top-10 talent Sean Manaea continued to fall and eventually went to the Royals with the 34th pick, he was signed for $3.55 million. That bonus fell in line with what the 6th pick would get. You might ask, why didn’t they just draft Manaea first and Dozier second? Well, Dozier may have been gone. And then you would say, “Well, they didn’t know Manaea would still be there.” And that’s where I’d argue with you. He was floating hefty bonus demands that no team would have the money to meet before the Royals came back on the clock. I also think that, due to some hip issues that Manaea had been experiencing, there was some doubt about his health, and there was less of a risk in matching Manaea up with that lower pick in case something showed up in his physical and he didn’t sign. The Royals would still have the extra money from signing Dozier to throw at later guys. They did draft and not sign four guys in the last 10 rounds who became major leaguers. They would have been the likely beneficiaries of Manaea not signing. Another, more recent example is the Cubs in 2022. Their selection of Cade Horton seventh overall was met with more than a few raised eyebrows. He was considered a first-round prospect, but this was too high. His under-slot bonus of $4.45 million was very close to slot for the 13th pick. Ah, a “trade back.” The result was a “trade up” from 47th, where they drafted Jackson Ferris, another first-round talent, in the second round and paid him $3.01 million. That matches with the 24th pick’s slot. So while drafted 7th and 47th, the Cubs manipulated their money to essentially pay their selections as if they were the 13th and 24th picks. These are not the only examples. There are dozens. And they can be done on a wide variety of scales. So what are the Brewers outside-the-box options? The Brewers draft 17th, 34th, 57th and 67th and those picks have a total bonus pool of over $10 million. Breaking this down to its simplest form, if the Brewers use their second, third, and fourth picks and sign guys for 75% of their bonus (which is guaranteed for anyone who submitted medicals at the combine), the Brewers could add an additional $1.37 million to their first-round pick bonus and “trade up” from 17th to 10th. Sure, it’s more complex than this, because other teams in front of them can do the same thing and there’s no guarantee that your preferred player will fall to your actual pick. You have to do background work, and you have to have fallback plans. But it’s also as simple as that: if you want a guy that might not be available at your spot, call their agent and tell them they have money waiting for them. The Brewers did something similar in 2023 when they drafted Brock Wilken 18th overall, but paid him like the 25th pick. Then Josh Knoth got pick 43 money after going 33rd. Finally, Mike Boeve was drafted 54th and paid like the 63rd pick. Three 10ish-spot "trade downs" paid HUGE dividends for the rest of the draft. Eric Bitonti (picked 87th) was paid like the 49th pick. Cooper Pratt (picked 182nd) was paid like the 60th pick. Bishop Letson (picked 332nd) was paid like the 134th pick. Bjorn Johnson (picked 362nd) was paid 148th-pick money. Hayden Robinson (picked 422nd) was paid 168th-pick money. Josh Adamczewski (picked 452nd) was paid like the 207th pick. Heck, even 20th-rounder Justin Chambers (picked 602nd) was paid like the 121st pick. Then, the Crew got Bryan Hudson for Chambers, from the Dodgers, meaning that investment has already paid for itself three times over. The way the Brewers played the 2023 draft is a more common approach (though my opinion on how they manipulated their pool was that it was masterclass). Whom might they target if they want to go the other way and "trade up" this year? The perception of the tiers makes it a little trickier, but a couple names stick out: William Schmidt (committed to LSU; Louisiana prep) is a right-handed pitcher with huge spin rates on his curveball. The Brewers love that. He seems like he could be a prime target to float to the comp round, but there may be a lot of teams sitting in the bottom of the first round ready to pounce on him. He would represent more of a "trade down from 17/trade up from 34" type pick, which would differ from their 2023 approach, where they underpaid their top three picks. Nick Kurtz is a presumed top-10 pick, but my personal feeling is that he could be in for a bit of a slide. The Brewers are well-positioned to jump the line if anyone falls out of the top 10. Could they "trade up" by telling Kurtz that they can pay him like a top 10 pick, therefore making it unlikely he goes before 17? Kurtz is a first baseman from Wake Forest (where Wilken was drafted from) and was one of the premier hitters in college baseball. Maybe it isn't Kurtz, but they might have a clear preference for a different college hitter? They could use their extra money to manipulate who falls to them. The Brewers proved last year that they are willing to get creative. I hope they do it again. At any rate, it’s going to be a blast watching every team not only make a new player’s dream come true but also do it while working their phones, their boards, and their draft pool. Can't get enough draft? Join us on Sunday night! View full article

It's Draft Week! And there are lots of rumors out there. Smokescreens? Probably. But here's our (probably) final mock of the season. Image courtesy of © Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports 1. Cleveland Guardians - Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State While I still think Condon is the best prospect available, it does make sense to cut a deal. Wetherholt would bring more savings and maybe even makes more sense. But I’m going to stick with who I believe is the second-best prospect. 2. Cincinnati Reds - Charlie Condon, 3B, Georgia The fall shouldn’t be a long one for Condon - unless Cincinnati goes with a pitcher - and I really like this fit for the Reds. 3. Colorado Rockies - Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest Maybe I just value lefties too much and that’s why I think Hagan Smith is the way to go, but either way, the Rockies need to take pitching, in my opinion. Burns seems like the industry's consensus pick as the top pitcher. I also think Jac Caglianone seems very Rockies-ish. 4. Oakland Athletics - Jac Caglianone, 1B, Florida If it weren’t for the injury to Braden Montgomery, I’d have left him here. And I’m not even that concerned about the injury. Cags is scary as a first baseman profile, but I think there's enough athleticism to try him in right field. The bat (and arm) would certainly play. 5. Chicago White Sox - J.J. Wetherholt, SS, West Virginia It’s possible that Wetherholt goes first and that everyone gets knocked down a rung… which would leave me looking for someone other than Cags for the White Sox. But I think Wetherholt would be a good fit here if he’s available. 6. Kansas City Royals - Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas The Royals should take Smith if he’s available, and introduce him into their bullpen for the stretch run. He’s a long-term top-of-the-rotation pitcher, but that process won’t begin until next season. 