Last year's MLB draft was considered the best in more than a decade, and we're already seeing the fruits of that with the likes of Paul Skenes, Wyatt Langford, Nolan Schanuel, Hurston Waldrep and Jacob Wilson all already appearing in the majors the season after being drafted.
This year's draft wasn't anywhere close to being regarded as highly, but, similarly to 2023, it was heavy on college players in the first round, with 20 of the 30 selections, including the first eight, coming from colleges rather than high schools.
Many of those players are the best bets to be the first from their team's 2024 draft to reach the majors, but let's go team by team for some analysis on which players you might soon see take the field in an MLB game. Teams are listed in their first-round draft order, so let's kick it off with the Guardians and the No. 1 pick.
Cleveland Guardians
First-round pick: Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State
First to majors: Bazzana
The Australia native became the first second baseman drafted first overall -- a testament to his high floor as a hitter after slashing .407/.568/.911 for the Beavers, slightly better numbers than Adley Rutschman put up for Oregon State when he went first overall in 2019.
How quickly might Bazzana reach the majors? Here are the last five college position players to go No. 1 and when they debuted:
• 2021: Henry Davis -- June 19, 2023
• 2020: Spencer Torkelson -- April 8, 2022
• 2019: Rutschman -- May 21, 2022
• 2015: Dansby Swanson -- Aug. 17, 2016
• 1998: Pat Burrell -- May 24, 2000
Bazzana has all the tools to move quickly and could possibly follow the same path as Langford, who went fourth overall to the Rangers last season and debuted this year on Opening Day. The only question surrounding him concerns his defensive position, as the Guardians have Andres Gimenez at second base, so Bazzana could be moved to the outfield.
Cincinnati Reds
First-round pick: Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest
First to majors: Burns
Taking Burns over Charlie Condon suggests the Reds believe Burns can move quickly -- perhaps reaching the majors as soon as next summer. He struck out 17.2 batters per nine innings this season, a higher rate -- dare we point out -- than Skenes had last year at LSU. However, Burns did allow 14 home runs, so the Reds might want to see him fine-tune the fastball command a bit in the minors. Like Skenes, Burns might pitch only a few more innings this year, ramp up next spring with a few minor league starts, and then be ready a couple of months into the season.
Colorado Rockies
First-round pick: Charlie Condon, OF/3B, Georgia
First to majors: Condon
The No. 1 player on many draft boards, Condon had one of the greatest offensive seasons in NCAA history, hitting .433 with 37 home runs (the most home runs this century for a Division I player). At the same time, this is a bit of an out-of-character selection for the Rockies, who generally prefer college pitchers or high school position players in the first round. The feeling has been that they can never entice free-agent pitchers to come to Colorado so they need to build pitching from within, and they very well might have gone with Burns if the Reds hadn't taken him.
Of course, the two best players the Rockies have ever drafted in the first round were college position players: Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki. The Rockies needed offense, and Condon gives them a chance at their first franchise player since they traded away Nolan Arenado.
Oakland Athletics
First-round pick: Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest
First to majors: Kurtz
The A's haven't really nailed a first-round pick since Matt Chapman in 2014 -- although Jacob Wilson, last year's sixth overall selection, was tearing up the minors and just got called up. Kurtz was a bit of a surprise selection with Florida first baseman Jac Caglianone still on the board, but Kurtz has a much better eye for the strike zone (his OBP was over .500 each of the past two seasons) plus the potential for 30 home runs. The A's went all-in on college players in this year's draft, and LSU third baseman Tommy White -- their second-round pick who hit 75 home runs in three Division I seasons -- could move quickly as well.
Chicago White Sox
First-round pick: Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas
First to majors: Smith
The White Sox have done pretty well when they've drafted a left-handed college pitcher in the first round in the past: Their past three were Chris Sale (2010), Carlos Rodon (2014) and Garrett Crochet (2020). I don't know whether Smith will be on the same timeline as Sale and Crochet, who both debuted in their draft years as relievers before eventually transitioning to starters, but Rodon made 23 starts in the majors the year after getting drafted and Smith's power fastball/slider combo has been compared to Rodon's.
