When the first mock draft is released, you know it’s officially draft season.
Jim Callis and I will be projecting the first round quite consistently between now and July 14, when the 2024 Draft officially kicks off, in the hopes that our final mocks, which are conducted the night before the Guardians open the season with the first pick, are as accurate as possible.
It is far too early to predict, with any degree of accuracy, who will go where. However, I did speak with scouts from almost every team in the first round to get an idea of the current situation. I made sure that every choice was one the team would think about by giving them a scenario of who I had in front of them.
As of right now, it does appear quite certain that the top 11 names in our Top 150 have distinguished themselves. That’s not to say a team in the top 11 won’t accept a player who isn’t on the list, enabling one or more of those 11 to fall in the rankings. However, all but two of those names are college players in my rendition of the top 11, even though the rankings aren’t exactly in that order.
The two areas where I struggled were the high school pitching and, as is usually the case, the college catchers. Think of this as a peek into our current situation—there is still a ton of work ahead of us.
1. Guardians: Georgia’s Charlie Condon, OF/3B (First)
Condon, who brings his absurd.456/.563/1.088 line with 30 home runs into this weekend’s series against Vanderbilt, does appear to be the class’ greatest player, according to the scouting community. This sounds like a perfect fit, especially considering that the Guardians could use some right-handed might inside the group.
2024 Draft: OF/3B Charlie Condon
2. Reds: Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana, 2B (No. 2)
With his 1.517 OPS, 21 home runs, and 10 steals, Bazzana isn’t exactly a distant No. 2 if Condon is No. 1. The second baseman, who bats left-handed, does appear to be a stereotypical Reds collegiate hitter who will likely quickly advance to the major leagues.
Prospect for Draft: Travis Bazzana
3. Rockies: Florida’s Jack Caglianone, 1B/LHP (Page 3)
Despite making significant progress at the plate and on the mound, Caglianone’s future appears to be as a left-handed slugger. He has improved his approach and chase rate greatly, as evidenced by his.402/.505/.862 line and 26 home runs hit thus far.
