2024 MLB Draft: Which Teams Had the Best Draft Class?

It’s wild that the 2024 MLB Draft has come to an end. It feels like Tyler and I were launching the On The Clock podcast yesterday, and fall-ball was just starting. Now that we’ve come down from the high of the draft, it’s time to do some recaps and break down some of the picks and team hauls. We will continue our breakdown by going through the teams that had some of the best hauls on draft day.  

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Day One Recap | Final Recap | Best Value Picks 

Cleveland Guardians 

You will likely do well in the draft when you have the most money. The Guardians took full advantage of having the largest bonus pool. They kicked off the start of the draft by taking Travis Bazzana out of Oregon State. It was rumored leading up to the draft that it would be him or West Virginia shortstop JJ Wetherholt. Bazzana came in around $1.6 million underslot, giving the Guardians plenty of money to spend later in the draft. They continued their day one, drafting highly-touted prep right-hander Braylon Doughty and possibly the second-best catcher in the draft in Jacob Cozart. Doughty is an arm that has already had his fastball up to 96 mph and a breaking ball that hovers around an insane 3,000 RPM. Cozart offensively offers a ton of upside and is one of the best defensive catchers behind the plate.

2B Travis Bazzana

Cleveland's excitement didn’t stop on day one. To start day two, they took another high-upside prep arm, Joey Oakie, out of the state of Iowa. He’s another arm with loud stuff, as his fastball is in the mid-90s and has topped at 97 mph. They followed by taking two more highly touted prep arms, Cameron Sullivan in the 7th round and Chase Mobley in the 10th round. Sullivan features a fastball up to 97 mph and a power slider in the high-80s to low-90s. Mobley is full of projection and an outstanding athlete. His electric fastball has topped out at 97 mph with a ton of two-seam action. They rounded out their draft with other intriguing arms, including RHP Aidan Major out of West Virginia, LHP Rafe Schlesinger out of Miami, and RHP Cam Schuelke out of Mississippi State. Sixteen of the Guardians' 21 picks were pitchers. This is a good sign for a team that has been successful in developing arms. 

SS Konnor Griffin

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates pulled together a draft class with some fun upside. Every time the Pirates' pick was announced for the first three rounds of the draft, I just thought, “Ohhh I like that!”. The Pirates had the ninth overall pick and seemed to strike gold when Konnor Griffin fell to them. There were talks that Griffin might go as high as the Chicago White Sox or Kansas City Royals pick. Griffin was the consensus best prep player in the 2024 MLB Draft, and he’s full of upside and projection. The guy oozes tools. He’s got a ton of bat speed and power combined with a reasonably mature approach at the plate. He also stole an insane 85 bases this spring. The Pirates seemed exactatic to land him at number nine.

The Pirates followed that pick with two more prep guys full of upside in RHP Levi Sterling out of California and SS Wyatt Sanford out of Texas. They took Sterling with their Comp-A pick. Sterling already has a four-pitch mix with an effortless delivery on the mound. He’s already in the low 90s with his fastball, and he pairs it with solid low-to-mid 80s changeup and a very effective sweeper. He’s an athletic kid with great potential, given his ability to throw strikes and room for growth. Sanford is about as exciting as they come for a prep bat. He ranked #28 overall for us, and there was some thought he might go in the first round or comp picks, but he fell to the Pirates in the second. It’s a beautiful left-handed swing, and he can utilize it in the entire field. He battles at the plate and draws some high walk rates. He’s also athletic enough to play anywhere on the field. The athleticism and mature approach are exciting things for the Pirates to build on. 

LHP Josh Hartle

They didn’t stop there. The Pirates got some interesting college players to help counteract the upside prep guys they drafted. In the fourth round, they took LHP Josh Hartle out of Wake Forest; in the 5th round, they took OF Will Taylor out of Clemson; in the 6th round, they took RHP Matt Ager out of UC Santa Barbara; in the 10th round, they took C Derek Berg out of Army, and in the 16th round they took RHP Brian Curley out of VCU. All of these guys are intriguing players in my eyes. Hartle faced some struggles this past year, but his dominant 2023, where he struck out 140 batters over 102.1 innings pitched, lets you know that more is in the tank. Taylor was a two-sport star at Clemson and is a hit-over-power profile; although he struggles against lefties, he has plenty of athleticism and upside. Berg and Curley are two interesting mid-majors who succeeded at Army and VCU.

