It’s not just the holiday season right now; it’s also sort of Draft season at MLB Pipeline, after we just unveiled our 2024 Draft Top 100 on Wednesday evening.
The Guardians won’t actually exercise the No. 1 overall selection for another seven months, but that doesn’t prevent us from having a full-blown case of Draft fever. So even though it’s way, way too early, we’ll take some mildly educated guesses and project the entire first round.
College hitters are by far the strength of the 2024 Draft class, and the first six picks below, and nine of the top 11 come from that demographic. There are several potential first-round college pitchers, though many have something to prove. Because the demand outweighs the supply, we pushed a few of those arms a bit higher than we ranked them.
- 2024 Draft | Top 100 | Order
1. Guardians: Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest (No. 2)
Kurtz has the most usable power in this class, which would fill the Guardians’ most glaring need.
2. Reds: JJ Wetherholt, SS/2B, West Virginia (No. 1)
The Reds could really use a pitcher but there isn’t one who merits going this high right now, so they’ll add to their embarrassment of infield riches with the Draft’s best pure hitter.
3. Rockies: Charlie Condon, OF/1B, Georgia (No. 4)
Remember how good Matt Holliday was with the Rockies? Condon has that kind of upside.
4. Athletics: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida (No. 5)
Landing the Draft’s top two-way talent would help spur interest in the A’s after some tough times.
