The 2024 MLB draft is underway on ESPN, with the Cleveland Guardians starting things off by taking Travis Bazzana with the No. 1 overall pick on Sunday night.
The Cincinnati Reds followed by selecting Chase Burns with the second pick, the Colorado Rockies went with Charlie Condon, the Oakland Athletics with Nick Kurtz and Chicago White Sox rounded out the top five by taking Hagen Smith. History was made as college players were taken with the first eight picks of the draft; it was the latest without a high school player being selected since the MLB Draft was created in 1965, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Follow along for pick-by-pick coverage, with ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield and Dan Mullen breaking down everything you need to know about who your favorite team took in the first round as the picks come off the board.
Final mock draft | Draft rankings: Top 250 | Big question for all 30 teams
Who is Bazzana? The Australian-born Bazzana had a monster season for the Beavers, hitting .407/.568/.911 with 28 home runs and more than twice as many walks as strikeouts (76-37). The 28 home runs set a school record and the overall numbers are a little better than Adley Rutschman had for the Beavers when he went No. 1 overall in 2019. A left-handed hitter, Bazzana’s hit tool rates a little better than his raw power, although he learned to tap into that this season, improving from 11 home runs as a sophomore. He’s a pure second baseman who could potentially move to center field as well.
Passan: Inside Bazzana’s rise to the top of the MLB draft
Why the Guardians took him here: There was a lot of pre-draft discussion about what Cleveland would do with this pick, including speculation the Guardians might opt to cut a deal with a slightly lesser prospect — but in Bazzana they are getting one of the consensus top players in this draft class. The Oregon State star pushed himself to the top of draft boards by packing power and hitting ability into his compact frame, which makes him exactly the type of player Cleveland has thrived at getting the most of in recent years. He also gives off some Jose Ramirez vibes with the swagger that comes with his ability. — Mullen
2. Cincinnati Reds: Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest
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The plays that helped make Chase Burns the second pick in the MLB draft
Check out the highlights that helped make Chase Burns the second pick in the 2024 MLB draft by the Reds.
Who is Burns? The latest in the Wake Forest pitching pipeline, Burns transferred from Tennessee for his junior season and becomes the fifth Demon Deacon hurler taken in the first round since 2018, joining Rhett Lowder, Ryan Cusick, Jared Shuster and Griffin Roberts. He also joins Lowder (seventh overall last year to the Reds) and Kyle Sleeth (third overall in 2003) as the earliest selections in program history. Burns starts with a 98 mph fastball that can touch 101, with a hard, high-spin slider that helped him record the highest strikeout rate in Division I at nearly 49% (191 K’s in 100 IP). There is some concern about his delivery, but he averaged less than 3.0 walks per nine all three seasons in college.
Why the Reds took him here: The Reds can dream on Burns turning into the next Paul Skenes given his fastball velocity and strikeout rate in college. He isn’t projected to advance to the majors as quickly as Skenes, but there’s no denying Burns is a potential ace if everything comes together. With Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott already leading a much improved Cincinnati rotation, the Reds could have a fearsome foursome in a couple of years. — Schoenfield
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Why new Rockie Charlie Condon was worth a high draft pick
Kiley McDaniel describes what makes new Colorado Rockie Charlie Condon a top prospect.
Who is Condon? Condon had one of the most prolific seasons in NCAA history as a redshirt sophomore, hitting .433 with 37 home runs and a 1.565 OPS – becoming the first Division I hitter this century to hit 35 home runs and posting better numbers than Wyatt Langford and Dylan Crews put up in the same conference last season. At 6-foot-6, he draws comparisons to Kris Bryant and Alec Bohm for his lanky frame. He’s played all over the field for Georgia and has the arm to get a shot at third base, although he could end up as a corner outfielder.
Why the Rockies took him here: The No. 1 player on ESPN draft expert Kiley McDaniel’s board, this seems like an easy choice for Colorado at No. 3. A team that, despite playing at high altitude, is in desperate need of offensive upgrades gets a slugger who earned national player of the year honors by putting up incredible numbers in the nation’s toughest conference. And Condon’s polished game should have him aiming for the Coors Field fences in Colorado’s lineup sooner rather than later. — Mullen
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The plays that helped land Nick Kurtz on the Athletics
Check out the highlights that helped make Nick Kurtz the fourth pick by the Oakland Athletics.
