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MLB Draft Recap: Picks 1-10 Prospect Breakdowns

By Richard Haake
Travis Bazzana 2024 MLB Draft Prospects 1-10

The MLB Draft has come and gone with the best talent in High School and College Baseball now selected leaving us time to dive into their profiles. In the months leading up to the MLB Draft, we highlighted some of the top-performing draft eligible College players so some of these names should stand out. This will be a three-part series so make sure to check back for 11-20 and 21-30 when they drop. Now let’s recap picks one through 10 of the 2024 MLB Draft.

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MLB Draft Picks 1-10 Prospect Breakdowns

Cleveland Guardians- Travis Bazzana 2B, Oregon State

(60 GP, .407/.568/.911, 28 HR, 84 R, 66 RBI, 16 SB)

With the first overall pick in the MLB Draft, the Cleveland Guardians went with a profile that has been successful in recent years. Bazzana is a high-contact hitter who has tapped into above-average to plus power in his final season at Oregon State. Born in Hornsby, Australia, Bazzana stands at 6’0” and weighs 199 pounds. He’s played a solid defensive second base while making appearances at all three outfield positions at Oregon State. In his final season, Bazzana slashed .407/.568/.911 with 28 home runs, 84 runs scored, 66 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases in 60 games.

The Guardians are getting a profile they develop well in a high-contact middle infielder who can play multiple positions while still developing into power. The recent report is that Bazzana will report to High-A this week making him a prospect to watch as Cleveland pushes him to the Major Leagues.

Cincinnati Reds- Chase Burns P, Wake Forest

(16 GS, 100 IP, 191 K, 17.2 K/9, 2.70 ERA)

One of the best college arms in this draft and going second overall was Chase Burns. The Wake Forest pitching lab strikes again with back-to-back seasons of a pitcher being selected in the first round and Burns being the highest drafted at second overall. Standing at 6’3” and 210 pounds Burns is so much fun to watch on the mound with the fastball ramping up to triple-digits and the slider and curveball racking up the strikeouts this past season. Across 16 starts for the Demon Deacons, Burns struck out 191 batters over 100 innings, good for a 17.2 K/9 while walking 2.7 per nine and finishing the season with a 2.70 ERA in the ACC.

The Reds go Wake Forest pitchers in the first round in back-to-back seasons with Rhett Lowder currently in Double-A. There has yet to be a word about where Burns will report to or if he will even pitch professionally this season. Either way, we are looking at a potential front-of-the-rotation arm that could surpass flame thrower Hunter Greene as the Reds “Ace” of the future.

Colorado Rockies- Charlie Condon 1B/OF, Georgia

(60 GP, .433/.556/1.009, 37 HR, 84 R, 78 RBI, 3 SB)

Rockies Nation and dynasty managers rejoice as College baseball masher from Georgia Charli Condon will make his home in the most hitter-friendly ballpark. Condon had a season for the ages, breaking the NCAA home run record (Previously broken by fellow draftee Jac Caglianone) and found himself in the talks for the first overall selection. Standing at 6’6” and 216 pounds Condon has easy power to all fields and has played first base, third base, and right field for the Bulldogs giving him some potential versatility. In 60 games, Condon slashed .433/.556/1.009, with 37 HR, 84 R, 78 RBIs, and three stolen bases.

For Dynasty managers, the upside is massive when it comes to power in a favorable hitter-friendly environment at each stop of the minor league journey. This is a profile that could move quickly in the Rockies organization. Although they have yet to announce what level he will report to, High-A Spokane seems like the logical first step for Condon as he climbs the ladder to Denver. Long term, expect a 30-plus home run bat from Condon with the possibility of a 40-home run season early on. As for the bat-to-ball skills, Condon has displayed an excellent eye at the plate as well as his approach.

Oakland Athletics- Nick Kurtz 1B, Wake Forest

(54 GP, .306/.531/.763, 22 HR,65 R, 57 RBI, 4 SB)

Standing out in this draft were the Oakland Athletics, who not only selected the top college bat going into the 2024 College Baseball season, but also the LSU (and former NC State) slugger Tommy “Tanks” White. As for Nick Kurtz’s season, it got off to a rough start and he struggled early on but came alive in the second half, proving to be one of College Baseball’s hottest hitters as the year drew to a close. In 54 games, Kurtz slashed .306/.531/.763, with 22 home runs, 65 runs scored, 57 RBIs, and four stolen bases. Watching Kurtz’s plate approach it’s easy to see the left side power in the lower half.

For dynasty baseball managers, Kurtz is a potential 30-plus home run bat as long as he continues to improve against breaking pitches. With Oakland moving to Sacramento in the coming seasons as the new stadium is being built, Kurtz could be the jump start this team needs.

Chicago White Sox- Hagen Smith, P Arkansas

(16 GP, 84 IP, 161 K, 17.3 K/9, 2.04 ERA)

If Chase Burns is the best College pitcher selected in this year’s draft then Hagen Smith is a close second. Standing at 6’3” and 225 pounds, Smith was a bulldog on the mound for the Razorbacks this season. He features a high 90s fastball that touches triple digits coming in from the left side and it is only second to his amazing sweeping slider that sits in the upper 80s. The power splitter is a distant third but has the potential to be at least an average to above-average offering. In 16 starts, Smith struck out 161 batters over 84 innings, good for a 17.3 K/9 while walking 3.6 batters per nine, he finished the season with a solid 2.04 ERA against tough SEC talent.

The landing spot with the White Sox appears to be a good thing for Smith as they have done a good job getting the most out of Garrett Crochet and Drew Thorpe at the major league level as well as fellow lefty flame thrower Noah Schultz in Double-A Birmingham. If things progress right for Hagen Smith, we could be looking at a Chris Sale type profile at the top of the White Sox rotation for years to come.