OF PJ Morlando

Miami Marlins

This was one of my favorite day hauls from day one. There is lots of upside and a fun arm in Aiden May. They started with Morlando, who came in at #27 on our top 300 board. He puts up insane power numbers in BP, shown off at the MLB Draft Combine (4 balls over 110mp EV), but he has struggled to get into that power in the game (somewhat due to being intentionally walked a lot). Lots of upside with this pick. They followed that pick with even more upside by taking Carter Johnson at 56, who is #32 on our board. The Alabama shortstop has a ton of upside at the plate due to his mature approach. The Marlins rounded out by taking right-handed pitcher Aiden May out of Oregon State. May got on the map when he went toe-to-toe with Arkansas lefty Hagen Smith during his seventeen-strikeout game.

Colorado Rockies

3B/OF Charlie Condon

The entire world thought the Cincinnati Reds would take Georgia 3B/OF Charlie Condon with the second overall pick after the Guardians took Travis Bazzana. But they shocked everyone and took Chase Burns. This allowed for Condon to fall right into the Rockies' lap. Condon put up video game numbers during the entire year, hitting 37 home runs while driving in 78 in 60 games. Just absurd. They followed that pick by taking RHP Brody Brecht, who has some of the best stuff in this draft class. The only knock on him is his command and control issues. 

They continued their surge of solid players by taking OF Jared Thomas (one of the best pure hitters in the class) and C Cole Messina (3rd Round), an excellent clubhouse presence and is a complete gamer. They then took a tremendous senior sign, Blake Wright (4th Round), out of Clemson. The third baseman has power to all fields and improved his contact rates this year. They also took a couple of intriguing mid-major arms in LHP Konner Eaton (6th Round) out of George Mason and LHP Everett Catlett (12th Round) out of Georgetown.

Eaton has an excellent fastball with great life and two good secondaries in his slider and changeup. A team should be able to build off of those. Catlett is a tall, lanky southpaw with a presence on the mound. He hasn’t had a lot of miles on his arm due to some injuries. It's a good fastball that has been up to 96 and a solid slider to go with it. The Rockies have to be very happy with this draft class. 

SS Bryce Rainer

Detroit Tigers

Man, do the Detroit Tigers have an enjoyable class of players They kicked things off by taking the second-best prep player not named Konnor Griffin in this draft. SS Bryce Rainer is full of tons of upside. Although he has two-way abilities, the Tigers took Rainer just as a shortstop. It’s easy to see why they love the bat so much. It’s a beautiful left-handed swing, and he has the potential to develop some pop. He did have some swing-and-miss issues, and he might need to change his approach at the plate. But the upside is immense. Even though he won’t be on the mound, he’s been up to 96 mph from there, so you know he’s got some solid arm strength on the field. He could fit at shortstop or quickly shift to third if he grows in size as projected—just an enjoyable first pick. 

The Tigers closed out day one, continuing their prep trend by taking RHP Owen Hall in the second round and LHP Ethan Schiefelbein in the CB-B. We had Owen Hall on our On The Clock podcast, and what an incredible kid. On top of that, he has a lot of projectability on the mound. The fastball sits around 92-95 but has been up to 98 mph. He pairs that with two breaking balls. The stuff needs some polishing as it is inconsistent from time to time, but there is a lot to love with his profile. Schiefelbein is another guy that is projectable as the fastball velocity hasn’t been great (upper-80s/lower-90s), but he has been up to 94 mph. He’s got more of a feel for his pitches and should be a fun project for the Tigers. 

OF Jackson Strong

The Tigers paired all those prep guys with some fun college guys, including RHP Michael Massey out of Wake Forest, SS Woody Hadeen out of UC Irvine, RHP Josh Randall out of the University of San Diego, and OF Jackson Strong out of Canisius College. I saw Strong in the MLB Draft League, and man, it is an impressive approach at the plate. He has great barrel-to-ball skills that doesn’t come with a ton of Whiff or Chase. Woody Hadeen is a guy who skyrocketed up boards. Joe Doyle was one of the first guys on him. Hadeen is older for the class, but it is some of the best bat-to-ball skills. In our write up, we had him with an overall contact rate ~90% and a chase rate under 15%. Michael Massey was an electric arm for Wake Forest before suffering from some injuries this year. 

