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We're under two weeks away from the 2024 MLB draft, which will take place July 14-16 in Fort Worth, Texas, in conjunction with MLB's All-Star Game festivities. The first round kicks off at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN.
MLB mock draft 2024: Who will Cleveland Guardians take with No. 1 overall pick?
Wake Forest has five players in the projected first round, including slugger Nick Kurtz going first overall.
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MLB mock draft 2024: Who will Cleveland Guardians take with No. 1 overall pick?
Entering the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft Lottery with just a 2% chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick, the Cleveland Guardians beat the odds and are unofficially on the clock for July's draft in Arlington, Texas, during MLB's All-Star week.2024 MLB draft order
- Cleveland Guardians
- Cincinnati Reds
- Colorado Rockies
- Oakland A’s
- Chicago White Sox
- Kansas City Royals
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Los Angeles Angels
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Washington Nationals
- Detroit Tigers
- Boston Red Sox
- San Francisco Giants
- Chicago Cubs
- Seattle Mariners
- Miami Marlins
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Tampa Bay Rays
- New York Mets
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Minnesota Twins
- Baltimore Orioles
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Atlanta Braves
- San Diego Padres
- New York Yankees
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Houston Astros
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Texas Rangers
College bats abound in latest Mock Draft. But who do we have No. 1?
Seventeen days before the Guardians will exercise the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, they've let little slip out regarding their intentions. Their top four candidates appear to be, coincidentally, the top four players on MLB Pipeline's new Draft Top 250 list.Cleveland not only is mulling over the ability of Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana, Georgia outfielder/third baseman Charlie Condon, Florida first baseman/left-hander Jac Caglianone and West Virginia middle infielder JJ Wetherholt, but also calculating their signability. The Guardians have a record bonus pool ($18,334,000) that includes an unprecedented allotment for the No. 1 choice ($10,570,600), and they want to balance talent and cost with that selection to maximize their chances of doing damage with the rest of their Draft picks.
If Bazzana doesn't go No. 1, he might fall to the Athletics at No. 4, which comes with a pick value of $8,370,800. Condon is not looking to take any kind of discount, and he and Caglianone figure to go to the Reds at No. 2 ($9,785,000) and Rockies at No. 3 ($9,070,800) in either order. Thus Bazzana theoretically should be more amenable to accepting a bonus in the $8.5 million-to-8.75 million range from Cleveland.
MLB Pipeline's top-rated prospect entering the year, Wetherholt missed half the season with a recurring hamstring injury. He also rivals Bazzana as the best pure hitter available and is more athletic, though he does offer less power. After the Guardians, his next landing spot is possibly the White Sox at No. 5 ($7,763,700) and he might fall into the back half of the top 10, so he would come with the largest discount of the four.
For now -- and much can change in the next two weeks -- I think Cleveland's choice comes down to Bazzana vs. Wetherholt. Caglianone is more in play with the Guardians than has been realized, while Condon is fourth in the pecking order if he wants full slot.
As always, detailed reports, scouting grades and video for all the players below are included on the Draft Top 250 list.
1. Guardians: Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State (No. 1)
On the Pipeline Podcast earlier this week, we assigned percentage chances for the candidates for this pick. I'd revise mine like this: Bazzana 35 percent, Wetherholt 30 percent, Caglianone 20 percent, Condon 10 percent, the field (Wake Forest right-hander Chase Burns, Mississippi high school shortstop/outfielder Konnor Griffin, maybe Arkansas left-hander Hagen Smith) 5 percent.
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Cleveland Guardians, you are on the clock.
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