7. St. Louis Cardinals - Konnor Griffin, SS, Jackson Prep (Miss.) HS Would have loved a Smith/Cardinals match, but in this scenario, they’ll settle for the top prep and potentially highest-ceiling prospect available. 8. Los Angeles Angels - James Tibbs, OF, Florida State I’m going to stick with my first mock draft and pair the Angels with a bat they can be aggressive with and maybe save some money. 9. Pittsburgh Pirates - Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M Montgomery is better than the ninth-best prospect in this draft, but suffered a season-ending ankle injury that cost him the College World Series showcase opportunity and which will scare a couple of teams away. I love this fit for the Pirates, and he’ll be a part of their current wave soon enough. 10. Washington Nationals - Bryce Rainer, SS, Harvard Westlake (Calif.) HS Still lots of smoke around the Nationals going the prep route. 11. Detroit Tigers - Cam Caminiti, LHP, Saguaro (Ariz.) HS I always feel like prep pitchers tumble, but I have a hard time dropping Caminiti past this spot. 12. Boston Red Sox - Christian Moore, 2B, Tennessee What a huge climb for Moore, who looked like a late first-round pick a month ago and then tore up the College World Series. 13. San Francisco Giants - Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest I’m not a fan of drafting college first basemen, so that’s probably why I always seem to have Kurtz falling. He would provide pretty good value here, though. 14. Chicago Cubs - Seaver King, SS, Wake Forest King represents the last of the top tier of hitters and wouldn’t fill a need, but the bat will play, and you can never have enough of them. 15. Seattle Mariners - Theo Gillen, 2B, Westlake (Texas) HS The Mariners have been hitting (and succeeding with) this demographic hard lately. Might be a tad early, but he’s the next-best prep hitter. 16. Miami Marlins - Trey Yesavage, RHP, East Carolina This would end a decent-sized fall for one of the top college pitchers. The Marlins needs help and Yesavage could provide it much quicker than going the prep route. 17. Milwaukee Brewers - Cameron Smith, 3B, Florida State The Brewers dominated the 2023 draft, and this would be a great first move of 2024. The positional fit isn't ideal, but add quality players and figure the rest out later. 18. Tampa Bay Rays - Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Kentucky Waldschmidt has been a solid mover and should hear his name called in the back half of the first round. He's also analytics-friendly, which makes the Rays a good fit. 19. New York Mets - Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina This is one that feels like a great match. Honeycutt's in-zone swing-and-miss is a turn-off to many teams, but he's an above-average outfielder with speed on the basepaths right now. 20. Toronto Blue Jays - Tommy White, 3B, LSU White has a bigger name than profile as a professional, but it only takes one team. I also think this is the first spot where we might hear a catcher called. 21. Minnesota Twins - Carson Benge, OF, Oklahoma State When in doubt, match the Twins with a college hitter. I like Benge (along with Waldschmidt and Smith), but fear he may be off the board. Then it becomes a question of if they dip into the next tier of polished bats, or if they lean into a different demographic and get a college hitter 12 picks later. 22. Baltimore Orioles - Jurrangelo Cijntje, RHP/LHP, Mississippi State The latest steam has Cijntje solidly in the first round, and the Orioles are already loaded with hitters. 23. Los Angeles Dodgers - Brody Brecht, RHP, Iowa Go ahead and watch the Dodgers develop this flamethrower into a pitcher with a complete arsenal. [Ed. note: Very 2020s Dodgers pitching prospect name, too. River Ryan, Kyle Hurt, Gavin Stone, Peyton Martin, Maddux Bruns, Brody Brecht. You wanna pitch in this organization, buddy, you'd better have a real short name that makes it immediately clear that you're white. We spent $1 billion last winter. We can't be splashing around more money on eight-letter jersey embroidery or ethnic ambiguity.] 24. Atlanta Braves - Braylon Doughty, RHP, Chaparral (Calif.) HS I’ve heard this pairing quite a bit, even though I don’t think he’s the next-best prep pitcher. So much of where any of them will end up has to do with pre-discussed bonus demands. 25. San Diego Padres - Ryan Sloan, RHP, York Community (Ill.) HS The Padres love this demographic and have a ton of options to choose from. 26. New York Yankees - William Schmidt, RHP, Catholic (La.) HS Here’s the run on prep pitchers and it won’t end here either. 27. Philadelphia Phillies - Kash Mayfield, LHP, Elk City (Okla.) HS Four prep pitchers in a row, to the dismay of teams hoping they’d drop into the comp round. 28. Houston Astros - Billy Amick, 3B, Tennessee The Astros should be looking to maximize value, and Amick could go earlier. This would be really good value at 28. 29. Arizona Diamondbacks - Kellon Lindsey, SS, Hardee (Fla.) HS The Diamondbacks kind of have their run of the board now. They’ll get a catcher, but since they are all available, they can take the top prep on the board and get a catcher next. 30. Texas Rangers - Walker Janek, C, Sam Houston State The Rangers get their pick of the litter with catchers… 31. Arizona Diamondbacks - Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford ..and the Diamondbacks can’t wait til 35 to take theirs. 32. Baltimore Orioles - Caleb Lomavita, C, Cal After going college hitter with their first pick, here they take the last of the top catchers. 33. Minnesota Twins - Wyatt Sanford, SS, Independence (Tex.) HS I would lean prep pitcher, but Sanford is a high-ceiling hitter in a draft where there might not be a ton of signable ones. The Twins will take a ton of pitchers after this. 34. Milwaukee Brewers - Joey Oakie, RHP, Ankeny Centennial (Iowa) HS Really like this fit for the Brewers at 34. A relatively local product and high upside. 35. Arizona Diamondbacks - David Shields, RHP, Mt. Lebanon (Penn.) HS With their third pick of the draft, the Diamondbacks will hit their third demographic. They’ll have plenty of chances to draft heavily from their missing demo - the college pitchers. 36. Cleveland Guardians - Slade Caldwell, OF, Valley View (Ark.) HS Caldwell’s name has gotten increasingly popular in regards to matching with a team that has extra money -- and that’s the Guardians. 37. Pittsburgh Pirates - Bryce Meccage, RHP, Pennington (N.J.) HS Bryce’s uncle Justin is the Pirates bullpen coach, so here’s to keeping it in the family. 38. Colorado Rockies - Jonathan Santucci, LHP, Duke Like their first pick, the Rockies need to draft quality pitching as much as possible. 39. Kansas City Royals - Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Kansas State After going the pitching route with their first pick, the Royals take Culpepper who gets mentioned starting in the 20s. --- Find more draft coverage here: 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Prep Pitchers 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: College Pitchers 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: First Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Second Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Preview: Midwest Highlights 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Third Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Shortstops 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Catcher Mock Drafts! Mock Draft v.3.0 (Dual Edition): Brewers Pair Hitter and Pitcher Mock Draft v.2.0 (Cameron Edition): Brewers Take High Octane Arm, Backstop Mock Draft v. 1.0 (Nygaard Edition): More Slugging Infielders! View full article

