As fall ball ramps up across the country, we’ve been working very hard on our rankings on both sides of the amateur landscape. The college class is dominated by outfield bats at the top, followed by a couple of tantalizing arms.
This Week in Baseball Cards - 9/23 - 9/29
This Week in Baseball Cards - 9/16 - 9/22
Switz Report: Recap 2024 Cape Cod "Top Performers" Heading into the 2025 Draft
As promised in my last article, I come back this week to deliver some of the top performers that were seen on the Cape this year. To clear any confusion that may develop, some of the guys that you see below I would even classify as dudes that could’ve been in the last article of the best dudes and talent overall in the league like Aiva Arquette and vice versa as many of guys in the last article were the headliners and statistical leaders of the summer.
Nonetheless, the dudes last time around are guys that I feel very confident that they will end up getting their name called on the first day and have little risk of falling out of the first round and CB-A unless drastic measures occur. This week, there are guys that caught fire this year in some capacity and really turned it on where they could develop the rumblings of being drafted early.
As mentioned in last week’s article, the pitching on the Cape this year was underwhelming, and thus again, this week we are shut out with arms that really grabbed attention. I will highlight some of the pitchers who did well and have some early draft upside on a later day. However, the position players again take the prize of being recognized this week and I’m excited to highlight a backstop that has garnered attention during the 2024 baseball calendar (When given the opportunity to highlight catcher’s I love to give that attention as many get overlooked for the flashy web-gem play’s and flamethrowing arms in the sport.).
Below are five dudes that I saw on the Cape that developed some breakout performances and numbers over the summer where they proved they belong to be mentioned with the top college dudes eligible in next year's draft. Many of these guys showed some struggles or absences sometime during their first two seasons of college baseball but developed helium strides with a good 2024 college season and Cape this summer.
| INF Aiva Arquette | Oregon St. | Draft Eligible: 2025 |
Cape Numbers: .291/.357/.437 (.794), 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 15 R, 2 SB, 8 BB, 28 K (23.9%)
Switz’s Notes: Last time before publishing the first Cape article, I went back and forth if I wanted to add Arquette. However, I wanted to keep a five-prospect structure to my article series and omitted him. Nevertheless, he easily could've been added to the "Best of the Best" as he grabbed the eyes of anyone who attended Chatham games over the summer, from his 6 '4 size at short to his ability to make an impact on nearly every play, which led to an easy All-Star selection in the middle of July that was rightfully deserved.
When evaluating draft prospects and heading into each July, I love it when the industry has the ability to highlight an individual coming out of the island(s) of Hawaii as they rightly deserve more recognition and a spotlight that doesn't come their way. This is the same case for a guy like Arquette, who came off the island as a toolsy prospect and now is making a name for himself on the West Coast after a robust performance this summer that grabbed the attention of all college baseball and headlined many transfer portal big boards. This ushers him with the ability and potential argument to be the best college position player in next year's draft and even the highest Hawaiian ever drafted during the annual Rule 4 Draft in MLB history.
Arquette manned the middle of the order during his tenure with Washington before jumping to Oregon State and played second base for the Huskies. While he excelled up the middle at second, over the summer, he proved that moving forward he should be on the left side of the dirt as he was one of the best defensive shortstops seen by scouts over the summer on the Cape. Many scouts, evaluators, and talking baseball heads on the internet go back and forth with where Arquette’s long-term position is at the pro level: whether he stays at short or moves over to third base to match his lengthy size and arm strength. Which I do agree that either third base or even right field would match his profile better. However, he showed me enough over the summer that he could play shortstop and would take an elite SS defender to move him off the position for me to relocate him on the diamond.
When seeing these talks about Arquette moving to the corner or even the outfield, it gives me flashback vibes when they told Carlos Correa coming out of high school and even Troy Tulowitzki coming out of Long Beach that due to the length at the six-hole, they would not be able to play shortstop at the next level. However, even as tall players for the position, they showed their athleticism and defensive prowess to stay up the middle at shortstop and evolve into a cornerstone franchise player at the premium position, a pattern Arquette could follow.
Outside of displaying his abilities on the dirt, Arquette also balled out with the bat and showed that he can impact the game in many ways regardless of how the coach constructs their lineup by exhibiting RBI producer traits and XBHs at the dish (In 22 games generated 45 total bases and 21 RBIs which was T12 in the league). Further, a standout tool that sells me on Arquette for the next level is a data drop highlighted and outlined by former Prospects Live Analyst Joe Doyle below of Aiva's ability to hit the ball hard in the zone consistently within the same past precedence as many top draft selections and prospects have. This trait of Arquette's was very apparent on the Cape, and he further displayed a unique skill from over the spring: hardly chasing and whiffing in the zone. In my opinion, these traits are substantial reasons for the helium that you will see out of Arquette in the next calendar year going into the 2025 draft. If he has a monster 2025 where he can consistently lift the ball more and see further development within his raw pop, he can become a top 10 selection in July.
Additionally, Arquette has a true gift on the diamond and plays the game uniquely, so it is hard to give him a true MLB comp. He plays very lanky and athletic, which makes me want to compare him to the Cruz's in the NL Central; however, they are true unicorns of the game with far better tools and athleticism than Arquette. At times, he gives Brandon Crawford-like vibes at SS, with his defense standing out, but I believe Arquette's power potential and offensive production will surpass Crawford when he truly develops on his raw power. So, for the readers, the best MLB comp I can give Arquette that I have thought of is him developing into a Troy Tulowizki-like dude, as I mentioned multiple times in my report. Two dudes that coming out of the draft, have an MLB-ready body and have all the tools that will be close to big league-ready when drafted (Tulo came up 14 months after he was drafted, and I can see Arquette following the same path if he has a monster spring as everything seems to come to him quickly within the game of baseball). Both are good defenders with a sound internal clock and the game doesn't get too fast for them. However, despite their good athleticism on the dirt and strong arm, they will likely be labeled offensive SS at the next level due to their RBI production and HR potential.
Overall, the Hawaiian sold me on the product he is selling, which has upside bat-to-ball skills with all field contact, emerging robust pop, and defense/athleticism to stay at the premium six on the diamond. Not to sound like a true homer on the guy, but he is currently number one on my preferred list and 2025 draft big board going into fall ball and displays to me potential five-tool and annual All-Star upside. The sky's the limit for this dude and going into a draft where there seems to be lots of swing-and-miss in many draft profiles, I would bet on his in-zone contact, bat-to-ball skills, and athleticism over anyone else if I were an amateur scouting director. He should be an exciting draft prospect for the 2025 draft for us to watch next spring and follow moving forward.
| OF/INF RJ Austin | Vanderbilt | Draft Eligible: 2025 |
Cape Numbers: .321/.361/.536 (.896), 6 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 10 R, 6 SB, 3 BB, 12 K (19.3%)
*Played in only 15 contests
Switz’s Notes: Austin was a late arrival on the Cape this summer after starting his summer campaign with Team USA in Cary. However, the former big-time prep star who passed on the opportunity of getting his name called in 2022 to go to Vandy made some noise over the summer by showing his athleticism more than the first base landlock that he was given over the spring and further displaying more soundness in his bat by hitting over .300, spraying hard contact everywhere. Anyone who watches Austin play sees the tools and high baseball IQ upside that he brings to the table for a pro team if selected. During the summer, Austin even showed some of his developing pop in his game with triple-digit EVs for XBHs. He even exhibited pull-side power to touch all the bases periodically in the summer without needing the turbo footspeed he provides. After back-to-back years on the Cape, exhibiting quality results with the wood, further indicates that outside of getting one of the best athletes in the draft, he has a quality hit tool that appears to get discounted at times. Austin further proved outside chatter wrong on the substantial question mark he had coming out of high school regarding his hitting/contact abilities.
In the box, since coming to Vandy, he has changed his approach and has consistently tinkered with many things during ABs. The first thing that usually stands out within Austin is that he added more uphillness in his swing to tap into more XBH and HR pop. He’s also shuffled around, incorporating bigger leg kicks for better timing, lowering his hands, being a little more open, taking bigger strides, etc. He has shown the desire to improve his game and become the best version of himself at the plate possible and uses his time on the Cape to practice these in live AB settings. Seeing these things come together matched with his player profile and work ethic; this clicked the idea in my head of his player comp being similar to Ketel Marte (I know he is a switch-hitter; however, he didn’t hit double-digit HRs until he made changes to his swings) as he was a dude that went down the same path of a toolsy athlete, always looking to hit, and flashes the leather on occasion that makes being on the field for defense look easy. However, to be a more desirable and well-rounded ballplayer, they needed to tap more into their pop and produce HRs, which Marte did and has become a cornerstone player for Arizona.
Many of you may be asking and reading all this word salad, "ok why are you bringing this up?". I bring this to the limelight because after watching RJ's game over the summer and getting an eye on his metrics, it seems like Austin is getting towards the end of the road with his tinkering needed to be able to produce the necessary pop that Marte needed to break out at a young age as Austin is learning to simplify it down more at the plate, trust his core rotation, and getting more out of his energy from his back hip to drive the baseball deeper than before. With everything that Austin has worked on over the last two years with the Red Sox on the Cape and back in Nashville, and to quote that annoying Costco guy from TikTok, I think we are going to see either a big "boom or doom" season for Austin in a similar light as Mike Sirtoa in the 2023-2024 calendar where it is a strong contact numbers hitter with toolsy traits and athleticism that is trying to maximize themselves as a ballplayer for the next level by tinkering at the plate to see if they can summon more pop and HR production into their game. For Sirota, it didn't work out during the spring before the draft, and he fell from a potential top-15 player in the draft to the third round. I like Austin's chances a lot more than Sirota's due to his metrics and mechanics at the plate, which align more for the long ball than Sirota's, as he displayed more line drive pop than uphill-ness for the long ball.
Overall, going into this spring and next year's draft, Austin is going to be a violent, high-risk, and high-reward prospect that is hard for anyone to project for July. Since he was an HS prospect, Austin has always had the speed, athleticism, competitive instinct, and makeup for the next level. However, it was always about projecting what the hit tool and future value of the bat can provide. For Austin, after two years in college and on the Cape, it can be shown that he has the contact tool for the next level and the ingredients to be an everyday start for the pro level. However, the ability to tap into his HR pop within his elevation approach will be a deciding factor for his longevity in professional baseball. A strong spring that shows the pop that I expect should place him somewhere within that first round with college arms, last-minute helium guys, and the HS crop possibly passing him up. If he produces a season where the pop isn't made and doesn't align with the hard contact displayed over the 2024 calendar year, then a fall into early day two is possible like it did for Mike Sirota. Regardless of how the pop plays out, Austin has substantial contact tools for the next level and should hold his own even during this launch angle era baseball is currently in.
| 3B Trent Caraway | Oregon St. | Draft Eligible: 2025 |
Cape Numbers: .276/.362/.449 (.811), 5 2B, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 17 R, 5 SB, 13 BB, 21 K (18.1%)
Switz’s Notes: Another Beaver from Oregon St makes this list of top performers from the summer on the Cape. Rewinding to the 2023 season, Caraway was one of the big surprises from that prep class who decided to take his talents to college over being selected in the draft (even with his mature athletic traits and advances in the box). He was a prospect and incoming freshman that many in the Pac-12 were excited to see play over the spring; however, his season was shortened to 18 games due to an injury with a broken finger. During his time over the spring and summer, he showed flashes with the bat by consistently producing hard contact and video game-like exit velocities. However, the ability to deliver these hard contact hits into HRs and XBHs is where he needs to pick up his game with little results so far and show more production versus movement outside of having the ability to bang FBs all over the park when pitched middle-middle. A consistent issue seen over his time on the Cape was him falling into being a victim of GDP (ground into double plays) due to his undesirable knack of hitting ground balls and not getting enough loft on the ball when hitting spin (an issue that carried over from the spring into his time with Falmouth).
Due to these tendencies, many teams picked this up in their advanced scouting reports in the league and started to pitch more spin and movement when he was at the dish down the stretch this summer. Even returning to his short stint in the spring, he produced a nasty 53% groundball rate. Over the summer, I believe he toiled on this issue and emphasized ironing out these issues seen in spring 2024 and minimizing them going into spring 2025 by displaying more line drive contact later on the Cape season. The issue I would like to see more from him in the spring is the ability to hit spin and give the Beaver fans what they want and for him to be productive.
Regardless, I believe he has the tools and ability to turn all this around and take his rough 2024 baseball campaign and flip it 180 degrees in 2025, as before the injury struck him, he was a force to be reckoned with at the plate and was a front runner to be Freshman of the Year in his conference. Further, I see him getting some minor stuff worked out in the box where he can tap into the power for production more often and become a powerful home run hitter. He has smooth and fluid operation in the box, which I love in his game, and he has very polished movements and mechanics.
On the defensive side of the ball, he did show some struggles with Falmouth on the left side of the dirt, which even led to the point that he got benched for a game for his mistakes. At the pro level and the end of the road for Caraway, I think teams will have him match the power profile he delivers and move to 1st base with him putting more emphasis and energy into his offensive side of the ball. With him being a former high school prospect who was highly desired coming out of school, I think the floor is high for him going into the draft. A good season at the dish could skyrocket him into the first half of Day 1. However, I do not see him falling out of the top 50 - 60 unless some significant red flags or college influence motivates him to stay (cough….cough…NIL). A healthy Caraway next spring should be an exciting show to watch, and I believe that with the potent lineup that the Beavers will have, he should be able to carve a significant role at the plate with many RBI-producing opportunities and be a highly talked-about name in scouting circles.
| OF Brandon Compton | Arizona St. | Draft Eligible: 2025 |
Cape Numbers: .331/.414/.489 (.903), 3 2B, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 26 R, 2 SB, 21 BB, 26K (16.6%)
Switz’s Notes: If you ask who took the opportunity to grab the "brass rings" during the 2023 - 2024 college baseball calendar, many would answer Charlie Condon, Hagen Smith; some might answer Braden Montgomery or even Christian Moore. However, I would answer with Brandon Compton!
Compton was an under-the-radar two-way prospect who worked his way to Tempe over the summer of 2022 with the Sun Devils coaching staff with big expectations for him even with being ranked outside of the top 300 on PBR and not even given a grade on Perfect game as the coaching staff saw something in his game. Compton missed his true freshman season in 2023 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery, which regulated him to being a bat-only profile. Thus, he came back into the fold for the Sun Devils in the last year of the traditional Pac-12 conference and blew the doors off the competition at the dish, leading him to take the Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year award as a redshirt. After a strong spring for ASU, he continued his monster 2024 campaign by being a consistent offensive key for the Kettleers this summer, producing an impressive slash line of .331/.414/.489 and creating his own spotlight within the Cotuit lineup with eventual first-round talent Devin Taylor. Compton did have the opportunity last summer to get some reps within the Northwoods League. There, he first displayed that his bat isn't a joke with the wood by hammering .320/.423/.563 with 21 long balls and 71 RBIs (maybe one of the best productive seasons you may ever find from a college summer ball player).
However, even with the impressive resume in the last calendar year, during his time on the Cape, and even going into next spring, Compton has some stuff to clean up offensively to remain a coveted prospect and continue the hype he has created in his 2024 breakout. First, he strikes out way too much (near a 25% clip) and needs to get that down (as most of his K's come from whiffs and chase on movement/offspeed). On the Cape, he helped himself by only striking out 16.5% in a small summer sample size, but he still has that chip on his shoulder from scouts that he needs to prove more versus movement. Which I get from a scout's perspective that with Compton only really providing an offensive profile with him being an underwhelming defender; they really need to make sure (some would add the pun and say "hit it out of the park") that the offensive profile will play for the next level. Next, having the ability to draw walks is a key ability that Compton needs to improve on after producing a BB rate of 10.8% last spring and roughly 13.3% on the Cape. When you go back and look at some of the best hitters coming out of college and getting selected early on Day 1 of the draft, most, if not all, have the ability to draw walks; a surge in this department next spring will boost his stock and value for next July.
Over on Baseball America, former Prospects Live analyst and founder Geoff Pontes made a great comparison between Brandon Compton and recent first-round draft pick James Tibbs III, which is a great comp to have on the Sun Devil prospect currently. Many evaluators and scouts projected Tibbs mainly as an offensive profile player in college. Similarly, he had below-average defense, some swing-and-miss within his younger years (needed to lower his K%), and needed to display a boost in his walk rates to get his respectable draft stock up.
Thus, going into his draft-eligible season, Tibbs went to work. During his junior year at FSU and during his time within the Cape for Brewster the summer prior, he continued to impress with his contact tools and loud power potential, and it showed statistically. Coming off his freshman season into his upperclass years, he steadily climbed in home runs, WRC+, OPS, and batting average to finish his three-year college career. Tibbs ended college, lowering his K% to roughly 10% and boosting a respectable 18% BB rate to be selected in the first round.
Granted, Tibbs did this in three years at FSU, and Compton just came off his first year of college ball healthy. However, for Compton to garner that first-round status that Tibbs achieved going into his first draft-eligible college season, he will need to build off his freshman year and grow/develop further as a hitter Tibbs did. The helium is there for Compton, who is no longer in the shadows as an unknown hitter. The attention is now on him, and if he wants to get his name called on Day 1 next July, he will need to iron out his weakness and provide a substantial offensive performance next spring. As of right now, I like him within the latter half of the top 100 prospects when you factor in the HS dudes and I presently see him as an early day two prospect within the second or third round (picks if selected, may be too tempting for him to pass regarding the offered pool even with another two years of eligibility remaining).
| C Easton Carmichael | Oklahoma | Draft Eligible: 2025 |
Cape Numbers: .299/.372/.496 (.868), 10 2B, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 22 R, 6 SB,13 BB, 26K (17.8%)
Switz’s Notes: An emerging offensive star out of Oklahoma who bears a keen eye and impressive ability to make contact to all fields at the plate. Carmichael carried that success from back-to-back springs in the Big-12 onto the Cape this summer and continued to display his bat-to-ball skills in front of MLB scouts. I believe the bat can play for the next level, and it is the best tool at his disposal. It should translate to solid contact and batting average production in the pros. He’s improved as a hitter every spring by lowering his K% and gradually improving the free passes. The Cape gave him a different feel and level of competition this summer, yet he held his own. However, there really isn’t any future value regarding the power and home run department in his profile, which hurts him in many phases of the game (especially with him making a possible move to 1st base) and looks to be more of a hard contact doubles hitter that could sneak some pop over the wall in smaller ballparks. Advanced metrics and analytical teams that value ballpark factors in their amateur evaluation and roster construction process may roll the dice of putting him in the lineup and trusting he can muster the pop needed for run production (similar to how the Reds implemented Kyle Farmer in their infielder with his hard contact abilities and RBI producing upside. An example I used in my report of giving him a Kyle Farmer power comp.).
That said, Carmichael needs to make further strides behind the dish to become a better catcher for the next level and match his bat profile. When watching Carmichael, he is proficient at the advanced traits and skills behind the dish teams desire (framing and blocking) and shows some strain in the fundamental level tasks (arm strength and receiving). I do believe there's time for him to be able to fix these issues, as we have seen other household college catchers who have gone pro having the same issues (Ex. Zach Collins, 1st round White Sox 2016). Thus, it gives me the feeling that if he goes to a team that has a strong player development and catching development program, he can develop into being a catcher at the major league level that had athletic traits but some warts in their game behind the dish like the example from my report of Lucroy, coming out of the draft and through development.
The only red flag in Carmichael's game going into the spring that worries me that he cannot control is where he is played when the lineup card is turned in and is a point of emphasis during fall ball that will control his destiny for the spring. Over the summer for YD, in most of the games I saw with Carmichael, he was either chicken scratched in at DH or first base for the Red Sox. Last spring, Oklahoma used him primarily as a DH in their lineup down the stretch (roughly 64% of contests in the 2024 spring) due to his inability to control the running game and weaker arm strength. If college and summer ball coaches are already emphasizing moving him off catcher for the next level, it doesn't give a good sign of confidence that scouts and minor league staff will give him a chance behind the dish. Nonetheless, suppose Carmichael takes the reins in fall ball to establish himself as "the catcher" for the Sooners in 2025. In that case, he has a decent shot at staying behind the dish for the early beginnings of his pro-level career (especially with this next year's catching class looking more top-heavy than depth). If Carmichael creates mystery, loses the battle, or creates platoon work behind the dish for 2025 and gets regulated back to DH/1B duties. Then, it wouldn't give strong signs for him going into next year's draft without some further power established in his game.
