The 2024 high school and showcase cycle is over. So many tournaments and events are now in the rear-view mirror. Those events have provided numerous clues as to which players around the country are surging up boards in the eyes of teams and our own perceptions. With data and testing from the summer in-hand, and countless live looks under our belts, this is where we’re at heading into the winter.Â
1. Konnor Griffin, SS/OF/RHP — Jackson Prep (Miss.)
Considering the size and physicality of Konnor Griffin, it’s incredible to think he’ll barely be 18 years old on draft day. Griffin reclassified out of the 2025 draft class after overmatching his peers. He has the frame scouts dream on, a long, levered body with projectable strength and present athleticism. The upside here is tremendous. Griffin plays shortstop and centerfield now, but most think he projects best in the grass where his plus speed and rangy routes will play best. He’s got a strong throwing arm and the twitch necessary to make a good first step. He has every chance to stick on the dirt, but the hands are probably solid average and there’s a high likelihood he’ll grow off the position. He could probably be an above average defender at either spot. He’s also comfortably a plus runner with a long stride and speed that should hold well as his body further matures.
Already an accomplished slugger, Griffin has considerable bat speed with over-the-fence juice and should grow into 60-grade game power. Scouts would like to see the hit tool show more consistency in-game, but he’s shown flashes of polish and strong swing decisions. The bat got better as the summer went on last year, and there’s a large swatch of the industry who believes he has the chops to hit as a full-time player at the next level. Griffin is a swing-tinkerer. As he settles into a pro routine, the results should follow. Getting the barrel to the ball and avoiding weak contact will be the next checkpoint in Griffin’s offensive development. If it all clicks, Griffin has 5-tool upside.
It’s not totally a foregone conclusion that he’s a position player either. Griffin has been up to 96 on the mound with a put-away slider. He’s a tremendous mover and some liken his profile on the bump to what Jack Flaherty was at this same stage. Because of that ceiling, some scouts actually prefer him on the mound.
2. Caleb Bonemer, SS — Okemos (Mich.)
Bonemer is a muscled-up shortstop, but works with fluidity on the dirt showcasing strong footwork, a mature internal clock and the ability to make every throw from every angle. The glove is solid, though the body may ultimately push the profile to third base. He’s got a shot to play the “6” so long as he doesn’t grow off the position. Should he move to third base, it could be plus.
Despite his size, Bonemer has also posted plus run times in showcase settings, though scouts expect he’ll end up more an above-average to plus runner at the next level.
The bat blew scouts away over the last twelve months featuring in-game power and over-the-fence showings in tournament settings. The power to the pull-side is significant. He’s quick to the ball lacking any stride whatsoever, short, and compact. He can deliver a blow to any ball in any quadrant and has shown power to all-fields with the ability to manipulate the barrel when he’s beat. Bonemer adjusts well to spin, spitting on tumbling off-speed offerings with frequency. There are some similarities to the whole package that Brady House was in 2021, though Bonemer may be more athletic and fluid in just about every aspect of his game.
3. PJ Morlando, 1B/OF — Summerville (SC)
Morlando might be the most physically imposing high school bat in the 2024 class with exceptional bat speed and high contact rates to boot. Morlando has long had the bat speed to out-slug his peers, but it’s his mature approach and willingness to take the walk that has scouts raising eyebrows. He should hit for a reasonably high average at the next level, and is likely to slug enough to hit toward the middle of a lineup at the next level.
Defensively, Morlando projects a fringy corner outfielder or first baseman where his average speed and average throwing arm fit nicely. Morlando has worked hard over the last 12 months to re-shape his physique and add explosiveness to his defensive capabilities. He’s played centerfield for his high school team, and has reportedly looked comfortable enough in the grass to warrant real consideration in a corner at the next level. So long as he doesn’t outgrow his athleticism and force his profile to first base, this is a high-level bat that teams will covet the early.
4. Levi Sterling, RHP — Notre Dame (Calif.)
Sterling possesses a long-levered, lanky frame that projects to add significant strength in the coming years. We currently like him more on the mound, though some in the industry remain curious on the offensive upside. He’s been up to 94 with a low launch, high spin heater featuring bat-missing traits. He flashes a low-80s slider and feel for a splitter-like off-speed pitch. He’s also begun to work in a mid-80s cutter that has shown teeth. The athleticism and uniqueness of what he can do on the bump really stand out.
He’s a tremendous athlete with a starter finish at release suggesting he could grow into above average command.
Sterling won’t turn 18 until shortly after draft day, generally a good indication of elevated draft stock as models tend to value younger players.
5. Slade Caldwell, OF — Jonesboro (Ark.)
While Caldwell may lack the tangible physicality from his frame that some of his peers have, what he lacks in size he more than makes up for with dynamic athleticism and explosiveness in every part of his game. Already a double-plus runner, Caldwell is a headache on the bases and can really go get it in the field.
In the box, Caldwell has a sweet, left-handed swing with an ideal gap approach and sneaky thump if a mistake is served up. He creates stretch well, dragging the barrel through the zone with whip and intent. Don’t let the physique fool you, he can mash. Pound for pound, one of the more impressive bats in the class and some of the sneakiest bat speed in the class too. It’s also one of the most polished approaches in the draft with a discerning eye and fantastic feel for the strike zone. He’s an on-base percentage machine and should be required to pay rent at first base.