Who is Kurtz? A three-year star for the Demon Deacons, Kurtz hit .306/.531/.763 with 22 home runs in 54 games in 2024 while also posting the highest walk rate in Division I. A load at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Kurtz brings some Anthony Rizzo vibes for his combination of power, hit tool, strike zone judgment and plus defense at first base. With a compact swing, he has a chance to move up quickly to the majors.
Why the A’s took him here: Taking Kurtz over Jac Caglianone is a minor surprise if the A’s wanted a first baseman, but Kurtz might have the better hit tool and definitely has the better plate discipline right now, so he can perhaps be viewed as a bit of a safer pick. It’s also possible that Kurtz will sign for a little below slot, giving the A’s more pool money to spend later in the draft. — Schoenfield
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The plays that helped land Hagen Smith on the White Sox
Check out the highlights that helped make Hagen Smith the fifth pick by the White Sox.
Who is Smith? Maybe the next left-handed starter from Arkansas, following in the footsteps of Cy Young winners Cliff Lee and Dallas Keuchel as well as Drew Smyly. Following Tommy John surgery in high school, Smith switched between starting and relieving during his first two seasons with the Razorbacks before breaking out in 2024, becoming the SEC pitcher of the year after going 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA and striking out 161 in 84 innings – including a 17-strikeout performance in six innings against Oregon State. He sat in the mid-90s with a wipeout slider, although he averaged barely five innings per start, so there might be some reliever risk here.
Why the White Sox took him here: The big question here is if the White Sox will end up regretting making this pick with Jac Caglianone still on the board. The White Sox have had a lot of success going with left-handed starting pitching in the draft lately (Garrett Crochet and Noah Schultz) and Smith is a lefty with nasty stuff — namely a wicked slider — who should move quickly through the minors. The Arkansas ace has drawn comparisons to Carlos Rodon and even had some evaluators mentioning Chris Sale — and he has frontline starter upside if it all comes together. — Mullen
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What makes Jac Caglianone worthy of a high draft pick?
Kiley McDaniel describes what makes new Royal Jac Caglianone a top prospect.
Who is Caglianone? Nicknamed “Jactani” after Shohei Ohtani and for his two-way play, Caglianone profiles best as a hitter in the pros – and with good reason. A huge presence at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, he became one of the greatest sluggers in NCAA history the past two seasons, leading the country with 33 home runs as a sophomore and then following up with an even more dominant junior season, hitting .419 with 35 home runs. (He went 5-2 with a 4.76 ERA as a pitcher, hitting 100 mph.) It’s grade 80 raw power on the 20-to-80 scale. His 58-to-26 strikeout-to-walk ratio looks impressive, but 31 of those walks were intentional and he has a very high chase rate that he’ll have to improve as a pro.
Why the Royals took him here: Imagine Bobby Witt Jr. batting in front of a 40-homer-hitting Caglianone? That’s what the Royals are hoping for — and this is definitely an offense that needs some juice besides Witt, Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino. Note that the Royals announced Caglianone as a two-way player, so it’s possible they will try to develop him as a two-way player. With Pasquantino at first base, Jactani could turn into a DH/SP … sound familiar? — Schoenfield
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The attributes that make J.J. Wetherholt worthy of a high pick by the Cardinals
Kiley McDaniel describes what makes West Virginia’s J.J. Wetherholt worthy of a high pick in the MLB draft.
Who is Wetherholt? He began the season as ESPN’s No. 1 prospect in February, then missed two months with a hamstring injury — the same injury that hampered him last summer after he had hit .449 with 16 home runs and 36 stolen bases for WVU. He returned from the injury this season to hit .331/.472/.589. Scouts still love his left-handed swing, bat speed, contact ability and approach. He’s been a plus runner when healthy and while he played shortstop in college, he might end up at second base. He becomes the highest-drafted player in WVU history. (Alek Manoah and Chris Enochs both went 11th overall.)
Why the Cardinals took him here: This just feels like a Cardinals pick. In Wetherholt, St. Louis gets a very polished college player who is above average at everything from hit tool and power to defense (whether he stays at shortstop in the pros remains to be seen). Wetherholt might not have the star potential of some of the other players picked around him, but he is one of the safest bets to be a solid major leaguer. — Mullen
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The plays that helped make Christian Moore an Angel
Check out the highlights that helped make Christian Moore the eighth pick by the Angels in the 2024 MLB draft.