Next time I’ll have full reports and notes on some of the guys that grabbed my eye over the summer on the Cape that little are talking about.
Deep Drives: Devin Obee Commits to Georgia
While the summer transfer portal has closed, that doesn’t mean that the movement within the college landscape stops. On Tuesday, ex-Duke outfielder Devin Obee, who received significant draft interest this past summer, made his commitment to Wes Johnson’s Georgia squad, beefing up an already impressive transfer class for the second-year skipper.
With the news of the transfer now public, I felt it was a good time to try something a bit different. Since Obee was a guy that I saw on plenty of occasions this past spring, it only feels right to write about the player and how the profile will translate to the SEC. It may be a tough transition, but Obee is the kind of bat that can be a middle-of-the-order thumper for a team that just lost Charlie Condon and his BBCOR HR record to Colorado. So, what is the toolset like? What are the expectations in Athens, and what does Duke do to replace such a power threat in their lineup? Let’s dive in.
Devin Obee’s Profile
As mentioned in the introduction, Obee had substantial draft interest and turned down a significant sum of money to complete his degree and enter the portal in August. Obee was ranked 229th on our final Top 300 board that dropped just before the draft. He’s still eligible to play in the 2025 campaign as a result of this late entry, unlike situations like Wake Forest RHP Luke Schmolke, who couldn’t pitch in 2024 after a late transfer from Georgia Tech.
Overall, Obee is one of the more gifted athletes in the country. He’s a physical brute at 6’2, 215 pounds and features a ton of strength throughout his frame. Despite his size, Obee is an incredible athlete and figures to handle center field for the Bulldogs in 2025. Obee made plenty of highlight reel plays at the “eight” for the Blue Devils and features above-average speed and average or better defense. It’s not Vance Honeycutt good, but it’s enough for me to believe that he’ll be tough to push off the position if he enters a professional organization. His route-running is very solid and he’ll cover plenty of ground with that speed. Obee only committed one error and posted a .991 fielding percentage in 2024, giving him a track record of consistency at the position.
With that said, 2024 was his only full season in a starting role at Duke. Obee saw some meaningful playing time in his first two years on campus, playing in 87 total games, but he only recorded a total of 184 plate appearances. That changed in 2024, as he secured a starting role and began the year on an impressive hot streak, posting a .476 batting average in non-conference play. As the ACC slate began, Obee began to be exploited a bit by more impressive pitching, though he’d finish the year with a .309/.399/.599 slash line and sixteen home runs. During Duke’s run to the ACC title in Charlotte, Obee recorded three multi-hit games and three home runs, earning Tournament MVP honors in the process.
Obee’s swing is a bit grooved and stiff, which has led to contact concerns. Obee posted a contact rate of 68% in 2024, which is well below-average in comparison to the rest of college baseball (the average is 77.3%). Obee struggled a ton with both velocity and spin, recording a whiff rate of 27% on heaters and a rate of 40% on sliders alone. This led to his inflated strikeout numbers, as he recorded sixty punchouts this spring, though Obee kept his chase rate near the average clip for college baseball, posting a 22.5% chase rate in 2024 (the average is 23.4%). This kept his walk rate to a respectable clip on the season and while his speed wasn’t utilized a ton on the bases, scouts raved about the power in the swing.
In the clip above, you can see what helps Obee generate a ton of his power. He’s a violent rotator with tons of bat speed and there’s natural loft to his swing, allowing him to lift the ball with ease. It’s legitimate all-fields power with Obee, grading out as above-average to plus with hefty exit velocities. Obee jumped the 110 MPH echelon on numerous occasions, maxing out at 111.3 MPH with one of his ACC Tournament home runs. It’s the calling card of his offensive profile and will be a valuable asset in the age of the long ball in college baseball.
While Obee is a college graduate, he will still be on the younger side of the upperclass bats in this year’s class. He was only 20 years and 9 months old on July 14th and won’t turn 22 years old until September 20, 2025, which bodes well for model-friendly teams. If there’s a solid performance against tougher competition in 2025, there’s a good chance that teams will view him somewhere in the latter half of Day Two, similar to the case this past summer.
Outcomes for Georgia and Duke
For Georgia, the outcome of this commitment is pretty cut and dry. Obee fills a hole not only in the outfield, but also in the power department offensively. Of the 151 home runs hit as a team in 2024, 66 of them were hit by players taken in the draft (Condon, Corey Collins, and Fernando Gonzalez). Georgia’s portal additions help ease the pain of these losses, as Robbie Burnett, Ryland Zaborowski, and Daniel Jackson all recorded double-digit home run totals in 2024, plus Kolby Branch, Slate Alford, and Tre Phelps all return to Athens, too. There’s a chance that the 2025 team could outslug the 2024 squad, especially with the way the ball continues to fly out of the ballpark at an infinite clip. The pitching looks to be on the stronger side, as well. This is a team with Omaha aspirations after a campaign that fell one game short of that goal in 2024.
As for Duke, replacing Obee’s leadership and power will be a tough task. Duke was poached on the pitching side of the draft and while Alex Stone signed with Toronto, there’s a hefty amount of bats returning to campus in Durham. There won’t be any Zac Morris, but Ben Miller went undrafted and the likes of Macon Winslow, AJ Gracia, and Kyle Johnson will step foot in Jack Coombs in 2025. Two outfielders from the Northeast will travel south to Durham, as well, as Jake Hyde and Ben Rounds will test their tools in the ACC this spring. In the power department, Duke will be eager to get Sam Harris valuable playing time. Coaches have raved about Harris’ raw power and there’s a good chance that a healthy spring will equate to hefty power numbers from the sophomore from Iowa. This won’t be a team to sleep on and much like Georgia, the lofty expectations of Omaha may well and truly become reality.
This Week in Baseball Cards 9/9 - 9/15
Covering the major product releases and news in the baseball card hobby for the week of September 9th through September 15th, 2024. There is one release covered this week - 2024 Bowman Chrome and three Pre-Orders - 2024 Topps Five Star Baseball, 2024 Topps Chrome Logofractor Edition, and 2024 Bowman Sterling. In addition, there is one retail product, 2023 Leaf Trinity Baseball Mega boxes potentially on the calendar as well.
Live Looks: High-A Spokane Indians at Everett AquaSox
This week marked the final week in the 2024 regular season for Advanced A-ball. As such, it was my last chance to catch a couple of high-profile prospects in Everett. With the Indians in town, that gave me a chance to see the 2024 third-overall pick, Charlie Condon. Also in the mix were Colt Emerson, Cole Carrigg, and Michael Arroyo. The AquaSox got out to an early 3-0 lead by the top of the fifth inning, but Spokane stormed back. A foul-tip non-call plated a run in what turned into a three-run inning for the Indians. From there, they never looked back. Spokane scored again in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings en route to an 8-4 victory over Everett. Notable prospects playing for the Indians included Charlie Condon (Rockies no. 1), Cole Carrigg (Rockies no. 7), Dyan Jorge (Rockies no. 15), and Kyle Karros (Rockies no. 18). LHP Welinton Herrera also made an appearance. He’s unranked but was featured in our underrated National League prospects earlier this month.
For the AquaSox, top prospects in this one included Colt Emerson (Mariners no. 1), Lazaro Montes (Mariners no. 3), Michael Arroyo (Mariners no. 12), and Jared Sundstrom (Mariners no. 30). It was a prospect-heavy matchup with plenty of takeaways to be found.
OF Charlie Condon (Rockies no. 1): 0/4, BB
It’s been far from smooth sailing for this year’s third-overall pick. None of that changed in the season’s final week, or in the game I attended on Wednesday. Condon failed to make any real hard contact on the night. Even the contact he made was stock full of pop-ups and weak foul balls. At one point, he entered the game with the bases loaded and one out. It was a key, clutch situation that saw Condon ground into an inning ending double play. Condon was visually frustrated most of the night, and it’s clear that he’s beginning to press a bit too much at the plate. An offseason will do him well. After the double-play groundout, Condon slammed his helmet to the dirt just past first base. Following a pop out to the catcher in another at-bat, Condon stood at the plate for an extra moment in clear frustration.
Much of Condon’s struggles at the plate looked to stem from a lack of confidence. On numerous occasions early, Condon would check his swing on hittable pitches. It seemed as if he was having a hard time with pitch recognition. More often, he’s simply swinging for elevation too much. Condon’s swing path could be straighter to the baseball. Instead, on his groundouts, Condon would swing upward and ahead of the pitch. It’s a poor swing plane that simply isn’t working right now. An offseason adjustment and some time off would suit the Rockies’ top prospect well. The talent is still clear for next season and beyond.
SS Colt Emerson (Mariners no. 1): 1/4, BB
Emerson has had a slow start since moving up to High-A earlier this season. Despite those struggles, he looks the part. Emerson has posted an excellent 83.8% zone contact rate with the AquaSox. His 19.4% whiff rate is among the best in the league and he rarely chases at just 17.4%. All of those things point to much better things to come from Emerson. In his lone hit on the night, Emerson got around quickly on a hittable pitch, lining a grounder into the outfield for a hit. His swing path is excellent and great bat speed really shines. Emerson passes the eye test on the diamond as well. His movement at shortstop is fluid with great footwork and a strong arm. The arm is accurate as well. He very well might grow into a third base profile, but he has the makings of an All-Star shortstop if he sticks there.
OF Cole Carrigg (Rockies no. 7): 1/4, HR, BB, 2 RBI
Carrigg had one of the best swings of the night. In the top of the eighth, Carrigg connected on a breaking ball, lifting it deep to right-center for a home run. His swing looks long at times, but his bat speed more than makes up for that. He put together a quality plate appearance every time he went to the plate in this one. Defensively, there weren’t many opportunities for Carrigg’s elite arm to factor in. He looked good in the field when given the chance to make a play and has the makings of a good big league center fielder. Despite the home run, Carrigg’s hit tool remains ahead of his power at this stage and should be good enough to carry the offensive profile. He also stole two bags on the night to help keep the runs coming for the Indians. That speed and defense provide an excellent floor for Carrigg as he continues to develop.
OF Lazaro Montes (Mariners no. 3): 0/5, SO
It was a difficult night at the plate for Montes. Beyond just the results, he simply didn’t put together many solid plate appearances. He worked the count in his first at-bat, eventually grounding out. His next two at-bats were balls in play for an out, swinging at the first pitch. He followed those two up with a three-pitch strikeout swinging. Montes was the final out of the game in his fifth plate appearance of the night, grounding out on — you guessed it — the very first pitch he saw. That makes five plate appearances for Montes and a grand total of 12 pitches seen. Six of those came in his first at-bat of the game. The outstanding raw power is evident at times, but the current focus on Montes has to be better pitch recognition and plate discipline. His whiff rate has ballooned to 35.3% with the AquaSox and he’s struggling to make contact. Until those things change, Montes may potentially offer a 30-grade hit tool that’ll make it difficult to get to his immense raw power.
2b Michael Arroyo (Mariners no. 12): 0/4, K
Michael Arroyo was uber-aggressive at the plate as well, much like Montes. He swung at the first pitch he saw to open the game with a quick groundout. Arroyo was able to get on base by hit-by-pitch in his next appearance but was picked off on the basepaths between second and third. His next plate appearance was a groundout on the second pitch. Arroyo’s final two at-bats of the evening featured a flyout on the first pitch, followed by a four-pitch strikeout. The season stat line for Arroyo has been great so far and he makes a lot of contact at the plate. Unfortunately, on nights like this one, that doesn’t always result in good contact. There’s a solid hit tool with Arroyo, but it’s unlikely he’ll add much power, and both fundamentally and defensively it can be rough. Arroyo committed one error and accompanied that with a handful of errant throws. He did make one excellent diving stop at one point, but the arm is difficult to trust at this point in his development.
3B Kyle Karros (Rockies no. 18): 2/4, RBI, BB
Cole Carrigg had the most standout performance of the game, but Kyle Karros wasn’t terribly far behind. He manned the hot corner and notched two hits. He got on base three times with sound swing mechanics. Karros put together quite a few gritty plate appearances. He has a great approach at the plate and regularly works a count well. He saw an average of seven pitches per plate appearance in this one. In the field, Karros also made an excellent diving stop with a strong throw to first to beat the runner. Long-term, it doesn’t appear that Karros offers the power profile needed to stick at third base. His hit tool should be at least average, and he has a strong enough arm to move to a corner outfield spot where his lack of power may be more suitable.
2025 MLB Draft: Top Draft Prospect Transfers
The transfer portal and NIL have created the notion that we expect lots of change each college baseball offseason. It has also significantly changed the recruiting process and how teams approach the MLB Draft. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, this is where the current landscape stands.
The 2025 college baseball transfer portal saw a lot of high-end talent on the move, with many expected to be potential top draft picks for the 2025 MLB Draft. Here are a few names you should be watching. Rankings of the transfer portal players are thanks to our friends over at 64 Analytics: www.64analytics.com
HITTERS
3B/OF ANDREW FISCHER (OLE MISS TO TENNESSEE)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #2
The Tennessee Volunteers were quiet on the transfer portal, and then, all of a sudden, they landed two of the top bats in the entire transfer class in Fischer and Kilen. We will start with Fischer, who provided some serious pop for Ole Miss. Fischer began his collegiate career at Duke in 2023 before transferring to Ole Miss for his sophomore year. Fischer is a bat-first prospect who generates a ton of power, as he’s seen max EVs up to 113 mph. Fischer generates most of his power to the pull side. He couples that with decent barrel-to-ball skills and the ability to get on base, as he sports a near 14% BB rate. Defensively, Fischer’s home is a bit unknown because he’s a bit clunky at third base, but has the arm strength to handle the position if he can improve there. He should fill in nicely in the heart of the Volunteers lineup.
SS GAVIN KILEN (LOUISVILLE TO TENNESSEE)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #4
The Volunteers lost a ton of bats in the MLB Draft, but hit the transfer portal hard and should be able to stave off some of those missing pieces. Kilen will play a major role in that. He produced some of the best contact rates in the NCAA last year, posting some insane contact and in-zone contact rates. He’s a bit aggressive, which led to a high chase rate, but that didn’t lead to significant Whiff or an increase in strikeouts, he has put up pretty good numbers in both categories. The big thing about Kilen’s offensive game is he saw a rise in pull-side power, with his max exit velocity getting up to 111 mph. Defensively, Killen has solid range at shortstop and enough arm strength to stick at the position. His quick reaction time helps him get to the ball with ease. He should be a solid contributor to the Volunteers looking to be repeat National Champions.
OF KANE KEPLEY (LIBERTY TO NORTH CAROLINA)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #8
The Tar Heels are getting one of the best contact hitters in the transfer portal. At Liberty, Kepley made some insane numbers contact wise. It doesn’t matter where you throw it, there is a good chance that Kepley will hit it. He utilizes the opposite field quite a bit as well. The 5’8, 170lb outfielder doesn’t possess much raw power but still puts up decent overall exit velos. He’s a plus runner who can track a ball down decently in the outfield. That speed has also led to 20+ steals in one season at Liberty and two summer ball seasons. The lack of power, as mentioned, limits his ceiling, but he has a very safe floor due to his speed, defensive ability, and ability to make contact.
INF AIVA ARQUETTE (WASHINGTON TO OREGON STATE)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #10
The Washington Huskies saw many players enter the portal, with Head Coach Jason Kelly leaving for Texas A&M. Arquette was definitely one of the top players to leave the Huskies and a massive get for Oregon State. Arquette put on a show in his second year with the Huskies, showcasing a solid combination of power and bat-to-ball skills at the plate. He continued that this summer in the Cape Cod League, where he slashed .291/.357/.437 with a .793 OPS. Most of his power came pull side, but he did showcase the ability to drive the ball the other way as he hit about five home runs to centerfield or right. Arquette also has incredible plate coverage and does a fantastic job getting balls down and away. He can sometimes be aggressive, which leads to increased chase rates. Defensively, he plays a good second base, but given his 6’4, 220lb frame, there is a good chance he will make his way to the hot corner in the long term. In the Cape, he played most of his games at shortstop, with a few at third base. He’s definitely one to watch in 2025, as his already solid toolset and projection could have him skyrocketing.
C BRADY NEAL (LSU TO ALABAMA)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #13
A significant loss for LSU, Neal was a force behind the dish for the Tigers, slashing .276/.409/.578 with a .986 OPS. Neal heads to Alabama, where he will give Head Coach Rob Vaughn a solid contributor and consistent leader behind the dish and in the lineup. Neal possesses extreme raw power from the left side and hits the ball very hard to the right side of the field, and has pretty good exit velo numbers to the poolside. Neal needs to improve his ability to make consistent contact so he can tap more into that raw power. He strikes out at a higher clip than you’d like to see. He offsets some of those issues with a fairly decent walk rate. Regardless, the 5’10, 193lb Neal can stick behind the plate thanks to his strong arm and athleticism. The upside with the bat is what you want to say for a potential catcher in the draft, regardless of some of the swing-and-miss concerns.
INF RYAN BLACK (UT ARLINGTON TO GEORGIA)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #15
Hits the ball hard. That about sums it up. Line drives are the name of the game for Black. He had some decent exit velocities and put his name on the map as a mid-major hitter. Black can generate hard contact with all parts of the field and has most of his hits to the right side. He couples that with very low Chase and Whiff rates. It’s an excellent approach at the plate, and he will be tough out for pitchers. Black should easily stick at second base because he is quick and makes plays. He lacks some range and has average arm strength, which likely limits him to second. He’s not the fastest runner and it’s average at best so his ceiling on the basepaths is limited. He’ll have the opportunity to face some much tougher pitching as he joins Georgia and the SEC.
INF DANIEL DICKINSON (UTAH VALLEY TO LSU)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #16
LSU, as always, had a time with the transfer portal. Daniel Dickinson may have been one of their best grabs this portal season. Like Ryan Black, Dickinson has some of the most insane contact rates in the country. His Whiff rates are off the charts well, and he struck out less than 10% of the time at Utah Valley. He’s been tapping into his power more, thanks to his quick hands and ability to get barrel-to-ball. It still taps out about fringe-average, but he could improve on that. He couples that with the ability to hit the ball hard. He did run into some struggles this summer in the Cape, but he maintained his elite approach at the plate, boasting excellent walk and strikeout rates, leaving me less concerned. However, he will be tested by some of the best arms in the nation in the SEC. Dickinson seems slated to be a second baseman due to his solid range and quick feet, but his arm will hold him back from playing on the left side of the diamond.
OF ETHAN CONRAD (MARIST TO WAKE FOREST)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #169
.388/.433/.486/.920. That’s one hell of a Cape Cod League slash line. Yes, I know it is fairly hitter-heavy in college summer leagues, but that’s still impressive for a guy who was at Marist last year. Conrad has been a force for the Red Foxes for the last two years and will take his talents to a Wake Forest team that needs some offensive pop. It’s a really fun and beautiful left-handed swing that has a good amount of raw pop. He chases quite a bit due to his aggressiveness on the plate, but he takes advantage of mistaken pitches when he connects. Despite his aggressiveness, he tends to have a very good feel for the strike zone. He’ll be tested in the SEC, but as mentioned earlier he has shown in a small sample size he can keep up with better arms. He pairs that solid ability at the plate with plus speed and had double-digit steals over the last two seasons at Marist. He’s a fringe-average defender with a strong arm who could be a very solid right fielder at the next level.
PITCHERS
LHP CADE FISHER (FLORIDA TO AUBURN)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #1
Cade Fisher was easily one of the most exciting names to enter the transfer portal this offseason and is a massive get for the Auburn Tigers. Pitching Coach Everett Teaford must be stoked to add him to that rotation. The former Florida Gator has a solid three-pitch mix that includes a fastball in the low-90s but has seen a max velo of 95 mph. He has some really good carry to that pitch. He pairs that with a slider and changeup. His slider has a ton of horizontal movement and absolutely fools hitters when he’s on with his command and control. The changeup plays well off his fastball and is a pretty good second secondary for him. Fisher comes at hitters with a low slot arm angle, creating some deception on his pitches. After a strong 2023, some command issues hurt Fisher in 2024, and his overall numbers took a step back. Fisher’s release point would vary, and the combination of walks and giving up hard contact led to him giving up quite a bit of runs. Fisher had a small sample size of three games in the Cape Cod League and flashed more success there in a hitter-friendly league. He opens up as a favorite to be in the rotation for the Auburn Tigers.
