The 2024 College Baseball Season is here! The Prospects Live Top 25 Preseason Rankings are out. Wake Forest takes the top seed, but LSU is a close number two and will be making just as much noise as they were last year.
2024 MLB Draft: Top 100 College 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 High School board can be found here. 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.
1. 2B/SS JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia
Height: 5’10
Weight: 190
B/T: L/R
Draft Day Age: 21 yr 10 mo
Wetherholt's bat has a chance to be very special, as the mix of pure hit and power tools profile as one of the best in the entire country. Wetherholt posts elite contact rates and seldom whiffs with impressive feel for the barrel. It's a compact and powerful swing from the left side of the plate, showcasing very quick hands and loud bat speed. Wetherholt utilizes the whole field to his advantage and will punish the gaps with legitimate above-average to plus power, which also plays well to his pull side. It's a truly special bat. He's played at third base and second base the past two years, though he's been given a chance at shortstop this fall and the reports are promising. The range is there to handle the position, though the arm strength needs some improvement. He's a solid runner and knows how to be a menace on the basepaths, as well, recording 36 stolen bases in 2023.
2. 1B Nick Kurtz, Wake Forest
Height: 6’5
Weight: 235
B/T: L/L
Draft Day Age: 21 yr 4 mo
Coming in at 6'5, 235lbs, Nick Kurtz is a monster of a human being at the plate. The size, strength, and power Kurtz possesses is a scout's dream. The Wake Forest first baseman has a scary good offensive profile. He is going to draw his fair share of walks due to his patience at the plate while also hitting for massive power thanks to his near 70-grade pop. On top of that, he's got a well advanced approach at the plate and is able to use the entire field. Shockingly for his size, he is fairly athletic and can more than hold his own at first base. He's one of the best defenders at first base and easily grades as a plus defender. Kurtz is a likely frontrunner to be the 2024 ACC Player of the Year and should be providing plenty of offense as the anchor for the Demon Deacons lineup. He has the makings of becoming a force in a big league lineup and will likely be a fast riser through the minors.
3. 2B Travis Bazzana, Oregon State
Height: 6’0
Weight: 199
B/T: L/R
Draft Day Age: 21 yr 10 mo
An import from Australia, Bazzana's overall toolset is ridiculously impressive. He's put up incredible numbers in his two years at Oregon State, slashing .340/.463/.549 across two seasons in Corvallis with elite bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline. He's a really tough out at the plate, rarely expanding the zone and he's got an incredible eye, racking up walks aplenty. His spray chart is a thing of beauty, utilizing the entire field with a compact, line drive swing with a ton of bat speed that is meant to do serious damage. It's above-average juice at the present and most of it plays to his pull side, but he's shown an ability to hammer the ball to the opposite field gap. Bazzana is also an incredible runner, posting plus run times on a consistent basis. He's primarily been a second baseman up to this point, though there's a chance we see him at shortstop in 2024. He's got enough athleticism and twitch to have solid range there, though his arm is nothing more than average. Either way you draw it up, this is a potentially elite bat with suitable defense up the middle.
4. RHP Chase Burns, Wake Forest
Height: 6’4
Weight: 195
B/T: R/R
Draft Day Age: 21 yr 5 mo
Burns is an electric factory on the bump. The Wake Forest transfer is a bulldog type on the mound and he exudes all the confidence you want to see in a pitcher on the mound. He isn't afraid to go right after batters with his electric fastball. What is an elite two-pitch mix, he sits in the upper-90s with significant life to the fastball and pairs it with a diabolical upper-80s/low-90s slider that he can manipulate the shape of. He also isn't afraid to reach back on his fastball for a little extra and can get it up to 101-102 mph. He's been working on a curveball and a splitter, flashing potential, though he doesn't rely on either heavily. His command can waiver at times, but when he is locked in, he can paint a masterpiece. Even with the slight command woes, the stuff is elite and it will be interesting to see what the Wake Forest pitching lab can do to elevate his already incredible arsenal to the next level. He is the best arm in this class.
5. 1B/of Charlie Condon, Georgia
Height: 6’6
Weight: 211
B/T: R/R
Draft Day Age: 21 yr 3 mo
The reigning SEC Freshman of the Year, Condon's unexpected emergence was a welcome sight. After redshirting his first year on campus, Condon exploded onto the scene with a .386/.484/.800 slash line and 25 home runs in 56 games. Condon has a towering, physical frame at 6'6, 211 pounds with plenty of strength throughout his body and there's quite a bit of projection to it still. Condon has plus-plus raw power to all fields and got to it often in 2023, posting healthy exit velocities and even getting into the 110-115 MPH range. It's a ton of bat speed and very quick hands with the barrel exploding through the zone with little effort. There's some hitterish traits with Condon, as he has solid bat-to-ball skills, though he does have his struggles with spin. Defensively, Condon has enough speed and athleticism to handle a corner outfield spot, though if he outgrows the position, he can handle first base. The bat would have to continue to perform in that case and that's the selling point right now.
