Toronto Blue Jays
1:20 Cam Caminiti, LHP, Saguaro HS (AZ)
| 2:60 Trey Gregory-Alford, RHP, Coronado HS (CO)
The Blue Jays only have two of the first 75 picks in 2024 draft, so with that I took the perspective of what the organization has done well recently with player development combined with organizational need for the draft picks. The first of their picks at 20th overall,
Cam Caminiti is not only one of the youngest players in this years draft, he also has a claim as the most projectable left-handed pitcher in the class as well. For an organization like the Blue Jays that has done an exceptional job of developing left-handers into legitimate prospects in the minor leagues recently, the opportunity to add another one with the athleticism and pitch-mix Caminiti already has I think is an easy decision. The combination of talent, upside and youth gives the player development staff time to develop a potential front line starter in the mold of what they’ve already shown they’re pretty good at developing. At 60th overall,
Trey Gregory-Alford is one of the hardest throwing high school arms in this draft class. Topped 97 at PG National, was reportedly throwing even harder over the winter. This is a physical 6-5/235 arm with a clean delivery and he pitched very well on the circuit and with Team USA last summer. Colorado prep arms often take time to develop, but there’s been some really good ones in the past and this is easily the best one from the state in a while. A team that has the patience to develop this arm could be rewarded big time, especially if he’s going to fall to pick 60. And if there’s a team where it just feels right for that to happen; it’s the one whose long time staff ace was prep Colorado right-hander Roy Halladay, and whose current staff ace is former hard throwing Colorado prep right-hander Kevin Gausman. And that’s that, two upside high school arms to the Blue Jays at picks 20 and 60. -Blaine Peterson
Minnesota Twins
1:21 Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford
| 1:33 Levi Sterling, RHP, Notre Dame (CA)
| 2:61 Tyson Neighbors, RHP, Kansas State
| 2:70 Walker Janek, C, Sam Houston State
The Minnesota Twins made four picks in the Staff Mock, including two picks during the Competitive Balance & Compensation rounds. Their first pick is a slam-dunk pick for the Twins, grabbing standout backstop
Malcolm Moore out of Stanford at 21st overall. The left-handed hitter has some serious upside with the stick and is considered this year’s version of Kyle Teel. With their free agent compensation pick, the Twins grab right-handed pitcher
Levi Sterling. The California native is an elite mover with a full four-pitch mix to attack opposing hitters. Doubling down on arms, with their second-round pick, the Twins grab right-handed pitcher
Tyson Neighbors out of Kansas State. High-velocity fastball with an exceptional breaking ball to pair. He had an exceptional 2023 season that he’s looking to duplicate in 2024 for the Wildcats. Doubling down on another catcher, but more importantly, the tools, the Twins grabbed Sam Houston State’s
Walker Janek. He’s a right-handed hitter with a ton of power that projects. Smooth stroke with an incredible feel for the barrel that allows him to do damage. Even grabbing Moore at 21st, it’s hard to pass on Janek’s upside. - Tyler Kotila
Baltimore Orioles
1:22 Orioles
Carson Benge OF Oklahoma State
| 1:32 Tyler Bell SS Lincoln-Way East HS (IL)
| 2:62 Ryan Johnson RHP Dallas Baptist University
Orioles possibly get a steal here in Benge. You'd be hard pressed to find the overall package he brings at this part of the draft, but Benge has the makings of one of the stronger hit tools in the class with enough athleticism to stick in center. Baltimore dips into the prep ranks coming right back up on the clock. Bell is one of the biggest risers in the class, a smooth switch-hitting shortstop with loads of bat-to-ball from both aides. The upside is substantial given the offensive potential. After going big on bats in the first two rounds, the Orioles find a great value with Johnson still on the board. It's a workhorse 6-foot-6 frame with a plus fastball and slider to his arsenal. If the command refines and changeup makes for a solid third pitch, expect him to not even make it this far come July. -Isaiah Burrows
Los Angles Dodgers
1:23 Jonathan Santucci, LHP, Duke
Making the transition to being a full-time pitcher in 2024,
Jonathan Santucci gives the Dodgers a power lefty with stuff to match. The southpaw has a full three-pitch mix with the slider and the changeup proving to be swing-and-miss offerings. He shows lots of feel for the slider, playing off of the heater well with sharp break. The changeup has shown even better with big depth, parachuting late to draw whiffs. Santucci has an advanced repertoire, and he has good feel for the mix along with pitchability, giving him a great chance to start at the next level. -Kyler Peterson
Atlanta Braves
1:24 Seaver King, OF/SS, Wake Forest
| 2:63 Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Gettysburg Area HS (PA)
Georgia native
Seaver King found himself hitting .411/.457/.699 at Division II Wingate just a year ago before transferring to his new home in Wake Forest. The draft stock has since substantially risen, making stops with the US collegiate national team and Harwich in the Cape (1.021 OPS/71 PA’s) along the way to solidify his tools against top tier competition. The swing is designed for all fields contact with plenty of bat speed and plate discipline built into the approach. There are questions regarding his defensive value and what best suits him at the professional level, but his athleticism and current above average arm strength should allow him to excel at any position asked of him when the time comes. Kuhns gets snagged here late in the second by Atlanta, an organization who has recent history selecting prep arms early on in the draft; in ’22, their first three selections were prep right-handed pitchers. Kuhns has plenty of physical projection remaining in his frame at a very lean 6’3/170, already touching 94-mph on the PG circuit and flashed feel for both a diving change and sweeping slider that registered up to 17” of horizontal at PG National. There is starter upside here, as he has present arm speed and body projection with feel for the off-speed stuff that makes Kuhns a tantalizing option for their 2nd round pick. -Michael Albee
San Diego Padres
1:25 Noah Franco, OF/LHP, IMG Academy (FL)