LHP ZACH ROOT (ECU TO ARKANSAS)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #3
A massive loss for ECU is a huge gain for the Arkansas Razorbacks who will have some stacked pitching going into 2025. Root found a ton of success during his tenure at ECU, pitching to the tune of a 3.82 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 63.2 innings for the Pirates. Root has a pretty well-filled out lower half that’s paired with quick arm actions. It’s a somewhat funky delivery that helps him get some deception. His fastball sits in the in the low-90s, but has been up to 97 mph. His secondaries are really what make him a threat on the mound. He goes to his change-up the most often as he’s willing to utilize it in any account tude to his good feel and command of the pitch. He hides the ball well with his funky delivery and the pitch drops away and out of the zone on hitters. His other secondary he goes to often is a slider, which has some cutter action to it at times, has some serious bite to it and he’s generated a ton of Whiff and Chase on this pitch as well. He rounds out the arsenal with a sweepy curveball. It’s a fun arm on it’s way to Fayetteville and a very successful season will boe well for the rising junior.
LHP LANDON BEIDELSCHIES (OHIO STATE TO ARKANSAS)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #5
Another big arm heading to Arkansas. You’ll see that’s a common theme in this article on the pitching side. The Razorbacks snag one of the best starters in the BIG10. The 6’3, 225lb Beidelschies is a physical presence on the mound, and he isn’t afraid to attack hitters with his fastball/slider combo. Beidelschies fastball has been in the 90-94 MPH range and has even topped at 98 mph. It’s his go-to pitch, as he utilized it nearly 60% of the time and missed bats with it a ton. As mentioned earlier, he pairs that fastball with a very nasty slider, which he goes to just over 30% of the time. Its sharp bite helps him get some decent Chase and Whiff on the pitch. He also has a change-up and curveball, which he’s utilized much less frequently, but both have the makings of rounding out a solid four-pitch arsenal. There is some relief risk if he doesn’t polish up those other secondaries, but the projection is there and he will look to find success against some of the toughest bats in the SEC.
RHP EVAN CHREST (JACKSONVILLE TO FLORIDA STATE)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #9
Chrest isn’t as highly ranked as the other arms, but there is plenty of intrigue. The numbers in the stat sheet aren’t the prettiest, but the data behind them will interest most teams. His slider clocks in well above 2800 RPMs and induces a ton of chase. He’s got a developing fastball that sits in the low-90s and has topped out at 95 MPH. The two-pitch combo has helped him generate decent strikeout numbers, as he’s punched out 74 batters over 68.2 innings. He commands the slider decently as well. His changeup rounds out his three-pitch mix nicely, generating some decent Whiff on the pitch. He’s a bit undersized, coming in at 6’0, 180lbs and heading into his junior year, there might not be as much projectability left. But the already decent three-pitch mix and decent command for all of them will have teams interested on draft day.
LHP LIAM DOYLE (OLE MISS TO TENNESSEE)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #11
Doyle joins his Ole Miss teammate Andrew Fischer in making his way to Tennesee, giving the Volunteers a high strikeout rate arm to add to their rotation. Doyle has put up some insane strikeout numbers between Coastal Carolina and Ole Miss the past two seasons, striking out 153 batters in 111.1 innings. Doyle’s fastball ranges from 90 to 94 and has topped at 96 MPH. The metrics behind it make it an electric fastball that gets by hitters. The pitch averages over 20 inches of vertical carry, and he has decent extension on the pitch. His secondaries are a bit behind his fastball, but he has two secondaries in slider/sweeper and cutter. The slider is in the low-80s, and he’s still working on commanding the pitch better, as he is with most of his secondaries. He also has a splitter he’s flashed but hasn’t thrown nearly as much as the pitch still needs quite a bit of development. The 6’2, 220lb lefty is a presence on the mound and while there might not be a ton of room for growth, there is still lots of projection left in his arsenal that he will look to continue to build on at Tennessee.
RHP JACOB MAYERS (NICHOLLS TO LSU)
64 Analytics Portal Rank: #12
Prospects Live Draft Rank:
LSU lost a few arms to the MLB Draft as expected, but they still have plenty of incoming talent, including Jakob Mayers, who makes his way to campus from Nicholls. His fastball is explosive as it has a ton of spin, giving it lots of carry in the zone. It’s averaged 91-95 MPH, but has topped out at 97 MPH. He utilized his fastball at extremely high rates last year, but still generated a decent amount of Whiff with it and put in insane strikeout numbers as he punched out 106 batters in 70.2 innings. He did the same thing in his freshman year, striking out 105 batters in 75.2 innings. The next step for Mayers is going to be really developing his secondary pitches to give him more weapons. He’s flashed a decent slider that with some polish could be a very good second pitch for Mayers.
Who's Hot and Who's Not? Digging into Initial Data for 2024 First Round Hitters
It’s hard to believe, but we’re two months out from the 2024 MLB Draft. The class was bouyed by a strong college hitting demographic, with many picks having made their debuts, giving us a glimpse into the type of hitters they may be as professionals, their assets, and limitations. In the next few weeks at Prospects Live, we’ll be checking in on some of the data tied to first round bats. All of these reports and write ups draw on relatively small sample sizes, many of them for prospects playing by far their most grueling year of baseball to date, so temper any significant conclusions drawn.
NOTE: All data for prospects was pulled prior to games on 09.05.24
Travis Bazzana, 1st Overall, Guardians, A+
Slash Line: .231/.364/.407 (.770)
25.5 K%, 13.6 BB%
78.5% Contact%
.343 xWOBA
.170/.276/.280 (.556) versus LHP
The Guardians were the biggest beneficiary of the draft lottery this cycle, moving up to number one to pick Travis Bazzana, fresh off an outstanding college season with Oregon State. After quickly assigning him to A+ Lake County, Bazzana is off to a solid, if unspectacular, start. Bazzana’s disciplined approach is on display. He’s seeing a whopping 4.36 P/PA (that’s near top of the scale for A ball), and walking at a healthy 13.6% clip. The bat-to-ball skills have shown up, too, as Bazzana is running a 78.5% Contact% through 25 games. Bazzana hasn’t clicked into high gear yet, and he’s been susceptible to left-handed pitching, managing just a .556 OPS against southpaws.
Charlie Condon, 3rd Overall, Rockies, A+
Slash Line: .184/.253/.276 (.528)
31.6 K%, 3.2 BB%
63.9% Contact%
.239 xWOBA
The Rockies assigned Charlie Condon to A+ Spokane after giving him a record-tying bonus, selecting him third overall. It’s been an extremely slow start for the prospect coming off a historic season at Georgia. Condon has shown some bat-to-ball concerns in his first 22 games, managing a 63.9 Contact% (~7% below average for the level). The approach has been rough, too, with a 10.00 K/BB thus far. It’s still very early for Condon as a professional, but it’s been a slow start.
Nick Kurtz, 5th Overall, Athletics, AA
Slash Line: .368/.520/.763 (1.283)
20 K%, 24 BB%
77.5% Contact%
.526 xWOBA
It’s extremely early for Kurtz, who the Athletics signed to an underslot deal to sign at number five overall. He’s played just 12 professional games but laid waste to Low A Stockton. Kurtz managed a 1.531 OPS in his first seven games and slugged four home runs and three doubles. The Athletics moved him to AA, where he’s off to a solid start (.785 OPS in five games). Kurtz displays patience and selectivity at the plate, seeing 4.24 P/PA and swinging just 37.7% of the time. While he’s shown some vulnerability striking out at a high clip against left-handed pitching, crucially, he’s maintaining his excellent approach against them, keeping a consistent platoon-neutral on base percentage. Kurtz is off to one of the best starts of any first-round hitter.
Jac Caglianone, 6th Overall, Royals, A+
Slash Line: .250/.318/.420 (.738)
21.8 K%, 6.4 BB%
74.1% Contact%
56.3% Swing%
.317 xWOBA
Caglianone was one of the most intriguing bats in the first round. Significant improvements in his strikeout rate and out of zone contact rate in his final year at Florida were offset by extreme chase rates, all coupled with monster raw power. How would this translate to professional baseball? Solidly, thus far. Caglianone is an aggressive hitter, with a swing rate close to 10% above MLB average. His improved bat-to-ball skills have carried over into professional baseball. He’s producing at a solid rate for the level despite running an 81.8% ground ball rate against left-handed pitchers.
JJ Wetherholt, 7th Overall, Cardinals, A
Slash Line: .235/.365/.306 (.671)
10.6 K%, 14.4 BB%
80.7% Contact%
13.6% Chase%
.340 xWOBA
104.1 mph 90thExitVel
53.3% Hit95+%
In the conversation for the number one overall pick coming into the 2024 cycle, Wetherholt missed significant time due to soft tissue injuries at West Virginia, eventually being selected at number seven overall by the Cardinals. While Wetherholt’s slash line is unspectacular, I’d argue that some of his under the hood numbers should have Cardinals fans encouraged. The bat to ball skills are as advertised, as Wetherholt is maintaining a Contact% ~10% above average for the level. He doesn’t chase much, and is walking more than he is striking out through his first 25 games as a professional. Wetherholt is crushing his batted balls, with 53.3% hit 95 mph or harder. That’s third best in A ball among prospects who have played at least 20 games. He’s been a victim of some bad batted ball luck thus far.
Christian Moore, 8th Overall, Angels, AA
Slash Line: .330/.381/.567 (.948)
26.7 K%, 7.6 BB%
65.2% Contact%
.403 xWOBA
The Angels continued their predictable tendency of drafting prospects they believe can make short work of the minor leagues and make an immediate impact with the big league roster. This year it was Tennessee slugger Christian Moore, who they signed underslot at 8th overall. Moore passed the test of stepping into the batter's box at A ball before being moved up to AA, where he went on an immediate heater. After slugging five home runs in his first six games for Rocket City, he was sidelined by a meniscus injury. Moore was maximizing his batted ball events before his injury (high line drive and pull percentages). Long term, the potential obstacles may be his bat to ball skills against higher caliber pitching, as he was managing a 65.2% Contact% prior to his injury. Undeniably though, Moore was off to the hot start the Angels hoped for. There’s no current timeline for his return to on-field action.
One Underrated Prospect from Every National League Organization
There are just a handful of weeks remaining in the 2024 minor league season. Every team has added draft picks and potentially even trade deadline acquisitions to their system. Every organization has the “usual suspects” in the farm system that fans of the team have come to know. They follow these players because they’re covered in detail by the media and fans alike. Beyond those top prospects, however, is often where next year’s top prospects tend to start out. Take 2023 for example, when Royals prospects Austin Charles and Javier Vaz were relatively unknown prospects. A year later, each is a consensus top prospect in that system.
The fun in minor league baseball isn’t just following the top names that everyone else tells you to keep tabs on. More fun comes from finding those diamonds in the rough players. Not every prospect is going to be an ace or MVP, but there are plenty of Whit Merrifield-esque prospects out there who can come from nowhere to really shine in the Major Leagues. The Royals fan in me will stop throwing in references to Kansas City now, but here’s a look at one underrated prospect from every organization in the National League.
National League East
Philadelphia Phillies - LHP Mavis Graves
Graves was a sixth-round selection by Philadelphia back in 2022. He was a projectable lefty at the time but struggled to a 7.68 ERA in his Complex League sample last season. Those fortunes turned around (and then some) in 2024, and Graves looks like one of the best young pitching prospects in the organization. Much of that comes behind elite strikeout numbers. Graves has 18 appearances under his belt this season — 16 starts — with a 31.8% strikeout rate. He’s limited the walks well enough, en route to a 22.0% K-BB%. The arsenal is outstanding, featuring a five-pitch mix. Graves throws a four-seamer, cutter, slider, changeup, and sinker. He’s still just 20 years old but spins the ball extremely well, sitting in the low 90s for velocity. That velocity should trend upward some, and once it does, his elite whiff rate will only get that much better. He offers frontline starter upside, with a more likely mid-rotation projection.
Atlanta Braves - RHP Patrick Halligan
A 13th-round pick by the Royals in 2021, it’s taken Halligan some time to get going as a professional. He was a JuCo product at the time and struggled until Kansas City released him in March 2023. Since joining the Braves system, it’s been much different for Halligan. In seven appearances for Double-A Rome in 2023, Halligan posted a 31.4% strikeout rate. That jumped to 34.7% in 33 relief appearances this season. Not only that, but Halligan limits walks well also. His K-BB% finished at 26.3% by the time he was promoted to Triple-A this summer. He throws with a high release point, leaning heavily on movement and deception instead of velocity. Halligan’s four-seamer averages just 92 mph. He pairs it with two potentially above-average pitches, in a slider and a splitter. Halligan has posted a 50.0% Whiff% with the splitter since moving up to Triple-A but will need to find ways to miss more bats with his slider to find lasting success at the upper levels.
New York Mets - RHP Jose Guevara
The Mets signed Guevara in September out of Paraguatan, Venezuela. The 19-year-old has a typical 6-1 frame and has flashed impressive strikeout stuff in just his first professional season. He combined for a perfect game back on June 17 and owns a SO/9 north of ten in the DSL so far. In 44 innings of work, Guevara has 52 strikeouts while surrendering just 12 walks. All that has combined for a solid 1.64 ERA. He’s yet to allow a home run either. He will likely get a chance to test the Complex League in 2025 where we will get more eyes on his stuff and how well it might play in the affiliated ranks.
Washington Nationals - RHP Carlos Romero
Carlos Romero has flown through the system in 2024 and could be in the big leagues to open the 2025 season. Romero debuted in 2024 with High-A Wilmington. He then made 16 appearances with Double-A Harrisburg before making his way to Triple-A Rochester to wrap up the season. Perhaps more impressive than his quick rise through the system has been his success at each level. It culminated in a 2.05 ERA between all three levels with 61 strikeouts in 52.2 IP. Romero is an imposing figure on the mound. His 6-6 frame helps him to generate excellent extension, making his stuff play up despite low velocity. He averages just 92 mph on his four-seam fastball and sinker. He pairs those two offerings with an excellent 60-grade changeup, an above-average slider, and a curveball. The slider has generated a 42.9% whiff rate so far at Triple-A. His changeup averages 86 mph and generates excellent chase rates. It’s a traditional three-quarter release point, but Romero throws with whippy arm action on the release to generate movement in his arsenal.
Miami Marlins - RHP Eliazar Dishmey
Dishmey won’t stand out to many if you simply peruse the stats page on FanGraphs. He reached affiliated ball for the first time this season, making 15 appearances for Low-A Jupiter. In 59.1 innings of work, he’s mustered a 5.31 ERA and allowed six home runs. It’s clear that the 19-year-old has some work to do, but the pure stuff in his arsenal offers an excellent foundation to do so. Dishmey was the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week twice this season — the first Marlin minor leaguer to accomplish that feat since Eury Pérez did so in 2022. He throws a five-pitch mix, featuring a four-seamer, sinker, curveball, slider, and changeup. He averages 94 mph on his heater, with room to add there at just 19 years old. He spins the baseball well, averaging north of 2300 rpm with both fastballs. Mix all that with above-average extension and Dishmey generates above-average whiff rates. There’s a lot to love in the profile, with the potential for two plus fastballs. With an offseason to continue refining the arsenal, Dishmey could level up his breaking ball to really move up the prospect rankings quickly.
National League Central
Milwaukee Brewers - SS/3B Jesus Made
A 17-year-old switch-hitting infielder with a .223 ISO? Sign me up. Made made his professional debut this season after signing with the Brewers last winter. He’s been among the best hitters in the entire DSL in 2024, slashing .331/.458/.554. Made has 21 extra-base hits, 39 walks, and 28 strikeouts. It’s an impressive blend of discipline at the plate, power when making contact, and an ability to limit strikeouts. To top it all off, Made also has 28 steals in 51 games. It’s still just the DSL, but Made is quickly putting himself on the map as a true prospect. He entered August with a 104 mph 90th-percentile Exit Velocity and a 44% hard-hit rate. His swing is fluid and impressive, taking the baseball to all fields with authority. At just 17 years old, he’s a name to watch, not just for Milwaukee, but the entire minor leagues.
Chicago Cubs - RHP Juan Bello
Bello signed with Chicago out of Cartagena, Colombia back in 2022. He’s pitched at a level each season since, making the Complex League last season and spending all of 2024 with Myrtle Beach. Now 20 years old, Bello has made 21 starts with Low-A Myrtle Beach so far pitching to a 3.42 FIP. His 25.1% strikeout rate isn’t all that impressive alone, but he’s paired it with a low walk rate (7.8%) and a low average against (.229). He leans heavily on a fastball/curveball combination, but also mixes in a changeup sparingly. Bello mixes in some Johnny Cueto-esque hesitation in his delivery at times. He throws from a high-three-quarter release point and has good carry on his fastball. The curveball is Bello’s best pitch, offering great 1-7 movement with whip out of the hand. It’s a great foundational profile that still needs a bit more refinement.
St Louis Cardinals - RHP Luis Gastelum
It took an offseason and a second stint at Low-A, but Gastelum has really leveled up his stuff so far in 2024. He made his debut in 2023 with Palm Beach striking out just 14.0% of batters. He rarely walks batters but needed more strikeout stuff than that. The strikeout stuff arrived in 2024, resulting in a 28.9% K-BB%. Although his velocity still averages 92mph at best, Gastelum throws three above-average pitches with a potentially plus changeup leading the way. He generates great extension, spinning the ball extremely well and generating elite whiff rates. His changeup especially excels there, with a 56.8% Whiff% this season, but his Sinker has reached 20.4% in that regard as well. It’s currently a four-pitch mix, also featuring a four-seam fastball and a slider. Gastelum’s slider has a solid profile, but he misses the zone with it far too much currently to really take advantage. If there’s a knock on Gastelum, it’s age. He’s already 22 years old after getting a late start to his career. The stuff has traits to play in the upper levels, but he’ll need to shoot through the system in 2025 to maintain true prospect status.
Cincinnati Reds - RHP Anyer Laureano
Unfortunately, injury has sidelined Laureano on the back end of 2024, but not before he put together a solid Low-A Debut. He made 29 appearances with Daytona, striking out 81 batters in just 54.0 innings of work. That’s an impressive 35.5% strikeout rate, helping him to overcome a rather high walk rate. The result was a 3.00 ERA, with a 4.01 FIP that better represents his command issues. Laureano has an electric arsenal, led by an upper 90s fastball. His four-seamer averages 96.6 mph, spun at more than 2600 rpm on average. He pairs that with a cutter, slider, and changeup. It all comes together in a 47.9% whiff rate this season. All four pitches feature elite whiff rates and the four-seamer and slider alone have the stuff to make Laureano a high-leverage back-end bullpen prospect.
Pittsburgh Pirates - LHP Inmer Lobo
Inmer Lobo signed with the Red Sox back in 2022 out of Venezuela. He made his way rather quickly to the Pirates organization in November 2022. He was traded by Boston in exchange for infielder Hoy Park and has continued to pitch to impressive results ever since. Lobo, still just 20 years old, made his way to Low-A for the first time this season. Now 15 starts into his season, he’s pitched to a 1.65 ERA. Although his strikeout rate has dipped noticeably, there’s still a lot of potential to like in the profile. Lobo struck out 39.6% of batters in the Complex League to open 2024, but that mark dipped to 24.2% in his sample in A ball. His arsenal features a fastball, changeup, and slider. The fastball averages just 87.1 mph, but there’s hope he can add there as he continues to fill out his frame. Despite the low velocity, the pitch has a near-elite 19.3 inches of induced vertical break (iVB), making it quite a bit more effective than you’d expect. All three of his pitches generate healthy whiff rates, with his slider and changeup both sitting above 30%. It’s projection here more than anything, but there’s a sound foundation should the velocity start to tick upward.