6. OF Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina
Height: 6’3
Weight: 205
B/T: R/R
Draft Day Age: 21 yr 1 mo
Finding guys with five tool potential is a tough task, but Honeycutt has the potential to be that type of player. Honeycutt showed plenty of improvements in the strikeout department in 2023, dropping the strikeout rate significantly, though that came with the price of production. Nonetheless, Honeycutt has game-changing tools. There's plenty of bat speed from the right side of the plate and there's potentially plus power that plays to his pull side and he'll hit the gaps to show off his blazing speed. The swing-and-miss has toned down and he rarely chases, which is promising for the hit tool. If everything comes together in 2024, there's potential for an above-average hit tool here. He's a lock to stick in center field long term, as his plus speed gives him exceptional range and he'll make highlight reel plays on a consistent basis. There's a strong arm here, as well. If everything clicks, there's serious 1-1 potential.
7. SS/OF Seaver King, Wake Forest
Height: 6’0
Weight: 190
B/T: R/R
Draft Day Age: 21 yr 2 mo
One of the funnest development stories to follow, Seaver King has made his way to Wake Forest after playing last year at Division II Wingate. He was quite undersized coming out of high school which only earned him the Wingate offer, but he's grown a bit since then and found his way into a gig with what might be one of the best college teams going into the 2024 season. King has a robust line-drive approach at the plate with tons of bat speed and has the ability to use the entire field to go along with very good exit velocities, getting up to 111 MPH this fall. King doesn't strikeout often and gets a lot of barrel to ball, but he also doesn't walk a ton either and the chase rates are a bit too high. If he can improve the discipline in 2024 and continue to blast the baseball, he'll be a certified top fifteen pick. He's rather twitchy in the field and can play a myriad of positions for Wake Forest this spring, including center field.
8. RHP Brody Brecht, Iowa
Height: 6’4
Weight: 225
B/T: R/R
Draft Day Age: 21 yr 9 mo
Brecht may have the highest upside of any arm in this loaded college class and he's lit up Stuff+ models with some of the loudest stuff in the college landscape. Brecht has undergone some mechanical tweaks since his high school days, most notably being a shortened arm action that has given him more deception. It's a very quick arm with excellent athleticism, as well. He's gotten up to 101 MPH during starts in 2023, holding upper-90s velocity well throughout his starts, accuring whiffs at a high rate despite suboptimal vertical carry. The slider is the real deal, showing true double-plus potential with hellacious bite. It'll display shorter break with late lateral movement and he's shown an ability to land it for strikes when the fastball command is out of whack. He's tinkered with a low-90s change-up and a low-80s curveball, but he's primarily just had to use the FB-SL combination thus far. The high walk rate and command woes have been the big thing holding Brecht back, though he did show improved fastball command down the stretch for the Hawkeyes. He's stepped away from football and will be focusing solely on pitching moving forward.
9. 1B/LHP Jac Caglianone, Florida
Height: 6’5
Weight: 245
B/T: L/L
Draft Day Age: 21 yr 5 mo
Dubbed the "Ohtani" of college baseball, Caglianone is one of the most well-known players at the amateur level with legitimate two-way potential. There's a bit of rawness to his game, but the power on both sides of the ball are rather impressive. We'll start with the bat, which might have the best power in this entire class. It's easy double-plus right now with extremely quick hand speed and torque, generating a ton of bat speed and all fields power. He's producing some of the loudest exit velocities in the country as a result. The hit tool could use some refinement, as he's rather aggressive and expands the zone frequently. On the defensive side, it's a first-base profile. As an arm, Caglianone has loud stuff, but the command holds him back. The fastball has flirted with triple digits with some life, paired with a bullet-esque slider with solid potential and a bigger bender. The change-up has excellent velocity separation and fading life, boasting a high whiff rate. He's tinkered with his mechanics, becoming more compact this fall, but time will tell how much this helps his command. The jury is still out on if he has to choose one or the other, but the upside on both sides is enticing.