The Cubs have the 17th pick and Cameron Smith feels like the perfect fit... if he's available. View full video

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. In episode 42 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie talk through the upcoming plans of the show and why last night's episode was livestreamed. The guys go on to talk about David Festa's debut and preview the outfield demographic of the upcoming draft. They also chat about the Texas A&M head coach's move to Texas and finish by answering a handful of listener questions. 0:00 Intro 6:04 Why are we livestreaming? 10:08 Today's coverage 11:05 David Festa 20:05 MLB Draft - outfielders 50:00 Texas A&M/Texas drama 55:10 Listener Questions 1:18:38 Next week You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

We have reached the end of our positional previews for the 2024 MLB Draft as we conclude with outfielders. Outfielders who will likely be off the board when the Brewers come onto the clock won’t be previewed here. We’re excited to ratchet up 2024 MLB Draft content in the coming weeks. We’ll start with a series of articles detailing each positional demographic. These pieces aren’t meant to be an exhaustive list, rather, an overview of the caliber of talent at the position. For each player, we'll run down some basic information, in addition to some strengths and weaknesses. You’ll also find their current position on the Consensus MLB Draft Board in parentheses next to their name. Braden Montgomery (Texas A&M), Konnor Griffin (Mississippi prep), and James Tibbs III (Florida State) all seem destined to be taken in the top dozen picks. Carson Benge, L/R OF, Oklahoma State (15) Carson Benge is a two-way player who missed a chunk of the 2023 season recovering from TJ surgery, before returning for the latter part of the campaign. Though he did post some impressive pitching numbers in 2024 (44 strikeouts in 37 innings, 11 walks, .186 batting average against), he’s expected to focus on hitting as a professional. Benge has an exciting offensive toolkit led by good bat speed that produces consistently high exit velocities. This is paired with a chase rate under 20% and a contact% over 80%, a potent combination. Benge has posted high ground ball rates. In 2024, Benge batted .335/.444/.665 (1.109 OPS) with 18 home runs and 10 stolen bases. Benge has average speed, a plus arm, and an above average glove that should lend itself to a really solid right-field profile defensively. If Benge can lift the ball with more consistency, look out. Vance Honeycutt, R/R OF, North Carolina (19) At 6' 3”, 205 pounds, North Carolina centerfielder Vance Honeycutt is perhaps the one college player in the 2024 class who can boast true five-tool upside. Honeycutt had an incredible freshman campaign for North Carolina, punctuated by 25 home runs and 29 stolen bases. Slowed a little by a back issue in 2023, his performance came back down to earth, although he did cut down significantly on the strikeout issues that arose in his first season of college baseball. In 2024, Honeycutt trended back the right direction hitting .313/.407/.703 (1.110) with 28 home runs and 28 stolen bases. He did strike out 86 times with only 37 walks, but was absolutely a must-watch player in the College World Series. Generating plenty of bat speed and loft from the right hand side of the plate, it's the development of the hit tool that will govern Honeycutt's ultimate ceiling. Most of his power comes to the pull side currently, and although he doesn't chase much, he has struggled more with breaking stuff than other pitches. Teams are easily and very turned off by in-zone swing-and-miss and that’s something Honeycutt possesses. Defensively, he's the total package; an outstanding centerfielder who should stick at the position, with plus speed and a plus arm. Honeycutt has the potential to be the whole package with speed, defense, a great arm, on-base skills and burgeoning power. Slade Caldwell, L/L OF, Valley View HS, Ark (20) Slade Caldwell was the Arkansas player of the year in 2023 and 2024. At 5' 9”, 175 pounds, he's an undersized player who will naturally draw comparisons to Jett Williams, a first round selection in 2022. While Caldwell is undersized, he's an explosive athlete. A sweet and quick left-handed swing generates sneaky good bat speed and he has an effective line drive swing, being able to leverage all parts of the ballpark. As a senior, he batted .485. Caldwell has fringe average power, and while that is unlikely to be above average, he can hurt you a ton of different ways. A double plus runner, he's a problem on the base paths stealing 51 bases on the season. This is augmented by his discerning approach at the plate, he has a great eye and feel for the strike zone. Defensively, he has the speed and athleticism to easily maintain centerfield as a pro, although a below average throwing arm lessens the appeal slightly. At worst, he'll be a plus defender in left who gets on base a ton and steals plenty of bases. Ryan Waldschmidt, R/R OF, Kentucky (63) Waldschmidt is an all-around, tweener-type prospect who transferred from Charleston Southern to Kentucky before his sophomore season. Despite not having a carrying tool, he can chalk up value in a number of different ways. It's a little bit of everything at the plate, as strong bat-to-ball skills are combined with good on-base skills. There's sneaky pull side power there too, with a line drive to all fields impact at the plate. In 2024, Waldschmidt batted .333/.469/.610 (1.079 OPS) with 14 home runs and 25 stolen bases. He walked 41 times with 45 strikeouts. While the numbers aren’t eye-popping, Waldschmidt is considered an “analytics darling.” Waldschmidt has good speed which aids him defensively and on the bases. In the outfield, he takes efficient routes and has a good shot to stick in centerfield as a pro. Mike Sorota, R/R OF, Northeastern (48) At 6' 3”, 190 pounds, there's still some projectability left in Mike Sirota's frame. Sirota has plenty in the bag in terms of tools. His offensive profile is underpinned by his right-handed swing. Operating from a crouched stance, it's quiet and clean with not a lot of moving pieces. Sirota has good bat speed and quick hands, and his ability to let the ball travel in the zone and relatively flat bat path give him line drive ability all over the field. Sirota had a big power breakout in 2023, taking his home run total from 4 to 18. Back-to-back outstanding performances in the Cape Cod League (.942 OPS) should allay fears about him stacking up against consistently