The Major League Baseball draft is finally upon us. As I did last month for the NBA Draft, I will put myself in each team’s shoes and select who I think should be the pick for each franchise. This year’s draft is remarkable because my evaluation is that there are 7 players who have 1-1, first overall pick talent (Condon, Bazzana, Caglianone, Kurtz, Smith, Wetherhold and Montgomery) and three more who I would call top five talents (Griffin, Rainer and Brecht).
- Charlie Condon, Cleveland Guardians
The best run team in baseball has the number one pick thanks to the new lottery system. Usually, I would not agree with allowing signing bonuses to dictate who to select but I cannot blame Clebeland if that is what they did because of seven players worthy of that selection. Still, my pick would be Charlie Condon, who just had the greatest college season of all time. He is the closest thing to Aaron Judge that I have seen and I simply would not pass that up.
- Travis Bazzana, Cincinnati Reds
The Reds are in a good position here with either Condon or Bazzana. Travis is a muscled up Corbin Carroll build-wise. Bazzana fell in love with baseball in Australia and wanted to play in MLB since he was a kid. Cricket is the most popular sport there so he used it to train for baseball so it is no wonder he makes great swing decisions. By all accounts, he is as analytical as they come and a middle infield with him and Elly would be a sight to behold.
- Chase Burns, Colorado Rockies
The Rockies may not get Condon or Bazzana but they get the best pitcher in the draft here and someone who is not all that different than Paul Skenes was in college in terms of dominance. He reminds me of what Jose Fernandez used to do and look like and the Rockies already have Chase Dollander who is developing beautifully. That duo may help steer Colorado back on track as they should be able to pitch at Coors Field as well as anyone can.
- Jac Caglianone, Oakland Athletics
Somehow Caglianone has become underrated after he was the apple of everyone’s eye just a year ago. It isn’t as if he even struggled this year offensively. In fact, he cut his strikeouts by a ridiculous amount but there remains skepticism around him. Many now say he will not be the next Shohei Ohtani. Yet, I would make him a 2 way player as long as possible because there is just no one more talented in the class. The A’s can afford him time and he’ll be Matt Olson.
- Nick Kurtz, Chicago White Sox
The White Sox have fallen on hard times and to add insult to injury, they will not qualify for a top 5 selection in next year’s draft because the highest they will be allowed to pick is tenth. That raises the stakes for this pick and that is why I would select the surest bet possible and that is Kurtz. He may or may not become Jim Thome but will be a high quality regular for years. This is not another Andrew Vaughn pick because he actually has light tower power.
7. Hagen Smith, Kansas City Royals
Hagen Smith is just below Chase Burns but in a class of his own compared to everyone else. There may not be a more uncomfortable at bat for a hitter than when he is on the mound and his slider is as nasty as it gets from a left hander. His mechanics resemble that of Madison Bumgarner except he has something close to a 70 grade fastball MadBum only dreamed of. His 17 K performance against Bazzana’s Oregon State was one of the best I have ever seen.
8. Wetherholt stl
The preseason favorite to go first, Wetherholt has run into a lot of bad luck when it comes to injuries during his college career. He might have the most beautiful swing in the class and it rivals that of Robinson Cano’s, a player he actually compares very favorably to. His hamstring issues have seemed to become chronic but the Cards would be more than happy to take him seventh anyway as they probably never thought it possible. He plays baseball like a Cardinal.
Montgomery laa
Braden made the right decision to leave Stanford and their history of not developing hitters and it has paid off in a big way. Like Wetherholt, this is a sweet swinger and someone who has gotten seriously injured recently, only this time in his ankles. He should recover fine and he is a rare switch hitter. Montgomery is tooled up with a cannon of an arm that plays well in right field and reminds me of Riley Greene with even more power. Don’t throw him fastballs.
Moore pit
A middle infielder right now, Moore can easily move to the outfield and perhaps center field. The Pirates need more offense with their elite pitching staff and Moore could move quickly. His stance and swing are eerily reminiscent of Justin Upton and that is the type of offensive impact he can have. It didn’t feel like the New Yorker got the recognition he deserved for his season where he won his team a College World Series. His raw pop can play at any position.
Griffin was
Konnor reclassified and became a part of the 2024 class and is the most talented high school player in the entire draft. He grades above average at all five tools and is built like a tank like Bobby Witt. They are similar in more ways than one in terms of talent and the Nationals would probably have flashbacks to when Brady House fell to them a few years ago. This is an easy 30/30 guy who plays shortstop and move if needed, like he might be asked to in Washington.
Rainer det
It is hard to believe Rainer can fall out of the top ten but this again is a loaded draft at the top. Bryce oozes intangibles with his drive and leadership and is probably the player most similar to a Jackson Holliday. I don’t think there is Corey Seager power here but his hit tool is underrated. The same goes for his overall athleticism which has increased every year. He will stick at shortstop and faced premium competition at Harvard Westlake and in the West Coast.
Brecht bos
Now this is probably the first pick of mine that will really surprise folks but Brody’s upside is as high as any pitcher in this draft. He has video game velocity that reaches the mid triple digits and is now fully committed to the sport of baseball after dabbling with college football at Iowa. When his delivery is right and all synced up, it is as smooth as Jacob deGrom’s and Skenes’. The Red Sox have done as well as any team this season developing their starting pitchers.
Caminiti Sf
There is obviously no riskier demographic in the draft than a lefty high school arm with Cam being young for his class but he is among the most athletic players overall since he is also an outfielder. He will only pitch at the next level because of how quick and electric his left arm is. He already touches the upper 90s but it seems like he may add a few ticks to his fastball with how in tune he seems to be with his training. The confidence he has in himself is sky high.
Tibbs Chc
If the Giants feel lucky to have gotten Caminiti, the Cubs will probably do backflips for Tibbs. He was among the best hitters in the nation this season and has power to all parts of the field. Like Kyle Schwarber, he’s never going to be an asset defensively but the bat is what will carry him after he was a late bloomer in high school, not recruited much. He has made strides with his pitch recognition and aggressiveness, while lowering his strikeouts and upping his walks.
Cijntje Sea
This is more of a marriage that I want to see than it is anything else. Few teams have developed pitching as well and as often as Seattle has and there are twice as many things to develop in this switch pitcher. Jurrangelo is as mobile and athletic as pitchers get and is a lot like Marcus Stroman in that way. He is a similar competitor to him too and reads swings well, not switching sides only for platoon reasons. He enjoys the mental game and side of pitching.
Smith Mia
Cam was overshadowed by his teammate at Florida State, Tibbs, and has among the highest ceilings in the draft as a rare draft eligible sophomore. Starting from his successful run at Cape Cod, he showed he was a completely different hitter from his freshman year where he seemed outmatched in every way and could take another leap again. He continues to hit the ball harder and refine his hitting mechanics. Cam has a special arm meant for the hot corner.
Yesavage Mil
This pairing seems like it would be something of a dream considering what Milwaukee has done for and with its pitchers. Trey is a physical right hander who is working on becoming more athletic on the mound and throws strikes for the most part. His splitter is an out pitch and relying less on his fastball because of it. He also has the best name in the draft and is quite polished and safe, all things considered. He is what a Brewers starter usually looks like.
Schimdt Tb
Waldschimdt nym
White Tor
Honeycutt Min
Benge Bal
Gillen Lad
Sloan Atl
Caldwell SD
Mayfield Nyy
Doughty Phi
Amick Hou
Jordan Az
johnson Tex
burke
morlando az
bateman bal
santucci min
terrell mil
hess
holman
oakie
dickerson
wiggins
az
cle
pit
col
was
The Draftnik 