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5 Draft Eligible College Players To Watch This Weekend

By Richard Haake
College Baseball Stand-Outs

The College baseball season is marching on with some of the best names making their case to be up in the first round of this year’s MLB Draft. As they make their case we will dive into prospects to watch throughout the College baseball season in an effort to get you better aware of the prospects you will have a chance to draft this FYPD. Let’s dive into five draft-eligible College players to watch this weekend.

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College Players To Watch

Charlie Condon, 1B/OF Georgia

(18 GP, .569/.670/1.308, 13 HR, 31 R, 26 RBI)

Quickly becoming one of if not the best bat in college baseball right now Charlie Condon is making a very strong case to go first overall for the Bulldogs. The SEC is one of the elite conferences not only in football but baseball as well and Condon is making the most of what he has been able to see so far. In 18 games played Condon is slashing .569/.670/.1.308 with 13 home runs, 31 runs scored, and 26 RBIs. Condon shows an advanced approach at the plate and it shows leading College Baseball in home runs, batting average, hits, OBP, slugging percentage as well as total bases. If that wasn’t impressive enough Condon is tied for runs scored with Coastal Carolina’s Sam Antonacci as well.

Standing at 6’6” and 216 pounds it’s easy to see where the massive power comes from and exciting to see what he has been able to do to this point. Take every opportunity to watch Charlie Condon this College Baseball season because he could climb quickly like Wyatt Langford did last season.

Braden Montgomery, OF Texas A&M

(17 GP, .403/.543/.871, 7 HR, 22 R, 31 RBI, 2 SB)

Originally a two-way player Braden Montgomery has focused solely on his hitting in his first season with Texas A&M and it is paying dividends. Standing at 6’2” and 195 pounds Montgomery is slender but still has room to add muscle but make no mistake we are starting to see the raw pop come in game action in 2024. Montgomery transferred from Stanford after the 2023 season in which he slashed .336/.461/.611 with 17 home runs, 70 runs scored, 61 RBIs, and finished with six stolen bases across 64 games played.

This season Braden Montgomery is proving to be even more impactful for the Aggies. In 17 games played Montgomery is slashing .403/.543/.871 with seven home runs, 22 runs scored, 31 RBIs, and stole two bases in three attempts. You can expect an advanced hitter with excellent bat-to-ball skills who can hit for a high average as well as above-average pop out of the draft. With some more weight management in a professional organization, it’s not unlikely that he taps into plus power long-term just don’t expect much in the way of stolen bases.

Jacob Cozart, C NC State

(15 GP, .375/.551/.729, 5 HR, 23 R, 13 RBI)

One of the top-catching prospects in college baseball this year is Jacob Cozart. Standing in at 6’3” and 222 pounds Cozart has above-average power potential with solid bat-to-ball skills that have been on display in his three seasons at NC State. Leading up to the start of the 2024 season Jacob Cozart played 104 games behind the dish for the Wolfpack with solid results slashing .270/.364/.461 with 14 home runs, 63 runs scored, 67 RBI, and two stolen bases in three attempts. This season Cozart has kicked it up several notches playing in 15 games so far slashing .375/.551/.729 with five home runs, 23 runs scored, and 13 RBIs.

On Cozart’s current pace, he could get above 15 home runs with the potential for over 70 runs before the season is through on a solid NC State team that went into the year ranked in the top 20. We have seen multiple catching prospects go in the first round of the MLB draft in recent years and I don’t expect anything less with Jacob Cozart joining former Wolfpack catchers Patrick Bailey and Andrew Knizner in the major leagues.

Jonathan Santucci, LHP Duke

(4 GS, 19.2 IP, 35 K, 16 K/9, 2.29 ERA, 1.322 WHIP)

Duke has been solid this season with several players that will be pushing for the opportunity to be drafted in the MLB draft in July but Jonathan Santucci is quickly standing out as one to watch. The 6’2” left-hander out of Andover Massachusetts’ has been stellar this season featuring a mid-90s fastball that has carried up in the zone and has proven to be a true strikeout pitch. The fastball sets up a low 80s slider that has a two-plane break and is extremely effective in getting swing and misses out of the zone. Finally, a mid-80s change-up with solid fade and tumble that induces weak contact and is an above-average offering. Plagued with bone chips in his pitching elbow that shut him down after seven starts in 2023 Santucci has come back strong this season.

Across four starts Santucci has 19.2 innings pitched while striking out 35 batters That is good for a 16 K/9 while having a 2.29 ERA so far. Something that has been a work in progress for Santucci has been the walks in his three seasons with Duke. Currently, he has a 4.6 BB/9 which isn’t egregious but needs to come down to be effective in moving up the minor league levels. This strong performance so far will position Santucci as one of the college arms to watch leading up to the MLB draft this season.

Ben Hess, RHP Alabama

(4 GS, 17 IP, 28 K, 14.8 K/9, 2.65 ERA, 0.941 WHIP)

The Crimson Tide has produced several drafted starting pitchers and Ben Hess could be one to go in the first two rounds of the 2024 MLB draft with his performance this spring. Standing at 6’5” and 250 pounds Hess has the build of a starter and a solid four-pitch mix headlined by a mid 90’s fastball that can top out at 99 mph and a two-plane breaking slider that gets swing and miss outside the zone. The mid-80s change-up has a solid fade and pairs well off the fastball whereas the curveball coming in at 78 mph has a solid breakdown in the zone inducing weak contact.

Hess had a solid season in 2023 starting in seven games before being shut down with a flexor strain. In his seven starts, Hess had 49 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched striking out 12.1 batters per nine while walking just two batters per nine innings. This season Hess has improved starting in four games for the Crimson Tide striking out 28 batters across 17 innings of pitch which is good for a 14.8 K/9. The above-average control is still prevalent with Hess as he has a 3.2 BB/9 and currently has a 2.65 ERA. This profile is a high-floor starting pitcher who could have solid strikeout upside if drafted to an organization that can get the most out of his offerings. Time will tell where Ben Hess will end up but watching him pitch now is a treat.

For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.

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