The 2024 MLB Draft is here. Day 1 includes the first 74 selections, covering Rounds 1 and 2, Competitive Balance Rounds A and B, two Prospect Promotion Incentive picks, plus two compensation picks. The Guardians got things going with the No. 1 overall pick.
Round 1 is airing live right now on MLB Network, MLB.com and ESPN. Days 2 (Rounds 3-10) and 3 (Rounds 11-20) begin at 2 p.m. ET on Monday and Tuesday and will stream live exclusively on MLB.com.
Follow along here all night for a rundown of every pick with analysis by MLB Pipeline and MLB Network experts.
1) Guardians: Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State
The Guardians kept things very close to the vest until the very last minute, looking at a number of college players, especially the top hitters. Bazzana was always high on that list, and for good reason. The left-handed-hitting Australian infielder was a Golden Spikes Award finalist after he hit .407/.568/.911 with 28 homers and 16 steals in his junior year with the Beavers. His penchant for contact fits the Guardians’ hitting philosophy and he has plenty of thump that should get to Cleveland quickly.
2) Reds: Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest
The Reds were looking at many options and it may have come down to Charlie Condon vs. Chase Burns. In the end, they went for one of the best arms in the entire class, giving them their second straight Wake Forest pitcher taken in the first round (Rhett Lowder in 2023). Burns transferred to Wake Forest and its pitching lab and it had a tremendous effect as he took a step forward with all of his stuff. He has a fastball that touches 100 mph, but it’s his easily plus slider that misses a ridiculous amount of bats.
3) Rockies: Charlie Condon, OF, Georgia
Many thought Condon was the best player in the Draft and he certainly put up the numbers to back up that claim. The Golden Spikes Award winner led all Division I hitters with his .433 average and 37 homers (not to mention his 1.009 SLG). It’s hard not to get excited about how his 70-grade power will play at Coors Field, even if it takes a little to figure out what position he might settle into (I guess an outfield corner).
4) A’s: Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest
A slow start because of a shoulder injury may have hurt his stock ever so slightly, but he was far too talented to slip too far. He got hot as the season wore on, finishing with 22 homers and leading Division I hitters with 78 walks. He has well above-average pop to all fields and is a complete hitter, and while he’s limited to first base, he’s a plus defender there.
5) White Sox: Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas
The top-ranked pitcher in the class, Smith was a Golden Spikes Award finalist, leading all Division I pitchers in batting average against (.144) and setting a record for K/9 (17.3) rate. The southpaw sits at 93-97 mph and touches 100 with his fastball and has a filthy slider that is virtually unhittable. Add in a splitter and some deception in his delivery and he has frontline starter potential.
6) Royals: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida
7) Cardinals: JJ Wetherholt, SS, West Virginia
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