inferior competition. Defensively, it's plus speed with an above average arm and glove, a combination that should allow him to stick at centerfield as a pro. The problem with Sorota, however, is that he came into the season as a potential Top 10 pick. But he struggled on the season. His .298 batting average was a career low. He showed very little power as his home run numbers dropped (only had seven). He did walk more (59) than he struck out (48) for the first time in his career. But all the things that put him on the map… took a step back. Sorota has shown enough that he could still be a Day One pick. But he’s also shown enough recently that maybe the “breakout” Sorota had was just an aberration and he’s more of a Day Two guy. Who excites you from the outfielder class in 2024? Who are you higher on than other prospects? Jump into the draft conversation in the comments below. --- Find more draft coverage here: 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Prep Pitchers 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: College Pitchers 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: First Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Second Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Preview: Midwest Highlights 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Third Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Shortstops 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Catcher Mock Drafts! Mock Draft v.3.0 (Dual Edition): Brewers Pair Hitter and Pitcher Mock Draft v.2.0 (Cameron Edition): Brewers Take High Octane Arm, Backstop Mock Draft v. 1.0 (Nygaard Edition): More Slugging Infielders! View full article

That's how I felt about the Brewers draft last year. And with each pick, felt like there would be more and more guys they couldn't afford... yet they pulled it off. This year, I'll just assume the same wizardry will happen before the signing deadline.

The third mock featured here is our third annual dual mock draft done by Jamie Cameron and me. We alternated back and forth for the Top 39 selections in next month's draft. 1. Cleveland Guardians - JJ Wetherholt, 2B, West Virginia There have been murmuring the Guardians are exploring a haircut with Wetherholt and Griffin in the mix (JC) 2. Cincinnati Reds - Charlie Condon, OF/1B, Georgia Whoa, I think the Reds will stay true to their board and it is a toss up for me whether that would be Condon or Bazzana. Works great for Cincinnati, who get their pick of the litter. (JN) 3. Colorado Rockies - Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest The Rockies would have to weigh Bazzana here, but I think given their pitching development struggles, Burns is too enticing to pass up (JC) 4. Oakland Athletics - Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State The A’s need all the help they can get and this would have to be close to the ideal scenario. A Wilson/Bazzana middle infield would be a solid roll of the dice. See what I did there? (JN) 5. Chicago White Sox - Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M Lots of mock drafts have the Sox taking Cags. I think Montgomery is a safer and, in their case, better pick as they will pick at ten in 2025 despite their record (JC) 6. Kansas City Royals - Konnor Griffin, OF, Jackson Prep HS, (MS) The Royals could go in a few directions, but here they pop the top prep on the board. (JN) 7. St. Louis Cardinals - Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas This is a great outcome for the Cardinals, who have done well with pitching development and nab arguably the top arm in the class, a lefty to boot. (JC) 8. Los Angeles Angels - Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida Doesn’t fit the profile that I try to match with the Angels - first guy to the bigs! But Cags in L.A. makes sense. And if there’s a team that knows a thing or two about a two-way player… (JN) 9. Pittsburgh Pirates - James Tibbs III, OF, Florida State There’s all kinds of steam on Tibbs in the top ten. It’s a little rich for me with the lack of other strong tools to accrue value outside the bat. (JC) 10. Washington Nationals - Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest It’s possible Kurtz falling this far makes nine teams look bad. But in a draft where it’s a ton of college hitters, it’s whatever flavor of the day for every team. (JN) 11. Detroit Tigers - Bryce Rainer, SS, Harvard Westlake HS (CA) I can see Detroit going a number of directions here. They made out from the prep class in 2023, and Rainer at 11 feels like good value. (JC) 12. Boston Red Sox - Christian Moore, 2B, Tennessee He’s doing things in the College World Series that have put him on this meteoric rise, which makes sense. Too bad for lower teams hoping he’d fall. (JN) 13. San Francisco Giants - Cam Caminiti, LHP, Saguaro HS (AZ) Caminiti has plenty of suitors, some inside the top ten. I don’t think he’s getting past the teens. (JC) 14. Chicago Cubs - Trey Yesavage, RHP, East Carolina The Cubs would probably feel pretty fortunate to have the third best college pitcher still available when they come on the clock. (JN) 15. Seattle Mariners - Seaver King, INF, Wake Forest This feels like ‘no man’s land’ for Seattle. They leaned prep early last year, but I’m not sure there are prep bats that make sense here, so we’re blending production and upside with King. (JC) 16. Miami Marlins - Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Kentucky Marlins seem connected to college hitters and Waldschmidt is one of the best left. (JN) 17. Milwaukee Brewers - Cameron Smith, 3B, Florida State Smith feels like he fits the Brewers bat traits well. Some positional value, the most improved bat in college baseball, and a good blend of hit and power is good value at 17. (JC) 18. Tampa Bay Rays - Carson Benge, OF, Tampa Bay Considered a number of names here, but Benge is the best on the board. (JN) 19. New York Mets - Dakota Jordan, OF, Mississippi State The Mets have strengthened their farm significantly recently, and are leaning into athletic traits. That fits Jordan perfectly (JC) 20. Toronto Blue Jays - Tommy White, 3B, LSU There are about twenty names that make sense in this area, so Toronto is getting the most well-known position prospect on the lot. (JN) 21. Minnesota Twins - William Schmidt, RHP, Catholic HS (LA) I haven’t seen a ton of steam connecting the Twins and Schmidt, but they work quietly. Drafting a prep arm at 21 is definitely a possibility and there’s precedent with Chase Petty a few years ago. Schmidt is up to 98 mph and has the best curveball in the class. (JC) 22. Baltimore Orioles - Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina Certainly some offensive concerns, but he helped his stock in the College World Series and is worth the risk at this point in the draft. (JN) 23. Los Angeles Dodgers - Kellon Lindsey, Hardee HS (FL) Lindsey is one of the best athletes in the class having earned Trea Turner comps with double-plus speed. (JC) 24. Atlanta Braves - Jurrangelo Cijntje, SWP, Mississippi State Wouldn’t be too surprised if they went the prep route here, but feel like they’d be happy if Cijntje fell to them. (JN) 