Day one of the MLB Draft came with plenty of surprises. From Travis Bazzana to Braylon Payne, there was eyebrow-raising aplenty. Day two figures to be another spectacle with plenty of teams with more money to spend. We’ll get into that at the end of the article but first let’s identify five teams I found to come out winners.
Colorado Rockies
The 2024 Draft class is not the strongest class we have seen in recent years. It lacks top-end high school talent and the college talent quickly shows its warts outside of the top ten picks. The Rockies obviously did extremely well to land the No. 1 overall player on the FSS Plus board in Georgia OF Charlie Condon. But beyond that they did what more teams needed to do in this draft. Take risks.
Iowa right-handed pitcher Brody Brecht is electricity personified. He ranked as the No. 26 overall prospect at FSS Plus pre-draft and the Rockies were able to steer him down to pick 38. He is by no means a sure thing. And there will be considerable player development necessary to see Brecht meet his sky-high ceiling. But in a class littered with low ceilings and red flags, the Rockies took some risk and shot high. From this chair, that was the right way to go. Adding Texas outfielder Jared Thomas in round two was also a strong selection. For too long he’s been miscast at the University of Texas and should now get full-time run in centerfield in the pro game. They’ve had success with guys who bounced around positions in college before settling in at the pro level (Cole Carrigg, Sterlin Thompson). Thomas could be the next to blossom.
Boston Red Sox
It should come as no surprise the Boston Red Sox ranked quite high for me in terms of team outcomes on Sunday night. They landed my No. 6 overall prospect Braden Montgomery with the No. 12 pick in the Draft. The team then followed that up by landing the TCU left-handed pitching Payton Tolle with the No. 50 overall pick. I had Tolle the No. 46 overall prospect in this class.
Montgomery might be the most tooled-up player in this entire class. He’s got a chance to be a gold glove right fielder and should feast at Fenway Park. We’ll see whether he continues to switch-hit at the next level, but the Big Green Monster should only help his right-handed swing. Tolle is a metric darling with a devastating fastball/slider combo. Craig Breslow and the Red Sox should do well in developing the Horned Frogs product. He immediately becomes one of the team’s top pitching prospects.
Cleveland Guardians
I think the Guardians Draft still has a ton of steam as day two enters the fold. I like the Travis Bazzana pick at No. 1. It’s a strong combination of ceiling, floor, and tenaciousness that should pay dividends and quickly. Condon was our No. 1 ranked player pre-draft but he comes with more risk than does the Aussie second baseman. Landing Doughty with the No. 36 overall pick was dynamite. I had Doughty the No. 28 overall prospect in this class but frankly could have had him higher. He’s the top prep right-hander in the class for me. Special fastball, big spin, unique release traits, two big breaking balls, tons of strikes and a bulldog on the mound. I’m fully in.
We had NC State catcher Jacob Cozart as the No. 61 overall prospect on the board. He went 48 to Cleveland. I would be no means call this a reach. I’ll be interested to see what their plan is for him behind the plate. Cleveland should still have extra money to play with on day two.
Milwaukee Brewers
I though this was an absolutely banner draft for the Brewers. As mentioned above this is not a good draft class. The Brewers threw caution to the wind and targeted high-upside preps all over the plate. They drafted for pure stuff and trust their player development system will maximize it.
Braylon Payne came as a shock to many, but provided it’s extremely likely he signed for a considerable under-slot deal it opened up a host of possibilities for the Brewers later on day one. Payne is by no means a slouch either. He can really hit, he’s got athletic tools and he’s only 17 years old. There’s work to do in the polish and consistency department, but this is really good clay. Chris Levonas probably has the best pure stuff traits of any player in the Draft. It’s elite spin. It’s huge shape. It’s present fastball quality. I compared him to Matt Brash during the cycle and I think it’s fitting. He’ll need to learn how to pitch and throw better strikes, but there’s a floor here (if that exists for a prep arm). Bryce Meccage is tremendous arm talent, a very good frame and lots of strikes. There’s a good chance he eventually pitches in the Brewers rotation.
Tennessee first baseman Blake Burke truly was the cherry on top. That kid is a gamer. He can really hit and he can really, really slug. He could be a quick mover and should eventually man the first base pillow at the pro level.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Ceiling, ceiling, ceiling. Landing Konnor Griffin at pick No. 9 was fantastic. The Pirates will do well developing his toolset. He could end up at shortstop or in centerfield. It won’t matter. That’s a very good get. Parlaying Griffin with talented high school bluechips in Levi Sterling and Wyatt Sanford was impressive. I’ve long been a Sterling bull. It’s a super-deceptive release with more in the tank. Feel for a fastball, cutter, slider combo and plenty of strikes. Unlock another gear in that one and he could eventually look something like Max Scherzer with his short-arm action and how he hides the ball.
I’m not sure anyone in the media was higher on Sanford than was I. FSS Plus had him ranked the No. 22 overall prospect in this class and Pittsburgh found a way to yank him to pick No. 47. It’s terrific tools on the dirt with a left-handed swing that added strength and physicality this spring. He’s still growing and from this chair looks the part of a future big league shortstop who could eventually flirt with 20-homer output.
If I were a betting man, I would think the Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, as well as potentially the Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays have extra money to spend on day two. On the inverse, the Seattle Mariners are likely going to have to go under-slot with an early selection on day two. The Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves could also be slightly over-slot as things stand pre-Monday festivities.
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