While Caldwell doesn’t have a great arm, he’s the prototype profile for left field and could play a solid average centerfield too. He’s got a lot of fans in the scouting community, and is one of the most well-liked players by his peers in every dugout he finds himself. There’s something of a Drew Gilbert/Corbin Carroll quality to his game that has scouts buzzing. This is a prototype table-setter with a reasonably high floor albeit lacking upside in the power department.
6. Cam Caminiti, LHP — Saguaro (Ariz.)
Caminiti reclassified from the 2025 class into 2024, and will still be just 17 years old on draft day. Models will love it. Some believe Cam Caminiti should play on the two-way game thanks to his significant raw power, but his pure ability on the mound will almost certainly trump what he’s capable of with a bat. Caminiti was already touching 97 as a 16-year-old with a firm, low-80s slider that he commands well. He’s usually more 91-94 over starts. He’ll mix in a curveball and can kill spin on a changeup too, the latter projecting out as a future solid-average weapon.
Caminiti’s feel for the mound, his operation, his athleticism and his bloodlines point to a future impact starter at the next level. He’s got the high waist, the long, lean levers and the loose arm scouts like to see. If there’s one gripe, Caminiti struggles to spin the ball on his entire arsenal, and scouts would like to see a firmer breaking ball take shape. Still, as they draw it up, this is precisely “what they look like”.
Ultimately, this looks like a Patrick Corbin mid-rotation type of arm that, while he may not blow hitters away with pure stuff, his feel for shaping the baseball and mixing it up should help develop Caminiti into a solid big league starter.
7. Noah Franco, 1B/LHP — IMG Academy (Fla.)
Franco re-classified from the 2025 class into the 2024 class. He’ll be young for the class, but his physicality is already as imposing as most of his peers.
A legitimate two-way guy, we like Franco more as a bat for the time being. His bat speed and athleticism at first base really stand out. Franco has demonstrated the ability to stay in the box and hit tough lefty-lefty matchups, showcasing ferocious bat speed and intent for damage. He’s a well-above average athlete at first base, and it shows up in balls hit to his right and circumstances where his twitch and explosivity are tested. From this chair, Franco has a chance at developing into a special bat and glove with average run times too.
Franco is also a super-talented lefty with tons of athleticism on the mound. He’s broad shoulders and long frame admittedly work better in theory as a pitcher. He’ll work up to 93, though most expect he could sit in the mid-90s by the time July rolls around. He can really spin the baseball too featuring well-above average rpm readings on both his heater and slider. The slider rests in the low-80s and will approach 2800 rpm. He’s got some feel for a fading changeup too. Franco is one of the few players in this class with upside on both sides of the ball.
8. Carter Johnson, SS — Oxford (Ala.)
Johnson is a smooth, rhythmic infielder who can really, really hit. It’s a sweet left-handed stroke that’s designed to do damage, pummeling baseballs into gaps. He features loose hands, a consistent bat path and loads the barrel with conviction and repeatable timing triggers. The bat speed is strong despite an overall lack of twitch in his broader game. Johnson does a tremendous job of taking his hands and the barrel to the ball, staying inside and extending through the hitting zone. He’s got significant offensive upside.
Defensively, Johnson plays a solid shortstop but could be forced to second or third base as he continues to grow into his physical frame. Johnson is already a barrel-chested player with broad, sloping shoulders. He figures to get considerably stronger. Johnson is generally just a smooth player who doesn’t have any + tools, but has a shot to stick at the position provide solid average offensive production as a pro.
9. Ryan Sloan, RHP — York Comm (Ill.)
Sloan, a Wake Forest commit, has a live arm. He’ll work up into the mid-90s and settle in 92-93 over longer outings. His fastball has a ton of arm-side run. He’s been known to create firewood. Sloan’s sweeping low-80s slider tunnels perfectly off the heat, and it’s been a whiff magnet featuring solid depth. There’s a mid-80s changeup here too, though he’s only used it against LHH and he’s been primarily a two-pitch artist.
Sloan and his 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound frame figure to add considerably more velocity as he matures. This is what a premium high school arm looks like.
10. Owen Hall, RHP — Edmond North (Okla.)
Hall, a Vanderbilt commit, is already one of the hardest throwers in the class with explosive athleticism that shows through on the mound. Hall’s future will be pitching where his over-the-top delivery and hellish fastball figure to play immediately at the next level.
Hall has already been up to 97 and lives 93-95 with significant carry through the zone and effectiveness at the top rail. He’ll hold that velocity into the middle innings and his command for the fastball seemingly improves as he works a lather. He’s also been working to mix in a low-90s sinker to get hitters off the barrel a bit at the bottom of the zone. His mid-80s slider has deep two-plane tilt and it projects a legitimate above average breaking ball, maybe better, at the next level. This is one of the better two-pitch mixes in the class. He’s flashed an upper-80s changeup, though his feel for the pitch and downright willingness to throw it marks it mostly a below average option for the time being.
Hall checks a lot of boxes in terms of future potential to start. Given his delivery, his strong frame, feel for finishing out in front of his body, his ability to hold velocity, and how loose his arm works, Hall has a chance to be the first high school arm off the board in July.
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