The 2024 MLB Draft kicked off on Sunday night at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, with the first of three days. Choices 1 to 74 were made on SundayRounds 3-10 will take place on Tuesday and rounds 11-20 will take place on Wednesday.
The Guardians used the first No. 1 overall pick in franchise history on Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzanathe first Australian-born player to be selected in the first round. Bazzana, our #2 draft hopehit .407/.568/.911 with 28 home runs and more than twice as many walks (78) as strikeouts (37) in 60 games this spring.
Knowing that it will take years to determine the true winners and losers of the 2024 draft, here are some immediate winners and losers from day one.
Winners: Guardians and Bazzana
When you have the first pick and you’re the first overall pick, you’re an automatic winner in my eyes. Bazzana was our second-best prospect, but he was a worthy first-round pick, and he brings the power to an organization that develops batting and ball skills very well. There was no Bryce Harper or Paul Skenes in this draft class, no obvious star prospect at No. 1, but Cleveland still got a player who should anchor its lineup for years to come—and will do so very soon—and be an All-Star regular.
Winner: Charlie Condon and the Homer Fans
The best power hitter in the draft at Coors Field? We can’t help but love that. Condon is a winner here, and so are fans of big dingers. This year’s Golden Spikes Award winner (baseball’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy) is going to be a ton of fun playing his games at a mile high:
The Rockies selected Condon with the third pick after he hit .433/.556/1.009 with a BBCOR-era record 37 home runs against Georgia this spring. (BBCOR bats are composite bats adopted by the NCAA in 2011.) He shouldn’t spend much time in the minor leagues. We could see Condon mashing potatoes at Coors Field by the end of next season.
Loser: Nick Kurtz
To be clear, Sunday was a wonderful day for Kurtz and his family. He was drafted 4th overall by the Athletics and is in search of a life-changing signing bonus (the No. 4 pick is worth $8,370,800). I wish him the best. So why do I consider Kurtz a loser? Because the poor kid is forced to play for John Fisher, the worst owner in baseball (worst owner in all of sports?), and he’s going to have to play his home games in a Triple-A stadium in Sacramento when he makes his big league debut. It’s a shame what’s happening with the A’s. Too bad Kurtz is caught in the trap now.
For me, the two best first-round picks were right-hander Trey Yesavage out of East Carolina to the Blue Jays at No. 20, and left-hander Cam Caminiti out of Arizona to the Braves at No. 24. College pitchers with Yesavage’s arsenal and track record don’t often fall outside the top 15, but Toronto was able to get the third-best college pitcher in the draft at No. 20. The partially collapsed lung that kept Yesavage out of the ACC tournament may have caused him to slide a bit (he returned to the regionals a week later and was dynamic). As for Caminiti, he was the best high school pitcher in the draft class, and he’s a Max Fried starter kit. Atlanta developed the real Max Fried into an ace. Now they’re going to try to do it again with Caminiti. He’s been rumored to be in the running for a top 10-13 pick or something like that.
Winner: Vance Honeycutt
Perhaps the best draft pick in terms of skill and organization is North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt, who joins the Orioles with the 22nd pick. Honeycutt is perhaps the best defensive player in the draft, a game-changer in center, and offers high-end power and speed potential. There are contact and approach issues, two things the Orioles have proven they are very good at developing. If any team can turn Honeycutt into a 30/30 Gold Glove winner, it’s Baltimore. A great place to land Honeycutt given his development needs.
Winner: Two-Way Players Fans
Headlining Jac Caglianone from Florida, Royals’ No. 6 pickThere were a few two-way talents selected in the first round. The Tigers selected California high schooler Bryce Rainer with the 11th pick, and he pitched and hit as an amateur. Carson Benge, an Oklahoma State alumnus, played outfield and also closed games for the Sooners. For what it’s worth, Caglianone will begin his career as a two-way player.
Rainer and Benge were both announced as position players, indicating that their pitching days are over. Also, I should note that the Mariners took Jurranglo Cijntje ambidextrous launcher (pronounced SAIN-ja) with the 15th pick, and he was announced as a versatile pitcher. This is serious business from both sides. Between Caglianone starting his career as a two-man player and Cijntje continuing as a versatile pitcher, this was a great draft for some fun and unique players.
Winner: The Demon Deacons
Three Wake Forest players were selected in the top 10 this year: right-handed pitcher Chase Burns (No. 2 to the Reds), 1B Nick Kurtz (No. 4 to the A’s) and right-handed pitcher Seaver King (No. 10 to the Nationals). Wake Forest is just the second school to have three players selected in the top 10 since the inception of the MLB draft and the first since Rice in 2004: right-handed pitcher Phil Humber (No. 3 to the Mets), right-handed pitcher Jeff Niemann (No. 4 to the Devil Rays) and right-handed pitcher Wade Townsend (No. 8 to the Orioles). That’s not a good sign. But it’s still a good day for the Demon Deacons, Burns, Kurtz and King.
Loser: The pace of the game
As a fan of the pitch clock (it’s the best rule change since the DH), I have to say that the pace of the draft is atrocious. There are about five minutes between picks in the first round, though it’s often longer when the networks run commercials. The draft seems endless at times. We old-timers remember when the entire event was a quick conference call with one pick right after another. If we don’t want to go back to that, can we at least stick to a tight 2-3 minute interval between picks?
News Source : www.cbssports.com
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