1B/LHP Jac Caglianone

Kansas City Royals 

The Royals didn’t have extra draft bonus pool money after trading their 39th overall pick to the Washington Nationals for big-league reliever Hunter Harvey. Despite that lack of extra bonus pool money, they did a heck of a job getting a good haul on draft day. Their day one started with college superstar Jac Caglianone falling into their laps at 6. The Royals took him as a two-way player and plan to develop him at both. The upside at the plate is enormous. It’s plus-plus power, and for a guy who swings at everything, it is insane to think he only struck out 8.2% of the time last year. His walk rate skyrocketed to 18.4% this year, but that has a lot to do with being intentionally walked. He had more intentional walks than strikeouts. The Royals wrapped up day one, taking left-handed prep pitcher David Shields out of Pennsylvania. He was a guy they wanted at 39, but he still fell to them at 41. 

Going into day two, they went with some arms with a safer floor than their high-upside pick in David Shields. They started with two fantastic adds, RHP Drew Beam and RHP LP Langevin. Beam might be one of the safest floor picks in the draft as a guy who can make the major leagues. He has been one of the SEC's most consistent and reliable starters over the last few years. Langevin has an electric fastball with nutty data, including a 45% overall whiff rate and 42% in-zone whiff rate. They took three more intriguing college arms, including AJ Causey out of Tennessee, Dennis Colleran out of Northeastern, and Tommy Molsky out of Oklahoma State. All have really good data on their fastballs or offspeed pitches. 

A lot of those college arm and bat picks were for one reason… RHP Kyle DeGroat. The Royals took the right-handed prep arm from Wallkill Senior HS in New York in the 14th round. They’ll likely need significant money to persuade him away from his commitment to Texas. He was one of the biggest risers this year, seeing a substantial velocity increase in his high-spin fastball. He has some solid secondaries to go along with it. There is lot to build on, and development is still needed, but DeGroat has tons of upside, significantly if he can improve on his velocity gains and control. 

2024 MLB Draft: Top 100 Prep Prospects

Director’s Note: All Draft Day Ages for players are pinned to July 14, 2024, our guess as to when the MLB Draft will start. The league has not announced the dates for the 2024 MLB Draft and once revealed, we will adjust approximate ages to that date.

The 2024 Top 100 College board will be released tomorrow. Once the season is in full bloom, we will begin to integrate a single list, starting off with 200 prospects. As always, our 2024 Prospect Footage can be found here.

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1. OF/RHP Konnor Griffin, jackson Prep (MS)

Height: 6’4

Weight: 210

B/T: R/R

Commitment: Louisiana state

Draft Day age: 18 yr 2 mo

There may not be a more famous name in this class than Konnor Griffin, who reclassified from the 2025 ranks and has a chance to be the first prep player off the board next July. Given the reclassification, he projects to be one of the younger guys in this class, though you wouldn't know that with mix of physicality and projection. He's got two-way abilities, though most project him as a center fielder, where his athleticism, plus speed, and excellent range are on full display. He's got a very good arm and plenty of twitchiness, too. At the dish, it's a polished approach with a ton of bat speed and over-the-fence power, which projects as plus once he's fully developed. His overall contact has shown some inconsistencies this summer, though it's gotten better as the summer has progressed. All in all, Griffin has the potential to be rather special offensively. There's upside on the bump, as well, as he's already gotten into the mid-90s with his fastball and shows a promising breaking ball with swing-and-miss traits, too.

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2. 1B/OF PJ Morlando, Summerville HS (SC)

Height: 6’3

Weight: 200

b/t: L/R

commitment: South Carolina

draft day age: 19 yr 1 mo

There's no mincing words here, Morlando projects as the biggest offensive threat in this year's prep class thanks to a loud combination of high contact rates, robust power, and mature plate discipline. Morlando has a quiet setup with a wide lower half, but he really explodes through the zone with quick hands and high-end bat speed. He's a patient hitter who knows the strike zone and isn't afraid to rack up the free passes, plus he'll utilize the whole field and keeps the whiffs to a minimum. The power potential with Morlando is sky high with the bat speed and leverage/loft he generates and he's already put on shows during batting practices in big league stadiums. It's easily plus right now. Defensively, he projects as a potential corner outfielder thanks to his athleticism and average speed/arm, which have improved over the years. There's still a chance that he moves to a first base role as he grows, though that's not set in stone just yet. The South Carolina commit will be a fun one to follow for years.