25. San Diego Padres - Kash Mayfield, LHP, Elk City HS, (OK) The Padres have been close to a lock for a prep first rounder for a number of years. They love taking prep arms and Mayfield has the best delivery in the draft class. (JC) 26. New York Yankees - Billy Amick, 3B, Tennessee The Yankees can go a few different routes here, but Amick has moved up boards and this seems like a good fit. (JN) 27. Philadelphia Phillies - PJ Morlando, OF/1B, Summerville HS (SC) Morlando has dropped a little since pre-season but it’s still a potential plus hit, plus power combo. He put on a show at the Combine this week. The Phillies aren’t risk averse. (JC) 28. Houston Astros - Brody Brecht, RHP, Iowa The sense is that the Astros go hitter, but you can only let a pitcher like Brecht fall so far before you have to reconsider. (JN) 29. Arizona Diamondbacks - Slade Caldwell, OF, Valley View HS (AR) Caldwell is good value at this spot. The Diamondback have consistently drafted undersized players. Caldwell has tons of tools to make an impact. (JC) 30. Texas Rangers - Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford It’s only a matter of time before the catchers start to go. I feel like this is later than the first one will actually go, but once one comes off the board, I have to think the other two follow relatively quickly. (JN) 31. Arizona Diamondbacks - Walker Janek, C, Sam Houston State Janek is my favorite, and the best defensive catcher in the draft. It’s a chance for average hit, power, and an above average defender behind the plate. That’s a ten year MLB career.(JC) 32. Baltimore Orioles - Braylon Doughty, RHP, Chaparral HS (CA) After getting a college hitter with their first pick, the Orioles will back that up with an overslot prep pitcher. (JN) 33. Minnesota Twins - Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Kansas State Culpepper had a tremendous post-season after making some swing changes, clubbing a three run home run off Hagen Smith and hitting for the cycle. It’s a really solid offensive and athletic profile. I thought about prep shortstops Theo Gillen and Tyson Lewis at this spot (JC) 34. Milwaukee Brewers - Joey Oakie, RHP, Ankeny Centennial HS (IA) Similar to last year, the Brewers will take a prep pitcher in the comp round. 35. Arizona Diamondbacks - Tyson Lewis, SS, Millard West HS (NE) The Diamondbacks are known to be in on Lewis. They control this part of the draft with three picks in quick succession. Lewis has a chance for plus speed and power and has been a strong spring riser this year (JC) 36. Cleveland Guardians - Ryan Sloan, RHP, York Community HS (IL) You don’t cut an underslot deal with Wetherholt and not back that up with an overslot prep pitcher. (JN) 37. Pittsburgh Pirates - Theo Gillen, SS, Westlake HS, (TX) This is an unbelievable value at this point. Gillen will get consideration in the teens. It’s arguably the third best prep bat. He’s not a shortstop but it’s good hit and power tools from the left side. (JC) 38. Colorado Rockies - Jonathan Santucci, LHP, Duke I will always believe taking a pitcher is the best option for the Rockies and they can walk away with two of the top five collegiate arms if it falls this way. (JN) 39. Kansas City Royals - Carter Johnson, SS, Oxford HS, (MS) The Royals need to continue taking shots on upside in a weak farm system. Johnson has a really solid profile with a good hit tool and a strong chance to stick at short. (JC) --- Find more draft coverage here: 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Prep Pitchers 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: College Pitchers 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: First Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Second Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Preview: Midwest Highlights 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Third Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Shortstops 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Catcher Mock Drafts! Mock Draft v.2.0 (Cameron Edition): Brewers Take High Octane Arm, Backstop Mock Draft v. 1.0 (Nygaard Edition): More Slugging Infielders! View full article

We approach the end of our positional previews for the 2024 MLB Draft, with only pitchers and outfielders left. Because pitchers make up almost half of the draftees, we’ll be breaking that into two parts. We looked at the college side earlier this week; now we look at the prep demographic. We’re excited to ratchet up 2024 MLB Draft content in the coming weeks. We’ll start with a series of articles detailing each positional demographic. These pieces aren’t meant to be an exhaustive list, rather, an overview of the caliber of talent at the position. For each player, we'll run down some basic information, in addition to some strengths and weaknesses. You’ll also find their current position on the Consensus MLB Draft Board in parentheses next to their name. The prep pitching group is my personal favorite, as it’s impossible to project. The highest-rated prospects don’t always go first. We start to learn about price tags. And teams often try to float arms to their next pick if they think they’ll have money to burn. We’re not going to focus on the top pitchers of the class, necessarily, but some names that are interesting who should be hearing their name called on Day One (or early Day Two). Ryan Sloan, R/R P, York Community HS, IL (23) Sloan, a Wake Forest commit, is an excellent Illinois prep pitcher in a run that has extended through multiple draft cycles. Sloan is a physical, athletic prospect, with the type of frame built to start. On the mound, he has a loose, repeatable delivery and operates from a lower three quarter slot on the mound. His current three pitch mix is a strong foundation on which to build. Sloan throws a run and ride fastball that sits at 92-94 mph but tops out at 97 mph. Sloan pairs this with a slider that has good vertical movement and some sweep to it. Finally, there's a changeup that sits between 84-86 mph, with good fade and enough velocity differential from his fastball to be a problem for left-handed hitters. While Sloan has average command currently, there's plenty to like in his profile. A solid three pitch mix and plenty more velocity on the table as he adds strength makes him one of the more well rounded prep arms in the class. Braylon Doughty, R/R P, Chaparral HS, CA (41) Doughty is a prep right handed pitcher out of California who is one of the biggest risers on the pitching side of the 2024 eligible class. While the Oklahoma State commit doesn't have a prototypical starting pitcher's frame, he's a great athlete who moves exceptionally well on the mound behind a compact, efficient, repeatable delivery that points to more projection and a good chance to stick as a starter. On the bump, Doughty has a fastball that sits 92-94 mph with solid late life and has grabbed 96-97mph. It's backed up by one of the best prep breaking pitches in the class, a two-plane slider that has a ton of sharp late break. Doughty generates upwards of 3,000 rpms on the pitch, commands it well, and in general has shown a real propensity to spin the