2024 MLB Mock Draft: Wake Forest Dominates First Round

With the invigorating spirit of a new baseball season upon us, igniting hope and anticipation within fan communities, it’s the perfect time to embark on a unique exploration: a 2024 MLB Mock Draft. Numerous mock drafts meticulously analyze potential player selections, showcasing the abundance of exceptional talent waiting to make its mark on the game. While we heavily rely on MLB Pipeline’s constantly updated rankings and evaluations of “best tools” for these projections, it’s important to acknowledge that the draft landscape may experience significant changes.

Think of this as an early window into the future stars who are eagerly awaiting their chance to shine, a platform that fosters in-depth discussions and evaluations of these top prospects. Let’s waste no time and delve into the excitement, casting a spotlight on remarkable accomplishments with the most recent edition of the 2024 MLB Mock Draft! Be prepared for potential trades, surprising picks, and the emergence of the next generation of baseball legends.

2024 MLB Draft Lottery

With 17 of 18 non-playoff teams in the running, the 2024 MLB Draft lottery promised drama. This weighted lottery determined the first six picks, with teams’ odds mirroring their losing percentages. This intriguing format injected extra excitement into the draft order announcement. The pre-lottery odds for each team were as follows:

18.3% — Oakland Athletics (.309)

18.3% — Kansas City Royals (.346)

18.3% — Colorado Rockies (.364)

14.7% — Chicago White Sox (.377)

8.3% — St. Louis Cardinals (.438)

6.1% — Los Angeles Angels (.451)

4.3% — New York Mets (.463)

3.0% — Pittsburgh Pirates (.469)

2.0% — Cleveland Guardians (.469)

1.6% — Detroit Tigers (.481)

1.2% — Boston Red Sox (.481)

1.0% — San Francisco Giants (.488)

0.9% — Cincinnati Reds (.506)

0.7% — San Diego Padres (.506)

0.6% — New York Yankees (.506)

0.4% — Chicago Cubs (.512)

0.2% — Seattle Mariners (.543)

0.0% — Washington Nationals (.438 — ineligible for lottery pick)

The initial six selections of the draft were determined through a weighted lottery, with subsequent picks for non-playoff teams allocated in reverse order of their regular season performance. Postseason teams followed a predetermined sequence based on their round of elimination, progressing from the Wild Card Game through the Division Series and League Championship Series, and wrapping up with the World Series runner-up.

The 2024 MLB Draft lottery threw a curveball that left many baseball fans and analysts stunned, generating the kind of electrifying unpredictability that defines a well-executed draft lottery. In a shocking turn of events, the Cleveland Guardians, boasting a mere 2% chance of landing the top pick, defied all odds and emerged victorious. Adding to the surprise, the Cincinnati Reds, with a similarly slim probability of 0.9%, also managed to snag the coveted second selection.

Meanwhile, teams that were heavily favored to claim the top spot found themselves facing a different outcome. Both the Oakland Athletics and the Kansas City Royals, who each held an 18.3% chance of securing the number one pick, were bumped down to the fourth and sixth selections respectively.

This unexpected turn of events throws a significant layer of intrigue onto the upcoming draft. Will the Guardians and Reds be able to capitalize on their windfall and make franchise-altering decisions with their newfound draft capital? How will the disappointed frontrunners, who saw their draft strategies seemingly evaporate overnight, adapt to this new reality? One thing is undeniable: the 2024 MLB Draft promises to be an edge-of-your-seat affair, brimming with unforeseen developments and the potential for the emergence of exciting new talents who will reshape the landscape of Major League Baseball for years to come.

2024 MLB Mock Draft

1. Cleveland Guardians: Jac Caglianone – 1B/LHP – Florida
2. Cincinnati Reds: Nick Kurtz – 1B – Wake Forest
3. Colorado Rockies: Charlie Condon – OF/1B – Georgia
4. Oakland Athletics: JJ Wetherholt – SS/2B – West Virginia
5. Chicago White Sox: Travis Bazzana – 2B – Oregon State
6. Kansas City Royals: Josh Hartle – LHP – Wake Forest
7. St. Louis Cardinals: Tommy White – 3B – LSU
8. Los Angeles Angels: Chase Burns – RHP – Wake Forest
9. Pittsburgh Pirates: Braden Montgomery – OF/RHP – Texas A&M
10. Washington Nationals: Seaver King – OF/SS – Wake Forest
11. Detroit Tigers: Konnor Griffin – OF – Jackson Prep (Mississippi)
12. Boston Red Sox: Mike Sirota – OF – Northeastern
13. San Francisco Giants: Hagen Smith – LHP – Arkansas
14. Chicago Cubs: Brody Brecht – RHP – Iowa
15. Seattle Mariners: Thatcher Hurd – RHP – LSU
16. Miami Marlins: Vance Honeycutt – OF – North Carolina
17. Milwaukee Brewers: Slade Caldwell – OF – Valley View High School (Arkansas)
18. Tampa Bay Rays: Malcolm More – C -Stanford
19. New York Mets: P.J. Morlando – OF – Summerville High School (South Carolina)
20. Toronto Blue Jays: Cam Caminiti – LHP – Saguaro High School (Arizona)
21. Minnesota Twins: Jonathan Santucci – LHP – Duke
22. Baltimore Orioles: Drew Beam – RHP – Tennessee
23. Los Angeles Dodgers: Kaelen Culpepper – SS – Kansas State
24. Atlanta Braves: Ben Hess – RHP – Alabama
25. San Diego Padres: Michael Massey – RHP – Wake Forest
26. New York Yankees: Noah Franco – 1B/LHP – IMG Academy (Florida)
27. Philadelphia Phillies: Trey Yesavage – RHP – East Carolina
28. Houston Astros: Caleb Bonemer – SS/3B – Okemos High School (Michigan)
29. Arizona Diamondbacks: Luke Holman – RHP – LSU
30. Texas Rangers: Cam Smith – 3B – Florida State

The 2024 MLB Draft will take place over MLB All-Star Weekend this July in Arlington, Texas.