Kansas City Royals
First-round pick: Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida
First to majors: Caglianone
Given the mediocre state of their farm system, the Royals needed to hit a home run -- and they're hoping Caglianone will make enough contact with his grade-80 power to hit a lot of them. ESPN college baseball analysts Chris Burke and Kyle Peterson had Caglianone -- who hit .419/.544/.875 with 35 home runs this season at Florida -- as No. 1 on their draft boards. He has a high chase rate and some in-zone swing-and-miss that could leave him exposed in pro ball, but his power potential was too much to pass up here. The Royals announced him as a two-way player -- he was up to 99 mph as a pitcher -- so we'll see whether he gets the chance to pitch.
St. Louis Cardinals
First-round pick: JJ Wetherholt, SS, West Virginia
First to majors: Wetherholt
The Cardinals were drafting in the top 10 for the first time since they selected J.D. Drew fifth overall in 1998 and had to be happy that Wetherholt -- who had been a possibility to go No. 1 -- slid down to the seventh pick. He had entered the season as the top prospect on some draft boards, although he was slowed early on by a hamstring injury (which also sidelined him last summer). Scouts love his left-handed swing -- he hit .449 as a sophomore -- and his plate discipline. Wetherholt isn't a lock to stay at shortstop, but with Masyn Winn having an outstanding rookie season there, a move to second makes sense and could give the Cardinals an outstanding long-term double-play combo.
Los Angeles Angels
First-round pick: Christian Moore, 2B, Tennessee
First to majors: Chris Cortez, RHP, Texas A&M (second round)
The Angels love to draft close-to-the-majors college players, often going for that immediacy over players with higher ceilings. Look at their last four first-round picks and their debut dates:
2020: Reid Detmers (Aug. 1, 2021)
2021: Sam Bachman (May 26, 2023)
2022: Zach Neto (April 15, 2023)
2023: Nolan Schanuel (Aug. 18, 2023)
Schanuel, in fact, became the first position player to debut in his draft year since Conor Gillaspie in 2008 (although Gillaspie's promotion was a condition of his contract with the Giants). Moore fits the fast-rising mold as well after hitting .375 with 34 home runs for the Vols, and some think the Angels will call him up late this season. Cortez could move even quicker, though, as a hard-throwing reliever with a wipeout slider.
Pittsburgh Pirates
First-round pick: Konnor Griffin, SS, Jackson Prep (Miss.)
First to majors: Josh Hartle, LHP, Wake Forest (third round)
The Pirates' first three selections, including a competitive balance pick, were high school players -- the rare team to go that route in what was considered a weak year for high school talent -- so we'll go with Hartle. A potential first-round pick entering the season, Hartle saw his ERA rise from 2.81 to 5.79 as he tried to throw harder and it didn't work. ESPN analyst Kiley McDaniel suggests that if the Pirates can get him back to his old delivery, with a lower slot and relying more on deception, he could move quickly.
Washington Nationals
First-round pick: Seaver King, SS, Wake Forest
First to majors: Davian Garcia, RHP, Florida Gulf Coast (sixth round)
King is a toolsy infielder who spent his first two collegiate seasons at Division II Wingate, so he might need a little more development time -- as could catcher Caleb Lomavita, the team's second pick, out of Cal. Garcia, however, could move fast, especially if he's developed as a reliever. He has a fastball/slider combo and was up to 98 mph, but he needs a third pitch to stick as a starter.
Detroit Tigers
First-round pick: Bryce Rainer, SS, Harvard-Westlake HS (Calif.)
First to majors: Josh Randall, RHP, San Diego (third round)
It's been under different regimes, but the Tigers took a high school player with their first pick for the third time in four years, after drafting pitcher Jackson Jobe third overall in 2021 and outfielder Max Clark third last year. Those two players look pretty good right now, and Rainer also has a big upside if the hit tool comes along. Randall transferred from Arizona to San Diego and became its top starter, relying on a sinker/slider combo, but that sinker is up to 97 mph. He'll need to develop his changeup, but he could turn into a high-leverage bullpen arm.