10. OF Mike sirota, Northeastern
Height: 6’3
Weight: 188
B/T: R/R
Draft Day Age: 21 yr
Sirota is about as well-rounded of a hitter as you'll find in college baseball. The Northeastern outfielder possesses a rare combination of discipline, power, and hit ability that is hard to come by at the amateur level. Offensively, he lets the ball get deep in the zone, allowing him to stay back and drive the ball to all fields with authority. He rarely chases pitches out of the zone, drawing plenty of walks in the process. Though he occasionally gets knocked for playing at a mid-major, his performance against high-quality pitching over the last two summers in the Cape Cod League show he can excel with a competition jump and wood bat. His speed allows him to cover a ton of ground in center field, which is where he projects as plus long-term. Sirota's advanced bat combined with his athleticism are what make him a potential first-round pick.
2022 MLB Draft - The Best Campus-Bound Hitters
In a previous article, I highlighted a handful of pitchers who ultimately went undrafted and will be making their way to campus this fall. In a similar fashion, I have listed a number of hitters who will be attending school. Overall, the incoming position player group is rather deep and features a number of tooled up athletes in the class.
2022 MLB Draft - Top 600 Prospects
This Top 600 really reinforces a few things we’ve always believed… Druw Jones, for us, is a cut above the rest. College hitters are good. Really good. And deep. The high school pitching in this class has the potential to be one of the stronger groups in recent memory. Where do we currently have Termarr Johnson, Druw Jones, Jackson Holliday, and Elijah Green currently ranked? What about Chase DeLauter, Brooks Lee, Kumar Rocker, Jace Jung and others?
2022 MLB Draft - Top 500 Prospects
This Top 500 really reinforces a few things we’ve always believed… Druw Jones, for us, is a cut above the rest. College hitters are good. Really good. And deep. The high school pitching in this class has the potential to be one of the stronger groups in recent memory. Where do we currently have Termarr Johnson, Druw Jones, Jackson Holliday, and Elijah Green currently ranked? What about Chase DeLauter, Brooks Lee, Kumar Rocker, Jace Jung and others?
2022 MLB Draft - Top 400 Prospects
This Top 400 really reinforces a few things we’ve always believed… The Top 3 guys in this class are a cut above the rest. College hitters are good. Really good. And deep. The high school pitching in this class has the potential to be one of the stronger groups in recent memory. Where do we currently have Termarr Johnson, Druw Jones and Elijah Green currently ranked? What about Chase DeLauter, Brooks Lee, Kumar Rocker, Jace Jung and others?
2022 MLB Draft - Top 300 Prospects
This Top 300 really reinforces a few things we’ve always believed… This college crop of hitters is good. Really good. And deep. The high school pitching in this class has the potential to be one of the stronger groups in recent memory. Where do we currently have Termarr Johnson, Druw Jones and Elijah Green currently ranked? What about Chase DeLauter, Brooks Lee, Kumar Rocker, Jace Jung and others?
2022 MLB Draft - Top 200 Prospects
With summer wood bat leagues, the summer high school showcase circuit, and fall scrimmages well under way, it’s time to reshuffle the top prospects for the 2022 class. As always, our boards are based on three pillars. Our team’s Live Looks. We’ve got every corner of the country covered. Trackman, Rapsodo and big data evaluation. Industry connections and conversations. Without further ado, here are the Top 200 prospects in the 2022 MLB Draft.
2022 MLB Draft - Top 150 Prospects
We’ve got some big changes since the Top 100 originally dropped.
This college crop of hitters is good. Really good. And deep.
The high school pitching in this class has the potential to be one of the stronger groups in recent memory.
While college pitching isn’t particularly top-heavy, there looks to be some pretty good value plays in the second and third round region this year.
Live Looks: Team USA 18U
You’re not going to believe this, but I hit some more baseball games over the weekend. Yes, I know, you’re shocked. Someone please let my fianceé know that I’ll be home before the wedding… probably.
Anyway, after hitting Pirate City (yes, it’s really called that) Saturday morning in Bradenton, I ventured to Sarasota on Saturday afternoon and made the trek again on Sunday to catch some of Team USA 18u and Team Canada 18u’s 7-game Friendship series. Hey, they named it, not me. Obviously, the 18u national team is loaded with top prospects from the 2022 class, so I can only really highlight the top performers here without writing a novel. So, here are the four best bats and arms from the two games I caught.
Elijah Green, OF, IMG Academy (FL)
The man, the myth, the legend, am I right? Elijah Green did Elijah Green things on Sunday evening as he hit a couple of home runs into the stratosphere. The first went just to the right of dead center (which is 400 feet, by the way) and the second, a true moonshot, was blistered high into the night sky, over everything in left field and out of the stadium. It was one of the furthest hit balls that I’ve ever seen in person -- and keep in mind this is with a wood bat, not metal. So, yeah, the power is pretty real. He patrolled center field but didn’t have many opportunities to flash his great speed since Team USA’s pitching was so dominant (and because he kept hitting the ball out of the ballpark). There was a little swing and miss and chase below the zone, but it’s not anything I’d truly be concerned about yet, especially when you consider how deafeningly loud the other tools are.