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3. 3B Caleb Bonemer, Okemos HS (MI)

height: 6’1

weight: 195

B/T: R/R

COMMITMENT: Virginia

DRAFT DAY AGE: 18 yr 9 mo

Bonemer profiles as one of the biggest, if not the biggest, riser from the summer circuit, propelling himself to the top of the class with a loud toolset. It's a legitimate power/speed threat with a chance to be a solid defender on the left side of the dirt. There's not a ton of wasted energy with Bonemer's swing, as he stays very quiet through his load and short to the ball, displaying explosive bat speed from the right side and punishing baseballs in the process. Most of his power plays up the middle and to his pullside and he's already produced multiple exit velocities over 105 MPH. If there's anything to work on with Bonemer, it's polishing up his plate discipline, as he does run into some issues with whiffs and the chase rate is a bit higher than you'd want to see. Despite the physical nature of his frame, he's very athletic and produces plus or better run times. He's got a very good glove and could stay at shortstop, though given his size, a move to third base seems likely, where he'd be a potentially above-average or better defender.

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4. RHP Levi Sterling, Notre Dame HS (CA)

Height: 6’4

Weight: 190

B/T: R/R

Commitment: Texas

Draft Day Age: 17 yr 10 mo

Sterling turned in a loud summer and has vaulted himself to the top of the class with a mix of loud stuff, pitchability, and projection. For starters, Sterling will be one of the youngest players in the entire class, as he won't turn 18 until September, which certainly helps him in team model runs. He projects as a starter with a buttery-smooth delivery on the mound and a legitimate four-pitch mix that is led by a fastball that's already in the low-90s with life and can easily get into the mid-90s with added strength to his long and lanky frame. His best secondary comes in the form of a low-mid 80s change-up, which has splitter-esque movement and dives hard away from lefties. He mixes in an upper-70s curveball that classifies more as a sweeper and a mid-80s cutter with tight spin to righties. He's got plenty of athleticism and he throws a large quantity of strikes as a result, showcasing potentially above-average command at best.

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5. SS Carter Johnson, oxford HS (AL)

Height: 6’2

Weight: 180

B/T: L/R

Commitment: Alabama

Draft Day Age: 18 yr 4 mo

As a hitter, Johnson possesses almost everything you want to see in a swing from a prep prospect. His hands work quick, his hips fire, and there's plenty of bat speed. He has performed at every summer event that he has attended, and shows an ability to barrel up stuff, as well as taking what the pitcher gives him. Defensively, Johnson has the instincts and hands to stick on the dirt, but there are concerns about his foot speed at shortstop. A move to 2nd base or 3rd base could be made down the line, but Johnson has the prototypical long shortstop body to add strength and should be given every opportunity to prove that he can handle the speed and physicality of the position. Even if there is a future move to 2nd or 3rd base, Johnson has enough power and hitting ability to stick at those positions. He's a high follow for the Deep South region, and is the top prep prospect in the state of Alabama.

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6. 1B/LHP Noah Franco, IMG Academy (FL)

Height: 6’3

Weight: 205

B/T: L/L

Commitment: TCU

Draft Day Age: 18 yr 2 mo

Another reclassified player from the 2025 class, Franco has some of the best two-way upside in this class. He's got a physical frame with very broad shoulders and plenty of athleticism that plays well on both sides of the ball, though there's a bit more upside with the bat. There is some swing-and-miss to his game, but he's not afraid to rack up walks and doesn't chase a ton, plus he's been able to hold his own in left-on-left matchups. There's plenty of bat speed present and he swings with serious intent, spraying the ball to all fields and showcasing solid power up the middle and to his pull-side. That'll get better as he becomes physically mature. He's likely limited to first base with his size, though don't let that fool you. He's rather mobile and shows quick twitch at the position, letting his athleticism shine. On the bump, he's been into the low-90s with easy, athletic mechanics and it's easy to project him into the mid-90s by next summer. He's got a high spin slider that has some teeth in the low-80s with late sweep, as well as feel for a change-up.