Boston Red Sox
First-round pick: Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M
First to majors: Payton Tolle, LHP, TCU (second round)
Montgomery is a power-over-hit switch-hitter, which could mean a little more development time, plus his pro debut will be delayed by a broken ankle suffered during the NCAA regionals. Still, given his tools (including a great arm that should make him a plus defender in right field), he could end up as one of the steals of the draft. Tolle had been a two-way player at Wichita State before transferring this year to TCU and focusing more on pitching. He's huge at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, although the lefty projects more as a hurler with pitchability and a low 90s fastball. He fanned 125 in 81⅓ innings and, if the command improves, could be a back-end rotation guy. And given the attrition rate of pitchers, those guys always have opportunities.
San Francisco Giants
First-round pick: James Tibbs III, OF, Florida State
First to majors: Tibbs
Tibbs was viewed as a pretty safe pick after hitting .363 with 28 home runs and more walks (58) than strikeouts (37) for Florida State this season. He's a corner outfielder, but his production for the Seminoles suggests he could move pretty quickly and join a Giants outfield alongside 2024 All-Star Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee, the big free agent from Korea who is out for the rest of this season after injuring his shoulder. Ramos became the first homegrown Giants All-Star outfielder since Chili Davis in 1986. Maybe Tibbs will make it another one in a few years.
Chicago Cubs
First-round pick: Cam Smith, 3B, Florida State
First to majors: Smith
In the Theo Epstein rebuild era, the Cubs were big on taking college position players, drafting Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Ian Happ in consecutive drafts with top-10 picks. After taking college pitchers Jordan Wicks and Cade Horton in 2021 and 2022, they've moved back to collegiate position players the past two seasons with Matt Shaw and now Smith. Smith is similar to Shaw as a polished hitter who has a chance to move along the same timeline (Shaw has spent 2024 at Double-A).
Seattle Mariners
First-round pick: Jurrangelo Cijntje, SP, Mississippi State
First to majors: Cijntje
That "SP" stands for switch-pitcher, not starting pitcher -- although Cijntje projects as a starter after a breakout junior season. Yes, the Curacao native throws with both arms, sitting at 95 mph and up to 99 from the right side and throwing 91 from the left side. The Mariners did announce him as a switch-pitcher, although it's possible he'll settle in just as a right-hander. Any pitcher should be happy to get drafted by the Mariners, who have been extremely successful developing college pitchers in recent years, going back to first-rounders Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, but also fourth-rounder Bryce Miller (drafted in 2021, reached the majors in 2023) and sixth-rounder Bryan Woo (also drafted in 2021 and reached the majors in 2023).
Miami Marlins
First-round pick: PJ Morlando, OF, Summerville HS (S.C.)
First to majors: Aiden May, RHP, Oregon State (competitive balance round B)
The Marlins' first two picks were high school hitters with upside in Morlando and shortstop Carter Johnson -- understandable selections, given the state of their roster and farm system -- but we'll go with May, who had one of the best sliders in the draft, a high-spin sweeper that induced an impressive whiff rate. He's mostly a two-pitch guy right now and might have to improve the changeup to stick as a starter.
Milwaukee Brewers
First-round pick: Braylon Payne, OF, Elkins HS (Texas)
First to majors: Blake Burke, 1B, Tennessee (competitive balance round A)
The Brewers drafted high school players with three of their first four picks, including speedy Payne, with Burke being the lone college player. The hulking first baseman hit .378 and mashed 51 extra-base hits in 72 games this season for the College World Series champions. He has power to all fields and cut down on his strikeouts during his three years at Tennessee, and although he's strictly a first baseman or designated hitter, his bat still has a chance to get to Milwaukee quickly.