National League west
Los Angeles Dodgers - RHP Jose Rodriguez
After signing with the Dodgers as a 19-year-old in 2019, Rodriguez didn’t pitch officially for the organization until 2021. The Oaxaca, Mexico native debuted with mixed results, and those up-and-down trends have continued throughout his minor league career thus far. Now in his fourth professional season, Rodriguez has finally made his way to Advanced-A ball and continues to rack up strikeouts at an elite rate. Much of that stems from an 88th percentile whiff rate (36.5%). In all, he’s struck out 121 batters in just 84.2 IP between A and High-A this season. He throws a fastball, changeup, and slider. The changeup sits in the mid-80s with solid fading action, and the slider is a potentially plus pitch in the 86-88mph range. Rodriguez throws his fastball in the mid-90s and the pitch plays up nicely thanks to some deception in his delivery. He has hip-twist mechanics, turning his back fully to the batter’s box before showing the baseball at the last moment in his delivery. There’s some late-inning reliever upside, but more likely he profiles as a solid bullpen piece that provides middle-innings relief.
Arizona Diamondbacks - OF Angel Ortiz
Outfielder Angel Ortiz signed with Arizona out of the Dominican Republic back in July 2019. Between the canceled 2020 season and an injury last season, Ortiz has only just now reached 86 games played in Low-A. Ortiz landed on the injured list in March 2023 and went on to miss the full season. Now, into 2024, he’s spent all but two games this season with the Visalia Rawhide. In 83 games, he’s slashed .303/.385/.466, limiting his strikeout totals nicely while walking around ten percent. Ortiz swings with a fairly compact operation which helps him take the ball to all fields. At still just 21 years old, time remains for Ortiz to cement himself as a notable prospect within the organization. The ceiling isn’t sky-high, as his 6-0 frame doesn’t leave much projection for more power, but it’s an intriguing profile nonetheless.
San Diego Padres - 1B Romeo Sanabria
An 18th-round first baseman doesn’t seem like a demographic that rarely turns in notable prospects. That may just be the case for Sanabria, who’s shot through the Padres system with authority this summer. After starting the season with 59 games for Low-A Elsinore, Sanabria made a pit stop in Fort Wayne. From there, he has finished his season with Double-A San Antonio. The sample in 22 games has been solid so far. He’s slashed .338/.441/.405 with the Missions. Unfortunately, that success has come with a serious drop in power. After posting a .183 ISO at Low-A, he’s been much lower at .068 since moving to Double-A. As a first base prospect, the Padres will need more power than that. However, Sanabria’s 6-3, 200-pound frame certainly offers the potential for more. He’s 22 years old at Double-A, sporting an excellent 20.6% chase rate alongside an 82.1% zone contact rate. It’s a razor-thin profile heavily dependent on more power, but worth monitoring regardless.
San Francisco Giants - LHP Dylan Carmouche
Carmouche was a 15th-round selection by San Francisco in last year’s Amateur Draft. He showcased strikeout potential in the college ranks, but that didn’t quite show itself in his professional debut this season. Carmouche struck out 24.0% of batters with Low-A San Jose, sporting a sound 2.74 ERA. That showing earned Carmouche a mid-season promotion and he’s posted a 29.0% strikeout rate with High-A Eugene. He throws from a high over-hand release point. The pitch mix features a fastball, curveball, and changeup. All three pitches offer swing-and-miss upside, but the changeup is the true lead offering within Carmouche’s arsenal. It offers excellent fading action and works well off of his 12-6 curveball.
Colorado Rockies - LHP Welinton Herrera
The Rockies scouted Herrera in the Dominican Republic at just 15 years old. He signed with the organization a year later at age 16. Now 20 years old, Herrera made a full-season debut, splitting the year between both levels of A Ball. The immediate returns for Low-A Fresno were absurd. Herrera made 23 appearances for Fresno this season, striking out 62 batters in just 34.0 innings of work. The math on that shakes out to an asinine 44.6% strikeout rate. Part of that success lies in a very low three-quarter arm slot. He pairs that low arm slot with an upper-90s heater that flies past bats up in the strikezone. He also mixes in a mid-80s slider but leans heavily on the fastball. And why not? Between the velocity, arm slot, and vertical break, the pitch is nearly impossible for hitters to do damage on. He’s allowed just three home runs as a professional, dating back to his first season in the Dominican Summer League. The results have dipped some since a mid-season promotion to High-A Spokane, but the fastball provides an excellent foundation for a future back-end bullpen piece.
2024 Bowman Chrome Preview
This week in Baseball Cards - 9/2 - 9/8
Switz Report: Recap Cape Cod "Best of the Best" Prospects
Summer baseball is in our rearview mirror, and we are a few weeks away from the start of fall ball for college baseball, with athletes returning to school and ramping back up for the next season. It’s been a while since I have contributed to the site. A large portion of that is due to my commitment over the summer to the Cape Cod Baseball League, as I was given the privilege and honor of helping the league this summer (an opportunity that I was unaware of when I first started Prospects Live and a change in course I had to make regarding previous promises I had made with readers earlier in my articles). Due to this, the inevitable occurred, and I had the time to watch a lot of college baseball over the 10-week Cape season. During my time up in the Cape, I had the ability to keep a close eye and get some early live looks for the upcoming 2025 draft class and top dudes eligible for the 2026 and 2027 classes.
For the next few weeks, I look forward to treating many of you to my views and evaluation process of some of the buzzing names in college baseball who participated in the Cape this summer. In doing so, I will provide full baseball scouting reports from dudes who grabbed my eye during the season and detailed prospect analysis with 20-80 scale grading, projected round selection, and brief overall summaries of the prospects.
Further, these grades are based on my evaluation and rumblings that I heard while on the Cape and are not full or final summaries from the Prospects Live draft team or myself, as the next draft is (*checks watch), not for another ten months. Everyone sees prospects differently, even at the MLB level during draft day or for incoming prospects (Ex. There were people in baseball who thought Ohtani's bat wouldn't translate to MLB. Now, he's easy money to hit 30+ HR's each season). So, things can change regarding these prospects from the Cape season to next spring or draft.
Back to the topic at hand; early looks for next July are panning towards the 2025 class to be front-loaded with college-hitting prospects, and it seems to be anyone’s game to be selected inside the top 10 or even first round within a pool of 15-20 college hitters (with some teams getting the premium luck of possibly grabbing two or more of these guys next summer when adding in college arms and prep talent to the field). I do not see any Dylan Crews or Adley Rutschman-like prospects in this draft. However, there are desirable quality tools that project well for the next level, premium athleticism up the middle that we haven’t seen in a while for draft day, and future MLB starters that will become household names down the road.
Additionally, like back in the spring and carried into the Cape this summer, the general opinion and analysis in scouting circles regarding college pitching is that the talent is still down compared to years past. There are some outliers, but the overall crop of pitching talent is down.
Now, to stop digressing from the article material at hand, below are five dudes that I believe were the top guys who grabbed scouts' eyes, balled out, and truly made themselves money over the summer.
| OF Brendan Summerhill | Arizona | Draft Eligible: 2025 |
Cape Numbers: .286/.358/.441 (.798), 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 19 R, 12 SB, 9 BB (9.47 BB%), 15 K (15.78 K%)
Switz’s Notes: Summerhill was among the first dudes that grabbed my attention in the west division over the summer. He has easy-to-see athletic traits, a desirable hit tool still maturing, and straight-up ballplayer talent to be selected early next summer. If you are a person who likes dudes who know the strike zone well with great poise, then Summerhill may be one of the best in this draft cycle from his advanced approach and batter eye. From his first game in the Cape till his final game, Summerhill played the game hard, running out infield base hits and making spectacular catches in CF. I’m a big fan of his and hope the best for him moving forward, as he is just a fun player to watch. If the in-game power develops and he still maintains that plus speed tool in his game, he could pan out to be a video game-like player at the MLB level.
| OF Ethan Conrad | Wake Forest | Draft Eligible: 2025 |
Cape Numbers: .385/.433 /.486 (.919), 5 2B, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 27 R, 19 SB, 8 BB 6.7 BB%), 18 K (15.0 K%)
Switz’s Notes: I have to admit, regarding Ethan Conrad, which was no secret for anyone who talked to me during the summer, I have a massive admiration and man crush on Conrad’s game. This is the type of dude; if I were a Crosschecker for a team, I would fight to draft this guy until the last second is on the clock on draft night if available. This dude is a very special ballplayer that’s easy to root for in this draft cycle. I will acknowledge that he has some stuff he needs to iron out (especially contact vs offspeed/movement), but he’s got a tremendous ceiling if he can grab the brass rings at the next level of his development. Conrad is a superb athlete, and I’m willing to lay it out with the hot take that Conrad may have been the best athlete any scout saw during the summer wood-bat circuit in college baseball and even in the 2025 draft cycle. If he balls out next spring for Wake, he has the profile to be a potential lottery or top 10 selection in the draft to the already helium Conrad has on his draft stock.
Our own Brian Recca had the ability to get a live look on Conrad at Marist over the spring Here.
| OF Devin Taylor | Indiana | Draft Eligible: 2025 |
Cape Numbers: .296/.397/.510 (.907), 4 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 18 R, 2 SB, 17 BB (14.7 BB%), 29 K (25.0 K%)
Switz’s Notes: Between being a standout ballplayer at LaSalle High School and becoming a blow-away Freshman Player of the Year in the Big Ten two springs ago for Indiana, Devin Taylor has become one of the most talked about prospects in the Ohio Valley for some time at the college level and rightfully so. When looking at Taylor’s summer, he started six games for Cotuit before leaving for Cary, NC. During that time, Taylor showed off his bread-and-butter of getting on base by any means necessary by hitting over .300 and accumulating a handful of walks. On the downside, within his first six games, he struck out more than any scout in attendance wanted to see, with 8 Ks through 16 ABs. However, when he arrived for Team USA in Cary, NC, Taylor found a different gear where he exploded during the primetime events for the red, white, and blue. Taylor came back and took that success from USA Baseball to carve out a successful season for the Cotuit Kettleers by producing a near .300 batting average, .907 OPS, and 5 HRs in 29 games with a wood bat.
Taylor showed he belongs within the top 10 conversations going into the spring of 2025 over the summer. However, the 25% K rate in the Cape isn’t very appealing for major league scouts, with murkiness around the pitching talent and quality within the Big Ten going into next spring. Taylor, in 2025, will need to bounce back in this department and continue his declining K rate that he was showing at Indiana (roughly 19% in 2023 and 13% in 2024) before his time on the Cape.
Going into the spring, I would like to see him take that next step into locking down that top 5 (maybe even top 10) status that early evaluations and industry talking heads are labeling him. In doing so, I would love to see him improve his defense and display more athleticism in the field while showing that I’m dead wrong on his 45 FV as a defender with current signs showing he may be playing CF next spring for the Hoosiers. When he added the 25 lbs of mass over the last calendar year to tap into more power, he lost some of the defensiveness and athleticism that made him look so appealing in his freshman year.
Also, he can improve his stock on his hit tool by cleaning up his issues with + velo and offspeed while boosting his batting average into the .400s, and continuing a contact rate over 80%. Lastly, he can even do the fun route and just club everything he sees for HRs next college season like Condon and Cags did last spring that got them selected into the top 10 in July (granted, both these dudes also hit .400 while crushing everything to the moon). Overall, as outlined in the scouting report, Taylor is a future premium hit tool player and should be one of the quickest dudes to the MLB. However, it seems he is already losing some steam early in the 2025 draft cycle and will need to find a way to stay afloat at the top if he wants to be taken within the top 10 with the rise of so many helium dudes coming off of the summer season as right now it seems he is starting to meddle into the middle of the first round territory as a 10 - 15 overall selection.
Lastly: Tyler Jennings caught him at USA Baseball during the summer with some video if you want to see more on Taylor Here.
If you want to see Taylor from last Spring, you can check out Perkins' live look of Taylor at Maryland Here.
| OF/1B Ethan Petry | South Carolina | Draft Eligible: 2025 |
Cape Numbers: .360/.480/.760 (1.240), 7 2B, 11 HR, 25 RBI, 26 R, 16 BB (12.8 BB%), 26 K (20.8 K%)
Switz’s Notes: Petry is one of the biggest imposing dudes on the Cape this summer and is possibly one of the most extensively debated bat profile’s when trying to project him. He’s done and accomplished a lot within his short college career so far between being a career .300 hitter, having a career OPS over 1.100, hitting 20+ bombs in each of his first two college years, taking home the Cape Cod Baseball League MVP, the Robert A. McNeese Most Outstanding Pro Prospect Award, and Cape Cod Baseball League Home Run Derby title in the process. The dude hits the ball hard, and it is easy to see the offensive potential in his game. Nevertheless, even with his offensive upside, some limitations in his game are easy to see, such as his defense, athleticism, and eye at the plate. I strongly feel that teams will overlook his limitations and focus on the terms of the power and RBI-producing upside he has. Offensively, I see it being black and white: either he fixes these issues and becomes a freak for the next level, or they continue to haunt him, and it is a blemish that teams will have to work around in his game at the plate. As stated in the scouting report, with the universal DH being in play, I think he’s in a better boat as a prospect than he would be 5 - 10 years ago when scouts in the NL would have to project and find a defensive role for him.
In giving him an Adam Dunn comparison, if the National League had the DH as they do now, I strongly feel that you would never have seen Dunn in the OF, and he would've been a straight DH with him playing 1B when Griffey Jr. was healthy and in the lineup. Like Dunn, I see Petry being that type of middle-of-the-order bat that teams are betting for HRs and RBI-producing abilities with the sacrifice of strikeouts coming within it. I do not see it being Joey Gallo-like bad where it is a career .195 hitter, and it's either K or HR with every swing. But, I think Dunn is a realistic comp with a ceiling batting average being a .255 - .265 hitter, crushing north of 35 + bombs a season with some triple-digit RBI abilities, and taking on the burden of having north of 25% strikeouts to go with it. However, with pitching movement and velo being the best baseball has ever seen (two things Petry does struggle with, unfortunately), I think the batting average and offensive production can easily fall into Kyle Schwarber-like territory as a floor or a readjusted comp later down the road if Petry does not fix these issues at the plate.
| SS Marek Houston | Wake Forest | Draft Eligible: 2025 |
Cape Numbers: .306/.465/.329 (.794), 2 2B, 8 RBIs, 17 Rs, 7 SB, 26 BB (22.8 BB%), 21 K
(18.4 K%)
Switz’s Notes: From the first time I watched Bourne over the summer, my eyes were glued to watching Houston in the field. He is a natural athlete on the diamond and is one of the guys who has a higher ceiling than most in the 2025 draft. This year, he was a key contributor for the Bourne franchise to make another appearance in the Cape Cod Championship game with his run-producing abilities at leadoff and stellar defense. Nightly, over the summer, Houston produced web gem-after-web gem defensive plays that showed that he can stay on the left side of the diamond for the next level. Many other talking heads will criticize his bat for the next level due to it not producing the batted ball metrics that the new-age fans and gurus want to see. However, it isn’t as bad as this crowd wants to voice as he displayed a good feel for the zone and protects anything inside his hands (a skill many hitters over the summer seemed to lack that is desired by scouts). Further, he showed good abilities to hit to all fields and not let the Cape’s BABIP inflation dictate his hitting abilities while taking walks and not forcing a play to be made when nothing was there. To quote Aaron Rodgers, the new age fans and gurus need to “relax” regarding Houston’s bat profile because Houston has advanced intangibles that metrics cannot measure and should be alright.
When drawing up a projection on Houston, it is tough to forecast what he will become. At first, I thought he might be a glove-first dude with below-average pop that he currently shows and could build into being a Dansby Swanson-like SS. However, when watching him play and looking at his build, there is more growth left in him as he has an unorthodox build of a large upper body frame and a smaller lower half. Between working on his mechanics in rookie development to add bat speed and going to the weight room for him to add muscle, I think there's a chance he could surpass the average 15 - 20 HRs (which is upside 45 FV and fringy 50 FV grades that vary based on organization grading and modeling) that Swanson averages each year (I know that Swanson crushed over that between 2021 - 2024 but, I see that as a too small of a sample size to call Swanson a genuine 55-60 grade power guy).
Next, I took the approach of thinking he may be a Trea Turner-like athlete whose arm is strong, where there is 25 HR + pop if he can tap into it, and he oozes athleticism all over the diamond. However, Turner plays at a lower weight than Houston, and he fills out nicely for the 185 lbs he is. Thus, it left me to think and draw up the athletic comparison that Houston has a similar athletic body type to young Manny Machado coming out of high school (I’m not drawing the idea he is the next Machado, so don’t go down that rabbit hole of conclusion). Granted, you shouldn’t compare a 17-18-year-old player to a 20-year-old prospect in college athletically. However, when looking at the current state of college athletics, where there is limited time given for development from the Power 5 level, and it’s a state of just “get up and go” mentality within their constructed rosters, Houston’s athleticism has carried him into a starting spot with his defense being an essential tool.
Nonetheless, there is still time for Houston, where he is still a projectable and moldable athlete, and a franchise can build him into what they want him to become, as I outlined in my report. Returning to Machado, when coming out of Brito Miami, he displayed a tall, slim, lean, athletic large frame that appeared boxy with large square shoulders (similar characteristics of Houston). At a young age, Machado easily displayed his fluid movements and defense on the dirt with a good feel for the barrel (same Houston has done with Bourne and at Wake). In the development of Machado in the Orioles system, Manny went from the skinny 180 lb size that he was drafted and grew into a 210- 215 lb size when he appeared in the major leagues roughly two years later, displaying his bat speed and strength to generate pop for the pros.
If a team wants Houston to stay light on his feet and is not concerned about tapping into the power, they can take the approach of him being that 1980s and 1990s style SS where it's less than 15 HR pop with contact and defense being the essential tools. If this route is taken, he should be a quick-to-the-show type draft pick. Yet, suppose Houston gets drafted by a strong development organization, and they work with him on improving his internal strength and bat speed, which are his clear blemishes. In that case, there is upside four to five-tool potential (he has the speed for SB’s but, hasn’t displayed the production for it to be a real tool at his disposal) at the end of the road where we can see that pop come into play on a nightly basis like many of the premium SS display in today's baseball style.
Overall, Houston's defense and superb athleticism will overshadow his complete toolset. However, Houston has a solid bat and advanced approach at the plate that shouldn't turn scouts and franchises away when turning in his name next summer. As I harped in the paragraphs before, I still believe and see lots of projection within Houston's game, and he is a late bloomer within the power department than most in college. Houston has a solid chance to hear his name early in next year's draft, and he could be the first SS off the board. A lot of this ease in decision-making for teams regarding Houston comes from his limitless ceiling and the high athletic floor that he possesses. Houston should be a fun follow this upcoming spring and moving forward in his pro career; he is a non-stop defensive highlight reel and potential offensive threat in the making.
Earlier in the spring, Jared Perkins had the opportunity to catch Wake Forest for some live looks and saw Marek Houston Here.
Next time I’ll have full reports and notes on some of the top performers that popped over the summer on the Cape.
One Underrated Prospect from Every American League Organization
There are just a handful of weeks remaining in the 2024 minor league season. Every team has added draft picks and potentially even trade deadline acquisitions to their system. Every organization has the “usual suspects” in the farm system that fans of the team have come to know. They follow these players because they’re covered in detail by the media and fans alike. Beyond those top prospects, however, is often where next year’s top prospects tend to start out. Take 2023 for example, when Royals prospects Austin Charles and Javier Vaz were relatively unknown prospects. A year later, each is a consensus top prospect in that system.
The fun in minor league baseball isn’t just following the top names that everyone else tells you to keep tabs on. More fun comes from finding those diamonds in the rough players. Not every prospect is going to be an ace or MVP, but there are plenty of Whit Merrifield-esque prospects out there who can come from nowhere to really shine in the Major Leagues. The Royals fan in me will stop throwing in references to Kansas City now, but here’s a look at one underrated prospect from every organization in the American League.
American League East
Boston Red Sox - RHP Jedixson Paez
Paez is a 20-year-old RHP from Tinaquillo, Venezuela. He was named the organization’s 2021 Latin Program Pitcher of the Year and has been dominant this season for High-A Greenville. He throws a sinker, changeup, and a good sweeping slider. Paez locates all three pitches for strikes. He generates healthy whiff rates, especially on his changeup. His 31.5% strikeout rate at High-A this season ranks 87th percentile. Much of that comes from a 78th percentile whiff rate (33.5%) and excellent command. Paez has a walk rate under four percent and has maintained that throughout his professional career thus far. At still just 20 years old, there’s hope that Paez’s low-90s heater can continue to add velocity, giving him an even higher ceiling as a starter. He’s an intriguing name with plenty of upside left to uncover.