Termarr Johnson, 2B, Mays HS (GA)
If Elijah was doing Elijah things, then Termarr was definitely doing Termarr things this weekend, too. After casually flicking a grand slam to the opposite field on Saturday afternoon, Termarr proceeded to draw 5 — yes 5 —- walks on Sunday as Team Canada’s pitchers simply refused to give him anything to hit. He showed great patience and knowledge of the strike zone, forcing pitchers to either give in and give him something to hit or give him his free base. They all chose the latter. Defensively, he lined up at 3rd base both days where his great hands and quick actions certainly play. The only real question here would be whether the arm is strong enough; 2nd base is still his most likely long-term fit.
Druw Jones, OF, Wesleyan School (GA)
Of all the batting practice I saw, Druw Jones’ rounds stood out as the most impressive for me. The ball just seems to jump off his bat and carries further than you think it will. He cleared the bleachers pretty easily in left field and was challenging the wall in the pull-side power alley more than once. In-game, he smoked a high curveball deep to center that hopped over the wall for a ground-rule double. Not only is there feel to hit, but his quick, line-drive stroke is producing good bat speed and real power that should only improve as his frame fills out. Jones is a terrific athlete with excellent speed and should be a no-doubt center fielder his whole career -- and he’s got the Gold Glove-winning bloodlines to back it up (son of former Braves CF Andruw Jones).
Paxton Kling, OF, Central HS (PA)
Kling, who we didn’t get to see at PG National, may have had the best overall performance by a hitter while I was in the stadium this weekend. The BP was very solid, but the power was really on display during game action when he launched a big, no-doubt home run to the pull-side both Saturday and Sunday. He was able to get to big power in-game without having to sell out for it and that’s something that not a ton of prep kids can do. Overall he managed 3 hits and 2 walks during the 2 games while striking out just once. Kling also showed some solid defensive chops in right field with a solid arm and speed to round out the profile.
Jackson Ferriss, LHP, IMG Academy (FL)
Ferriss was a little rusty in the 1st and gave up some hard contact as he found the feel for his stuff, but dominated once he settled in, striking out 6 over 3 innings while allowing 5 hits, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs. He sat 89-92 with the change at 83-84 and curveball at 70-71. The whole arsenal was much sharper in innings 2 and 3 with his big curveball really giving hitters fits with its good depth and sharp movement.
Louis Rodriguez, RHP, St. John Bosco HS (CA)
Rodriguez absolutely mystified the Team Canada hitters as he struck out 10 over 5 innings without allowing a baserunner. It was incredibly impressive and the best performance I saw from any player over the 2 days. Rodriguez features a cutter and two-seam that work in the 82-85 range with a truly nasty breaking ball at 74-77 that tunnels beautifully off the cutter. He sequenced very well and kept hitters completely off-balance. Like I said, very, very impressive performance.
Joe Allen, RHP, Winnacunnet HS (NH)
Cold-weather arm alert! (Sorry, I’m from Maine and spent 30 years of my life in New England, I get excited about anyone from that region). The New Hampshire native kicked Sunday’s action off with 3 scoreless innings while striking out 5 and giving up just 1 hit and 1 walk. He featured what appeared to be two fastballs: a four-seamer that he ran up to 92 and used when elevating and a two-seamer/sinker that was 86-89 with good run that he used to dot the glove-side edge and induce weak contact. His breaking ball flashed tight vertical movement with sharp break at 74-77 that played pretty well off the two-seam. He lost the release a little toward the end of his outing, but battled well and escaped without allowing a run.
Jack O’Connor, RHP, Bishop O’Connell HS (VA)
O’Connor was a bulldog out of the pen who came right after guys and struck out 4 over 2 scoreless frames. He has a very short, compact arm action that hides the ball well and makes it really jump on hitters. The fastball sat 90-93 with good carry; he challenged hitters with it and got swings and misses in and above the zone. His breaker was tight throughout the outing with sharp vertical break and 11-5 shape. He landed it for strikes and used it for chases, as well. Very good showing.
2022 MLB Draft -- Top 100 Prospects
It’s time we turn the page and flip our focus to the 2022 draft class. Over the past month, we’ve had one of our evaluators take in over 25 Cape Cod League games. Three of our evaluators were in attendance for all four days of the Perfect Game National Showcase. We’ve also got credentials at the USA Baseball College National Team contests. In total, our evaluators have taken in over 100 college baseball games over the past calendar year, developing their thoughts on the 2022 draft class, capturing footage along the way.