baseball. Doughty also throws a changeup that's more of an emerging pitch currently. The combination of athleticism, ability to spin the ball, and two above average pitches gives him a great chance to continue to start and is getting his name mentioned in the day one mix. David Shields, L/L P, Mt. Lebanon HS, PA (50) Shields is a two-sport athlete (football and baseball) who gave up the former to focus on the latter and reclassified from the 2025 class to 2024, making him one of the youngest prospects this year. Shields has an athletic frame at 6'2, 210 pounds and has a loose arm and clean, repeatable actions on the mound. His arsenal starts with the fastball, which sits 90-93 mph with good riding action. Shields shows some polish with how he commands this pitch, moving from one side of the plate to the other. He has a sweeping slider that's already above average, a pitch opposing batter will chase out of the strike zone (that he's also able to locate well for strikes). Finally, Shields has shown a feel for a changeup, a pitch with good fade and deception. The Miami commit has an unusual amount of polish for such a young prospect. The combination of frame, athleticism, arsenal, and the ease with which everything comes out of his hand heightens his appeal. Chris Levonas, L/R P, Christian Brothers Academy, NJ (63) Levonas is an extremely wiry right-handed prep pitcher and has a package of interesting traits and skills on the mound. His fastball has taken a significant velocity jump this spring, up from the 90-92 mph range, now sitting 93-95 mph and touching 98 mph. It's an offering with good spin that is likely to be a plus pitch, if it isn't already. The Wake Forest commit has also shown great proficiency in spinning the baseball, with a slider/curveball breaker pairing of pitchers that carry spin rates between 2800-3000 rpms, in addition to some feel for a changeup. Levonas commands and moves these pitches around the zone well, in addition to getting good extension at release. A loose, quick arm, with a four pitch arsenal he commands well, a proclivity to spin the baseball, and plenty of projection. It's a massive up arrow for this profile heading into the summer. Dax Whitney, R/R P, Blackfoot HS, ID (75) It's not too often that senior evaluators are traveling to Idaho to see a prospect ahead of the MLB draft, but that's exactly the case for Dax Whitney, one of the biggest pop up prospects in the 2024 class. Whitney hadn't had a ton of exposure on the showcase circuit, preferring to play for his Legion team instead, but has evaluators pouring in after a pop in both stuff and velocity this spring. He has a great pitcher's frame at 6'5, 190 pounds, with plenty to dream on in terms of future projection. That's all added to be a clean, repeatable delivery that has him constantly throwing strikes and pounding the zone. On the mound he throws a fastball that sits 92-94 mph but can grab as high as 96mph. That's backed up by an excellent 12-6 curveball, a shorter slider with real tilt, and an emerging changeup that he's shown consistent feel for. The Oregon State commit is one of the biggest up-arrows and buzziest names ahead of the draft this spring (he went from not ranked on this board to debuting at 81). There's a good chance he's a top 50 pick in July, with the combination of size, stuff, and polish that's easy to dream on. Who excites you from the prep pitching class in 2024? Who are you higher on than other prospects? Jump into the draft conversation in the comments below. --- Find more draft coverage here: 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: College Pitchers 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: First Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Second Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Preview: Midwest Highlights 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Third Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Shortstops 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Catcher Mock Drafts! Mock Draft v. 1.0 (Nygaard Edition): More Slugging Infielders! Mock Draft v.2.0 (Cameron Edition): Brewers Take High Octane Arm, Backstop View full article

We approach the end of our positional previews for the 2024 MLB Draft, with only pitchers and outfielders left. Because pitchers make up almost half of the draftees, we’ll be breaking that into two parts. We’re excited to ratchet up 2024 MLB Draft content in the coming weeks. We’ll start with a series of articles detailing each positional demographic. These pieces aren’t meant to be an exhaustive list, rather, an overview of the caliber of talent at the position. For each player, we'll run down some basic information, in addition to some strengths and weaknesses. You’ll also find their current position on the Consensus MLB Draft Board in parentheses next to their name. The college pitching corps is headlined by two arms that will get scooped up quickly. There is one other arm likely to go in the Top 15. And then it’s anyone’s guess as to what happens next. Today we’re going to look at some college arms that aren’t necessarily ranked at the top of the board, but ones that might pay dividends later. Jurrangelo Cijntje, S/S P, Mississippi State (36) Jurrangelo could be the fifth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle both because his name fits and also because he’s sort of a mutant. Cijntje was drafted by the Brewers in 2022 as a switch-pitcher. Yes, that’s right. He’s a left-handed pitcher… and also a right-handed pitcher. That’s likely to change as he’s more effective as a right-handed pitcher, where the fastball sits in the 93-95mph range and has touched 97mph with good carry. There's an above average slider with hood bite and an average changeup. From the left/natural side, it's less velocity and more of a fastball slider combination. While Cijntje doesn't have an ideal frame, he's stocky and strong and has made a good deal of progress with his control in 2024, although through command of his pitches could still improve. An incredibly unique profile it'll be fascinating to see what a drafting organization does here. My bet is a starting role from the right side to begin. At any rate, he will be a prospect worth watching after likely being selected on the first day of the draft. Ryan Johnson, S/R P, Dallas Baptist (47) Johnson is one of the most fascinating pitchers in all of college baseball, and has carried over some impressive results from the tail end of 2023 into an eye-popping 2024. At 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, he's quite a presence on the mound. Johnson leverages a quick pitching motion with more of a drifting step than a leg kick, and wastes little time between pitches, operating efficiently and quickly. He throws from a lower arm slot. It's definitely an unusual look, with some deception present. While some evaluators might not love the effortful delivery, it hasn't prevented him from filling up the strike zone. Johnson has a fastball that's flirted with 100 mph. It sits 93-95 mph, with arm-side run. The heater is not a bat-misser, but Johnson has a repertoire that doesn't require it to