2024 MLB Draft

Hartle, Brecht, Smith, Santucci, Hurd all on the mound today

Burns, Beam tomorrow

14. Josh Hartle
Position: LHP
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 210 lbs
Age: 20
School: Wake Forest
Scouting Report: Hartle showcased significant improvement in 2023, boasting a 2.81 ERA over 102.1 innings with a 27.7% K-BB rate. His arsenal includes a sinking fastball (90-94 mph), a low-80s curveball, a mid-80s changeup, and a mid-to-upper-80s cutter. While he's a plus strike thrower with a clean delivery, his lack of deception remains a concern for hitters.

15. Chase Burns
Position: RHP
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195 lbs
Age: 20
School: Wake Forest
Scouting Report: Burns, transferring to Wake Forest, possesses a high-velocity fastball (averaging 96 mph, touching 102) and a plus slider. Despite some control concerns, his strikeout rates are impressive, making him a potent asset for the pitching staff.

16. Hagen Smith
Position: LHP
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 215 lbs
Age: 20
School: Arkansas
Scouting Report: Smith, despite Tommy John surgery, has showcased impressive stuff, including a 93 mph fastball (touching 98) and a plus slider (82-85 mph). Control issues persist with a 13.4% walk rate, and his delivery suggests some reliever risk. However, his arm talent from the left side is electrifying.

24. Drew Beam
Position: RHP
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 208 lbs
Age: 20
School: Tennessee
Scouting Report: Beam, with a starter's frame, demonstrates above-average command with a fastball (93-94 mph, touching 98), a go-to curveball, and a mid-80s changeup. His deep pitch mix and command profile him as a reliable college pitching option.

25. Brody Brecht
Position: RHP
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 205 lbs
Age: 21
School: Iowa
Scouting Report: Brecht, a former dual-sport athlete, showcases elite arm talent with a high-velocity fastball (97.5 mph average) and a devastating slider. Control issues and the transition to a starter role pose challenges, but his potential is unmatched.

28. Jonathan Santucci
Position: LHP
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 205 lbs
Age: 21
School: Duke
Scouting Report: Santucci, despite injury setbacks, showcases first-round arm talent with a 93 mph fastball (touching 96) and a plus slider. He needs a fully healthy 2024 season to prove his starting role and log more innings.

31. Thatcher Hurd
Position: RHP
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 200 lbs
Age: 21
School: LSU
Scouting Report: Hurd, after a rocky start, emerged as a reliable arm for LSU, featuring a mid-90s fastball and a high-spin slider. Expected to be LSU’s Friday starter in 2024, he has the opportunity to solidify himself as a first-round draft pick.

I'm pretty much always of the mindset take the BPA especially in the first and would love for that to be a high upside college arm, however It feels like pick 12 is a hard spot to project a college SP to be the pick. From what I can tell most of the time the college arms that come out and have good seasons end up rising into the top 10 and a bad season drops them closer to the end of the 1st if not out of the 1st. 

Fangraphs did a little college baseball preview piece (https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-seven-college-baseball-teams-you-need-to-know/) and it's fine, it discusses a couple less publicized teams but doesn't get into prospects all that much, and it just makes me sad how their staff issues have pretty much tanked their draft coverage. I've talked before about how I don't love people categorizing work they disagree with as "lazy", and I don't want to even call Fangraphs' staff that. But..

If you're going to have a 2024 MLB Draft board, you should probably at least make sure the players have the right team listed by Opening Day of college baseball. Even if you can look past Braden Montgomery not being listed with A&M, Thatcher Hurd pitched for LSU all last season. That type of objective measure is the type of thing that makes me take a lot of their prospect stuff with a grain of salt, even if their lead analysts are some of my favorite in the game.

Throws 100mph and can’t throw strikes is a profile I would expect the regime to value less than the average team.

Brecht was previously a dual sport athlete at Iowa (football), so this was his first year with a full normal offseason. I think the BA guys were talking about how he may be able to improve his control and overall talent now that he’s just focusing on baseball.

I'm taking credit for this!

Oh no I posted a different link than you I was just joking that my calling out FG for not having updated their list inspired them to do it (ignoring the fact this was explicitly scheduled haha).

One game in and Braden Montgomery and Jace LaViolette already have 112 mph and 114 mph homers, respectively (I know he’s 2025 butJace added a second for good measure).

Those two are just ridiculous, going to be a ton of fun to watch that lineup all year.

Excited to dive a little more into the day’s boxes when I am prepping for the Texas game tomorrow, but Brecht’s line made me lol.

I know all the attention is on Brecht, but Iowa pitcher Marcus Morgan is a guy who could really break out this year and be worth keeping in mind for beyond the first round

Also, if anyone is interested in a 6-6, 250 pound, left handed power pitcher and hitter; Payton Tolle of TCU is your guy


Lastly, one from the high school ranks, and young for the class as he's a reclassified 2025:

Well I’m not a pitching expert but I’ve always been of the theory that the better stuff is more important and I liked hearing it from someone who is involved in pitching development. I don’t think what he is saying is to disregard command its more like lets get pitchers with plus stuff and help them hone in the command.