Tampa Bay Rays
First-round pick: Theo Gillen, OF, Westlake HS (Texas)
First to majors: Gillen
Gillen was a prep shortstop with perhaps the top hit tool in the draft for a high school player -- and he might not have fallen this far if not for shoulder surgery that has affected his arm strength. The Rays announced him as an outfielder, where his plus speed will come into play, and while they historically move their high school draftees pretty methodically through the minors, I'll stick with Gillen as first to the majors. Two of the Rays' next three picks were also high school position players, sandwiched around Kentucky second baseman Emilien Pitre, who some feel was a reach, in the second round.
New York Mets
First-round pick: Carson Benge, OF, Oklahoma State
First to majors: Benge
In David Stearns' first draft running the front office, the Mets went college players with their first four picks -- two outfielders and two pitchers. A two-way player for the Cowboys, Benge is strictly a position player as a pro after hitting .335/.444/.665 with 18 home runs this season. He produced a lot of hard exit velocities and has the chance for above-average hit and power tools if he can continue to learn to lift the ball. He has a chance to stick in center field, although his strong arm could make him a plus defender in right.
Toronto Blue Jays
First-round pick: Trey Yesavage, RHP, East Carolina
First to majors: Yesavage
The Jays drafted potential starting pitchers with their first three picks, two collegians and one high schooler, with Yesavage viewed as one of the more polished pitchers in the draft. He had a 2.03 ERA for East Carolina in 2024, striking out 145 in 93⅓ innings while holding batters to a .154 average. His four-pitch arsenal includes a slider/cutter, curveball and splitter. With Yusei Kikuchi a free agent and Chris Bassitt one after 2025 -- and both potentially on the trade block if the Jays decide to blow things up ahead of the July 30 deadline -- they'll need Yesavage to move quickly, hopefully on the Alek Manoah timeline (drafted in 2019, in the majors in 2021).
Minnesota Twins
First-round pick: Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Kansas State
First to majors: Culpepper
Culpepper became Kansas State's first position player ever to go in the first round. Although he's not as advanced as Brooks Lee, the Twins' eighth overall pick in 2022 who recently got called up, his all-around skills give him a chance to reach the majors. The question is whether Culpepper can stick at shortstop or whether he'll have enough pop if he has to move to third base. Louisiana Lafayette shortstop Kyle DeBarge, Minnesota's 33rd overall pick, and Tennessee third baseman Billy Amick, a second-round pick, could potentially jump ahead of Culpepper, although DeBarge doesn't have much power and Amick will have to improve his defense and contact rates.
Baltimore Orioles
First-round pick: Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina
First to majors: Griff O'Ferrall, SS, Virginia (pick for Gunnar Henderson winning ROY)
Honeycutt was a great roll of the dice for the Orioles. One of the most talented players in the draft, he hit .318 with 28 home runs and 28 stolen bases this season, has grade-70 raw power, and can track it down in center field. He also struck out 84 times in 62 games with a high rate of in-zone swing-and-miss. If it comes together, Honeycutt could be an All-Star -- but there's also a chance he'll never make enough contact to get past Double-A. O'Ferrall is a high probability big leaguer due to his defense and contact rates, a good bet to at least make it as a backup infielder.
Los Angeles Dodgers
First-round pick: Kellon Lindsey, SS, Hardee HS (Fla.)
First to majors: Jakob Wright, LHP, Cal Poly (fourth round)
The Dodgers didn't have a second-round pick and used their first two choices on high school players. Cal Poly has produced a couple of big league starters the past couple of years in Bryan Woo and Drew Thorpe, and Wright emerged only this past season after undergoing elbow surgery in 2022 and pitching just 18 innings in 2023. He sits at 92 mph, and his best pitch is a high-spin sweeper. Although the Dodgers will try to develop him as a starter, that pitch gives him a chance to make it as a reliever as a backup plan.
Atlanta Braves
First-round pick: Cam Caminiti, LHP, Saguaro HS (Ariz.)
