The MLB Draft is fast approaching with round one taking place on Sunday, July 14th in Fort Worth Texas. The Draft Lottery took place on December 5, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee during the Winter Meetings with Cleveland Guardians winning the first pick despite having only a 2% chance of winning the Lottery. The draft will be 39 total rounds, so who could go in round one and who could your favorite team add to their future plans?
1.) Cleveland Guardians: OF/3B – Charlie Condon – Georgia
Condon has played his way to the top of the draft. He’s a power bat who has hit 34 home runs in 48 games this season, he trails the college record by 14 with likely another eight games or more left assuming they are making the College Baseball tournament then that record could be in jeopardy with the way he’s hitting and adding that to the Guardians lineup in the future could spell trouble for pitching in the American League.
2.) Cincinnati Reds: LHP/1B – Jac Caglianone – Florida
I debated having Bazzana going at two but the Reds have a log jam in their infield with a lot of prospects on the rise so taking a pitcher as well as someone who can play first base makes a lot of sense for them and their future. Caglianone has a lot of pop and produce on the mound which is something the Reds could use.
3.) Colorado Rockies: 2B – Travis Bazzana – Oregon State
Bazzana was one of the top prospects entering the 2024 season but due to Condon’s success he jumped him, Bazzana could go two but I can’t see him falling past three, it’ll give the Rockies an infielder that in the future could slide in with Adael Amador and create a solid middle infield.
4.) Oakland A’s: OF – Braden Montgomery – Texas A&M
The A’s only have one prospect in the Top 100 by ITD in Jacob Wilson, they have a lot of infielders in their top ten in the system so adding an outfielder or a pitcher here would be the right call there are two pitchers still on the board who could make sense but Montgomery is a name that makes sense for the A’s.
5.) Chicago White Sox: 1B – Nick Kurtz – Wake Forest
The first round could see a lot of Wake Forest players take off the board but Kurtz is the first one. The White Sox have quite a few arms in their top ten, especially with the addition of Drew Thorpe in the Dylan Cease trade they need a power bat and Kurtz will fill that void in Chicago.
6.) Kansas City Royals: SS/OF – Konnor Griffin – Jackson Prep
The Royals could go with either Griffin or JJ Wetherholt here but the fact that Griffin can play outfield something the Royals need in their system makes him the pick here. Their new scouting direction Brian Bridge is also a fan of prep bats which makes taking Griffin all that much more of a lock.
7.) St. Louis Cardinals: LHP – Hagen Smith – Arkansas
Smith just makes so much sense for the Cardinals, a team that needs something to turn their future around, they already have some prospects in the big leagues and have two right-handed arms on the way adding Smith is a great call and with him falling into the Cardinals lap it just makes to much sense for a franchise that has had success but not as of late.
8.) Los Angeles Angels: SS/2B – JJ Wetherholt – West Virginia
Wetherholt was a top prospect entering the season like Bazzana but a hamstring issue has kept him off the field this spring which has caused him to drop. The Angeles a few years back went all pitching with every pick so getting a position player that could result in being a big name if he stays healthy just has to be the call.
9.) Pittsburgh Pirates: SS – Bryce Rainer – Harvard-Westlake
The Pirates are loaded with pitching in their system and fans will see the 1-2 punch of Jared Jones and Paul Skenes, the Pirates will need a bat to add to that future, and with that, they take the best one available in Rainer as the time of their pick, if Wetherholt somehow falls to here then I could see him being the pick.
10.) Washington Nationals: RHP – Chase Burns – Wake Forest
The Nationals need an arm to add to their system with big names Dylan Crews, James Wood, Brady House, Yohandy Morales, Elijah Green, and Robert Hassell III then joining CJ Abrams having arms will make the Nationals a scary team in a few short years. In the system, they have some arms that can make a difference but none of them are Burns who could crack the Top 100 following draft night.
11.) Detroit Tigers: INF/OF – Seaver King – Wake Forest
The Tigers have a plethora of arms in their system in Jackson Jobe, Ty Madden, Keider Montero, and Wilmer Flores to name a few, they could use a bat, and the best one available at the 11th pick is King who is the third Wake Forest player off the board. I never put anything past the Tigers and a pitching prospect but a bat makes the most sense at this pick.
12.) Boston Red Sox: RHP – Trey Yesavage – East Carolina
The Red Sox all offseason were talked about needing pitching and they also need pitching in their system which they tried to work on with their trades to clear some salary in the offseason. Adding Yesavage to a core that includes Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel, Marcelo Mayer, Ceddanne Rafaela, Rafael Devers, and Brayan Bello is something Boston fans can look forward to in the future.
13.) San Francisco Giants: OF – James Tibbs – Florida State
The Giants last season took Bryce Eldridge with their first-round pick, and with him and Rayner Arias being the only outfielders in their top 12 prospects makes the idea of taking an outfielder at this pick the right one, Eldridge can also play first base which opens the idea of an outfielder at this pick.
14.) Chicago Cubs: RHP – William Schmidt – Catholic
The Cubs have a loaded core of prospects up the middle with a catcher a few shortstop and second baseman and outfielders what they are lacking in pitching with Cade Horton and Ben Brown as the top two. Schmidt will take some time being a high school pick but he’s something that they can build up and get to where they need to to be a part of the future rotation.