Kansas City Royals- Jac Caglianone, 1B/P Florida

(66 GP, .419/.544/.875, 35 HR, 83 R, 72 RBI, 4 SB)

(16 GS, 73.2 IP, 83 K, 10.1 K/9, 4.76 ERA)

The two-way phenom from Florida was selected by the Kansas City Royals and what a solid fit this is. From the batting side of things, Caglianone is one of the best in this class, pairing excellent bat-to-ball skills with light tower power as he broke the NCAA home run record in 2023 with 33 home runs and followed that up with a 35-home run campaign just this season. In his 66 games played, Caglianone slashed .419/.544/.875 with 35 home runs, 83 runs scored, 72 RBIs, and four stolen bases. His 75 career home runs set a record at Florida, giving us just a glimpse into what’s to come. When it comes to pitching Caglianone features a fastball that touches triple digits paired with a 90 mph cutter, slider, and change-up.

In 16 starts with the Gators, Caglianone struck out 83 batters over 73.2 innings pitched, good for a 10.1 K/9, but struggled with the walks, giving up 6.1 per nine innings while finishing the season with a 4.76 ERA in the SEC. The Royals have said they plan to deploy him as a two-way player though I suspect he could drop pitching if he can’t limit the walks. Either way, this is a great value for FYPD as Florida has produced some real sluggers in the past.

St Louis Cardinals- JJ Wetherholt, SS West Virginia

(36 GP, .331/.472/.589, 8 HR, 30 R, 30 RBI, 6 SB)

This was a typical “Cardinals-style” move in that it was a safe pick. The Cardinals have done a great job developing middle infielders over the last two decades and JJ Wetherholt looks to be the next Cardinal of the assembly line. With Nick Kurtz of Wake Forest, Wetherholt ranked as one of the best players coming into the season but slid a bit due to an injury that kept him out a chunk of the College season. Once he returned to West Virginia however he hit the ground running, slashing .331/.472/.589 and showing some pop with eight home runs, 30 runs scored, 30 RBIs, and six stolen bases in just 36 games played.

The bat-to-ball skills are elite and if Wetherholt is truly healthy now this could be a steal for the Cardinals as a profile that could be best suited to play second base long-term. With an infiled of Goldschmidt, Arenado, Winn, and now Wetherholt not many balls will get out of the infield on the ground.

Los Angeles Angels- Christian Moore, 2B Tennessee

(72 GP, .375/.451/.797, 34 HR, 83 R, 74 RBI, 5 SB)

Drafted out of the University of Tennessee, Christian Moore is one of my sleeper guys from this draft and when you take a look at his stats you will see he won’t be for long. Drafted to an organization that has a track record of pushing first-round picks to the Major Leagues quickly, you can’t help but see the double-play combo of Neto and Moore. In 72 games with the VOLS, Moore slashed .375/.451/.797 with 34 home runs, 83 runs scored, 74 RBIs, and five stolen bases. He is a second-base prospect you build around as he never had an average below .300 or an OBP below .443 in three seasons at Tennessee. The power is legit as we saw him go from 10 home runs as a freshman to 17 as a sophomore, and finally finishing his Junior season with 34.

For dynasty managers, this is a fantastic target in first-year player drafts but keep this in mind it could take some time for him to get comfortable if pushed aggressively patience is key here. This could be a second baseman who could hit .270 with a .375 OBP or more with 30 home run pop at the Major League level, Don’t pass this up.

Pittsburgh Pirates- Konnor Griffin, SS/OF High School

(43 GP, .559/.690/.966, 9 HR, 76 R, 39 RBI, 85 SB)

Selected as the top prep hitter in the MLB draft, Konnor Griffin is very impressive. Standing at 6’4” and 215 pounds at just 18 years old, you can dream of the future plus raw power coming from the right side of the plate. In 43 games in High School, Griffin slashed .559/.690/.966 with nine home runs, 76 runs scored, 39 RBIs, and 85 stolen bases in his senior season. Griffin played both shortstop and outfield in High School and should be given an opportunity to stick at short in the Minor Leagues though his long-term home could be in the outfield. The arm is a true 70 grade with arm strength and the speed helps the defense tick up to a potential plus defender.

For dynasty managers, this has a franchise building block written all over it. With size, power, speed, and excellent defensive skills we could be looking at a true five-tool player similar to what we saw from Bryce Harper coming out of High School. Pittsburgh should slow-play Griffin unless he outperforms the level as he ascends making him a mush watch for me when he gets to High-A Greensboro.

Washington Nationals- Seaver King, SS/OF Wake Forest

(60 GP, .308/.377/.577, 16 HR, 59 R, 64 RBI, 11 SB)

Washington selected Seaver King with the 10th overall pick and they got a prospect that is ready to make his mark. After watching Seaver King a ton this season at Wake Forest, I have a pretty good idea what the Nationals are getting. King can just about do it all, playing second, shortstop, and third base while playing multiple games in the outfield for Wake this season. There is loud contact here, and if the Nationals can get the most out of it, King could be a 20-25 home run bat at the Major League level. The speed is very underrated so don’t let the 11 stolen bases this season fool you, I’ve seen him score from first on a botched pop-up to the second baseman and if he gets his confidence up playing alongside CJ Abrams look out.

For dynasty managers, it’s hard to sign up for what might be a super-utility type of player but King has what it takes to pull it off at the major league level. The key will be cutting back the swing and miss for him to move quickly through the Nationals farm system. If he can do that we could see him starting on a team that is just starting to turn the corner.

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