With the 2024 college baseball season already underway and getting ready to start conference play this weekend, now is a good time to start looking at some prospects who will be eligible for the draft this spring.
This list is both guys that may appeal to the Braves, as well as some generally interesting prospects to watch. It is not a ranking, nor a list of guys who will go in the first round.
Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas– Hagen Smith is a lefty with nasty stuff. His fastball is up to 98 MPH, but his swing and miss slider may actually be a better pitch. He doesn’t have a true change, but has a splitter with some potential. He made headlines earlier this spring when he posted a 15 strikeout game, though with his command being a bit of a question mark he isn’t exactly a sure thing. Smith is definitely a guy you want to turn on to watch when he pitches because of the way his stuff helps him rack up strikeouts.
Braden Montgomery, OF/RHP, Texas A&M – Although he is listed as a two-way guy Montgomery is likely to be drafted as a bat. The former Stanford star came to A&M this spring after a very productive start to his college career. Neither his hit nor power tools project as true plus tools, but he’s a guy above average across the board with a chance to be an excellent right fielder because of his arm. As a pitcher he can touch 96 MPH with his fastball and has three average to slightly above pitches, but the command is a real work in progress.
JJ Wetherholt, 2B, West Virginia – Wetherholt is a true plus plus hitter with plus power and plus speed. He’s one of the most advanced hitters in college over the past five years and always a fun player to watch. He won’t be around for the Braves as a likely Top 3 pick, but he is a player worth watching.
Charlie Condon, OF, Georgia – Condon is another guy likely to be gone before the Braves pick as a projected Top 5-10 pick, but the plus hit and power tools and him being a local player put him on this list.
Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford – Moore is the top offensive catcher in this class, an above average hitter with potentially plus power. There are some questions about him being good enough to stick defensively, however he has more than enough bat to be worth a first round pick as a first baseman.
Luke Holman, RHP, LSU – Holman is taking over Paul Skenes role as LSU’s top arm, and has seen promising results so far. He was coming into the year as a later first rounder, but one with projection left and three average or better pitches. It’s a bit too early to say he’s really improved his stock, but he is on the way.
Gage Jump, LHP, LSU – Jump is another LSU pitcher with multiple average or better offerings. The thing that really stands out for Jump is his four pitches that are all in that range and the fact he’s still coming back off an elbow surgery that cost him last year. He was highly rated out of high school as well, so with all of that to consider he is one of the more interesting arms in this class.
Billy Amick, 3B, Tennessee – Amick came into this spring as a likely second or third round pick, but a strong start to the season has made him a guy to watch. He was always a good hitter, but he’s seen his power take a jump this spring with eight homers in his first 14 games – after 14 all of last spring. Amick has a chance to hit his way into the first round if he proves this power spike is legitimate.
Jonathan Santucci, LHP, Duke – Santucci has been highly thought of since high school, but an injury that really limited him last year had him start the year as more of a second round type of prospect. He’s healthy now and showing off his plus fastball and slider with a solid change, though he will need to answer questions on his command to really change his stock.
The Wake Forest Group– This includes first baseman Nick Kurtz, outfielder Seaver King, lefty Josh Hartle, right handers Chase Burns and Michael Massey, and all are expected first rounders with four likely going in the top half of the round. Kurtz is the big piece, a lefty slugger being compared to a young Spencer Torkelson with a chance to be a plus hitter with plus power. King is an outfielder/shortstop with plus plus speed and a plus hit tool, and one of the more exciting hitters in the college game today. Hartle turned down being a Top 20 pick out of high school to head to college and he has kept his stock high despite his fastball maybe only being his fourth best pitch. Burns was also highly rated out of high school and just transferred in from Tennessee with his 102 MPH fastball and a nasty slider, though he does need to improve on his consistency. Massey is a reliever turned starter this year, though still has some reliever risk – but is another guy with a huge fastball and slider combo. I listed these five guys together because I wanted to show that Wake Forest is a must watch team this season, even if most of these guys are expected to be gone by the time the Braves pick.