be. He throws his sweeping slider close to half the time. It has plenty of lateral movement and late bite, and Johnson commands it extremely well. Johnson also throws a cutter as a bridge pitch between his fastball and slider, and a changeup with good fade that's more of an emerging offering. Johnson finished his junior year with an 11-3 record, a 2.21 ERA and 151 strikeouts, with only 14 walks over 106 innings. He offers some unique traits and a lot of features of interest to teams considering taking him. Ryan Prager, L/L P, Texas A&M (68) Prager had plenty of interest as a high schooler in 2021, before getting to campus at Texas A&M. He had Tommy John surgery his freshman year, sat out all of 2023, and is a draft-eligible sophomore in 2024, after a phenomenal season in which he's currently 9-1, with 118 strikeouts in 93 2/3 innings. Prager has an effortful delivery, with an over-the-top arm slot. In spite of this, he gets a ton of ride on his fastball (91-93 mph), averaging north of 20 inches of IVB on the pitch, likely to induce plenty of whiffs when he can command it more consistently at the top of the zone. He also has an above-average slider that replaced his curveball from high school, and which has been an effective pitch, in addition to a changeup with plenty of horizontal movement. Coming into the season, there were some questions about whether Prager profiled as a starter or reliever. He may have answered those with an extremely impressive 2024 season as the Aggies' Friday night starter. Ryan Forcucci, R/R P, UC San Diego (82) Forcucci is a right-handed starting pitcher for UC San Diego with a ton of interesting traits and a track record of success, albeit against lesser competition than some of his counterparts in the 2024 draft class. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Forcucci has an athletic frame and clean, easy mechanics, making his delivery repeatable and efficient. On the mound, the selling point is a plus run and ride fastball. It sits 93-95 mph, and has been up to 97 mph with over 20 inches of ride and 9 inches of run, making it a nightmare at the top of the strike zone when combined with Forcucci's low release height. For secondary pitches, Forcucci throws a slider that's above-average. It features some bite and sweep and has proved to be a bat-misser. Forcucci also throws a slower curveball and has started using a changeup, though it's far from being a weapon against pro hitters right now. The combination of a plus fastball with unusual traits, clean mechanics, good athleticism on the mound, and a solid college track record make Forcucci great clay to mold at the pro level. As of mid-March, he looked like a top 50-60 selection come July. However, Forcucci hasn’t made an appearance since then because of injury, and there is speculation that he will be having Tommy John surgery. Daniel Eagen, R/R P, Presbyterian (129) Eagen is a right-handed pitcher with a stereotypical starting pitcher's frame, having an outstanding 2024 campaign for little Presbyterian College. In 14 games, Eagen struck out 122 in 77 2/3 innings, sporting a sub-1.00 WHIP. Eagen's fastball saw a velocity jump this spring, after he moved into the rotation full-time. It sits 93-94 mph, but can get up to 96 mph with some carry, thrown from a high slot. Eagen throws a pair of breakers: a downer curveball in the low 80s, and a slider, both of which have been good bat-missers in 2024. There's also a changeup in the arsenal, but it's seldom been used and needs more velocity separation from his fastball. Already, he's taken a step forward in strike-throwing in 2024. The combination of size, a little projection left from added strength, and the current arsenal give him a good chance to stick as a starter at the next level. Konner Eaton, R/L P, George Mason (234) Eaton put himself on the map with his raw stuff, though he’s still more projection than final product. After throwing only one inning as a freshman, Eaton had a wild sophomore year, walking 25 in 42 1/3 innings (while striking out 47) before heading to the Cape, where he teased some more. He was better as a junior (walk rate dropped from 5.3 to 4.9 per 9, and strikeout rate improved from 10 to 11.9 per 9), but still failed to put it all together. Now we head into the draft, where Eaton continues to flash a 94-mph fastball and above-average slider. There will be a team (or teams) out there who thinks they can develop him professionally into a starter and will likely be able to get him late on Day Two or on Day Three. Who excites you from the college pitching class in 2024? Who are you higher on than other prospects? Jump into the draft conversation in the comments below. --- Find more draft coverage here: 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: First Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Second Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Preview: Midwest Highlights 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Third Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Shortstops 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Catcher Mock Drafts! Mock Draft v. 1.0 (Nygaard Edition): More Slugging Infielders! Mock Draft v.2.0 (Cameron Edition): Brewers Take High Octane Arm, Backstop View full article

2024 MLB draft coverage continues to progress through its positional previews. Next up are first basemen. The results haven’t exactly been pretty for first basemen drafted in the Top 10 over recent years; yet we’re likely to hear two names called in that range again this year. Image courtesy of Brock Beauchamp Players who are drafted as first basemen already find themselves at the bottom of the defensive spectrum. Due to that, there's a heavier burden on the bat for them than for most draftees. As a matter of fact, it’s not completely uncommon for teams to draft (and announce) these players at a different position, giving them an opportunity to play third base or in an outfield corner before eventually re-finding their way to first base. The Detroit Tigers famously did that four years ago with first overall pick Spencer Torkelson, but as Torkelson illustrates, calling a duck a turkey doesn't change its feathers. We’re excited to ratchet up 2024 MLB Draft content in the coming weeks. We’ll start with a series of articles detailing each positional demographic. These pieces aren’t meant to be an exhaustive list, rather, an overview of the caliber of talent at the position (or, in this case, region).. For each player, we'll run down some basic information, in addition to some strengths and weaknesses. You’ll also find their current position on the Consensus MLB Draft Board in parentheses next to their name. The first-base group is headlined by two players destined to go in the Top 10, while many others will have to wait until Day 2 or later. Jac Caglianone, L/L 1B, Florida (3) Caglianone is one of the most famous draft-eligible prospects in 2024, off the back of an incredible season as a two-way player at Florida wherein he slugged 33 home runs and led the Gators to the National Championship Series, losing to the eventual champion LSU Tigers. While his team