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2024 - MLB Draft Thread


DirtySox
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2 hours ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Sox appear to be in a great spot at 5. Konnor Griffin is the top prep guy, Bazzana, Wetherholt and Honeycutt all look great so far and the college pitching class could be elite at the top. Really good options. 

Let's hope.

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I'm just pleased that some of the college pitching is trending up. I like the diversity we could potentially see at the top. I'm still not sure what I think of Bazzana/Wetherholt yet. Going to tune into the Chase Burns start today to see if that hype train continues.

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9 hours ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Sox appear to be in a great spot at 5. Konnor Griffin is the top prep guy, Bazzana, Wetherholt and Honeycutt all look great so far and the college pitching class could be elite at the top. Really good options. 

 

Cags and Montgomery look really good too.  I'm out on Bazzana and I don't want Wetherholt.  

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5 hours ago, Timmy U said:

Despite his control issues, I prefer Cags as a pitcher. What are your thoughts, Harold?

I like him as a hitter and would give him a shot in RF but then I talked to someone whose opinion I greatly respect and he said Cags is by far the best player in this draft and he would absolutely send him out as a two way guy.  So now I'm thinkin he can do both.  But like I said I don't think it matters cause he ain't gettin to 5.

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15 hours ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

I like him as a hitter and would give him a shot in RF but then I talked to someone whose opinion I greatly respect and he said Cags is by far the best player in this draft and he would absolutely send him out as a two way guy.  So now I'm thinkin he can do both.  But like I said I don't think it matters cause he ain't gettin to 5.

Let him be a 2-way until he fails one of the ways.

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College Hot Sheet.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/charlie-condon-hagen-smith-highlight-ncaa-week-2-standouts-hot-sheet/

How we feeling about Condon?

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Charlie Condon, OF, Georgia

Class: 2024

What He Did: 11-for-17 (.647), 9 R, 6 RBI, 3 HR, 1 3B, 1 2B, 3 BB, 2 K

Condon has been off to a scorching start this season and continued that in week two, where he tallied 11 hits including three home runs in four games. He has a multi-hit game in all seven games this season and currently has more extra-base hits (8) and walks (6) than strikeouts (3). He was named the SEC player of the week for his efforts and is in the mix to be one of the first players selected in the draft. –CC

 

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BA with a good read today.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/10-mlb-draft-prospects-to-know-after-two-weeks-of-college-baseball/

Picked out the portions on Condon, & Honeycutt. There are also writeups on Hagen Smith, Hartle, Santucci, Amick, Brecht, Hurd, Cam Smith, and AJ Russell.

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Charlie Condon, OF/1B, Georgia

If you haven’t thought of Charlie Condon as a potential 1-1 pick, it’s time to start considering the idea.

The 2023 Freshman of the Year is off to a scorching start in 2024. Through his first seven games, he has multi-hit games in each and is slashing .643/.694/.1.179 with three home runs, one triple, four doubles and six walks to just three strikeouts.

Each of his home runs were against non-competitive off-speed offerings that hung over the plate. But he’s done exactly what he’s needed to against those pitches while showing in-game power to both fields, staying within the strike zone on his swings and showing no issues with the handful of 92-plus mph fastballs he’s seen so far this spring.

Scouts believe Condon has 70-grade game power potential, and if that’s paired with a plus hit tool, there’s no real reason why he can’t be considered right alongside Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz at the very top of the class. 

While Kurtz does have an edge as a lefthanded hitter, Condon can offer more defensive versatility and has already gotten time at third base, first base and left field in 2024. While he ultimately projects best as a corner outfielder, Condon has held his own at the hot corner and has already shown off more athleticism than scouts expected to see from him. Against UNC Asheville, he made a slick catch while falling over the fence in foul territory in left field.

As a draft-eligible sophomore, Condon will have less of a resume than others in the class, but through his first 63 games between 2023 and 2024, he has been an elite hitter with a .416/.510/.845 slash line, 28 home runs and 14 doubles. He’s currently ranked No. 8 in the class and that feels low by at least three spots. 

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Vance Honeycutt, OF, UNC

Like Condon, Honeycutt is a top-of-the-class college hitter who’s off to a hot start and already has five home runs in his first seven games of the season. Unlike Condon, however, Honeycutt is looking to put together his first .300-plus season together in 2024 and has a career .280/.415/.609 batting line in 121 games despite impressive power and stolen-base production and double-plus defense in center field.

There is a notable change in Honeycutt’s offensive setup that is worth noting. Below you can see his 2023 (top) pre-pitch stance compared to his 2024 (bottom) setup:

His posture is different with a more upright and even stance this year compared to a slightly more athletic crouched and open setup in 2023. He also has the bat head at a less extreme angle, which leads to slightly less pronounced bat tip in his hand load, though his stride, hands and swing itself look fairly similar year-over-year.

Scouts will be bearing down significantly on Honeycutt’s pure hitting ability this season, as that is the most glaring weakness of his otherwise impressive toolset. I attempted to do the same thing with a few of Honeycutt’s early-season games, and despite his early power production, I am often left wondering if Honeycutt isn’t simply a below-average hitter who guesses too frequently at the plate.

He has a tendency to pull out heavily with his lower half, which leaves him exposed on the outer third and against secondaries in general. This was specifically a problem against Trey Yesavage last Friday night in the second inning when Honeycutt had runners on second and third with one out: 

Yesavage started the at-bat with an 84-mph changeup down and in that Honeycutt swung out in front of. In an 0-1 count, Yesavage placed an 88-mph slider with precision down and to his glove side in the corner of the zone and Honeycutt was again out in front whiffing and looking like he wanted to pull the ball. Ahead 0-2, Yesavage threw an 84-mph changeup low and away that Honeycutt lunged at but managed to check his swing. At 1-2, Yesavage elevated with a 95-mph fastball above the zone for a ball. At 2-2, Yesavage went back to the changeup low and away, but Honeycutt did a better job spitting on the pitch. In a full count, Yesavage threw an 88-mph slider middle-middle that entirely locked Honeycutt up for strike three. 

It’s extremely early, but Honeycutt has still shown the same contact and pitch recognition issues against breaking stuff and off-speed offerings that have plagued him in the past. If he’s hitting 25 homers and stealing 30 bases while catching everything in a one-mile radius in center field, perhaps that ultimately won’t be a dealbreaker. But it remains a question to watch throughout the season. 

 

Edited by DirtySox
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