This week the College Baseball Tournament will begin with 64 teams making the field. With that, there are some top draft prospects taking place. Last season, three of the first four players played in the National Championship Series Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, and Wyatt Langford. Could any of these players do the same in 2024?
Hitters (16)
OF/3B – Charlie Condon – Georgia Bulldogs
Condon is currently in his second season with Georgia. This season he has played in 54 games entering the tournament hitting .443 with a 1.601 OPS; he has 19 doubles, one triple, 35 home runs which leads the country, 75 RBI, and 78 runs scored. ITD has him being drafted by the Cleveland Guardians first overall.
2B – Travis Bazzana – Oregon State Beavers
Bazzana is in his third season with the Beavers and this season in 55 games he hit .418 with a 1.520 OPS; he had 16 doubles, four triples, 26 home runs, 62 RBI, and 80 runs scored. ITD has him being drafted third overall by the Colorado Rockies.
1B – Nick Kurtz – Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Kurtz in his third season played in 52 games hitting .313 with a 1.327 OPS; he had 11 doubles, one triple, 22 home runs, 55 RBI, and 65 runs scored. ITD has him going fifth overall to the Chicago White Sox.
OF – Braden Montgomery – Texas A&M Aggies
Montgomery is in his first season with the Aggies after transferring from Stanford. In 57 games he hits .317 with a 1.193 OPS; he had 14 doubles, one triple, 26 home runs, 80 RBI, and 62 runs scored. ITD has him going fourth overall to the Oakland A’s.
SS/2B – JJ Wetherholt – West Virginia Mountaineers
Wetherholt this season for West Virginia has played in 31 games after dealing with a hamstring injury. He hit .356 with a 1.164 OPS; he had eight doubles, eight home runs, 30 RBI, and 27 runs scored. He entered 2024 as the top draft prospect but due to that injury his ranking has fallen a little bit and ITD has him going with the eighth pick to the Los Angeles Angels.
3B/OF – Seaver King – Wake Forest Demon Deacons
King started his college career at Wingate University before transferring to Wake Forest to spend the 2024 season. In 58 games he hit .316 with a .980 OPS; he had 14 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs, 64 RBI, and 58 runs scored. He’s projected to go 11th overall to the Detroit Tigers by ITD.
3B – Billy Amick – Tennessee Volunteers
Amick started at Clemson before transferring to Tennessee for this season. In 53 games he hit .317 with a 1.051 OPS; he had 12 doubles, a triple, 19 home runs, 53 RBI, and 53 runs scored. ITD has him going at the 15th overall pick to the Seattle Mariners.
3B – Tommy White – LSU Tigers
White started his college career at NC State where he spent one season before transferring to LSU. This season he played in 61 games hitting .337 with a 1.086 OPS; he had 12 doubles, a triple, 24 home runs, 69 RBI, and 58 runs scored. He is expected to go 21st overall to the Minnesota Twins by ITD.
OF/RHP – Carson Benge – Oklahoma State Cowboys
Benge is in his second season at Oklahoma State, in 57 games he hit .342 with a 1.130 OPS; he had 23 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs, 62 RBI, and 69 runs scored. On the mound, he appeared in 17 games with three of those coming as starts going 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA, a 0.85 WHIP, and 40 strikeouts in 32 innings. ITD has him going 19th overall to the New York Mets.
3B – Cam Smith – Florida State Seminoles
Smith is in his second season with Florida State and in 57 games this season he hit .397 with a .671 OPS; he had 20 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 50 RBI, and 74 runs scored. ITD has him going 23rd overall to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
OF – James Tibbs – Florida State Seminoles
Tibbs is in his third season with the Seminoles and in 57 games he is hitting .377 with a 1.305 OPS; he has 17 doubles, one triple, 25 home runs, 84 RBI, and 63 runs scored. ITD has him going to the San Francisco Giants with the 13th overall pick.
OF – Vance Honeycutt – North Carolina Tar Heels
Honeycutt burst onto the scene in his first season, he’s now in his third season, and in 53 games he hit .319 with a 1.118 OPS; he has 12 doubles, two triples, 22 home runs, 58 RBI, and 77 runs scored. ITD has the Miami Marlins taking him with the 16th overall pick.
