Change is inevitable under the new transfer portal rules in the collegiate baseball world. Last year, we saw Louisiana State build a powerhouse with the transfer portal bringing in the likes of Paul Skenes and Tommy White. The transfer portal has made recruiting a lot more challenging for colleges and coaches across the NCAA, but regardless of your opinion on the matter, this is where we stand now.
The 2024 college baseball transfer portal saw a lot of high-end talent on the move. Many will be potential top draft prospects in next year’s MLB draft. In this article, I’ll take a dive into the top 10 transfers that might make the most noise in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Braden Montgomery, RHP/OF - Stanford to Texas A&M
Without question, Braden Montgomery is the most intriguing transfer who is eligible for the 2024 MLB Draft. Montgomery possesses tools that most scouts dream of and the two-way star is a huge get for the Texas A&M Aggies. He’s a force at the plate and the switch-hitter has easy plus-pop from both sides of the dish. Coming into the 2023 season, there were questions about Montgomery’s approach at the plate and inability to get on base. He silenced those concerns greatly by increasing his walk rates and cutting down on his strikeout rates. He projects to be a power corner OF, likely RF, as he has one of the best arms in the entire draft class. It’s extremely accurate and on point. Not only that, the Aggies will benefit from having Montgomery in the bullpen as he has been up to 97-mph. He’s struggled quite a bit with command of his fastball, leading many to believe he will eventually ditch pitching. Regardless, Montgomery is a massive get for the Aggies. He’s likely to go on day one of the 2024 MLB Draft as many teams will easily take a shot on his physical tools and athleticism.
Chase Burns, RHP - Tennessee to Wake Forest
Man, is Chase Burns fun to watch on the bump and many teams have to be excited that he’s heading to the pitching factory that is Wake Forest. Burns is a bulldog type on the mound. He exudes a ton of confidence and isn’t afraid to go right after guys with his electric fastball. He sits mid-to-upper 90s with it, but isn’t afraid to reach back for a little extra when needed and gets it up to 101-102. He’s got the ability to elevate it when needed as well. Basically a two-pitch pitcher, Burns pairs his fastball with a ridiculous high-80s to low-90s wipe-out slider that is dang near unhittable when he is on. His command can waiver at times, but when he is on he paints a masterpiece. Despite some of the command issues, the stuff is absolutely elite, and many teams will be calling his name early in 2024. He should play a significant role in the Wake Forest rotation and it will be interesting to see what the pitching lab can do to elevate his game to the next level.
Billy Amick, 3B/1B/C - Clemson to Tennessee
Some serious pop is coming to first base at Tennessee. Losing Amick is a huge blow for Clemson as he finished last year leading the Tigers in batting average (.413) and slugging percentage (.772). Amick was one of the best offensive players in the ACC last year, striking out only 32 times in 192 plate appearances. He has an advanced feel for the strike zone and has excellent bat-to-barrell skills. He carried over his success into the Cape Cod League this summer slashing .368/.442/.579 with a 1.021 OPS. Amick played mostly first base and DH last year at Clemson and split time at third during the Cape league. He also has some ability to catch as well. If he could find a way to stick behind the plate or at third, that could potentially help his draft stock instead of being a first-base-only bat. He’s really struggled defensively at third making many wonder if he will be able to get good enough to stick there. If he doesn’t, he’s really going to be an offense-first type of player who may not have a home defensively besides first. Either way, Amick’s bat will definitely play and he should be a steady producer for the Volunteers and hear his name called on draft day in 2024.
Seaver King, INF - Wingate to Wake Forest
The development of Seaver King has been extremely fun to follow. The Division II product had an incredible year at Wingate last year, slashing .411/.457/.699 with a 1.155 OPS with 13 HRs, 53 RBI, and 13 SBs. Those numbers were good enough for him to enter the transfer portal and make his way to Wake Forest. He’s grown a bit since his time at Wingate and is no longer the undersized athlete who was recruited out of high school. He has an elite line-drive approach at the plate and has the ability to use the entire field to go along with very good exit velocities. There were some concerns that he hasn’t faced enough pitchers with good velocity, but his small taste of the Cape Cod League this summer showed he can handle velocity very well. He doesn’t strikeout often and gets a lot of barrel to ball, but he also doesn’t walk a ton either which could have him getting beat by better arms in the future if he sees a dip in his contact ability. King should be a very fun prospect to watch at Wake Forest. If he keeps up his current success from Wingate and the Cape, he could find himself in the top 100 prospects come draft time.
Payton Tolle, 1B/LHP - Wichita State to TCU
You like batted ball data type players? Look no further than Payton Tolle. TCU is getting a bat with some absurd exit velos. According to Peter Flaherty of Baseball America, he had a max exit velocity of 120 mph last year. Insanity. He’s got a monster 6’6, 250lb frame, and is a physical presence in the box. Sort of like Billy Amick, Tolle is an offensive first profile that struggles to find a position. He likely ends up as a first baseman at the next level. On top of the bat, Tolle was also really effective on the mound for the Shockers, totaling 85.2 innings pitched and striking out 97 to the tune of a 4.62 ERA. There is some two-way potential there, but the bat is what will likely have most teams calling his name on draft day.
Luke Holman, RHP - Alabama to LSU
Jay Johnson unsurprisingly lost both Paul Skenes and Ty Floyd in the 2023 MLB Draft and he obviously was prepared for it. Enter Luke Holman from Alabama. The right-hander struck out 87 batters in 81 innings pitched while posting a 3.67 ERA. He’s had back-to-back years of being effective on the mound in the SEC which will have many scouts interested. He’s featured a low-90s fastball that has been up to 95 with a slider and curveball to close out his three-pitch mix. His curveball is his go-to secondary and it has some good depth to it. LSU’s rotation may have lost Skenes and Floyd, but they will seemingly easily replace them with Hurd and Holman which should make for a fun 2024 for them.
Colby Shelton, INF - Alabama to Florida
A lot of talent went out the door for Alabama after their former head coach was fired due to the gambling scandal. Colby Shelton was another major piece of the Crimson Tide that left. He slashed .301/.419/.729 with 25 home runs and 51 RBI as a freshman. The draft-eligible sophomore will look to inject some pop into Florida’s lineup. He should fit nicely into the hot corner for the Gators. He has an average arm which may force him to second base at some point, but either way, he likely presents a bat-first prospect in the 2024 draft that will have many teams interested.
Mason Molina, LHP - Texas Tech to Arkansas
Over his freshman and sophomore years, Molina has compiled 179 strikeouts in 141 innings pitched. The former Red Raider will likely make his way into the Razorbacks rotation. Coming in at 6/2, 215lbs, Molina is a physical presence on the mound and is a solid competitor who is fearless. He is a prototypical back-end of the rotation type with a low-90s fastball and three average-to-above-average secondaries in his changeup and two breaking balls. It’ll be interesting to see what he can do in the SEC this year to raise his draft stock.