New York Yankees - RHP Luis Serna
It’s much easier to see Serna’s 6.07 ERA this season and discount him as a non-prospect. Looking closer, the story isn’t quite the same. He throws a low-90s fastball, a curveball, and a vicious changeup that hitters struggle to square up. He’s put together above-average marks this season for whiff rate, CSW%, and K-BB%. Although hitters tend to get their share of hits off of Serna — he’s allowed opposing hitters to hit .250 against him this season — he commands the zone well and misses a healthy amount of bats. The result is a sub-4.00 FIP that better shows what he’s done on the mound this season. 82 strikeouts and 24 walks in less than 70 innings of work is nothing to shrug at. He’s a young arm with excellent pitchability that could skyrocket up the system in 2025 and beyond.
Toronto Blue jays - of Victor arias
Arias is a 20-year-old outfielder who spent most of this season with Low-A Dunedin. He generates loud exit velocity despite his smaller 5-9 frame. He’s maxed out at 113 mph this season, sitting at 104.5 mph 90th percentile EV. There’s more than enough swing-and-miss in his game, but despite that, he does a solid job limiting strikeout totals. In 76 games for Low-A Dunedin this season, Arias slashed .279/.386/.454 with a .175 ISO. Defensively, he’s split time between left and center, but probably shifts to a corner full time as he continues to fill out his frame. The swing is electric but gets a bit long at times. As long as he continues to generate in-zone contact rates around 80% as he’s done this season, there’s a lot to love in his overall profile.
Tampa Bay Rays - RHP Ty Johnson
Ty Johnson joined the Rays system at this year’s deadline in the Isaac Paredes deal. His velocity has seen a steady increase since being drafted in 2023 by Chicago. Now post-trade, that velocity uptick has continued further. Johnson has worked his fastball up to 97 mph. The pitch was already above average at 93-95 mph due to excellent spin rates and extension. The pitch jumps out of the hand with a sharp arm side whip giving way to excellent carry up in the strike zone. He’s a swing-and-miss darling, posting a 37.3% (92nd percentile) whiff rate so far this season at High-A. It’s a much smaller sample, but since joining the Rays system, Johnson has struck out 16 batters in just 9.2 innings of work. He seems like an excellent fit for the organization and the needle continues to point straight up for his future.
Baltimore orioles - RHP Kevin Velasco
As much firepower as the Orioles have had in their farm system of late, it seems easier than anywhere else for names to slide under the radar. Kevin Velasco signed with the organization out of Venezuela in 2023 and has looked electric in 2024. He’s 18 years old and should get a chance to pitch stateside for the first time in 2025. So far this season in the Dominican Summer League, Velasco has struck out 52 batters in 40.0 IP. He’s walked just ten in that span, pitching to an impressive 1.13 ERA. Perhaps even more impressive than the command of the strikezone has been his ability to limit hard contact. Velasco hasn’t allowed a home run all season while peppering the strikezone consistently.
American League Central
Kansas City Royals - RHP Steven Zobac
Steven Zobac is already rising quickly out there, so it may be a bit late to truly include him as an “under-the-radar” type of prospect. Regardless, I’ll include him anyway. Zobac, a fourth-round pick in 2022, has moved quickly through the system this season. Since arriving at Double-A earlier this season, he owns a 35.8% strikeout rate and a 31.3% K-BB%. He’s dominant with the fastball. The pitch sits in the mid-90s, operating mostly in the 93-95mph range. He spins the ball well, commands it on the black consistently, and misses bats at elite levels. His 35.6% whiff rate at the level ranks 90th percentile this season. He rounds out the pitch mix with a slider and changeup. The slider can sometimes be good, but inconsistent shape limits it sometimes. Despite that, the margin for error is rather wide due to how exceptional the fastball has been.
Cleveland Guardians - LHP Matt Wilkinson
The Guardians selected Matt Wilkinson in the 10th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He signed for just $110,000 after spending much of his college career at Central Arizona Community College. Wilkinson made just one official appearance in 2023, striking out the side in one inning of work. The 21-year-old debuted in 2024 in A Ball, quickly moving his way up to High-A Lake County. Since the promotion, Wilkinson has made 13 starts. He’s struck out an impressive 33.9% of batters. “Tugboat” as he’s known, throws a low-90s fastball, an excellent sweeping slider, and a good changeup with arm-side fading action. His arm slot is deceptive, coming in as a low three-quarter operation that helps his stuff play up more than one might expect. Even in the low-90s, his fastball offers deception and good life up in the strikezone, helping the pitch to miss bats.
Detroit Tigers - SS Ronald Ramirez
The Tigers signed Ramirez back in January out of the Dominican Republic. The 17-year-old has shined in his first professional season. This year in the Dominican Summer League, he’s played a mixture of shortstop and second base, spending most of his time in the hole. He’s slashed .353/.459/.441 with a 17.1% strikeout rate. It’s a smaller 5-10 frame that could limit the power upside long-term, but the mixture of contact skills and a sound approach at the plate make Ramirez an intriguing young prospect. He’s still just 17 years old. Defensively, it’s more of a work in progress. His footwork can be inconsistent, throwing off his infield timing. Should he move to second base, more power output may be needed to truly carry the profile.
Minnesota Twins - OF Eduardo Beltre
Beltre is another 17-year-old prospect playing in the Dominican Summer League this season. Beltre was a top 50 international prospect in the most recent signing period. He received the 25th-largest signing bonus in the class and has shown up early in a big way for the Twins. He’s still listed at 5-11, 175 by FanGraphs but should continue to grow and develop into a larger frame. Even without that, his power output has been off the charts. He slashed .326/.453/.618 with an outrageous .292 ISO in the Dominican this summer. Beltre strikes out enough to make note (23.8%) but walks more than 15% of the time as well. He’s a prospect worth monitoring and could quickly become one of the best young prospects in the Minnesota farm system. It’s a level swing that generates excellent lift, especially to the pull side.
Chicago White Sox - RHP Yhoiker Fajardo
Fajardo has been a standout 17-year-old arm in the DSL this season. He throws primarily a two-pitch fastball/slider combination. The fastball has touched the mid-90s and the slider sits more in the low-80s with late bite. It’s a raw profile, but Fajardo already touches the mid-90s and should be able to add a tick or two more to that as he fills out his 6-3 frame. The two-pitch mix has generated a ton of strikeouts in the DSL this season. Across 50.2 innings of work, Fajardo struck out 64 batters. He pitched to a 2.50 FIP and walked just eight batters in the process. He commands the strike zone well with an easily repeatable delivery but will have to round out the pitch mix to find more success stateside. He allowed a .256 BAA and will have to improve that in the Complex League once he makes his way there.
American League West
Seattle Mariners - LHP Carlos Jimenez
It’s been quite the road for Jimenez since signing as a 16-year-old back in 2021. He spent two seasons in the Dominican Summer League, followed by two more with the Mariners in the Arizona Complex League. In 2024, he finally made the leap from the Complex to Modesto and continued to shine. Jimenez has a smaller frame, but his quick bat speed helps to generate good power and loud exit velocity. His first taste of full-season ball has seen him slash .308/.394/.484 with three home runs and 11 stolen bases. He won’t likely ever be a true home run hitter, but rarely chases out of the zone (19.7% chase rate at Low-A). His good eye and approach at the plate help to carry a solid floor. He’s still a bit too passive at the plate, digging himself into disadvantageous counts that don’t offer him much help alongside his worse-than-average whiff rates. Jimenez has the speed to stick in center field but could end up playing a corner by the time he’s further along in the system.
Texas Rangers - RHP Skylar Hales
Hales is a big 6-4 flamethrower. He throws pure gas out of the bullpen. The fastball lives in the upper 90s, touching 100 a handful of times this season. He pairs that with a good slider that falls off with more of a gyro-slider profile. The fastball explodes out of the hand from Hales, offering an excellent vertical approach that makes it nearly impossible for batters to square up. Hales was a fourth-rounder for the Rangers in 2023 and made his way to Double-A for the first time this season. He got in 19 innings of work for the Rough Riders, striking out 29.5% of batters while limiting walks. If there’s any knock on Hales, it’s his disappointing whiff rates. For an arm throwing so much gas, you’d expect them to be higher. However, he’s mustered just a 26.1% whiff rate. There’s certainly the potential for those to improve and he could be a quick-moving arm to supplement the Texas bullpen as early as 2025.
Houston Astros - RHP Wilmy Sanchez
Sanchez is an interesting young arm. He’s pitched at both A-ball levels this season as a 20-year-old. A midseason promotion took him to High-A where he’s made five appearances so far. He’s posted a strikeout rate of 36.6% with an excellent 14.1% swinging strike rate. Sanchez throws a fastball, changeup, and a solid slider/cutter. The fastball lives in the 91-93 mph range but has touched 95 at times. He does a good job missing bats with the pitch thanks to good spin and life, but likely won’t add too much more velocity due to his relatively small frame. The changeup is a real weapon, sitting in the upper-80s with great arm-side fading action. It plays very well with the fastball, coming out of the hand and looking very similar before falling off the table. The slider/cutter rounds out the pitch mix, sitting in the upper 80s. He misses bats at an excellent rate and finds the zone enough to offer a fairly high reliever ceiling long-term.
Oakland Athletics - OF Nate Nankil
A seventh-rounder out of Cal State Fullerton last summer, Nankil has started to move his way through the system for the Athletics in 2024. He debuted at Low-A before eventually making the move up a level to High-A Lansing. The trade deadline acquisition of Jared Dickey helped round out what’s become an impressive High-A outfield featuring Dickey, Nankil, and Ryan Lasko. Nankil has slashed .353/.413/.412 for the Lugnuts. It’s a contact profile more than a power one, but Nankil rarely chases out of the zone. He has a great eye at the plate, and flirts with above-average in-zone contact rates just short of 80%. Better-than-average whiff rates help to limit strikeouts, giving Nankil an intriguing profile long-term. He showed much more power potential at Low-A, posting a .174 ISO but that power hasn’t followed him since his midseason promotion. It’s a smooth stroke that sprays the ball all over the field, even if it won’t result in off the charts power potential.
Los Angeles Angels - RHP Jose Fermin
The Angels signed Fermin in 2023 as a 21-year-old. He made his professional debut in 2024. He debuted with 18 games with Inland Empire, striking out 26.8% of batters. A mid-season promotion gave way to more success. With High-A Tri-City, that strikeout rate has ballooned to 36.8%. He’s a big, hard-throwing righty with a 6-3, 248 frame. The fastball touches 97 with some deception. The stuff on his fastball is so good that it’s simply undermatched in High-A right now. If you need more evidence of that fact, look no further than his 44.5% whiff rate at the level (99th percentile). Beyond the fastball, however, things get a bit less impressive. Fermin has a solid but inconsistent breaking ball with curveball traits. His command and lack of a well-rounded arsenal are both limiting factors that impact his success on the bump. If he can figure out that command, the fastball offers a solid foundation to build upon for a potential relief option long-term.
This Week in Baseball Cards - 8/5 - 8/11
2025 MLB Draft: Top 30 Prep Prospects
It’s finally August and the 2024 MLB Draft signing deadline has passed, so it’s time to dig further into next year’s class. We’ve already put out our Top 30 College prospects list a month ago, and as we’ve gotten our live looks in on the prep class, we meticulously built our Top 30 Prep list.
There is a disclaimer to be said here: the summer circuit is still underway. East Coast Pro is currently ongoing and Area Codes start up in short order. There’s a lot that will change between now and the next rankings update and the same will be said about the college list when we update it. Those updates will come in due time. Until then, we’re proud to release our first rendition of our 2025 prep list to give our readers an early glimpse into our rankings for the new draft cycle.
1. 3B Ethan Holliday, Stillwater (OK)
Height: 6’4
Weight: 210
b/t: L/R
Draft Day Age: 18 yr 4 mo
Commitment: Oklahoma State
Hometown: Stillwater, OK
The younger brother of 2022 first overall pick Jackson, Ethan is already more physical and displaying louder tools than Jackson did at this stage. Offensively, Holliday's toolset is as loud as it gets. He has excellent pitch recognition and mature plate discipline, paired with a buttery smooth left-handed swing. Holliday is relatively passive and stays within the zone, garnering walks at a frequent rate, plus he's gotten better at shortening his swing and becoming more direct to the baseball. He's already posted triple-digit exit velocities on the regular in-game, too, including a 111 MPH bolt during 18U trials. Scouts expect Holliday to add more muscle to his frame as he matures physically, enhancing his power potential. There's not much to hate on that side of the ball. As a defender, many believe his ultimate home will be third base, as his physical frame is better suited for the position. He's shown solid range and fluidity in his game on the dirt and his strong arm would fit perfectly at the hot corner. He's looking like the lead candidate for 1.1 at this point. If Holliday elects to attend school, he'll stay home and attend Oklahoma State.
2. 3B/OF Xavier Neyens, Mount Vernon (WA)
Height: 6’4
Weight: 205
b/t: L/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 8 MO
Commitment: Oregon State
Hometown: Mount Vernon, WA
It's not too often that the state of Washington is home to one of the top prospects in the country, but Neyens is putting himself in rare territory with his tools and performance. With an advanced approach, top of the scale bat-to-ball skills, and loud power from the left side, Neyens' offensive potential is sky-high. His approach is very mature for his age, staying inside the zone and racking up walks in the process. The power itself grades out as plus with natural loft and loud bat speed, playing to all fields. He creates a tight coil with his core during his load, allowing his body to rotate rapidly and allowing his hands to explode through the zone. Against premier pitching, he's already tattooed baseballs at 108 MPH. It's loud. Neyens has the tools to stick at the hot corner, though some scouts express concern about the footwork at the position, as it can get rather clunky. With that note out of the way, Neyens has the soft hands and strong arm to handle the position. If he moves off third base, he'd get a chance in a corner outfield position. Neyens is currently committed to the West Coast powerhouse of Oregon State.
3. RHP Seth Hernandez, Corona (CA)
Height: 6’4
Weight: 195
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 19 YR
Commitment: Vanderbilt
Hometown: Chino, CA
At this stage of the 2025 cycle, there's no better arm in the class than Hernandez. At 6'4, 195 pounds, Hernandez has plenty of projection remaining to his frame and his operation is as easy as they come. He's very athletic and moves fluidly down the mound with loud arm speed. His fastball has sat in the low-to-mid 90s thus far, though he's gotten up to 96-98 MPH in shorter stints and projects to sit closer to that mark as he fills out his frame. He gets solid extension and fills up the strike zone, as well as showing a tendency to miss bats on the top rail. His change-up is one of the best in the country, a low-80s parachute that flashes plus with a ton of sinking action and velocity separation from the heater. He'll mix in a bigger curveball in the upper-70s and a firmer cutter/slider hybrid in the mid-to-upper-80s, both of which possess spin rates near 2,700 RPMs. The mix of pure stuff, projection, and athleticism make him the best arm in a prep class that lacks dynamic arms. Hernandez is on the older side of the class and will be 19 on draft day. If he gets to campus, he'd be eligible as a sophomore at Vanderbilt.
4. SS Eli Willits, Fort Cobb-Broxton (OK)
Height: 6’1
Weight: 175
b/t: S/R
Draft Day Age: 17 YR 7 MO
Commitment: Oklahoma
Hometown: Fort Cobb, OK
A recent reclass from the 2026 ranks, the switch-hitting Willits projects to fit at the top of lists with a very solid toolset at his disposal. The son of former Angels outfielder Reggie, Eli has the chance to be a legitimate switch-hitter at the next level, as he's shown quality polish from both sides of the plate. Both swings are compact and short to the baseball with the right side featuring more bat speed and pop while the left side has more hitter-ish traits on display. He'll split the gaps on a regular basis from both sides with flatter swing planes, but he's shown an ability to lift the baseball. It's a very polished approach, too. He's an athletic specimen in the field, as well, showcasing solid range and enough tools to stick at shortstop long-term. Willits has even had some run in center field this summer at the 18U Trials. He's an average to above-average runner on the basepaths and has the chance to be a base-stealing threat. He is committed to attending Oklahoma, where his dad is a coach.
5. OF Ty Peeples, Franklin County (GA)
Height: 6’2
Weight: 185
b/t: L/R
Draft Day Age: 18 yr 8 mo
Commitment: Georgia
Hometown: Lavonia, GA
There may not be a bigger rise over the past year in this class than Peeples. He's gotten more physical and there's more on the way, as his 6'2, 185 pound frame is still rather projectable. We'll start with the tools at the plate, which are as smooth as they come. It's a gorgeous left-handed swing with quick hands, budding bat speed, and whippiness through the zone. He keeps it simple with little movement pre-pitch and he utilizes an optimized bat path and great rotation in his swing. Adjustability to off-speed pitches isn't a problem for him, either. As he continues to grow, he'll add more power, though there's already present thump in the stick. There's a good chance that he'll hit for average and power at the next level. Peeples has the tools to be a center fielder right now, though he's destined for a corner outfield spot as he matures physically. He has very solid route running, above-average speed, and a strong, accurate arm. Peeples is committed to Georgia, less than an hour from his hometown of Lavonia.
6. OF Brock Sell, Tokay (CA)
Height: 6’1
Weight: 185
b/t: L/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 8 MO
Commitment: Stanford
Hometown: Stockton, CA
While his last name may tell you otherwise, now's a great time to begin buying stock in Brock Sell. Sell is an exceptionally twitchy athlete on the field and his game has blossomed over the past year, turning into one of the highest upside profiles in this class. His swing is as simple as they come. There's very few wasted movements in his load and the bat explodes through the zone, lacing line drives to all fields. He can be aggressive and expand the zone a bit, but there's minimal swing-and-miss to his game and he does a great job of consistently getting the barrel to the baseball. It's a hit-over-power profile right now, though he's begun to tap into more pull-side juice. His hands are very quick and there's impressive bat speed there. Sell has been clocked as an above-average to plus runner and has the defensive chops to make a legitimate case to stay in center field. The arm strength is certainly there, getting into the low-90s from the outfield, plus he's hovered around 90 MPH on the bump. He is older for the class and committed to Stanford, which is something to keep an eye on, but the tools look too good to pass up right now.
7. SS Lucas Franco, Cinco Ranch (TX)
Height: 6’3
Weight: 175
b/t: L/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 2 MO
Commitment: Texas Christian
Hometown: Katy, TX
An athletic and projectable infielder, Franco has risen up the ranks over the past year thanks to a solid toolset. Franco is a great athlete with a long, lean body type that oozes projection. Franco has very quick hands and rotates well, displaying budding bat speed and fluidity throughout his left-handed swing. There's some loft already present and utilizes his lower half well, meaning there's a solid chance that he achieves average or better power as he grows into his body. His contact quality is improving as time goes on and his plate discipline is already advanced for his age, keeping whiffs and chases to a minimum. He's got the defensive chops to stay at shortstop, as he has soft hands, fluid motions, and a strong arm across the diamond. As he fills out, he may have to move to the hot corner. He's an above-average runner, as well. Franco is committed to attending Texas Christian.
8. OF Dean Moss, IMG Academy (FL)
Height: 6’0
Weight: 182
b/t: L/R
Draft Day Age: 19 YR 2 MO
Commitment: Louisiana State
Hometown: Atherton, CA
After traveling across the country to attend IMG Academy, Moss has put himself at the top of the pecking order for outfielders in this class. While he's smaller-statured, don't let the size fool you. Moss possesses loud power to his pull side with excellent bat speed and very quick hands. His left-handed swing is tightly wound, allowing him to burst through the zone and turn on pitches to right field with authority, as well as some opposite-field pop. While the power itself is impressive, Moss' plate discipline is advanced for his age and he loves to take his walks. Moss' pure hit tool is rather polished and he displays very little warts, staying within the zone and adjusting to off-speed pitches very well. He's done a great job of keeping the strikeouts at bay this summer. With average speed and an average arm in the outfield, Moss is destined for a corner outfield position at the next level. He is on the older side of the class, as he'll turn 19 a couple of months prior to the draft, making him eligible as a sophomore at Louisiana State if he chooses to attend classes.