is still playing in Omaha (though facing elimination), “Cags” has put up crazy numbers. He’s batting .414 with an on-base average of .536. For comparison's sake, Caglianone only reached base 39% of the time as a sophomore. He followed up his 33 home runs last year with 33 more this year (in eight fewer games), and has only struck out 25 times (while walking 53 times). He’s as impressive as it gets as a hitter, which is where most teams prefer him as a pro. If the draft revolved around pure talent, Caglianone would rank close to the top of the pile. On the mound, his fastball regularly grabs 99 mph and has reportedly been as high as 101 mph. He primarily pairs it with a good bullet slider. Cags has a changeup that has good fade but lags behind the other pitches, in addition to an emerging cutter. Control and command was an issue for his entire repertoire in 2023, and he entered 2024 with a more efficient delivery. As purely a pitching prospect, the upside is tempered by reliever risk due to command uncertainty and the reliability of his secondary pitches. In 72 2/3 innings in 2024, Caglianone struck out 82, but walked 48. He’s electric, and would absolutely be a must-watch as a “position player pitching,” but he's probably not an MLB pitcher. Defensively, it might be a first base-only profile which lowers the ceiling and the intrigue a bit. The 90th percentile of where Caglianone could end up as a pitcher and a hitter are incredibly intriguing. Even at the 50th percentile, though, he has power enough to separate himself from guys like Torkelson. Nick Kurtz, L/L 1B, Wake Forest (8) Kurtz is an imposing, physical first baseman, at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, and has occupied space at the top of most 2024 draft boards since the beginning of the process. Originally recruited as a pitcher, Kurtz might have the best hit/power combo in the entire class. He's been lighting it up since his sophomore season, combining for 37 home runs for the Demon Deacons across the 2022-2023 seasons. His power numbers dipped in 2024. He only hit 22, but he also missed some time with a shoulder injury that may have sapped some power. Kurtz starts with a chest-high handset, raising them to his shoulder before a leg kick in his load gets his swing going. It's monster bat speed, which (combined with excellent barrel control and good swing decisions) makes for an incredibly well-rounded offensive profile. Kurtz's profile is further raised by above-average bat-to-ball skills and little trouble based on matchups (specific pitches or pitcher handedness). Defensively, he's excellent, with at least an average arm. The many strengths of the offensive profile ameliorate the lack of defensive positional value. Kurtz moves well, but doesn't have much in the way of speed, so there’s no hope that he could ever play anywhere but first base. Overall, it's one of the best offensive profiles in the class, a potential middle-of-the-order monster bat that provides average, power, and on-base skills, though he failed to replicate the production of his sophomore season. Blake Burke, L/L 1B, Tennessee (53) There are plenty of college power bats in the 2024 draft class. In terms of bat speed, gaudy exit velocities, and huge power, Blake Burke is up there with the best of them. He's put up very impressive numbers for the best offense in America, as evidenced by his .380/.453/.711 slash line. He drew 34 walks, compared to 41 strikeouts. Burke is a left-handed hitter with an uppercut swing designed to lift the ball. It's definitely a power-over-hit profile, but Burke has made some strides in polishing his overall offensive profile. Defensively, it's a first base-only profile, but Burke has a good glove and profiles to be above-average defensively. Burke will have to mash consistently to provide good value to a drafting organization, but he offers an interesting alternative to other power (with limited defensive value) profiles who will go much higher in the draft. Cole Mathis, R/R 1B, College of Charleston (88) Mathis, who has become an extremely intriguing prospect, plays for a smaller school, but has forced himself into the Day One conversation through a combination of outstanding batted-ball metrics in 2023 and an otherworldly Cape performance in 2023. He smacked 11 home runs in his summer stint, in addition to posting consistently gaudy exit velocities in his 2023 season, up there with some of the best in the nation. There's plenty to like about his approach and swing, as he walks more than he strikes out, leading to a strong on-base platform. As you might expect, Mathis has excellent bat speed and punishes pitches in the zone consistently. In his final year at CoC, Mathis hit .335/.472/.650, with 14 home runs, 14 stolen bases, 46 walks and 32 strikeouts. He has a cannon arm but not the best defensive actions, and may end up limited in his defensive value. He should get a crack at third base as a pro, but if he shifts to first, the bat will have to continue to mash to accrue value. He'd previously been a two-way player up to 97 mph on the bump, but due to some elbow issues, he focused on hitting in 2024. There may be enough intrigue that a team could look at him on the mound. Myles Bailey, L/R 1B, Lincoln (FL) High School (212) Bailey offers a different profile than the other players already mentioned on this list, for a couple of different reasons. First, Bailey is a prep player committed to Florida State University. Almost all prep players drafted on Day One sign. Most players drafted on Day Two sign, but many prep players fall out of Day Two due to their college commitment and price tag. Bailey could very easily be one of those prospects that falls to the third day and happily goes to campus. He’ll also be 19 on draft day and, thus, would be eligible for the 2026 draft. Secondly, Bailey “projects” as a first baseman, but will get plenty of opportunities to play elsewhere. Make no mistake, his value is in his bat - and most specifically his raw power - but he’s got a good enough arm to provide hope that he could stay in the dirt (at third base) and enough athleticism to give the outfield a shot. Honorable Mentions: Jared Jones, R/R 1B, LSU (194), Tomas Valincius, L/L 1B/LHP, Baylor (IL) High School (222), Hunter Hines, L/R 1B, Mississippi State (235), Jacob Walsh, L/L 1B, Oregon (238). Who excites you from the first basemen class in 2024? Who are you higher on than other prospects? Jump into the draft conversation in the comments below. --- Find more draft coverage here: 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Second Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Preview: Midwest Highlights 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Third Basemen 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Shortstops 2024 MLB Draft Position Previews: Catcher Mock Drafts! Mock Draft v. 1.0 (Nygaard Edition): More Slugging Infielders! Mock Draft v.2.0 (Cameron Edition): Brewers Take High Octane Arm, Backstop View full article

It remains a mystery why he's so low on boards. He won the SEC Triple Crown. If someone rakes, figure out the defensive home later.