Breaking News: LA Dodgers set to land talented 24 year old player in mock draft
You know it’s really Draft season when the first mock draft is out.
Between now and July 14, when the 2024 Draft begins, Jim Callis and I will be providing prognostications of the first round on a fairly regular basis with the hope that our final mocks the night before the Guardians get things going with the No. 1 pick are as close to accurate as we can get them.
It’s way too early now to project with any certainty who is going where. But I did connect with scouts from nearly every team in the first round to get a sense of where things stand as of this moment. Providing each team with a scenario of who I have going in front of them, I tried to make sure that each selection was someone the team would consider.
What does seem fairly certain as of right now is that there is some consensus that the top 11 names in our Top 150 have separated themselves. That’s not to say a team in the top 11 won’t take someone not in that list, allowing one (or more) of that 11 to drop down some. But this edition, I have those names going in the top 11, all but two of them college players, albeit not in the exact order of ranking.
The two areas I had trouble placing were the college catchers and, as is often the case, the high school pitching. Consider this a snapshot of where we are right now, with much, much more to come.
1. Guardians: Charlie Condon, OF/3B, Georgia (No. 1)
There does seem to be consensus in the scouting industry that Condon, who brings his ridiculous .456/.563/1.088 line with 30 homers into this weekend’s series against Vanderbilt, is the best player in the class. Add in that the Guardians could use some right-handed power in the organization and this seems a natural fit.
2. Reds: Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State (No. 2)
If Condon is No. 1, Bazzana isn’t exactly a distant No. 2, with his 1.517 OPS, 21 homers and 10 steals. The left-handed-hitting second baseman does seem like a prototypical Reds college hitter type, one who should make it to the big leagues in a hurry.
3. Rockies: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida (No. 3)
Caglianone took big steps forward at the plate and on the mound, but his future seems to be as a left-handed slugger, one who has made terrific adjustments in terms of his approach and chase rate, allowing him to post a .402/.505/.862 line with 26 homers to date.
4. A’s: Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M (No. 5)
The move from Standord to Texas A&M has been a good one for Montgomery, who is hitting .365/.502/.859 with 23 homers so far this spring. Teams in this 3-to-5 range might be considering Caglianone, Montgomery and the guy I have going next.
5. White Sox: Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest (No. 4)
Kurtz has shaken off a slow start to the 2024 season and seems to homer in just about every game. He’s now up 18 long balls to go along with a .305/.524/.805 line. He has a 1.409 OPS in ACC play.
6. Royals: Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Jackson Prep, Miss. (No. 9)
This seems like the first spot a high schooler could go, and new scouting director Brian Bridges does like prep bats. Griffin has perhaps the best all-around tools in the class and if there weren’t some small questions about his hit tool, he might be in the 1-1 conversation.