OF – Dakota Jordan – Mississippi State Bulldogs
Jordan is in his second season, he played in 59 games hitting .339 with a 1.094 OPS; he had 14 doubles, a triple, 17 home runs, 63 RBI, and 51 runs scored. ITD has him going in the Competitive Balance Round A.
SS – Kaelen Culpepper – Kansas State Wildcats
Culpepper is in his third season having played in 56 games hitting .316 with a .944 OPS; he has 12 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 49 RBI, and 45 runs scored. ITD has him going 17th overall to the Milwaukee Brewers.
C – Jacob Cozart – NC State Wolfpack
Cozart is in his third season, in 53 games he hit .292 with a 1.004 OPS; he had seven doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 48 RBI, and 56 runs scored. He is expected to go in round two by ITD.
OF – Jared Thomas – Texas Longhorns
Thomas is in his second season with the Longhorns he is hitting .335 with a 1.089 OPS; he has 15 doubles, four triples, 15 home runs, 45 RBI, and 59 runs scored. ITD has him going in round two of the draft.
Pitchers (9)
LHP/1B – Jac Caglianone – Florida Gators
Caglianone is in his third season and his second season pitching for Florida. This season he has made 13 starts going 5-1 with a 4.35 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP, and 68 strikeouts in 62 innings. This season at the plate he has played in 55 games hitting .415 with a 1.369 OPS; he has four doubles, 29 home runs, 58 RBI, and 67 runs scored. ITD has him going second overall to the Cincinnati Reds.
LHP – Hagen Smith – Arkansas Razorbacks
Smith season has made 15 starts and he is 9-1 with a 1.48 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, and 154 strikeouts in 79 innings. He is must watch TV when he pitches as he has the best ERA in the country, he is fourth in WHIP, second in strikeouts, but first in K/9 with a 17.54. ITD has him going seventh overall to the St. Louis Cardinals.
RHP – Chase Burns – Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Burns transferred to Wake Forest from Tennessee and in his first season with the Demon Deacons, he has made 15 starts going 10-1 with a 2.46 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and 184 strikeouts in 95 innings. Like Smith he is a pitcher you must watch, he is ninth in the country in ERA, sixth in WHIP, and first in strikeouts, but he flips with Smith in K/9 with a 17.43. ITD has him heading to the nation’s Capital to the Washington Nationals with the tenth overall pick.
RHP – Trey Yesavage – East Carolina Pirates
Yesavage is in his third season with the Pirates, he has made 14 starts he is 11-1 with a 2.09 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and 139 strikeouts in 86 innings. He is fifth in ERA, seventh in WHIP, and fourth in strikeouts. ITD has him heading to the Boston Red Sox at the 12th overall pick.
LHP – Jonathan Santucci – Duke Blue Devils
Santucci in his third season at Duke has made 12 starts going 6-1 with a 3.54 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and 86 strikeouts in 56 innings. ITD has him heading to the New York Yankees with the 26th overall pick.
RHP – Bryce Cunningham – Vanderbilt Commodores
Cunningham in his third season with Vanderbilt has made 15 starts going 7-4 with a 4.20 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and 94 strikeouts in 79.1 innings. ITD has him being drafted 29th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
RHP/LHP – Jurrangelo Cijntje – Mississippi State Bulldogs
Cijntje is an ambidextrous pitcher who can touch 100 MPH with both arms. He has made 15 starts going 8-2 with a 3.55 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and 108 strikeouts in 83.2 innings. He is expected to be drafted in the Competitive Balance Round A.
RHP – Ben Hess – Alabama Crimson Tide
Hess in his third season with the Crimson Tide has made 14 starts going 5-4 with a 5.98 ERA, a 1.41 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts in 61.2 innings. ITD has him being taken in Round Two of the draft.
RHP – Drew Beam – Tennessee Volunteers
Beam in his third season at Tennessee has made 15 starts going 8-2 with a 3.92 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and 75 strikeouts in 85 innings. He is expected to take in Round Two according to ITD.
