EDITOR’S NOTE: The following rankings and evaluations by FSS PLUS are based on subjective analysis and industry sources, and do not influence, are not influenced by, or are affiliated with the opinions and reports of Future Stars Series scouting and development staff.
1. Vance Honeycutt, OF — North Carolina
Honeycutt has a chance to become a rare five-tool player at the next level. He’s long and projectable with serious upwards trajectory in his game. Honeycutt possesses plus raw power and a swing path built to capitalize on all of it. The hit tool has taken major strides from his freshman year as he’s really cut down the swing and miss, subsequently shrinking his strikeout rates too. Honeycutt was pitched to much more conservatively in 2023 and saw his chase rate absolutely plummet. He now resembles a more polished, patient hitter who damages mistakes over the plate. For now, it’s above average bat-to-ball skills with plus raw power and burgeoning use of it in-game.
Honeycutt is a plus, potentially double-plus runner who plays plus defense in centerfield. As long as he doesn’t outgrow the middle of the field, he projects to stay at the “8”. This is a guy with 20-20 upside and a walking highlight reel at the wall.
2. Nick Kurtz, 1B — Wake Forest
Kurtz burst onto the scene as a true freshman posting some of the most impressive batted-ball and swing-decision metrics of anyone during the 2022 college baseball season. Those metrics carried over to the 2023 season as Kurtz proved himself one of the most feared hitters in the sport.
Some evaluators believe Kurtz may be the best power hitter in the 2024 class, and that’s saying a lot considering some of the names he’s mentioned alongside. It’s absolutely mammoth bat speed and buggy hips from the left side. It’s every bit that of double-plus juice. Kurtz possesses above average bat-to-ball skills with an elite eye at the plate, hardly every expanding the zone. He’s the prototype middle-of-the-order slugger.
Kurtz is an average runner underway with solid baseball instincts and the ability to impact the game on the base paths if you don’t pay attention to him. He’s a solid average glove at first base and can get by as something close to a fringy left fielder, though scouts prefer he stay on the dirt for durability’s sake. Kurtz has a chance to anchor a big league lineup for a long, long time. He reminds some of Matt Olson.
3. Travis Bazzana, 2B — Oregon State
You’d be hard-pressed to find prospect with a better combination of pure hit tool, approach, and peak exit velocities than Travis Bazzana. An import out of Australia, Bazzana possesses plus bat-to-ball skills to go alongside his elite eye. He refuses to expand the zone and has shown a willingness to all fields. He’s also about as good as they come in terms of pummeling balls left in the strike zone. He’s also one of the more decorated hitters in college baseball in terms of fighting off pitches just off the black. A brutally difficult at-bat for opposing pitchers. Bazzana has flashed plus raw power, and he’s getting to a lot of it in games.
An import off the island of Australia, Bazzana was a star in the Pac-12 immediately as a true freshman. The Aussie has twitch and bounce on the dirt with an average arm and enough athleticism to make the plays to his right and left. Some scouts want to see what it looks like over an extended period at shortstop as well. He projects a potential plus hitter with above-average or better power at the next level, all while playing a steady, if not exceptional second base.
4. JJ Wetherholt, 2B/3B — West Virginia
Wetherholt, a thick, strong-bodied infielder, has positional versatility, though most consider him a third baseman in the long-term. He doesn’t necessarily have a throwing arm that is an asset, but he’s sure-handed and can handle the routine expectations of the hot corner.
The bat is exceedingly impressive here. Wetherholt can really hit with double-plus bat-to-ball skills and a willingness to go gap-to-gap and stay away from the pull-heavy approach that gets so many lefty bats in trouble. The power and bat speed here are real, comfortably plus with barrel awareness few of his peers can match. Wetherholt consistently hits the ball hard more than just about anyone in the country.
5. Tommy White, 1B — LSU
White burst onto the scene as a true freshman at NC State slugging homer after homer, igniting the nation, earning the moniker “Tommy Tanks” along the way. That nickname does ring true as perhaps nobody in the 2024 class hits the ball as hard and with as much consistency than does White. He’s a slugger in every way. But he’s also a promising pure hitter with contact rates that continue to improve. Scouts do want to see the swing rates, aggressiveness, and willingness to stay inside the strike zone move in a more polished direction in 2024. There’s still development ahead in terms of becoming a more refined hitter. But it’s hard to ignore how lightning-quick and thunderous his bat is. The argument can be made this is what 80-grade raw power looks like.
