See the 2024 mock draft roster for the Guardians.
When the first mock draft is released, you know it’s officially draft season.
Jim Callis and I will predict the first round rather regularly between now and July 14, when the 2024 Draft officially kicks off, in the hopes that our last mocks, which are conducted the night before the Guardians begin with the No. 1 choice, are as accurate as we can make them.
It’s way as well early presently to extend with any certainty who is going where. But I did interface with scouts from about each group within the to begin with circular to induce a sense of where things stand as of this minute. Giving each team with a situation of who I have going before them, I attempted to form beyond any doubt that each determination was somebody the group would consider.
What does appear reasonably certain as of right presently is that there’s a few agreement that the top 11 names in our Beat 150 have isolated themselves. That’s not to say a group within the beat 11 won’t take somebody not in that list, permitting one (or more) of that 11 to drop down a few. But this version, I have those names going within the best 11, all but two of them college players, but not within the correct arrange of positioning.
The two zones I had inconvenience putting were the college catchers and, as is frequently the case, the tall school pitching. Consider this a preview of where we are right presently, with much, much more to come.
1. Gatekeepers:
Charlie Condon, OF/3B, Georgia (No. 1)
There does appear to be agreement within the scouting industry that Condon, who brings his crazy .456/.563/1.088 line with 30 homers into this weekend’s series against Vanderbilt, is the leading player within the course. Include in that the Guardians could utilize a few right-handed control in the organization and this appears a common fit.
2. Reds: Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana, 2B (No. 2)
With his 1.517 OPS, 21 home runs, and 10 steals, Bazzana isn’t exactly a distant No. 2 if Condon is No. 1. The second baseman, who bats left-handed, does appear to be a stereotypical Reds collegiate hitter who will likely quickly advance to the major leagues.
3. Rockies: Florida’s Jack Caglianone, 1B/LHP (Page 3)
Caglianone made significant progress both at the plate and on the mound, but it appears like a left-handed slugger is in his future. He has improved his approach and chase rate greatly, as evidenced by his.402/.505/.862 line and 26 home runs to date.
4. A’s: Texas A&M’s Brandon Montgomery, OF (No. 5)
Montgomery has benefited greatly from his transfer to Texas A&M and is now batting.so far this spring with 23 home runs (365/.502/.859). Teams in this three-to-five area may be thinking about Montgomery, Caglianone, and the player I’m starting next.
5. Wake Forest’s Nick Kurtz, first baseman (No. 4)
Kurtz appears to be hitting a home run in almost every game after overcoming a sluggish start to the 2024 campaign. In addition to his.305/.524/.805 line, he has already hit 18 long balls. In ACC play, his OPS is 1.409.
6. Jackson Prep, Miss.’s Norman Gryphon, SS/OF, is a Royal (No. 9)
Given that prep bats are something that new scouting director Brian Bridges likes, this seems like the first place a high school kid could go. Gryphon possesses what may be the best all-around tools in the class, and he might be in the one-on-one conversation if there hadn’t been a few minor queries over his hit tool.
7. Cardinals: Arkansas’s Hagen Smith, LHP (No. 6)
In 2021 and 2022, the Cards did select college pitchers in the first round, but not at this high of the draft. Smith, the most reliable college starter, has risen to the top of the pitching crop by registering an incredible 16.7 strikeout per nine innings and a 1.35 ERA with just two easily plus pitches.
8. Angel Number 8 is JJ Wetherholt, SS/2B, West Virginia.
Wetherholt missed a significant amount of action this spring due to hamstring problems, which is concerning considering it’s a recurrent injury. He played shortstop over the weekend, and if he continues to bat like he always does once he gets going, he should be able to return to the top five.
Pirates: (No. 10) Bryan Rainer, SS, Harvard-Westlake, Calif.
Some people think Rainer is better than Gryphon since they are convinced about the hit tool. As a left-handed hitter who can stick at shortstop like Corey Seager and hit with pop, he has advanced significantly and is now regarded as a top-10 prospect.
10. Chase Burns, RHP, (No. 7) is a national.
Burns’ pure stuff has never been questioned; it has always been a question of command, particularly in the zone. It was a wise decision to head to Wake Forest’s pitching lab because the right-hander has only given up 5.7 hits per nine (as opposed to 7.5 at Tennessee in 2023) and walked just 2.7 of them while sacrificing no hits (16.6 K/9).