The 2024 MLB Draft is in the books. Kicking off MLB All-Star week, it was a chance for teams to change the face of their franchises and get young stars in the making. This year’s class was about as wide open as any in recent memory which provided plenty of interesting picks early in the draft. 

 

 

 

Even before these high schoolers and college players sign their first pro contracts, we’ll break down who the fantasy MLB prospects are for your dynasty fantasy baseball leagues. Keep in mind that future stars can come from outside the first round, so we’ll hit on some deeper names as well. Heck, we may even see some former player’s sons like D’Angelo Ortiz and Lucas Ramirez make the list!

Fantasy Baseball Prospect News: 2024 MLB Draft First Round Prospects

Travis Bazzana — 2B Cleveland Guardians

The first-ever second baseman to go first overall in the MLB Draft, Bazzana is a special talent. He has an impressive list of tools that make him not only well rounded on a baseball field but also for fantasy lineups. 

Bazzana should be a quick-riser in the Cleveland system and has a shot to make an impact in the Guardians’ lineup by the second half of next year. Bazzana’s double-plus Hit tool and plus Power and Speed make him a candidate to be a 25-25 second baseman who brings a .290 average – so basically, a second Jose Ramirez in the lineup.

Chase Burns — RHP Cincinnati Reds

The Reds love their high upside arms and Burns fits that mold to a tee. His stuff is electric and was the best in the draft. His control however is electric in a worse way; sometimes he doesn’t appear to know where he’s going. 

The righty has 3 plus-to-double-plus pitches and a fourth above-average offering. That gives him all he needs to be a frontline starter. Burns and his electric stuff should be a quick mover through the Reds’ system which develops pitching quite well. Get ready to see a Hunter Green, Chase Burns, Nick Lodolo, Rhett Lowder rotation to start 2026.

Charlie Condon — OF Colorado Rockies

This pick was my favorite pick and fit of the draft. I’m not even sure it’s particularly close. Condon was heavily in the discussion to go first overall and the skills are there to make that argument. He has the most power of anyone in the draft class and it’s not particularly close as it’s a 70-grade tool. That much power in Coors is mouthwatering to think about. 

It’s not just the power though, as he also has a plus-Hit tool and a great command of the strike zone and approach at the plate. There are questions about defense, but he’ll fit at a corner outfield or corner infield spot or DH. Condon’s hitting ability will force his way into a lineup no matter where he’s played and we’re talking about a .280 hitter with 45+ HR power in Coors.

Hagen Smith — LHP Chicago White Sox

For as much haranguing as the White Sox get, and mostly rightfully so, they can develop pitching. Hagen Smith won’t need a ton of development, just refinement. The southpaw has mainly a three-pitch mix that can morph into a four-pitch mix at times and most of his pitches are plus offerings. 

Smith uses a low-three-quarters delivery to add movement and depth to his stuff on top of the velocity that’s already at the high end for lefties. He has all the makings of a frontline starter for the White Sox who would fit nicely in a rotation of Garrett Crochet, Noah Schultz, and him, or simply making a duo with Schultz if/when Crochet is traded.

Jac Caglianone — 1B/LHP Kansas City Royals

The rise of the two-way player has been picking up steam over the last few years in the draft and Caglianone is the pinnacle of it. There’s a lot to like about his 6’5”, 250-pound frame and the skills that come with it both on the mound and in the batter’s box. 

Caglianone has the second-most power in the class behind Condon and a smidge less in the Hit tool department as well. Caglianone will have to work on the swing-and-miss and chase rate more in pro ball as the pitching gets more advanced, but there’s a lot to work with from the start.

On the mound, Caglianone is a bit further behind as he graded out as a second-round talent with his three-pitch mix. The fastball is by far the best pitch that grades as double-plus offering that can touch triple-digits with life. The cutter, slider, and changeup are all about average MLB pitches with some room for improvement.