Defensively, White is destined for first base where his limited range and first step won’t be tested like they would be at third base. It’s a large frame that he’ll need to keep in check as he ages to ensure he doesn’t lose the athleticism and quick hands at the plate that make him great. This is a big-time bat with a Pete Alonso trajectory to it.
6. Brody Brecht, RHP — Iowa
If you were to build a Mount Rushmore for the best pure stuff college baseball has ever seen, there’s a very real argument that Brecht would deserve to be on it. Most would agree Brecht has the most electric fastball in the 2024 class; at least at this early stage. He’s been up to 101, sitting 97-99 in starts. It’s a metric-monster and is only reinforced by the elite whiff rates he generates off the pitch. He’ll mix in an absolutely disgusting slider with immense depth, inducing gaudy swing-and-miss numbers. He’ll also throw a traditional curveball extremely hard in the mid-80s. Brecht has a chance to possess an elite fastball and two plus-or-better breaking balls. That said, the control and command right now are below average.
Brecht gave up football for the Hawkeyes in the spring of 2023 and scouts are excited to see if his game explodes because of it. If Brecht takes the next step in his development and develops even average command on the hill, there’s a very real chance he’s the first college arm off the board in 2024.
7. 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.
8. Chase Burns, RHP — Wake Forest
Burns has long been on the radar of scouts going back to his days as a bluechip prep in 2021. Primarily a two-pitch guy to this point, Burns offers a mid-to-upper 90s fastball that’s touched 101 and figures to continue tickling triple digits as he matures. Burns’ slider is thrown hard and firm, up to 90, sitting 85-87 with two-plane tilt; more depth than sweep. Burns’ spin rates are high, and he’s got a track record of commanding the baseball and overpowering the opposition. There’s a seldom-used changeup in his arsenal, though it’s inconsistent and Burns struggles to command it on a start-by-start basis. There’s also a bigger curveball in there, and he’s begun to deploy it a bit more of late. It’s got teeth, but is often uncompetitive. As he starts working in feel for his curveball and changeup, the arsenal should begin to overwhelm hitters at an even greater clip.
Burns spent the first two years in college at Tennessee before transferring to Wake Forest for 2024. The Wake Forest pitching lab should give him a leg up in understanding pitch design and how the art of the sport translates to the next level. Burns simply looks like a big league arm and with added consistency could be the first arm off the board.
9. Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP — Florida
Caglianone is possibly the most decorated and talented two-way player college baseball has seen in a very long time. Offensively he possesses immense hand and bat speed allowing the 6-foot-5-inch lefty to get into double-plus raw power. Most scouts see average bat-to-ball skills here, but Caglianone can get anxious at the plate and expand the zone at an unhealthy clip at times. That’ll need to iron itself out if he hopes to reach his middle-of-the-order upside offensively. Caglianone is an average runner and is likely destined for first base as a pro, but this is an impact bat with 40-homerun upside if it matures.
On the mound, he’s been up to 99 and will flash an above average slider that’s really come on of late. There’s also a changeup, though it lags a bit behind his primary two-pitch mix. Caglianone is a legitimate pitching prospect with no. 3 upside, though there is a bit of reliever risk due to command concerns and his ability to repeat his operation deep into starts. That said, he’s still very young and has plenty of time to shore up those issues with time and repetition.
There are a multitude of avenues Caglianone can take to become a valuable and productive big leaguer. Which route he’ll choose, and which route scouts prefer for that matter, is yet to be determined.
10. Braden Montgomery, OF/RHP — Texas A&M
Braden Montgomery is an absolute tool-shed with physical abilities very few in the 2024 class can match. He’s been a stud prospect since his high school days, but signing a player away from a Stanford commitment always proves difficult. He’s now at Texas A&M.
A two-way guy, Montgomery likely best projects as a prototype right fielder with easy plus power and above average athleticism both on the base paths and in the field. He’s shown tremendous barrel control, as well as a refined eye at the plate.
He’s cut down his swing-and-miss every year since arriving to Palo Alto and College Station, and that’s important as scouts would like to see the hit tool take off in 2024. Montgomery might have the best outfield arm in the class, a truly elite cannon with pinpoint accuracy. On the mound, Montgomery has struggled to command the fastball, but he’s been up to 97 with a formidable cutter and a swing-and-miss breaking ball when he’s in the zone.
MORE 2024 COVERAGE: Mock Draft 1.0
- The top mid-major bats for the 2024 MLB Draft - September 19, 2023
- United States finishes 4th in 18U World Cup, offense sputters - September 11, 2023
- 2025 MLB Draft: The Top 100 High School Prospects - September 4, 2023
