The 2024 MLB Draft is close to a year away, but it’s never to early to start unearthing under-the-radar sleepers to watch for during the 2024 college baseball season. These 10 bats stand out both for the data and metrics, but also in the eyes of scouts across the country.
| Rank | Name | Position | School | Scouting Report | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Sirota | OF | Northeastern | Sirota is a super-impressive all-around athlete with the ability to impact the game in a number of areas. The approach at the plate is second-to-none, producing elite-level chase rates in 2023. Sirota was also one of the only players in the country to not swing through a single fastball north of 91 mph. That speaks to big league hand-eye. Sirota is a patient hitter who has flashed above average raw power too. It's the athletic traits that really push Sirota up boards. He is a plus centerfield defender with plus run times and impressive route running ability; all signs pointing toward a future big league centerfield profile. Sirota has twitchy hips and a ton of bounce to his game with scouts eager to see what’s to come. | ||
| 2 | Cole Mathis | 1B | College of Charleston | Mathis was a wrecking ball for the College of Charleston in 2023 posting huge exit velo figures and walking four more times than he struck out. Some of that can be attributed to a near-elite contact-rate on swings outside of the strikezone. He battles at the plate and is generally paid off when the pitcher lets go a mistake. Mathis got a cup of coffee with Cotuit on the Cape in 2023 as well posting a decent showing against more premier competition. He was just 19 years old though facing not only better competition, but older competition as well. The bat is intriguing, but scouts will have to sift through his ability to handle more premium stuff at the next level due to an exaggerated barrel lag and late hitch. Mathis is destined for first base at the next level. | ||
| 3 | Kyle DeBarge | SS | Louisiana-Lafayette | DeBarge burst onto the scene in 2023 in a big way anchoring a potent ULL lineup with thump, speed and a subliminal approach at the plate. DeBarge comes packed in an explosive, tightly-wound middle-infield profile. He's got extremely quick hands and shoots the ball to all fields making tons of contact. It's a super-balanced profile at the plate with potential impact at the next level. He's a solid average runner, maybe even a tick better than that with fantastic instincts on the basepaths. DeBarge may be forced to second or third base at the next level be a more premium defender, but for now he handles the position admirably. | ||
| 4 | Derek Bender | C | Coastal Carolina | Bender burst onto the scene in 2023 as an immediate spark plug for the Chanticleers handling time behind the plate and at first base. He's a bat-first slugger who hit 18 homers as a sophomore and struckouts less than 15 percent of the time. He makes his money punishing breaking balls left in the strikezone. Bender is largely fringy behind the plate, and his future may ultimately be at first base or in left field, but it's the bat that has scouts talking. There's a lot of swing and miss currently in Bender's game, but if he can temper the trigger-happy feet and become a bit more selective, there's reason to buy into the offensive profile. | ||
| 5 | Ivan Brethowr | OF | UC Santa Barbara | There may not be a more imposing batter in the box that Ivan Brethowr in this entire class. Standing at 6-6, 245 pounds, the Overland Park product boasts mammoth raw power and he's shown it in spades in games this season. The approach still has some roughness around its edges, but when he gets ahead in the count and hunts his pitch, the impact here is truly significant. Brethowr projects a right fielder at the next level thanks to a strong throwing arm and burgeoning athleticism for his size. He'll need to cut down the swing and miss, but if he can leading up to the draft, he's a potential early day-two thumper. | ||
| 6 | Will Turner | OF | South Alabama | Turner is a table-setting outfielder with a quick first step out of the box and a slasher swing. He distributes the ball to all-fields brilliantly, though he does have a good bit of thump in his bat to the pull-side. He extends well and crushes mistakes. Turner makes fairly tight turns on the baseball, though when he's fooled his swing can get long and can expose him a bit on breaking balls. Turner makes plenty of contact and has projection left in his 6-foot-2 inch frame. When you look at the athlete, the trajectory of the player, and the athletic tools, there's a lot to like here. | ||
| 7 | Zack Stewart | OF | Missouri State | Stewart has raw power that few can match in his class. The pull-side juice is enormous, though getting to it in-game against advanced competition will be the barometer for Stewart's future in the game. He can get a little over-anxious at the plate, but he's awfully young and that comes with time. Stewart is a big, barrel-chested outfielder, though he's had some run at third base where he's shown so-so actions on the dirt. He does have a strong throwing arm, but his footwork and technique at third base will have to improve. That said, the power-over-everything profile probably fits best in right field or first base. | ||
| 8 | Jacob Jenkins-Cowart | OF | East Carolina | Jenkins-Cowart is a massively imposing lefty stick with significant raw power. There's some swing and miss in the whole package but, considering his age and size, it's to be expected at this stage. Jenkins-Cowart is a bit limited in the field and likely ends up at first base or DH at the next level, but it's one of the better 2024 bats on the east coast. | ||
| 9 | Walker Janek | C/3B | Sam Houston | Janek really burst onto the scene in 2023 for Sam Houston playing a couple different roles defensively. He's a strong defensive catcher and a capable third baseman, though scouts are split on where his future home will be at the next level, though most seem to lean behind the plate. He's a good athlete with a projectable body, so he could shift to a number of different roles between now and July 2024. The bat has been promising featuring a short, compact stroke with power and bat-to-ball skills, and that's why he finds himself where he's at on this list. | ||
| 10 | Sam Antonacci | SS | Coastal Carolina | Antonacci is a scout-favorite in the JUCO community thanks to what has been described as a gritty playstyle and a max-effort approach to the game. Now at Coastal Carolina, he's a defensive standout with solid average arm strength and good lateral mobility to both his left and right. He's got a shot to stick at the position at the next level, if only profiling as a league average defender. There's some bat speed and bat-to-ball skills here too, and he'll sneak some out to the pull-side. Don't let the unsuspecting frame fool you, Antonacci can crush mistake cookies. |
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