The Royals drafted him as a two-way player and are insisting that they’re going to give him every chance to pitch and hit in their system. If that’s the case, his value could be the highest of any prospect taken in the draft as he profiles as an elite middle-of-the-order hitter and a number 2 starter in a rotation.

Braden Montgomery — OF Boston Red Sox

Had Montgomery not broken his ankle in the College World Series, he’d have gone earlier in the first round. As it stands, Boston got perhaps the biggest steal of the first round. The switch-hitting 21-year-old outfielder has plus Power, from both sides of the plate, an above-average Hit tool, and an absolute cannon for an arm.

Once he’s healthy, he has an outside shot to be one of the fastest from this draft class to the majors as a 30-HR, 20-SB number 2 hitter in an MLB lineup while holding down right field. The only real thing that may slow his progress, aside from the ankle, is his ability to learn to layoff breaking pitches better.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Prospect News: 2024 MLB Draft Day 2 Prospects

Dakota Jordan — OF San Francisco Giants

Money plays a role in drafts. While we think about it more for High School players, it’s also the case for draft-eligible sophomores in college as well. That’s why a guy with first-round skills slipped to the Giants in the 4th round, their second pick of the draft. Jordan has a ton of skills but is still a bit raw with knowing how to utilize them best on a baseball field. The Power and Speed traits are the standout ones and grade as plus tools.

With those in his pocket, he could be a 30-30 guy while patrolling the large center field in San Fran. However, the Hit tool needs work as it’s below average currently and there’s more swing-and-miss than we’d like to see for a guy with his power ability. Jordan also needs to improve in game speed as right now it’s mainly straight line speed that’s plus, but not for in-game situations. If everything clicks, San Fran has a fantasy impact star on their hands.

Tyson Neighbors — RHP San Diego Padres

For anyone who watched Kansas State this year, or in the Regionals and Super Regional, Neighbors stuff out of the pen jumped off the screen a bit. The 6’2”, 220-pound righty throws three pitches, all of which are at least plus if not bordering on elite. The standout pitch is the 70-grade slider that produced a whopping 63-percent whiff rate this year while the 65-grade fastball plays best at the top of the zone, keeping hitters from getting on top of it. 

He is a closer in the making and should be short to the majors as his stuff is already polished and ready for pressure situations. Folks needing a closer in dynasty formats should look at Neighbors as he’s likely to be the Padres’ closer starting perhaps mid-2025.

Kavares Tears — OF San Diego Padres

There’s not a lot Tears can’t do as he has five average-to-plus tools. The defense is on the plus side of the spectrum, while the offense is more on the average-to-above-average. Overall, that makes Tears a guy who could be a 20-25 HR a year guy with the same in steals and a .270 average. 

That’s not a bad grab for the Padres in the fourth round, and given the way San Diego develops players with tools, Tears should be a guy to watch in deeper dynasty leagues as a 20-20 outfielder for a solid offense.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Prospect News: 2024 MLB Draft Day 3 Prospects

D’Angelo Ortiz — 3B Boston Red Sox

The son of David Ortiz and a sophomore at Miami-Dade Community College, Ortiz is showing flashes of the traits that had his dad wreaking havoc on opposing pitchers. The 20-year-old has power, though has yet to show much in games, while also knowing how to work counts. If the Red Sox can tap into his power potential, there are interesting tools here that could make him a sneaky dynasty pick.

Lucas Ramirez — OF Los Angeles Angels

Another son of a former MLB player, Manny Ramirez, the 18-year-old has the Angels’ scouting department fawning over his skills. We haven’t seen a ton of him thus far, but he does have plate discipline as well as power from the left side. He’s a longer-burn prospect.

Travis Smith — RHP Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers have a knack for finding and developing these types of players. An upside arm with two above-average pitches with a burgeoning third pitch. If he develops the third pitch, the righty out of Kentucky could be a mid-rotation starter for the Brewers. However, if he only sticks with the two-pitch mix, and a below-average third, he could be another high-strikeout, high-leverage reliever for the Brewers in a couple of seasons.