2024 MLB Draft: 7 things to know, from Travis Bazana to Cam Caminiti at No. 1 pick to Braves

FORT WORTH, Texas – The first two rounds of the 2024 MLB Draft came and went on Sunday, as the first 74 of 615 total selections heard their names called at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas.

Here are our seven biggest takeaways from the night:

Travis Bazana is first overall

In the end, the Cleveland Guardians selected the best player available.

The Australian second baseman from Oregon State is an exciting offensive player. He has lightning-quick hands, which, along with his short leverage, allow him to turn and burn with velocity in the inner half of the strike zone. Built like a tank, Bazana has a very keen eye on batting, the type of advanced approach that data-oriented teams love. He is also an intense, passionate competitor, having grown up playing a variety of sports during his childhood.

Bazana’s biggest flaw is his lack of defensive ability; He is the first second baseman to be taken first overall in the draft. In the end, Cleveland didn’t think too much about things. Bazana isn’t a generational No. 1 pick in the same way as Bryce Harper or Paul Skanes, but he should develop into an impactful big man over the next few years. – Mintz

Chase Burns and Charlie Condon flip-flop on numbers 2-3

Once Bazana was off the board, the consensus in the industry was that Cincinnati would not pass up the opportunity to select Golden Spikes Award winner Charlie Condon of the University of Georgia, who is coming off a historic spring in which he led the nation in scoring. . In batting average and home runs. The expectation was that as the Reds were targeting hitters, Condon was at the top of their board, while Colorado being third overall would have more interest from the top arms in the draft class, given how much it would be for the Rockies to add premium pitching talent. Open market is rare.

Or not!

As it turned out, it was the Reds who snatched the first pitcher off the board in Wake Forest right-hander Chase Burns, showing that his stellar arsenal and ability to be a frontline starter made him an offensive anchor in Condon. Or one of the other highly accomplished college hitters on the board. This left Colorado in the unexpected position of many people selecting the top overall player on the board at No. 3, leaving us all to dream of what kind of numbers an entirely real Condon might put up at Coors Field someday Is. This is quite a bet by the Reds on Burns, and the careers of these two players will likely be linked for a long time, given how certain everyone was that each would end up in the other’s landing spot. , shusterman

Jack Caglianone drops out of the top five

The Royals got the most famous player in the draft with Caglianone, who broke into the mainstream thanks to his two-way dominance at the University of Florida. Caglianone was announced as a two-way player, but is expected to focus on hitting as a professional.

Perhaps the Royals think he can pitch too, but Cags was the top pick this year because of his immense ability as a hitter. He hit .419/.544/.875 with 35 big flies this year, leading the Gators to the College World Series for the second consecutive year. Bat speed, barrel control and raw juice is a rare combo, though there are major concerns about his tendency to chase beyond the zone. And while the Royals are going to initially try him in the outfield, Caglianone may be limited to first base in the future.

But don’t confuse this: This is a huge injection of talent for a Kansas City farm system that has been lacking in positive aspects. – Mintz

Citizens capitalizes with 3 picks

The Nationals were a team of intrigue coming into the night, when they traded reliever Hunter Harvey to Kansas City over the weekend in exchange for third base prospect Cayden Wallace and the No. 39 pick on Sunday. We’ve seen teams trade competitive balance picks – the only draft picks eligible for trade – a few times over the years, but seeing a deal so close to draft day was unique. With this, Washington gained an additional Day 1 pick and more than $2 million in bonus pool money to spread across its 2024 class.

So what did Washington do with its three Day 1 picks? At pick No. 10, the Nets selected Seaver King, a tremendously athletic, right-handed hitter from Wake Forest who was announced as a shortstop but could also someday play third base or center field. His offensive potential is exciting if he can dial in his ultra-aggressive approach… a sentiment that also surrounds the player Washington selected with that No. 39 pick: Caleb Lomavita, a catcher from Cal who was known for his ability to hit the ball at the dish. Must stay behind and is one of them when he rolls over it’s more fun to watch him bat all over the class. Like King, Walk isn’t exactly a good fit for Lomavita, and he’ll need to make adjustments to maintain his production in pro ball.

Finally, Washington completed his Sunday visit with Luke Dickerson, a high school shortstop from New Jersey who garnered significant buzz during the spring and was one of the last on my top-50 prospect list. There is certainly work to be done on player development with this team, but the material that is in place is undeniably exciting. , shusterman

Orioles stick to their strategy

Once again, Baltimore ranked players with its first two selections, but the tandem of college hitters could not be more different. UNC center fielder Vance Honeycutt, drafted 22nd overall, has a toolshed of skills that includes plus plus raw power and speed, but he played a boatload in college. University of Virginia shortstop Griff O’Ferrall (32nd) is a contact hitter with limited power potential. If you average out his strikeout rate, it’s a normal looking number. Additionally, this makes six draft picks for the Mike Elias-led front office that has overseen the Orioles’ return to contention; They have taken a ranked player with their first-round selection every year.

This indicates a very interesting strategy. The Birds are already facing a situation where they do not have enough everyday spots at the big league level for all of their prospects, yet they continue to draft hitters. Why? Well, this organization knows that it develops hitters better than any other in baseball. And because of injury risks, the value of a talented pitching prospect is naturally less than the value of a talented hitting prospect. But established big-league pitchers can be acquired for a batch of hitting prospects, as the Orioles showed by acquiring Corbin Burns to lead their rotation this winter.

Given the club’s track record, Honeycutt and O’Ferrall are good bets to develop into impactful players, whether or not they ever play for the Orioles. This team knows what it is good at and sees no reason to deviate from the formula. , mintz

Kellon Lindsey parted ways with the Dodgers

For a high school player, the process of getting on the draft radar accelerates before the summer. The showcase circuit is how scouts watch prep players and begin to develop opinions on them. It is a useful environment for large-scale evaluation because the quality of the games is very high. And this means that whenever a child, for whatever reason, does not participate in the showcase circuit, he or she may have a breakdown.

The same happened with Lindsay, who missed the circuit last summer due to a minor foot problem. His absence – and his stellar high school quarterback career – meant scouts didn’t know much about him before this spring. This is when sensational reports start coming in on the stupidly speedy shortstop out of Florida. Lindsey is an excellent athlete who will need time to develop as a baseball player, but the Dodgers snatched up the Trey Turner starter kit here. , mintz

Braves secure 2 more talented left-handers

Six draft prospects were in attendance in Fort Worth on Sunday, and the order in which they were selected was completely unexpected. Most notably, no one would have guessed that the sixth and final player to hear his name called in Round 1 would be Arizona high school left-hander Cam Caminiti, widely considered the best prep pitcher in the class and Offered in almost every. Mock draft to go somewhere between Nos. 10 and 15.

Instead, he slipped to No. 24 overall with Atlanta, a result that may be disappointing on the surface but appears to be a blessing in disguise, as Caminiti now joins an organization that thrives on the ability to develop young arms. Is famous for. This is also a team that has two of the best players on earth in Chris Sale and Max Fried, who Caminiti is certainly looking forward to meeting once he officially signs them in the coming weeks.

Caminiti wasn’t the only promising left-hander the Braves took on Sunday, as Atlanta used its second-round selection on Carter Holton from Vanderbilt. Holton is a talented player who looked like a potential first-rounder at various points during his three years in Nashville, but was inconsistent as a junior and raised enough health questions to fall out of the first 30 selections. . However, at number 62? Holton could make that pick a really good one in the near future. , shusterman