Who is Moore? The most prolific slugger in the best lineup in college baseball this year, Moore helped the Vols bash their way to the program’s first College World Series title. Moore showed off his well-rounded game by becoming the second player in MCWS history to hit for the cycle during Tennessee’s first game in Omaha and hit .375 with 34 home runs on the season — doubling his home run total from the previous year.
Why the Angels took him here: The Angels love to take college players who appear close to the majors and Moore fits that mold, becoming their sixth straight college selection in the first round. The last two of those — Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel — are already in the majors, so if Moore follows their path, he could be one of the first players from this draft to reach MLB. He’s limited to second base because of his arm, but his contact rate should allow him to move quickly through the minors. — Schoenfield
9. Pittsburgh Pirates: Konnor Griffin, SS, Jackson Prep (Miss.) HS
Who is Griffin? A dynamic two-way talent , Griffin earned Gatorade national player of the year honors after hitting .559 with 9 home runs and 87 stolen bases in 43 games and posting a 10-0 record with a 0.72 ERA this spring. Despite those gaudy pitching statistics, his ceiling as a position player is what got him drafted here with some evaluators saying Griffin might have the highest ceiling in this draft class.
Why the Pirates took him here: A year after getting the best pitcher in the draft in Paul Skenes at No. 1 overall, the Pirates land the position player who might have the most upside of any player in this year’s draft with the No. 9 pick. If Griffin can fix a hitch in his swing that scouts have pointed to this spring, his ceiling is perennial All-Star and MVP candidate. It’s a pretty big if, but one the Pirates are betting heavy on with this selection. While he’s unlikely to be a two-way pitcher in the pros, his pitching ability does give him a fallback if his swing doesn’t work out. — Mullen
Who is King? King arrived at Wake Forest as a transfer from Division II Wingate, where he hit .411 and had a 47-game hitting streak as a sophomore before proving himself against top competition with a standout summer in the Cape Cod League. Though his numbers declined slightly with the move to the ACC, King still hit .308 with a career-best 16 home runs as one of three first-round prospects on Wake Forest’s roster this spring.
Upcoming picks
First round
11. Detroit Tigers
12. Boston Red Sox
13. San Francisco Giants
14. Chicago Cubs
15. Seattle Mariners
16. Miami Marlins
17. Milwaukee Brewers
18. Tampa Bay Rays
19. New York Mets
20. Toronto Blue Jays
21. Minnesota Twins
22. Baltimore Orioles
23. Los Angeles Dodgers
24. Atlanta Braves
25. San Diego Padres
26. New York Yankees
27. Philadelphia Phillies
28. Houston Astros
29. Arizona Diamondbacks
30. Texas Rangers
Prospect Promotion Incentive picks
31. Arizona Diamondbacks (for Corbin Carroll winning ROY)
32. Baltimore Orioles (for Gunnar Hendersonw winning ROY)
Compensation picks
33. Minnesota Twins (Compensation for Sonny Gray)
Competitive balance round A
34. Milwaukee Brewers (Acquired from Orioles in Corbin Burnes trade)
35. Arizona Diamondbacks
36. Cleveland Guardians
37. Pittsburgh Pirates
38. Colorado Rockies
39. Washington Nationals (Acquired from Royals in Hunter Harvey trade)
Second round
40. Oakland Athletics
41. Kansas City Royals
42. Colorado Rockies
43. Chicago White Sox
44. Washington Nationals
45. Los Angeles Angels
46. New York Mets
47. Pittsburgh Pirates
48. Cleveland Guardians
49. Detroit Tigers
50. Boston Red Sox
51. Cincinnati Reds
52. San Diego Padres
53. New York Yankees
54. Chicago Cubs
55. Seattle Mariners
56. Miami Marlins
57. Milwaukee Brewers
58. Tampa Bay Rays
59. Toronto Blue Jays
60. Minnesota Twins
61. Baltimore Orioles
62. Atlanta Braves
63. Philadelphia Phillies
64. Arizona Diamondbacks
65. Texas Rangers
Competitive balance round B
66. Tampa Bay Rays
67. Milwaukee Brewers
68. Chicago White Sox (Acquired from Mariners in Gregory Santos trade)
69. Minnesota Twins
70. Miami Marlins
71. Cincinnati Reds
72. Detroit Tigers
73. Oakland Athletics
Compensation picks
74. Los Angeles Angels (For Shohei Ohtani)