15.) Seattle Mariners: 3B – Billy Amick – Tennessee
The Mariners have a few needs for their system, one of which is pitching with the first pitching prospect not appearing until #12. But they also need a corner infield bat and with there being a third baseman available that’s the way it will likely go unless Schmidt falls to them here then he would be the pick.
16.) Miami Marlins: OF – Vance Honeycutt – North Carolina
The Marlins are loaded with pitching currently at the big leagues and in their system, they need to draft a bat so why not take an outfielder who could start at Double-A right from the get-go and have a chance to move up quickly through the system and provide something for the Marlins in a few short years. Now granted this could all change as they start to sell off pieces by the trade deadline but for now, this seems like the pick at play.
17.) Milwaukee Brewers: SS – Kaelen Culpepper – Kansas State
The Brewers are well covered at almost every position in their system. They have taken a college prospect in the first round for four straight years and now it could be five. Culpepper can slide from shortstop to third and could give the Brewers a little more versatility.
18.) Tampa Bay Rays: LHP – Cam Caminiti – Saguaro
It’s no secret the Rays are a pitching factory and just produce pitching and sometimes they come from nowhere. Why not add another pitching prospect to that system the best one available at this point is Caminiti and he could very well go higher than this but the Rays may end up getting another steal that could cause problems for the American League in the future.
19.) New York Mets: OF – Carson Benge – Oklahoma State
The Mets need an outfield prospect and there are quite a few options but why not go with the best college option available for the position? The Mets have pitching and some infield options they lack outfielders and Benge can help fix that.
20.) Toronto Blue Jays: C – Caleb Lomavita – California
The Blue Jays have the pieces to build up the middle but the one they are lacking is a catcher in their system. Why not have one fall into your lap like their divisional rival in Boston did last year with Kyle Teel they take the best option here and take Lomavita which will be a key piece to the future in Toronto.
21.) Minnesota Twins: 3B – Tommy White – LSU
The Twins last season took outfielder Walker Jenkins with their first-round pick and acquired another outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez from the Mariners during the offseason which gives them three outfielders in their top four followed by pitching prospects something they are currently lacking in their system is a corner infield piece and adding someone like White with his power bat should be the right move by the Twins.
22.) Baltimore Orioles: RHP – Brody Brecht – Iowa
The Orioles are loaded with talent in their system which will make them a force for years to come, one thing they lack not in the big leagues but in the system is some pitching prospects so taking a 6-4 right-hander out of college can start to correct that issue and pair him with Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott in the system to start creating a real monster of prospects.
23.) Los Angeles Dodgers: 3B – Cam Smith – Florida State
The Dodgers are the team that will throw money at all the big names, and they seem to always find a way to call up a pitcher who seems to just perform for them. Adding a bat to their system and one that can play the hot corner and has the strength that Smith has is something the Dodgers don’t typically feature in their system.
24.) Atlanta Braves: C – Walker Janek – Sam Houston
The Braves only two prospects in the Top 100 by ITD are pitchers, they have locked up all the talent needed which led to them trading Vaughn Grissom in the offseason for Chris Sale however behind the plate they have Sean Murphy who they have through the 2028 season, adding Janek and not rushing him could allow them to free up some money letting Murphy walk and having a solid piece going forward.
25.) San Diego Padres: SS/2B – Theo Gillen – Westlake
Gillen has been bogged down by injuries early on in his high school career but this season he has popped off. The Padres love prep players and Gillen fits that mold, he is proving to be one of the top prep hitters in this draft class and with the Padres being loaded in other spots having a player of Gillen’s caliber fit a need in the system seems like a match made in heaven.
26.) New York Yankees: LHP – Jonathan Santucci – Duke
The last time the Yankees took a pitcher in the first round was in 2017 when they drafted Clarke Schmidt who is paying dividends now. The bats that would catch the eye of the Yankees are likely off the board at this point and adding the best pitcher available fits a need for the Bronx bombers who have the bats to compete but can never have enough arms.
27.) Philadelphia Phillies: C – Malcolm Moore – Stanford
With the Phillies being well-rounded in the big leagues and in their system they could use a game caller. Moore could likely go before this pick other teams needing catching but with him still being here at this point in the mock draft the Phillies seem like the fit.
28.) Houston Astros: C – Jacob Cozart – North Carolina State
The Astros lack prospects in the Top 100 by ITD but within their system, they have pieces all over the place with a bunch of pitching, and some outfield talent like many of these teams they don’t have catching, and something they have lacked is an offensive catcher, enter Cozart.
29.) Arizona Diamondbacks: RHP – Bryce Cunningham – Vanderbilt
The Diamondbacks have two prospects only in their top ten who are pitchers so adding an arm that can slot in there and make his way through the system would be beneficial to the defending National League Champions.
30.) Texas Rangers: LHP – Kash Mayfield – Elk City
The defending World Series Champs round out the first round and they will likely go arm having two outfield pieces that are making an impact now on the big league roster in Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford then they have their middle infield locked with Marcus Semien on the team until at least 2028 and Corey Seager until 2031 that allowed the Rangers to focus on pitching and they get one that they can slowly ramp up through the system to benefit them in the long haul.