9. SS/OF Coy James, Davie County (NC)
Height: 6’0
Weight: 185
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 4 MO
Commitment: Mississippi
Hometown: Advance, NC
James is one of the more potent offensive profiles in this draft class. A potential leadoff sparkplug type of bat, James has torched opposing pitching this summer, including a record performance at 17U WWBA in Georgia, where he set a record with 22 hits throughout the tournament. While he can be aggressive and reluctant to take walks, James has excellent barrel consistency and outstanding bat-to-ball skills that will allow him to hit for average at the next level. He's beginning to grow into legitimate juice, too. He'll show the ability to lift the ball to his pull side with very quick hands, giving him a chance to hit 15+ home runs as a professional. There's a solid chance he can stick at shortstop, as he's shown off great range, smooth actions, and a sound internal clock at the position. In the off chance that he moves off the position, he'll likely end up at second base, though he's gotten some run in center field this summer. James is currently committed to attending Ole Miss.
10. SS/RHP Billy Carlson, Corona (CA)
Height: 6’1
Weight: 175
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 11 MO
Commitment: Vanderbilt
Hometown: Corona, CA
A two-way athlete out of the loaded Corona High School roster, Carlson may just be the best shortstop defender in the class. Carlson possesses smooth, rangy actions at the "six" with bounce, soft hands, and a quick release across the infield. His arm is very stout and grades out as plus or better at the position, too, leaving little doubt that he'll stick at the position long term. At the plate, his swing can get a bit steep, but there's not a ton of whiff concerns, and stays within the strike zone. He's beginning to lift the ball more and there's robust power in the bat thanks to loud bat speed. His athleticism and arm strength translate on the mound, as he's been up to 96-97 MPH already with fluidity down the mound. The secondaries are promising, as he throws a quality mid-70s curveball with depth and a mid-80s change-up with solid fading life. He's thrown strikes at a solid clip, too. There's a ton of upside if everything works out with Carlson. He is currently committed to attending Vanderbilt and projects to be on the older side of the class.
11. LHP/1B Kruz Schoolcraft, Sunset (OR)
Height: 6’8
Weight: 215
b/t: L/L
Draft Day Age: 18 yr 2 mo
Commitment: N/A
Hometown: Beaverton, OR
A gangly, uber-projectable southpaw from Oregon, Schoolcraft reclassed from the 2026 class and now projects as one of the best two-way players in the class. There's more upside on the mound right now, as the 6'8, 215 pound lefty has exquisite body control and projects to throw much harder as he grows into his frame. He's primarily sat in the low-90s, though he's maxed out at 97 MPH, with solid extension down the hill and a heater that jumps on hitters quickly. He'll miss a bevy of bats during outings with it thanks to a lower release and hop at the top of the zone. He had a grip change with his slider that now sits in the mid-80s with cutter-esque firmness and an ability to command it gloveside. The change-up has solid feel and shape, too. As he learns to sync up his frame more, expect more strikes. He's also a power-hitting first baseman with legit feel for the barrel and loud power potential given the projection. Schoolcraft remains uncommitted as he enters his senior year.
12. SS/OF Sean Gamble, IMG Academy (FL)
Height: 6’2
Weight: 185
b/t: L/R
Draft Day Age: 19 YR
Commitment: Vanderbilt
Hometown: Des Moines, IA
If you're looking for the best pure athlete in this class, look no further than Sean Gamble. An Iowa native who resides at IMG Academy, Gamble is incredibly twitchy on both sides of the ball. We'll start at the plate, where he's got some of the loudest bat speed and power in this prep class. His hips explode open, allowing his hands to race through the zone with impressive barrel lag. He's had exit velocities with wood up to 108 MPH in-game settings already this summer and given the frame, it wouldn't be a shock to see higher numbers. He has excellent torque and rotation in his swing, though the hit tool does lag behind a bit. He's working on refining his approach and becoming more patient, especially on breaking balls. In the field, Gamble has the tools to be a potential corner outfielder, though his plus speed gives him a chance in center field with a strong arm. If the outfield doesn't work, Gamble has seen time in the infield, projecting best at second or third base. He is committed to Vanderbilt.
13. SS Kayson Cunningham, Johnson (TX)
Height: 5’10
Weight: 178
b/t: L/R
Draft Day Age: 19 YR
Commitment: Texas
Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Despite the smaller stature that Cunningham possesses, he has a case for having the best pure contact hitter in the entire prep class. Cunningham covers the zone exceptionally well, keeping the whiffs and chases at bay. It's a smooth, direct left-handed swing with a good bit of bat speed and an all-fields approach at the dish. There is some pop in the bat, mainly to the pull side and he'll work the gaps for extra bases, but his swing is more suited for line drives right now. He should add some lift to his swing in due time, but he'll profile best as a power-over-hit type. Cunningham is a plus runner underway and has good range at shortstop with smooth hands and a strong arm. There's a chance he could move to the other side of the second base bag, but it's hard to envision him leaving the dirt up the middle. Cunningham recently flipped his commitment from Texas Tech to Texas.
14. OF Slater De Brun, Summit (OR)
Height: 5’9
Weight: 180
b/t: L/L
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 1 MO
Commitment: Vanderbilt
Hometown: Bend, OR
Slade Caldwell was just taken in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft, but it looks like he's been cloned and moved to Oregon as Slater de Brun. de Brun's body is very similar to what Caldwell is, as he's a smaller, yet physical outfielder with exceptional speed and an excellent approach at the plate. There's very little to hate at the plate, as de Brun has posted incredibly healthy contact rates and rarely expands the zone, getting on base frequently where he can be a basepath menace. His bat speed is top-notch, though the swing plane is more suited for line drives to the gaps than fly balls over the fence. His speed is double-plus, if not better. He's had home-to-first times clocked between 4.05-4.15 seconds on the regular, displaying an incredible second gear and he has the makings of a very difficult out. That speed translates to center field, where he figures to stick long-term with strong route-running, instincts, and a strong arm. There's a lot to love here and it would not be a shock to envision this profile in the first round in 2025. He is younger for the class at 18.1 years old and is committed to attending Vanderbilt.
15. RHP Josh Hammond, Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC)
Height: 6’1
Weight: 215
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 9 MO
Commitment: Wake Forest
Hometown: High Point, NC
The son of High Point skipper Joey Hammond, Josh burst onto the scene as an arm after a loud showing during the 2023 summer circuit. While the command itself is a work in progress and will need refinement, he has the makings of a true power pitcher. He has a very strong lower half down the mound, as well as extremely quick arm speed and fluidity down the mound. The low-90s heater has touched 96 MPH in the past calendar year, coming in like a bowling ball and boring in on right-handed hitters. He'll change the shape slightly and add more riding life, too. However, it's the low-80s slider that has the most upside. It's a beast of a pitch, featuring nasty sweep and bite that has left hitters floundering on occasion. It may be a plus pitch at the end of the day. The CH has heavy fade and there's feel to throw strikes, too. Hammond also has tools at the plate, including impressive juice in the stick. He is committed to attending Wake Forest.
16. LHP Cameron Appenzeller, Glenwood (IL)
Height: 6’5
Weight: 180
b/t: L/L
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 5 MO
Commitment: South Carolina
Hometown: Springfield, IL
At 6'5, 180 pounds, Appenzeller is insanely projectable and projects to be one of the best southpaws in the class. Appenzeller's delivery is incredibly easy and he oozes athleticism on the bump, creating fast arm speed and a slingy action to a lower release. As a result of the low release, he generates quite a bit of armside run on the fastball, sitting in the 88-92 MPH bucket and tickling 93-94 MPH in shorter spurts. When in the zone, the pitch jumps on batters and he'll execute on the top rail for whiffs. Given the projection, there's a good chance Appenzeller could reach 95+ MPH in due time. His upper-70s sweeper flashes solid bite and spin traits and his low-80s change-up has heavy fade against right-handed hitters, too. He commands all three pitches well and may ultimately need a firmer breaker to give himself a "bridge pitch." He's a legitimate data darling who should continue to garner interest as he adds muscle to his lanky frame. Appenzeller is currently committed to attending South Carolina.
17. SS Brady Ebel, Corona (CA)
Height: 6’3
Weight: 190
b/t: L/R
Draft Day Age: 17 YR 11 MO
Commitment: Louisiana State
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
The son of longtime Angels third base coach Dino Ebel, Brady is one of the more famous bats in this class. Ebel is renowned for his maturity and contact prowess at the dish, though he's had some issues with contact and chases this summer. His sweet left-handed swing is very repeatable with a quick, direct path to the baseball that is built for line drives presently. He doesn't sell out for a ton of power and while it's a hit-over-power profile now, he'll grow into more power as he begins to fill out his lean frame. He's got the defensive chops to stick on the left side of the dirt, too. He may grow off of shortstop once he physically matures, but Ebel has excellent hands, rangy actions, and a strong arm to handle the position. If he outgrows shortstop, he'll fit in at third base. He will be one of the youngest bats in the class, too, as he won't turn 18 until late July. He is committed to attending Louisiana State.
18. C/UTL Jaden Fauske, Nazareth Academy (IL)
Height: 6’2
Weight: 205
b/t: L/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 7 MO
Commitment: N/A
Hometown: Willowbrook, IL
An infielder from the state of Illinois, Fauske boasts one of our favorite swings in the whole class. It's a lovely left-handed swing with loose wrists, quick hands, and a whippy barrel through the zone. There's very few flaws in his approach, as he's got excellent barrel control and will utilize the whole field to his advantage. It's hit-over-power right now, but as Fauske continues to grow into his body, we should see higher power output. He's already beginning to register exit velocities into the triple digits and he's shown some pull side power in game with quality bat speed. Expect the bat to be the money-maker in his profile. Defensively, he's logged a ton of innings behind the plate, where he's an average defender with a quick exchange and average arm strength. He's gotten more run in the dirt recently, mostly as a utility type when he's not catching. He's currently one of the top uncommitted bats in the country.
19. RHP Angel Cervantes, Warren (CA)
Height: 6’3
Weight: 193
b/t: r/r
Draft Day Age: 17 YR 10 MO
Commitment: UCLA
Hometown: Lynwood, CA
One of the youngest players in the class, Cervantes is an intriguing arm out of southern California. Cervantes is a great athlete with a fluid delivery and a clean arm swing with little to no effort down the mound. It's led by a low-90s fastball that has a downhill plane with some ride and run to it. Given the projection of Cervantes' frame, he could reach the mid-90s in due time. The change-up is the best pitch in his arsenal and it's a contender for the best cambio in the class. It's a higher spin offering that hits the brakes halfway to home plate in the upper-70s to low-80s, diving away from lefties. He'll throw in a curveball with high spin and shape manipulation, throwing both a vertical and sweepy curveball. Cervantes projects to be one of the youngest players in this class, as well. He is committed to attending UCLA.
20. 2B/SS Josh Gibbs, Forsyth County (GA)
Height: 6’0
Weight: 180
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 7 MO
Commitment: Georgia
Hometown: Cumming, GA
Gibbs is a lean, athletic infielder out of the state of Georgia who is really explosive on both sides of the ball. An XBH machine to start the 2024 summer circuit, there's quite a bit of noise ongoing during his load, but the timing of his swing is exquisite and the twitchiness in his profile really stands out. Gibbs possesses electric bat speed as a result of uber-quick, whippy hands, and loud body coil during his swing. Despite how noisy everything is, Gibbs stays in the zone and waits for his pitch, drawing walks and getting to the barrel often. As he fills out his frame, expect more power gains. There's a really good likelihood that Gibbs is capable of staying on the left side of the dirt, namely at shortstop. He's a great runner and utilizes his range on the dirt, showcasing soft hands and a rather strong arm across the diamond. The overall upside here is super enticing. Should Gibbs go to school, he'd enroll at Georgia.
21. C Brayden Jaksa, Irvington (CA)
Height: 6’6
Weight: 210
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 5 MO
Commitment: Oregon
Hometown: Fremont, CA
At 6'6, 210 pounds, Jaksa is not your typical catching prospect. Jaksa has an extra large frame with proportionate strength and long levers to his body, giving him ample projection to his figure. While he's gangly, he does a great job of controlling his limbs and body on both sides of the ball. At the plate, his plate discipline has very little warts and there's a ton of power projection in the stick. He stays within the strike zone and maintains a high contact rate thanks to a consistent bat path through the zone. He has a heavy barrel through the zone with natural loft and leverage, allowing him to tap into legitimate all fields power that should grade out as above-average or plus when all is said and done. Behind the dish, Jaksa is rather mobile for his size thanks to quality athleticism. He's a good receiver with a strong arm, as well. He's got a good shot to stick back there, but if he has to move positions, he fits as a first baseman or corner outfielder. Jaksa is committed to attending Oregon.
22. 3B/OF Quentin Young, Oaks Christian (CA)
Height: 6’5
Weight: 215
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 4 MO
Commitment: Louisiana State
Hometown: Camarillo, CA
Another reclassification from the 2026 ranks, Young is as tooled up as they come. Young is an extremely tall, lanky prospect with a ton of projection remaining to his frame, plus he's an excellent athlete on the field. The raw power in his profile is one of the more enticing in the class, grading out as easily plus and some may even put a double-plus grade on it. It's a heavy barrel with a ton of bat speed and torque in the swing, allowing the ball to fly off the bat. The hit tool is a work-in-progress, as an inconsistent bat path and whiffs hamper him. He'll need to iron out the kinks to live up to the sky-high offensive potential. Defensively, he has loud arm strength and projects best as a third baseman or right fielder as a result. His footwork at third base needs some work, but he has good range and actions at the position. Young is related to former big leaguers Delmon and Dmitri Young and will now be on the younger side of the class. He is committed to Louisiana State.
23. RHP Landon Harmon, East Union Attendance Center (MS)
Height: 6’5
Weight: 188
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 10 MO
Commitment: Mississippi State
Hometown: New Albany, MS
One of the biggest risers in this year's summer circuit, Harmon possesses one of the best fastballs in the entire class. The heater jumps out of the hand from a wide angle thanks to Harmon's crossfire and catches hitters by surprise, darting away from righties with slight cutting action and some riding life. He's already been up to 98 MPH in brief stints, quickly settling into the low/mid-90s across longer outings. He has electric arm speed and controls his body well down the mound, allowing him to throw a solid amount of strikes that should get better as he becomes more polished. His breaking ball has been a bit inconsistent, jumping between an upper-70s slurve and a firmer low-80s slider, but there's upside in the pitch as there's some late depth and sweep when it's on. As he develops further, there's a good chance he'll generate a power slider. There is a change-up in there, though it's rarely used. Harmon is currently committed to attending Mississippi State.
24. OF Anthony Pack Jr., Millikan (CA)
Height: 5’10
Weight: 175
b/t: L/L
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 6 MO
Commitment: Texas
Hometown: Lakewood, CA
If you're looking for a Dillon Head/Braylon Payne clone in this class, look no further than Anthony Pack Jr. Pack is an exceptional athlete with a ton of twitch on both sides of the ball. At the plate, Pack is a bit more of a slasher profile, though he's got extremely quick hands, tight rotation, and bat speed that separates him a bit from his peers. He's employed more of a line-drive approach in recent viewings and while there's some swing-and-miss, Pack is patient and racks up his walks. He'll attack the gaps and utilize his plus speed to his advantage, plus there's some pull side juice, too. He's a fit in center field long term thanks to the aforementioned plus speed, which enables him to get excellent reads off the bat and chase down fly balls with ease. He has the chance to be an exceptional defender when all is said and done. Overall, there's a lot to like with the profile and there's a good chance he's a Day 1 prospect. Pack is committed to the University of Texas.
25. RHP Marcos Paz, Hebron (TX)
Height: 6’2
Weight: 220
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 7 MO
Commitment: Louisiana State
Hometown: Carrollton, TX
Paz is a Texas arm with a ton of traits that lead to a starting role as a professional player. Unfortunately, Paz underwent Tommy John surgery in early July, taking him out through next summer and clouding his future a bit. He's more of a physical specimen at 6'2, 220 pounds, Paz has a low-effort delivery with a lightning-quick right arm and an arm swing that's a bit reminiscent of Chase Burns, allowing him to command gloveside with ease. His stuff is very impressive, led by a fastball that has been up to 97 MPH this spring. He'll usually sit in the 91-95 MPH pail and the pitch has solid carry upstairs, as well as good command. His slider profiles as one of, if not the best, breaking ball in the class. Sitting in the low-80s, Paz generates loud spin numbers and hitters struggle to connect thanks to the late bite and sweep out of the zone. There's a mid-80s change-up that has solid fade and tumble, projecting as average or better. More strikes will come as he gets more consistent with his delivery. Paz is committed to attending Louisiana State.
26. 1B/OF Josiah Hartshorn, Orange Lutheran (CA)
Height: 6’2
Weight: 220
b/t: S/l
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 5 MO
Commitment: Texas A&M
Hometown: Anaheim, CA
Orange Lutheran continues to churn out quality prospects, as Hartshorn is the next in a long line of top prospects to hail from the school. A physical figure in the box, Hartshorn is incredibly athletic for his size and projects to be on the younger side of the class at 18.5 on draft day. Hartshorn hit exclusively as a right-handed hitter last summer and decided to flip to the left side in 2024, strictly hitting as a lefty this summer. Hartshorn's bat speed stands out and while the swing can get a bit handsy, he coils his body very well and produces loud power off the bat. There's very little whiffs in his profile, as well, especially against heaters. He's a solid average or better runner and has the athleticism to handle a corner outfield spot, where he's shown the arm strength to handle right field. Should he outgrow his athleticism, he would fit best at first base, though that doesn't seem to be in the cards just yet. Should he make it to campus, he'll attend Texas A&M.
27. RHP River Hamilton, Sam Barlow (OR)
Height: 6’3
Weight: 185
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 9 MO
Commitment: Oregon State
Hometown: Woodvillage, OR
Could Hamilton become the next big arm out of Oregon? There's a chance it could happen, as the uber-projectable right-hander has a lot to like. Built like a twig, Hamilton's entire delivery is rather loose and athletic, moving fluidly down the mound with a bit of effort at release. It reminds us of Cole Schoenwetter's delivery a bit. The fastball has a chance to be very, very loud. Already sitting in the low-90s consistently, Hamilton's heater generates a ton of vertical carry, averaging close to twenty inches of ride and he's shown an ability to add run down in the zone. He's been throwing strikes with it, too. There's a chance for a plus offering here as it jumps out of his hand. The low-80s breaking ball can get inconsistent, but at its best, he generates solid sweeping action with late bite away from righties. His mid-80s change-up has solid fading life, too. Command can come and go, though given the athleticism, there's a good chance it'll continue to improve. Hamilton is committed to attending Oregon State.
28. OF Brock Ketelsen, Valley Christian Schools (CA)
Height: 6’4
Weight: 195
b/t: L/L
Draft Day Age: 17 YR 11 MO
Commitment: Stanford
Hometown: Scotts Valley, CA
Ketelsen is a bit of an unknown, but his mix of tools and projection makes him a quality prospect at this stage in the cycle. At 6'4, 195 pounds, Ketelsen is rather lanky and features a lot of twitchy actions in his game. A left-handed bat, Ketelsen has very impressive bat speed and displays accuracy with his barrel through the zone, staying short and direct to the baseball. There's already present strength and power in the profile, mainly to the gaps and pull side, though as he adds weight to his frame, expect the power to tick up. His hips open up violently and there's natural loft to the swing. In the field, he's likely a corner outfielder at the next level, though he's able to cover a ton of ground thanks to his lengthy stride and quality speed. He runs like a gazelle in the outfield and shows defensive maturity, giving him a solid outlook with the glove. He has also seen time on the bump, getting up to 92 MPH from the left side. Ketelsen is one of the youngest players in the class, too. With that said, he is a Stanford commit, which is something to keep an eye on come draft day.
29. C Trent Grindlinger, Huntington Beach (CA)
Height: 6’3
Weight: 195
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 11 MO
Commitment: Mississippi State
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Grindlinger has quietly had one of the better summer circuits of anyone in the class, hitting at every stop he's been at. A physical catching prospect from Huntington Beach, Grindlinger is one of the best catch-and-throw guys in this class. He has solid athleticism and moves well behind the dish with a very strong arm, throwing out would-be base stealers with ease on numerous occasions. He's a near-lock to stay behind the plate long term. At the plate, he does expand the zone a bit, but he does a great job of fighting off strikeouts. It's a powerful swing with solid bat speed and he's shown an ability to adjust to off-speed pitches, handling them well this summer. He'll pepper the gaps with line drives and there's considerable raw juice in the bat during his BP rounds, primarily targeting his pull side. It's a fun profile to dive into. He'll be on the older side, as he'll turn 19 during All-Star Weekend in 2025, though he's got the tools to be signed away from his Mississippi State commitment.