| 2:53 Michael Massey, RHP, Wake Forest
For the San Diego Padres, just two picks will be made near the top of this draft as part of our Staff Mock. With their first-round pick, the Padres grabbed
Noah Franco, the two-way standout from California. Franco attends IMG Academy in Florida, where he's shown plenty of upside on both sides of the ball. Franco has a simple operation as a left-handed bat. There's power upside and a ton to dream on with Franco at the dish and on the mound, for that matter. It's an easy operation from the left side, working up into the low-90s. He was 88-92 mph in his first outing for IMG last week, showcasing a slider that works into the mid-80s and spins above 2,700 RPMs, mixing in a changeup as well. It's a three-pitch mix from Franco with ingredients for upside on the mound, too, which should leave the Padres with a fun chance for development within the organization. In the second round, I've got the Padres taking
Michael Massey, a right-handed pitcher in the star-studded Wake Forest rotation. Massey's a physical right-hander who operates from a higher slot and can create some downhill angle on his mid- to upper-90s fastball. He's got a good slider in the mix as well to help him attack hitters. He's someone that the Padres could select in the second round, especially with another loud spring in 2024. - Tyler Kotila
New York Yankees
1:26 Cameron Smith, 3B, Florida State
| 2:54 Ryan Forcucci, RHP, UC San Diego
The Yankees go to the collegiate ranks for their first pick in the 2024 MLB draft as they select Cam Smith, at third baseman out of Florida State. He’s big, athletic and has unlimited power potential. Expected to be a plus defender with athleticism through the roof and big arm talent. They go back to the collegiate ranks but this time they take a pitcher,
Ryan Forcucci out of University of California San Diego. A right-hander, Forcucci has shown the ability to work late into games which makes him an intriguing prospect. His fastball sits in the mid 90’s coupled with a power slider that he uses often and gets a ton of swings and misses. -Scott Rankin
Philadelphia Phillies
1:27 Derek Curiel, OF, Orange Lutheran (Calif.)
| 2:64 Will Taylor, OF, Clemson
You’d have to go back to the 2019 draft in order to find a Phillies 1st rounder who didn’t come from the prep ranks, a trend that continued in this exercise as they grabbed a dynamic talent in Cali prep outfielder
Derek Curiel. A name famous on the national scene for a handful of years, Curiel could go higher than this pick if he continues to show an increase in impact off of the barrel as he’s already been able to establish the hit tool and defense, both of which are amongst the best in the class. Taylor arrived on Clemson’s campus as a two-sport star, playing both baseball and football, though he has decided to focus solely on the diamond this year after hitting .362 last spring. The athleticism speaks for itself as he can impact a game in a variety of ways, from his speed on the bases and reads in the grass, to what he brings to the dish, all of which should continue to trend upwards with a focus set only on baseball now. -Jheremy Brown
Houston Astros
1:28 Carter Johnson SS Oxford HS (AL)
The Astros typically targeted college bats in the earlier rounds as of recent, but I'm going with the upside of Johnson at this spot. Johnson has one of the sweetest lefty swings in the class with ample projection left in the frame. He can stick it up the middle, brining one of the more enticing profiles as a left-handed shortstop with a strong prep hit tool. -Isaiah Burrows
Arizona Diamondbacks
1:29 Chase Mobley, RHP, Durant HS (FL)
| 1:31 Thatcher Hurd, RHP, LSU
| 1:35 Caleb Bonemer, SS, Okemos HS (MI)
| 2:65 Gage Jump, LHP LSU
Mobley’s developmental path has led him to one of the best pitching prospects in the class. He sits in the mid-90’s and was recently up to 97. The righty has a quick shoulder and lots of life on the fastball. His breaking ball continues to get better and is now a put-away pitch. At 6-6 he has a ton of projection and he is also young for the class. Hurd's shear arm talent makes him a steal at this pick. He can run the heater in the upper-90’s and has always had spin-monster off speed stuff. With some development on his way through the minors he could develop into a key piece in a playoff rotation. Bonemer made a name for himself through the summer with his short and powerful right-handed stroke that helped him consistently produce at each stop. After a monster two homer PG National Showcase, he started to separate himself and put himself into first round consideration. This is one of the more polished high school bats in the class. Jump is back throwing up zeros with his very good fastball quality and ability to move the pitch around the zone exceptionally well. The southpaw has gotten impressive reviews during the fall and early spring and he has the type of pitchability that will be hard to pass up with a big spring. -Jered Goodwin
Texas Rangers
1:30 Bryce Rainer, INF/RHP, Harvard Westlake
| 2:66 Will Turner, OF, South Alabama
I’m extremely bullish on Rainer and I’m thinking he probably doesn’t drop to the Rangers at 30, but he does here and I’ll take it. I see his outlier two-way skill as both a high floor and high ceiling. It’s a projectable 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame that he pairs with well above average athleticism. It’s a real smooth and whippy LH stroke with some present swing/miss in the offensive profile but he flashes legit 60 power at times. It’s solid defensive skill where he is playing a quality SS at Harvard Westlake right now but that I project to end up at 3B, but you can also try and throw out in CF where you can let his speed/athleticism play. Then there’s his ability on the mound where he has shown this innate feel to pitch. It’s maybe the most low-effort and aesthetically pretty operation in the entire prep class where he runs it up to 96 with a slider that looks like it’ll be a future 60 sweeper and a quality changeup. Then the Rangers were able to grab
Will Turner at 66 which I believe could be a steal if it actually happens as he is a T50 candidate. There’s so much to like here on both sides of the ball as it’s a possible 55-60ish hit tool where his performance track record has shown that he controls the strike zone very well with minimal chase, has some sneaky power and an awesome glove in center where his athleticism really shines. -Joey Cohen