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7. RHP Joey oakie, Ankeny centennial HS (IA)

Height: 6’3

Weight: 207

B/T: R/R

Commitment: iowa

Draft Day Age: 18 yr 2 mo

Another loud arm coming out of Ankeny, Iowa, Oakie has some of the loudest stuff in the entire class. Oakie generates a ton of scap load in his delivery with a big arm swing before driving down the mound with a whippy, near sidearm slot. He's already gotten into the mid-90s with the fastball, getting up to 97 MPH, with a ton of life and spin through the zone and plays up thanks to the low launch nature of his release. It wouldn't be a shock to see Oakie's velocity jump into the upper-90s when all is said and done, either. Oakie's sweeper might be the best pitch in the prep ranks, a diabolical pitch with a ton of sweep and hard biting action in the mid-80s and projects as plus. He's gotten up to 25 inches of horizontal break this summer and the pitch has insanely high spin rates, touching the 3,000 RPM barrier. He's got feel for a fading change-up that he throws hard in the mid-upper 80s that projects well, too. He'll need to iron out some command inconsistencies, but this is an enticing package overall.

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8. RHP Owen Hall, Edmond north HS (OK)

Height: 6’3

Weight: 185

B/T: R/R

Commitment: Vanderbilt

Draft Day Age: 18 yr 8 mo

Hall is another big riser from the summer circuit, vaulting himself into the top ten with a mix of present stuff and starter traits. It's a fluid and athletic delivery on the bump with a lean frame that has plenty of projection remaining at 6'3, 185 pounds. Hall's fastball is rather explosive with a ton of late life, especially at the top of the zone, and he'll show a bit of a two-seam/sinker variant at the bottom of the zone. He throws plenty of strikes with the heater and he'll hold 92-95 MPH throughout outings, plus he's already been up to 98 MPH in shorter stints. It's a future plus pitch. He's got two breaking balls, a slider/cutter hybrid in the mid-80s that has good two-plane tilt and a curveball in the mid-to-upper-70s that has good depth, but lacks bite/conviction at times. He's developing a mid-80s splitter, as well. He'll need to develop consistency with his off-speed arsenal, but there's a ton to like with the Vanderbilt commit.

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9. OF Slade Caldwell, valley view HS (AR)

Height: 5’9

Weight: 182

B/T: L/L

Commitment: Mississippi

Draft Day Age: 18 yr

The best way to describe Caldwell would be to call him a "menace." While he lacks premium physicality due to his shorter stature, Caldwell makes up for it with explosive athleticism and polish. It's a sweet swing from the left side of the plate and he's shown excellent plate discipline, rarely chasing and showcasing plenty of patience, drawing walks aplenty. There's solid barrel consistency in his swing and he utilizes the gaps often, prioritizing his plus-plus speed on the basepaths as a result. He's rather strong for his size and has been able to put the ball in the air more, though it's always going to be hit-over-power with Caldwell. His speed allows him to cover ground very well in center field, where he's a solid defender with great instincts. If there's anything to knock him on, it's the lack of a strong arm, which may push him to left field. With that said, he's got the tools to stick at the "eight" long term. He'll have plenty of fans come draft day.

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10. RHP William Schmidt, Catholic HS (LA)

Height: 6’4

Weight: 180

b/t: R/R

COMMITMENT: Louisiana State

DRAFT DAY AGE: 18 yr 9 mo

In terms of raw stuff, Schmidt's one-two punch might be the best in this class. An above-average, if not better, athlete on the mound, Schmidt is a quick mover on the mound where his athleticism is explosive and there's a ton of projection with his long, lean frame. The fastball has seen a solid velocity uptick over the past year, now touching 95 MPH and holding 90-94 MPH consistently. There's plenty of riding life with the heater, as well as some cut, and given the projection, it's likely that he could get into the upper-90s soon. The true separator with Schmidt is an upper-70s curveball with a ton of upside. It's a true 12-6 hammer with tons of depth and extremely high spin rates, exceeding the 3,000 RPM threshold on occasion. There's plenty of bat-missing traits between those two pitches and he's developing an upper-70s change-up with plenty of fading life. Command comes and goes, but given the projection and pure stuff, this is a profile that can sneak into the first round with further development.

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