30. RHP Grayson Boles, Saint Augustine (CA)
Height: 6’4
Weight: 215
b/t: R/R
Draft Day Age: 18 YR 9 MO
Commitment: Texas
Hometown: San Diego, CA
At 6'4, 215 pounds, Boles looks every bit like a future workhorse starter. A projectable athlete on the bump, Boles moves fluidly down the bump and repeats his delivery well. While he's more of a low-90s arm currently, he's shown mid-90s velocity in shorter stints this summer and the pitch possesses a lively nature, especially on the top rail. There's some flatness with his approach angle and as he matures, the expectation is that he may sit more in the mid-90s. That's an excellent recipe for a heater that projects to miss quite a bit of bats. He's flip-flopped between an upper-70s curveball and a low/mid-80s gyro slider, both of which have quality depth and project well. He's used more of the slider this summer, flashing short shape with nasty bite when he's on. There's a fading mid-80s cambio in there, too. Given the athleticism and repetition of his delivery, there's a good chance he'll grow into more strike-throwing. A SoCal native, Boles is committed to attending Texas.
This Week in Baseball Cards - 7/29 - 8/4
2024 MLB Draft Recap: Staff Picks
BEST OVERALL DRAFT CLASSES
Jared’s Pick: Colorado Rockies
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 to it 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 who has 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.
Tyler’s Pick: Cincinnati Reds
Adding an arm like Chase Burns will always create excitement around a draft class, especially after we’ve seen a somewhat comparable talent in Paul Skenes at the major league level less than a year after being drafted. Though the Burns pick--especially the lack of savings--was surprising, the Reds soaked up value the rest of the way, apparently not needing any extra money to work with. In the end, they blended some high upside dart throws with a sturdy group of pro-ready collegiate performers.
Tyson Lewis stands out as arguably the most toolsy non-Konnor Griffin player from this draft and they really hammered home a strong class of hitters adding plate discipline-maestro Mike Sirota (3rd Round), ultra-rounded Peyton Stovall (4th Round), intriguing backstop in Jacob Friend (6th Round), and a huge sleeper in Myles Smith (7th Round)--a twitchy outfield bat with excellent hitting aptitude. Adding quality and low-risk collegiate pitching in Luke Holman (CB-B) and Tristan Smith (5th Round) gives Cincinnati a real chance to produce more than one MLB rotation arm. Assuming the club can also sign prep shortstop Adrian Areizaga (14th Round), they’ll have a really fun blend of proximate MLB talents and projectable middle infield athletes.
Harris’ Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates had several quality options with the ninth overall pick, and went with the prep shortstop Konnor Griffin. Griffin is big and athletic with off-the-chart tools. His hit tool is less certain than that of a typical top-10 pick, but he has superstar potential.
The rest of Day 1 saw Pittsburgh go after a pair of surprisingly high-floor high school guys. Levi Sterling is a long, athletic right-hander with excellent strike-throwing ability and tons of projection, while Wyatt Sanford is arguably the best defensive shortstop in the class.
Third-rounder Josh Hartle was a top prep prospect in 2021 and had an up-and-down career at Wake Forest. His fastball lacks the necessary movement, but he throws tons of strikes and has two secondary pitches that flash plus. It isn’t crazy to imagine him being one of the better pitchers in the entire class— especially given how well Pittsburgh has developed arms in recent years.
Will Taylor is a toolsy outfielder who spent two years moonlighting as a wide receiver for the Clemson football team. As a result, he’s incredibly raw and unpolished at the plate, but he is super athletic and profiles as an above-average center fielder. He showed some improved power in 2024, as well. He’s a worthwhile dart throw in the fifth round.
Finally, eighth-round right-hander Gavin Adams is one of the more intriguing late-round selections. The JuCo transfer never got a chance to prove himself at the D1 level, as he underwent Tommy John surgery before taking the mound for Florida State. Adams is athletic and projectable with a triple-digits fastball, so it goes without saying that he comes with upside.
Overall, Pittsburgh built well for the future, adding plenty of talent to an already strong crop of prospects.
Switz’s Pick: Cleveland Guardians
I know picking the team with the number 1 overall pick and the most pool money as the best overall draft is very cliche. However, it's how the Guardians worked their money and pulled off the ability to land four prep arms with high ceilings for one of baseball's best pitching development systems while still taking the best dude in the draft by most rankings in Bazzana.
Further, when they didn't take a prep arm, they showed their usual tendencies of staying up the middle throughout the draft by taking one of the top catchers in this cycle of Cozart, a sleeper backstop in Thompson, and multiple college arms with distinctive attributes and stuff. After everything ended, the Guardians walked away with seven dudes inside Prospect Live's top 200 and reloaded their pitching depth (which is their bread and butter). Everyone knew that the Guardians were looking under slot with the first pick; however, no one knew the abilities they were planning with the saved money throughout the other two days of the draft.
Patrick’s Pick: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox had Braden Montgomery fall into their lap at the 12th overall pick. While there may be some question marks about whether he still switch-hits in pro ball and his defense, getting this type of player at pick 12 is certainly something to be excited about. After Montgomery, the Red Sox took an approach I love, going after data-friendly arms and hitters with on-base and defensive ability. Peyton Tolle was their 2nd round pick, who throws an elevator ball of a four-seamer and will flash a plus changeup, followed by Gators stopper Brandon Neely in the 3rd.
Blake Aita features a frisbee slider with a well-shaped fastball, and Brandon Clarke has crazy arm speed and a flashed feel for secondaries. Devin Futrell is a big-bodied left-hander with a good carry and a good velo fastball. On the bat side, Zach Ehrhard is a twitchy center fielder with on-base skills and will play a nice center field. Will Turner had a down season in 2024 after a career year at the plate in 2023, but can still play a plus centerfield. Conrad Cason was drafted as a two-way player and has the discipline and crazy pop at the plate to go with hellacious arm speed on the mound.
Jeff’s Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks
A lot of the value in this class comes from day one. They grabbed two of my top 15 with their first two selections. While teams worried about Slade Caldwell's size and Ryan Waldschimdt's knees, the Diamondbacks snapped up fantastic talent. Caldwell would have been the top prep player if he was 6 inches taller. There are questions about power, but no doubt he can handle centerfield and has some of the best physical traits in the class.
Wadschimdt's batted ball data was excellent across the board. He didn't chase, had excellent exit velocity, and great contact data. The bat will play wherever. I was the high one on JD Dix, and I think if he had been healthy, he would have gone much earlier. I saw some JJ Wetherholt in the profile. Daniel Eagen looks like a potential back-end starter who got better all year. Tytus Cissell has a lot of similar traits to Dix but with more athleticism and less of a chance to stick at short. Conor Foley is a considerable risk, both literally and figuratively. Indiana has quietly become a pitching factory, and Foley stood out for his fastball this year. He is a plus athlete with two plus offerings. If his command can be worked on, there is a lot of upside with a nice reliever floor. I was not super familiar with Ivan Luciano, but there are worse coaches for a young Puerto Rican catcher than Yadier Molina. They let the draft come to them and came away with an excellent mix of players.
As a bonus, they also made the best name selection in the entire class when, with pick 254 of the 10th round, they took Trent Youngblood from Transylvania University. He became the first pick ever from Transylvania University. I don't believe in draft grades, but they are auto A.
FAVORITE PICKS
Jared’s Pick: RHP Drew Beam (3rd Round, 76th Pick, Kansas City Royals)
Now I know what you’re thinking… “Jared is being a homer here,” but I promise I’m not! Beam came in as Prospects Live’s #47 overall prospect, and it is not hard to see why. Sure, there’s nothing flashy in his pitch mix, but he has been one of the SEC's most reliable and top-performing arms for three years. It is about as safe of a floor as you can find and one of the safest bets to make it to the major leagues as a back-of-the-rotation starter. It’s a polished pitcher who throws many strikes with a decent four-pitch mix. Maybe the Royals can unlock a bit more in Beam with their new way of pitching development. The Royals have to be happy with him falling to them at 76.
Patrick’s Pick: BHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (1st Round, 15th Pick, Seattle Mariners)
Cijntje is famous for being a both-handed pitcher. However, he exclusively threw right-handed for most of the season for Mississippi State. From the right side, Cijntje is 93-96 and up to 98 with a high carry, low release fastball. His slider is his go-to secondary, which is generally in the mid 80’s with an average sweep. However, the Mariners’ pitching factory has shown they can develop breakers just as well as anyone, and Cijntje has the ideal arm path for a sweeper. On top of this, the newly exclusive right-hander will flash an above-average changeup. There’s a lot to like here, and given Cijntje has spent his whole career throwing with both hands, focusing on one side may give a
developmental boost, on top of the Mariners’ midas touch pitching development.
Tyler’s Pick: Ariel Armas (5th Round, 153rd Pick, Chicago Cubs)
Maybe I’ll look like a homer for going out on a limb with a lesser-known 5th rounder, but Armas flew under the radar as one of the best defensive backstops I’ve seen at the amateur level. The San Diego product is a legit pro defender and should need little refinement on that end to reach the big leagues; he’s a gunner with his arm, an excellent blocker, and has smooth framing skills. Armas isn’t going to light up box scores with his bat, but there are above average bat-to-ball skills here with a quality approach. Should Armas emerge as an average hitter, he has the upside of a high-end backup catcher.
Switz’s Pick: LHP Cam Caminiti (1st Round, 24th Pick, Atlanta Braves)
Many teams will look back on this pick and ask why we let him fall to Atlanta. The Braves have been notorious for some time now within their pitching development, to the point that agents are very comfortable having their dudes fall in the draft to see them get selected by the Braves. This seems like another scenario, as many mocked Caminiti as a first-half-of-the-first-round type of dude and ended up being a dream situation for Atlanta.
A big-league bloodline prodigy, Cam has been a must-watch arm within the prep circuit for some time now by lighting up the radar guns with an FB in the mid-90s topping up to 98 and possessing two breaking balls that look like they could become plus offerings in the near future. He displays advanced mechanics, good balance, and desired repeatability of his fluid operation for his age (the reason for his reclassification). He’s been a wrecking ball against LHHs and seems to be on the trajectory that he could momentarily be a high-upside starting arm in Truist Park when the dust settles on his development.
Jeff's Pick: RHP Luke Sinnard (3rd Round, 99th Pick, Atlanta Braves)
Luke Sinnard had some travels and travails in college. He started at Western Kentucky, then transferred to Indiana, and then needed Tommy John Surgery, but he didn't pitch this past season. Yet when he did get to pitch it was at the combine where he posted some of the best spin rates of any pitcher at the entire combine. The year before, he broke a nearly 90-year-old strikeout record at Indiana. He is a massive kid at 6'8" and 250 pounds. Yet he also posted excellent control numbers in school. His size and extension make his velocity play up, which pairs with the high spin rates on his curve and slider, making him a player I kept moving up boards. While the injury cost him his season, he might be able to pitch in the minors for Atlanta this year, helping him recover time. I see a large pitcher who missed bats, had excellent walk rates, and had two pitches with exceptional spin data, and I still feel like he could have gone higher.
Harris’ Pick: RHP Trey Yesavage (1st Round, 20th Pick, Toronto Blue Jays)
Yesavage had some buzz in the top 10 but fell all the way down to the 20th overall pick, likely due to a lung injury. East Carolina’s Friday night starter turned in back-to-back dominant seasons in 2023 and 2024, striking out 250 hitters while walking just 55 over 169.1 innings. His collegiate career ended with a win over Wake Forest — the same Wake Forest team that turned out three top-10 picks earlier this month — out dueling Chase Burns and limiting Nick Kurtz and Seaver King to one combined hit in six plate appearances.
Yesavage has a prototypical starter’s frame and a dangerous four-pitch mix. His slider and splitter are especially dangerous, and he commands his entire arsenal very well. He’s a high-floor prospect with a No. 2 starter upside and could be one of the first big leaguers from this class. Compared to the highest-drafted college arms — Chase Burns and Hagen Smith — Yesavage is a fairly sure thing, given his strike-throwing ability.
As of this writing, Yesavage and the Blue Jays have yet to finalize a contract, but that will presumably happen before the Aug. 1 deadline and likely for over-slot value. Regardless of what the signing bonus ends up being, Yesavage could end up being the steal of the draft.
BIGGEST SURPRISE PICKS
Jared’s Pick: OF PJ Morlando (1st Round,16th Pick, Miami Marlins)
This wasn’t a surprise pick because it was bad; I expected Morlando to go near the back half of the first or during the comp rounds. The Marlins saw something they liked, and there might be a slight chance they could under-slot him, though it could be tough to do so given his commitment to South Carolina). Morlando possesses a ton of raw power but has struggled to tap into it during games. He’s got a patient approach at the plate, but he could be too patient, so he hasn’t fully tapped into his power. He showed off his massive pop at the MLB Draft Combine by hitting four balls over 110 mph. That showing could be part of the reason he flew up boards for some teams. He has great athleticism and average speed/arm, so he’s likely manning a corner outfield position. While a shocking pick, it is still not a bad one for the Marlins, especially with how the rest of their draft ended.
Switz’s Pick: RHP Chase Burns (1st Round, 2nd Pick. Cincinnati Reds)
My heart has to go with the Reds here, as all noise indicated they would take a bat profile. Since Krall took over the helm of the Reds' front office, he has stated that the Reds' plan is to rejuvenate their pitching development and provide a consistent pipeline of fresh young arms to the major leagues. This has been apparent in recent years due to their acquisitions and draft strategies. Burns complements the young pitching talent well and should be an exciting, high-octane arm to watch for the Reds in a few years.
Patrick’s Pick: 3B Billy Amick (2nd Round, 60th Pick, Minnesota Twins)
I was surprised to see Amick go about 10-20 picks later than I anticipated for him, but what surprised me most was seeing a generally model-driven team in the Twins jump on him. Amick is a guy who expands the zone a bit and doesn’t make a lot of contact, which grades poorly on many models. However, he’s made strides at 3rd base, looking like an everyday guy there, and the power is outrageous to all fields. Getting this type of power at pick 60 was an opportunity the Twins couldn’t pass up on.
Jeff's Pick: OF Braylon Payne (1st Round, 17th Pick, Milwaukee Brewers)
I don't think I saw a mock mentioning Payne before the Competitive Balance Picks, and rarely then. For Locked On, I was asked to make 40 draft videos for the players who could go in round one. Honestly, I never considered Payne. It's not just that, though. It's the Brewers also making this pick. The most conservative team in the first round of the draft. They had not taken a prep player since Brice Turang; since that has worked out, maybe they felt more comfortable doing it here. It's a combination of a team that doesn't draft high school players with their top pick and a player that I didn't ever think would go in the teens that made this one an audible gasp for me on draft night.
Harris’ Pick: SS/OF Seaver King (1st Round, 10th Pick, Washington Nationals)
Seaver King can run. There’s no question about that. But his other four tools are less of a sure thing.
He’s a free swinger who frequently chases out of the zone and falls behind in the count. There is some power potential, given his bat speed and impressive top-end exit velocities, but he doesn’t have much strength or any physical projection remaining, plus his swing path is geared more for line drives.
While he has displayed some defensive versatility this year, his hands and defensive actions are not up to par for playing on the dirt at the next level. The Nationals left plenty of superior college bats on the board, and it’s not even as if King was a significant money saver— he received a signing bonus north of $5 million, more than that of both Christian Moore and Cam Smith.
BIGGEST SLEEPER PICKS
Jared’s Pick: OF Casey Cook (3rd Round, 103rd Pick, Texas Rangers)
I talked about Beam having one of the safest floors as a pitcher earlier, but Cook might be one of the safest floors you can find from a bat in this draft. It’s a beautiful left-handed swing, and he controls the strike zone well. He is definitely hit over power, but he’s been able to drive the ball a bit more and saw an increase in power this year as he hit 18 home runs. He also has some defensive concerns due to limited speed. He will likely end up a left fielder. Regardless, Cook flew up a lot of teams’ boards due to his bat, and while he doesn’t have the hype of a first-rounder, Cook could be a quick riser in the minors, and he could find a lot of success.
Patrick’s Pick: Brandon Neely (3rd round, 86th pick, Boston Red Sox)
Neely probably teeters the line of sleeper, given his fame as Florida’s stopper during their run to the College World Series the past two seasons, but I was a little surprised to see him fall this far. Neely excelled out of the bullpen for the Gators, but I think Boston will give him a chance to start, similar to the career path of current Mets prospect and former Gator Christian Scott. Neely has been up to 97, and is generally 92-95 in his longer bullpen appearances. His fastball doesn’t have outlier movement, but his low release height allows it to play better than the movement profile would expect.
On top of this, Neely hides the ball incredibly well, starting with his front shoulder closed and coming across his body at the foot plant. While this crossfire delivery may create injury concerns, it’s possible Neely can tone it down a tad while still keeping the same deception. Neely’s go to secondary is a tight spinning, 84-87 MPH slider. This pitch gets an average sweep, but given its velocity, it’s really above-average sweep. Neely has shown the ability to manipulate the shape of this pitch given the batters’s handiness, and land it in the zone consistently. Compared to left-handed hitters, Neely mainly uses his slider but has mixed in a 78 MPH sweeping curveball and will even flash an above-average changeup in the high 80s. What I think a pro team will do with his arsenal, if starting is the path they decide to take, is make his slider even tighter and harder.
Neely looks like he’d be a prime candidate for a sweeper. He has the arm path that teams look for, and has shown the ability to supinate given his ability to mix in a more bigger curveball. While he’s flashed an above-average changeup, finding a way to spin to left-handed hitters seems like the better path for Neely.
Jeff's Pick: 3B Sean Keys (Round 4, 125th Pick, Toronto Blue Jays)
If one lists everything that would make a player a sleeper, it would all come together in Sean Keys. He is a small school, cold weather player with elite data and stats. He was one of the best hitters on the Cape a year ago, showing power and an ability to face the best of the best and fit right in. He is also a young junior not having turned 21 until the very end of May. He was one of five players who had the highest distribution scores for chase, 90th percentile exit velocity, and contact rates in college baseball. On top of this all he is an incredibly smart kid who is a mechanical engineering student with videos out there on robotics. The only things he is missing from the upside bingo chart are bloodlines and an elite position. If not for the Cape I would be more concerned but he was one of the best even when he faced the best.
Harris’ Pick: OF Casey Saucke (Round 3, 107th Pick, Chicago White Sox)
Casey Saucke arrived in Charlottesville as a projectable, bat-first player with tons of power potential. He never quite tapped into that power at Virginia, but he still possesses impressive bat speed and raw strength, so there’s reason to believe he can become a dangerous power hitter at the next level with some mechanical adjustments. The strikeout numbers aren’t concerning, and while no one would describe him as overly patient, he is willing to draw the occasional walk. He’s limited to a corner outfield spot, but his strong arm would play well in right.
Now, it’s hard to give the White Sox the benefit of the doubt in terms of player development, but Saucke does have the tools to turn into an everyday corner outfielder on the back of a typical power/arm combination.
FAVORITE LATE ROUND PICKS
Jared’s Pick: OF Ian Petrutz (12th Round, 351st Pick, St. Louis Cardinals)
Petrutz was a highly touted prospect during his freshman and sophomore years at Maryland. He followed when his Head Coach, Rob Vaughn, went to Alabama. The jump to the SEC didn’t seem to phase Petrut either. Contact is the name of the game for him, as he has an impressive approach at the plate and an excellent feel for the strike zone. When he makes contact, he also hits the ball hard. He’s the type of bat you draft, hoping that he can tweak his swing to tap into more of his power. Petrutz gets dinged mostly for his lack of defensive positioning, and he’s likely to be manning left field in the future due to his limited speed and lack of an arm—a fun late pick for the Cardinals, who has some upside.
Switz’s Pick: RHP Titan Hayes (11th round, 342nd Pick, Philadelphia Phillies)
I love the day three value of Hayes here for Philly by taking a data darling arm that can spin the ball very well. It all starts with an upper-90s FB that topped 99 this summer on the Cape with easy life and desirable movement that Hayes loves to attack in the zone. He already has a plus putaway pitch in his SL. When you watch him play, the dude consistently generates whiffs and has a desirable bulldog mentality on the bump. I could easily see him as a fast-rising RP within the Phillies system to look out for.