First to majors: Carter Holton, RHP, Vanderbilt (second round)
For the fifth straight year, the Braves selected a pitcher in the first round -- their last position player in the first round was catcher Shea Langeliers in 2019, and he was sent to Oakland in the Matt Olson trade. Jared Shuster and Ryan Cusick, two of those picks, have also been traded already. Caminiti, the 24th pick overall, was the first high school pitcher drafted in this year's draft -- the latest ever for the first prep hurler to go. He's only 17 years old, however, so it's more likely for one of the college pitchers to reach Atlanta first. We'll go with Holton, an undersized righty with good stuff and makeup.
San Diego Padres
First-round pick: Kash Mayfield, LHP, Elk City HS (Okla.)
First to majors: Tyson Neighbors, RHP, Kansas State (fourth round)
Mayfield and the Padres' next two picks were high schoolers, which means they'll probably be traded within a couple of years anyway. That's not a joke: General manager A.J. Preller has traded away eight of his previous 10 first-round picks, keeping only Jackson Merrill and Dylan Lesko. Dillon Head, last year's first-rounder, went to the Marlins in the Luis Arraez deal. Neighbors is a pure reliever with late-inning stuff (95 mph fastball, slider, cutter) who struck out 149 batters in 87 innings the past two years at K-State.
New York Yankees
First-round pick: Ben Hess, RHP, Alabama
First to majors: Hess
The Yankees had a plan and stuck to it: drafting college pitchers with their first seven picks. The selection of Hess was criticized in some quarters because of the 5.80 ERA he posted for Bama, but he also fanned 106 in 68⅓ innings and has a starter's repertoire to go along with his large-bodied 6-5 frame. He's the first pitcher the Yankees have taken in the first round since Clarke Schmidt in 2016, and it will be interesting to see what their development folks can do with him.
Philadelphia Phillies
First-round pick: Dante Nori, OF, Northville HS (Mich.)
First to majors: John Spikerman, SS/OF, Oklahoma (third round)
Nori was viewed as a bit of a reach by some since he turns 20 in October and has below-average power, although his other tools grade better, especially his speed. The Phillies went position players with their first seven picks, with no obvious fast-rising candidates in the group. Spikerman played outfield for Oklahoma but was a shortstop in high school and could be developed into a utility player. He hit .368 but had just three home runs in 42 games for the Sooners this year.
Houston Astros
First-round pick: Walker Janek, C, Sam Houston State
First to majors: Janek
The Astros had no second-round pick, but all their early selections are potential fast-moving collegians, including pitchers Ryan Forcucci from San Diego and Parker Smith from Rice. We'll stick with Janek, though. He hit .368 with 17 home runs in 2024 and was regarded as the best defensive catcher in the draft. He didn't play in one of the premium conferences, so we'll see how the bat plays against better pitching, but the glove should make him a high-probability big leaguer.
Arizona Diamondbacks
First-round pick: Slade Caldwell, OF, Valley View HS (Ark.)
First to majors: Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Kentucky (pick for Corbin Carroll winning ROY)
Caldwell is built along the lines of Carroll as an undersized outfielder, although he doesn't project to have as much power. Waldschmidt fell a little later than he was projected, to the 31st pick. He had a big season for the Wildcats this year, hitting .333/.469/.610 with 14 home runs and 25 stolen bases, some big exit velocity readings, and good plate discipline. Despite decent speed, he was a fringy defender in left field, although some scouts believe it's worth trying him in center. Still, there's a potential impact bat here, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him up even as soon as sometime next season.
Texas Rangers
First-round pick: Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford
First to majors: Moore
Jonah Heim is under team control through 2026, but he hasn't been able to replicate the above-average offensive season he had in 2023 -- plus, catching help is always in demand. Moore was a draft-eligible sophomore, and although he hit just .255 for Stanford this season, he walked more than he struck out and had a low BABIP (he hit over .300 as a freshman), and scouts like the left-handed hitter's power potential after his 16-homer season. His bat is more advanced than his defense, so he'll have to improve there to remain behind the plate and make it a quick climb through the minors.