Patrick’s Pick: RHP Caedmon Parker (11th Round, 335th Pick, Milwaukee Brewers)
Parker was highly touted out of high school for his projectability and delivery, so much that it almost got him a few million dollars. Parker elected to go to TCU where he battled injuries and lack of strike-throwing. His draft year however, Parker looks to have turned a page. He showed a great ability to command his hard gyro slider and big low 80’s sweeping curveball out of the Horned Frogs bullpen. Parker still has plenty of room to fill out, and at 92-94 and a nice cut carry action, Parker’s fastball can get even better. You may even see the Brewers implement a seam shifted wake sinker, something that is possible with the way Parker cuts his fastball. With feel for spin, projectability, and a strong prospect pedigree, Parker is a fun developmental piece to follow.
Jeff's Pick: 1B Jeremiah Jenkins (14th Round, 418th Pick, San Francisco Giants)
The fact Jeremiah Jenkins slid to the 14th round and only got slot still boggles my mind. When I was trying to decide on my favorite late pick I started looking at 90th percentile exit velocities and then trying to find players who weren't a net negative with contact or chase while having elite exit velocity. There were two players, Jackson and Lyle Miller-Green. It was easy to separate the two as there was a three-year age gap between them. With Jenkins having just turned 21 at the start of May and Miller turning 24 in September. Jenkins is a small school player but he did what was needed to perform at a high level, access his power, and not strike out too much. There are reasons for concern. I wish we had seen him in one of the upper-tier summer leagues and that he had not struggled in a lesser one a year ago. Yet power is the most expensive trait to acquire in baseball, and finding a power hitter late with growth potential whose batted ball profile did not have red flags, especially for slot, is a fantastic get for the Giants.
Harris’ Pick: LHP Dalton Pence (11th Round, 345th Pick, Texas Rangers)
Sure, this is a bit of a homer pick. But I also have the benefit of seeing Dalton Pence live more than a dozen times over the last two years. The left-hander was easily Carolina’s best reliever in 2024, and especially showed up in some big moments against LSU, West Virginia and Virginia in the NCAA tournament.
Pence has flashed a quality slider and changeup, but his repertoire is incredibly fastball-heavy. The heater sits in the 92-94 range with excellent carry, and profiles as a real swing-and-miss pitch. He’s clearly a reliever — a limited pitch mix, average-at-best control and no track record of starting in college don’t point to a guy starting in pro ball — but he’s been one of the nation’s best over the last two seasons. An 11th-rounder on a potential big league reliever is a bargain.
FAST MOVERS
Jared’s Pick: RHP Tyson Neighbors (Round 4, 118th Pick, San Diego Padres)
Tyson Neighbors is your guy if you were looking for a reliever who could quickly ascend to the big leagues. The Kansas State closer has been a force for the Wildcats in the back end of their bullpen. He dealt with some injuries this year, but in 2023, he struck out an insane 86 batters in 48.2 innings. It’s a mid-90s fastball that has reached 99 mph with insane IVB. The crazier part is that it isn’t even his best pitch. He has two breaking balls, a slider that is in the upper-80s which is his primary pitch for swing and miss, and a curveball that has insane bite. Both have crazy spin rates to them. It’s three-plus pitches, and he will likely not need much time in the minor leagues to develop. Padres fans will be excited to have Neighbors in their bullpen very soon!
Patrick’s Pick: Blake Burke (CB-A, 32nd Pick, Milwaukee Brewers)
Burke might be a step towards a trend of the Brewers drafting crazy power early in the draft, after taking Brock Wilken in the first last year. Picking a power-over-hit bat to move fast may be a little crazy, but Burke was one of the most polished hitters in the country in 2024, and possesses double plus raw power. While the chase numbers are high, Burke has shown the ability to pick up on a pitchers approach, as well as limit his strikeouts with a nice two strike approach. This type of skill set should move him up the ladder quickly, and if he’s able to continue to cut down on his swings outside of the zone, he may be up even quicker. While a power over hit guy may not be considered a fast mover, I believe Burke’s experience combined with the Brewers player development machine are a good combination.
Switz’s Pick: RHP Louis-Philippe Langevin (Round 4, 105th Pick, KC Royals)
Earlier, I mentioned that Hayes could be a fast riser due to his pure stuff, and he could also fit here. Instead, I'm going to pivot to Canada's greatest export in this draft class of L.P Langevin. A dude who could have easily been selected last year out of Wabash, who displayed filthy stuff within the MLB Draft League with the WV Black Bears in 2023 that later ended up with the Ragin Cajuns this spring. Langevin has some of the most fascinating fastball traits and metrics in this class and is a dude that, if chosen as a reliever arm for the next level (and is most likely a possibility), could skyrocket through the Royals system, similarly as we saw in Orion Kerkering in the Phillies system. Who similarly mostly pitches off a fastball/slider combination. However, L.P. has started incorporating a CUT and a CH more often in his offerings from this spring as he first bounced back and forth between the starting rotation and bullpen before ending up as their reliable back-end arm (“cough-cough” Kierking at South Florida).
Langevin's fastball is in the low 90s and touches 96 MPH. It has a good combo of riding life and arm-side run, which overwhelms hitters in the box. I'm higher on his slider than most analysis and draft gurus are; however, it's a mid-80s slider with a high spin (2,500-2,800 rpm) and sharp action. It's a potential plus offering that could be a consistent swing-and-miss pitch at the next level, as he carved up a 70% whiff rate in his short stint in the Draft League last summer and over 38% with the SL this spring, with the hopes the Royals develop it further as a putaway pitch within their developmental level.
Langevin emerged this spring as one of the most effective back-end arms in college baseball for the Ragin Cajuns. I envision him carrying this momentum and success into the Royals system and skyrocketing as a fast mover to help the back end of the depleted Royals major league squad very soon.
Jeff's Pick: Travis Bazzana (Round 1, 1st Pick, Cleveland Guardians)
I started this out by talking about the Angels trio of relief arms but then it kind of felt like cheating so instead let's look at the first pick in the draft. The detractors for Travis Bazzana were focused on him being physically maxed out and his swing also being already maxed. He has done the work already so the bigger focus is for him to get used to velocity and advanced secondary pitches. While there is some truth to this, telling Bazzana he can’t do something never works out. Right now though it is less about his skills and more about exposure for him. The Guardians placed him right into High A, and some of the talk has made it sound like he could be on a path similar to Wyatt Lanford a year ago. Plus I had to talk about a Guardians player somewhere.
TOP GUYS HEADING OR RETURNING TO CAMPUS
Jared’s Pick: OF Harrison Didawick (Virginia)
Didawick was someone I came away extremely impressed with during my live looks. He was a draft-eligible sophomore but will return to campus for his junior year at Virginia. He hit 23 long balls and drove in 68 while stealing 14 bags for the Cavaliers At the plate, Didawick was able to showcase his power to all fields from the left side, but he did struggle with strikeouts. The power comes from his bat speed coupled with his strength. Despite his strong, well-built frame, he still holds own defensively and on the base paths. Virginia, who made a run to the College World Series, have to be excited about getting Didawick back to campus.
Patrick’s Pick: Jalin Flores (Texas)
Flores is a lanky glove first shortstop that was a draft eligible sophomore this past season. It’s plus arm strength and utility to go with plus range and actions and a pro ball body. While he put up some stupid numbers in the Big 12 and was likely to go in the pick 100 range, proving himself at the plate in the SEC could boost him into Day 1 territory. While his plate skills aren’t great (big chase rates, average contact rates), the power and bat speed is real to go along with a demonstrated ability to pull the ball in the air. The new Longhorns staff has to be pretty excited about getting their everyday shortstop back to campus.
Switz’s Pick: INF Luis Hernandez (Indiana St. to LSU)
He's not a guy who was considered a top dude going into the draft, as many teams removed his name after he transferred to LSU. However, Luis was a dynamic contact hitter for the Sycamores this spring and was a guy I thought would generate late day 2 - early day 3 consideration before Jay Johnson swooped in and landed him for the 2025 season. Below is a report I wrote on Hernandez before he was removed from most boards.
One of the few prospects in this class that hails from the island of Puerto Rico, Hernandez is an offensive piece within the Indiana State lineup that busted out this spring with an impressive 21 home runs, 70 RBIs, and an OPS over 1.000 heading into the NCAA Tourney while displaying an impressive 26-game on-base streak early this spring. During his time with the Sycamores, Hernandez has always found a way to get into the lineup with his consistent offensive prowess and contact abilities. However, he has jumped around within the program as the Sycamores coaching staff have tried to find the best way to maximize his value. As an underclassman, he was recruited as a catcher and, after his first year, made the change to full-time as a DH and 1B.
Offensively, we see a lot of Yandy Diaz in Hernandez's offensive profile for the next level as a low swing/miss type hitter that can spray bullets all over the park with backspin for line drive base hits (average over power type hitter). Luis has the ability to control the strike zone well and drive up pitch counts during ABs on pitchers. In the box, he presents a straight stance with a wide lower half and a hitch in his back leg that plays tight to the dish. Before contact, Hernandez stays in his lower half and back hip longer, which helps him generate more bat speed. He's a short-stroke swinger with a good feel for the barrel and a disciplined approach. The breakout in power this spring shows some healthy signs that the developing raw power is on its way, but his approach is not geared toward creating the loft necessary to hit homers.
Defensively, he is limited, as seen at the college level. Pro teams may test out his versatility due to his strong arm, quick actions, and good footwork in the field. He does an awesome job charging the baseball and gaining ground for a corner player, and he could project into a Spencer Steer defensive profile at the next level."
Jeff's Pick: LHP Ryan Prager (Texas A&M)
Now this one feels like cheating as he was drafted but announced he is returning to school. It is very rare for a player to be taken on the first two days and not sign. Prager was one of the best pitchers in the NCAA in his first year back from Tommy John Surgery excelling in environments that almost no one excelled in. He should be all the way back from his injury next year, and if he can add some velocity then he could potentially improve his draft position. The big knock on Prager has been the lack of added mph since high school. Either way, he stands with Jaime Arnold as the top two arms I can't wait to see pitch next year. If he can level up next year he could be the best pitcher in the NCAA next year.
Harris’ Pick: LHP Cade Obermueller (Iowa)
As of this moment, it’s undetermined whether Cade Obermueller will sign with the Texas Rangers or return to Iowa. But a draft-eligible sophomore falling to the end of the 19th round usually points in the direction of a return to school. Obermueller impressed in his first season in Iowa’s rotation, and were he to return to campus, he would undoubtedly become the Hawkeyes’ Friday night guy.
Obermueller is an undersized southpaw with a low arm slot, two plus secondaries and major control issues. He rarely gets hit hard, and generates tons of whiffs on his slider. There’s certainly reliever risk given a lack of control, but any sort of improvement in that area would make Obermueller an intriguing option in next year’s class.
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.
Draft Live Stream | Top 300 Prospects | Regional Board Rankings
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 Midseason Top 100 Prospects
In recent years, we have had more evaluators contribute to the Top 100 list. However, this year we have decided to combine Matt Thompson and Rhys White's lists to create the midseason Top 100 list. This update reflects how we view the prospects as things stand, with their fit within their organizations to be reflected at a later time.
We have included the 2024 draftees in this updated version, with the assumption that everyone here will sign and play some form of affiliated baseball this season for the team that drafted them. This year’s draft was not known for its strength or depth, leading to a record low number of recent draftees making the midseason list. It is not easy to properly assess how recent college players will slot into their respective organizations, but we believe we did a good job of comparing them to their new peers. Evaluating high school/prep talent through the same prism is harder, but we are confident in the way we stacked them up against other fellow minor leaguers.
There was no debate for the top prospect this year; it was clearly James Wood, who provides eye-popping power and more than enough plate skills to make us confident in him atop our list. He has overtaken Jackson Holliday for us. While we believe Holliday will be a really good major leaguer and have him right behind Wood, we are more confident in Wood being the better player short and long-term. Rhys and Matt had a pretty similar top 10, with Dylan Crews and Junior Caminero being flipped on their lists. The same goes for Samuel Basallo and Jackson Jobe, who were also flip-flopped on their respective lists.
The biggest riser this year is recent major leaguer Jacob Wilson. He has hit the ground running this season, and a year after being drafted, he is now a big leaguer. He has shown that minor league pitching is no match for him. He doesn’t hit the ball hard, but he has enough power that opposing pitchers have to respect him. He is one of the highest-floor prospects to come out in a while and was fast-tracked through the Athletics’ system.
On the flip side, one of the biggest fallers is Colson Montgomery. He is still a top 60 prospect for us, but he was viewed as someone who was going to break into the top 10. Things for him as a hitter have gone backward. He isn’t hitting like he has before this season, and his power has taken a step back as well. The encouraging development in Montgomery’s game is that he has taken a big step forward as a shortstop defender. However, the building blocks of his skill set have regressed this season, pushing him down our list.
It is important to note that the minor leagues as a whole are weaker. This is a result of several factors. Teams are more aggressive than ever in promoting prospects to the majors. Plus, we have a cutdown of the minor league spots in general, lessening the pool. This is one of the weaker crops of top 100 prospects in recent memory.
All this to say, here is the Prospects Live Midseason Top 100 Prospects list.
1. James Wood, OF Washington Nationals
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 10
2. Jackson Holliday, SS/2B Baltimore Orioles
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 1
3. Junior Caminero, 3B Tampa Bay Rays
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 4
4. Dylan Crews, OF Washington Nationals
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 6
5. Samuel Basallo, C Baltimore Orioles
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 7
6. Jackson Jobe, RHP Detroit Tigers
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 13
7. Coby Mayo, 3B Baltimore Orioles
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 25
8. Carson Williams, SS Tampa Bay Rays
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 35
9. Jasson Dominguez, OF New York Yankees
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 27
10. Walker Jenkins, OF Minnesota Twins
Highest Level: Single-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 8
11. Brooks Lee, 3B Minnesota Twins
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 23
12. Noah Schultz, LHP Chicago White Sox
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 62
13. Andrew Painter, RHP Philadelphia Phillies
Highest Level: INJ | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 11
14. Marcelo Mayer, SS Boston Red Sox
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 36
15. Colt Emerson, SS Seattle Mariners
Highest Level: Single-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 41
16. Travis Bazzana, 2B Cleveland Guardians
Highest Level: NCAA | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: N/A
17. Jacob Wilson, SS Oakland Athletics
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
18. Lazaro Montes, OF Seattle Mariners
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 53
19. Xavier Isaac, 1B Tampa Bay Rays
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 74
20. Jordan Lawlar, SS Arizona Diamondbacks
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 15
21. Kyle Teel, C Boston Red Sox
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 45
22. Roman Anthony, OF Boston Red Sox
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 33
23. Charlie Condon, OF Colorado Rockies
Highest Level: NCAA | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: N/A
24. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF Minnesota Twins
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 24
25. JJ Wetherholt, SS St. Louis Cardinals
Highest Level: NCAA | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: N/A
26. Tink Hence, RHP St. Louis Cardinals
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 81
27. Heston Kjerstad, OF Baltimore Orioles
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 61
28. Chase Dollander, RHP Colorado Rockies
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 60
29. Adael Amador, 2B Colorado Rockies
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 21
30. Kevin McGonigle, SS/2B Detroit Tigers
Highest Level: Single-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
31. Cole Young, SS/2B Seattle Mariners
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 38
32. Chase Burns, RHP Cincinnati Reds
Highest Level: NCAA | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: N/A
33. Aidan Miller, SS Philadelphia Phillies
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
34. Cade Horton, RHP Chicago Cubs
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 17
35. Hagen Smith, LHP Chicago White Sox
Highest Level: NCAA | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: N/A
36. Owen Caissie, OF Chicago Cubs
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 68
37. Max Clark, OF Detroit Tigers
Highest Level: Single-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 30
38. Dalton Rushing, C Los Angeles Dodgers
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 63
39. Ethan Salas, C San Diego Padres
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 12
40. Bubba Chandler, RHP Pittsburgh Pirates
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 76
41. Matt Shaw, 3B/2B Chicago Cubs
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 29
42. Quinn Mathews, LHP St. Louis Cardinals
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
43. Spencer Jones, OF New York Yankees
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 32
44. Ralphy Velazquez, 1B Cleveland Guardians
Highest Level: Single-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
45. Sebastian Walcott, SS/3B Texas Rangers
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 99
46. Bryce Eldridge, 1B San Francisco Giants
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 64
47. Moises Ballesteros, C/1B Chicago Cubs
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
48. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP Milwaukee Brewers
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 40
49. Luke Keaschall, 2B Minnesota Twins
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
50. Brandon Sproat, RHP New York Mets
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
51. Colson Montgomery, SS Chicago White Sox
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 18
52. Thomas White, LHP Miami Marlins
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
53. Rhett Lowder, RHP Cincinnati Reds
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 52
54. Jett Williams, SS New York Mets
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 34
55. Chase DeLauter, OF Cleveland Guardians
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 31
56. Starlyn Caba, SS Philadelphia Phillies
Highest Level: CPX | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
57. Kyle Manzardo, 1B Cleveland Guardians
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 69
58. Angel Genao, SS Cleveland Guardians
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
59. Justin Crawford, OF Philadelphia Phillies
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
60. David Festa, RHP Minnesota Twins
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
61. Zebby Matthews, RHP Minnesota Twins
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
62. Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP Kansas City Royals
Highest Level: NCAA | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
63. Leodalis De Vries, SS San Diego Padres
Highest Level: Single-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 71
64. Josue De Paula, OF Los Angeles Dodgers
Highest Level: High-A| 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 50
65. Braden Montgomery, OF Boston Red Sox
Highest Level: NCAA | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: N/A
66. Jonny Farmelo, OF Seattle Mariners
Highest Level: Single-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
67. Drew Gilbert, OF New York Mets
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 48
68. Caden Dana, RHP Los Angeles Angels
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
69. Brayden Taylor, SS/3B Tampa Bay Rays
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
70. Max Meyer, RHP Miami Marlins
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
71. Jefferson Rojas, SS Chicago Cubs
Highest Level: high-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
72. Jace Jung, 3B/2B Detroit Tigers
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 91
73. Jeferson Quero, C Milwaukee Brewers
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 44
74. Felnin Celesten, SS Seattle Mariners
Highest Level: CPX | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
75. Jaison Chourio, OF Cleveland Guardians
Highest Level: Single-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
76. Tyler Black, 1B Milwaukee Brewers
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 70
77. Victor Scott II, OF St. Louis Cardinals
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 47
78. Luis Morales, RHP Oakland Athletics
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
79. Agustin Ramirez, C New York Yankees
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
80. Emiliano Teodo, RHP Texas Rangers
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
81. Santiago Suarez, RHP Tampa Bay Rays
Highest Level: Single-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
82. Bryce Rainer, SS Detroit Tigers
Highest Level: HS | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: N/A
83. Konnor Griffin, OF Pittsburgh Pirates
Highest Level: HS | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: N/A
84. Chandler Simpson, OF Tampa Bay Rays
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
85. Brock Wilken, 3B Milwaukee Brewers
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 72
86. Justin Wrobleski, LHP Los Angeles Dodgers
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
87. Cade Povich, LHP Baltimore Orioles
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
88. Edgar Quero, C Chicago White Sox
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 100
89. Kristian Campbell, 3B Boston Red Sox
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
90. Cooper Pratt, SS Milwaukee Brewers
Highest Level: Single-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
91. Brady House, 3B Washington Nationals
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 66
92. C.J. Kayfus, 1B Cleveland Guardians
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
93. George Klassen, RHP Philadelphia Phillies
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
94. Termarr Johnson, 2B Pittsburgh Pirates
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 42
95. Henry Bolte, OF Oakland Athletics
Highest Level: Double-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
96. Alfredo Duno, C Cincinnati Reds
Highest Level: Single-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
97. Thayron Liranzo, C Los Angeles Dodgers
Highest Level: High-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 97
98. Drew Thorpe, RHP Chicago White Sox
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: 43
99. Nacho Alvarez Jr., SS/3B Atlanta Braves
Highest Level: Triple-A | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED
100. Hayden Birdsong, RHP San Francisco Giants
Highest Level: MLB | 2024 Preseason Top 100 Rank: UNRANKED