What a beautiful day it is! It is college baseball opening day, which means baseball is back. The start of the college season also means we get to see some of the top 2024 MLB Draft talent in action this year. The draft class is another exciting one showcased by a strong pool of college players.
The Royals had unfortunate luck in the MLB Draft lottery as they missed out on a top-three pick in the draft and will draft 6th this year. That means they will likely miss out on West Virginia’s JJ Wetherholt, Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana, and Wake Forest’s Nick Kurtz. Currently, those three are considered the consensus top three in the draft. So, who are some college prospects you should pay to this season?
HITTERS
Charlie Condon, 1B/DH, Georgia
Condon has been an absolute force at Georgia. He burst onto the scene last year as a redshirt freshman, slashing .386/.484/.800 with 25 home runs and 57 RBI. That was good enough to win him SEC Freshman of the Year. Condon is built like a monster in the box coming in at 6’6, 211 pounds. He uses that size and strength to hit the ball a very long way! He possesses some of the best power in the class, and it grades as plus-plus. He pairs that with a good approach at the plate and shows a great ability to get barrel to ball. Defensively, he likely is more suited for first base but does have the athleticism to play a corner outfield position if needed. There is more value if he can find a way to stick in a corner outfield position so he’s not fully relying on his bat if he is first base only. If the Royals want a big, powerful bat that is pretty polished, Condon is their guy.
Mike Sirota, OF, Northeastern
By now, you’ve seen me on multiple occasions hype up Mike Sirota as a guy the Royals should seriously consider at #6. For a team that has lacked a true center field prospect, Sirota could be the solution to their problem. He is the type of guy who doesn’t have one loud tool but instead is a sum-of-all-parts guy. He just does everything right, especially at the plate. He pairs a sound hit tool with good plate discipline and decent power. He’s also got the ability to hit the ball all over the field. On top of that, he’s got the speed and defensive ability to stick in center field. He’s gotten somewhat overlooked due to being at a mid-major but has taken off with back-to-back strong performances in the Cape Cod League.
Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina
I’ve said this before, but near five-tool prospects don’t grow on trees, and Vance Honeycutt has plus tools across the board besides his hit tool. Honeycutt made adjustments last year to improve his hit tool, which reduced strikeouts but also came at a cost of production. He will be the most interesting player to watch this year to see if he can bring back some of those power numbers that disappeared with his adjustments at the plate. Honeycutt has more upside than Sirota as a center field prospect but comes with more risk due to those hit-tool concerns. He is a guy you’d like to see what changes Drew Saylor and co. could do to improve his game. Giving him access to resources like that could take Honeycutt’s game to the next level and possibly give the Royals a five-tool player to bank on in the future.
Seaver King, SS/OF, Wake Forest
Seaver King may have one of the coolest stories to follow in college baseball. He was a guy who was completely overlooked for his size out of high school and ended up committing to Division II Wingate. He took college baseball by storm, grew a bit, and found himself transferring to powerhouse Wake Forest, where he expects to be a starting outfielder for the Demon Deacons. We interviewed him with Nick Kurtz for On The Clock by Prospects Live, and the kid possesses a ton of maturity and the attitude of a guy you want on your team. Many people thought that maybe King was having as much success as he did because of the lack of competition, but he showcased he could handle his own in the Cape Cod League. He has more of a line-drive approach and pairs that with some good exit velocities. He does have some swing-and-miss to his game and doesn’t walk much, but the building blocks for a special player are there. He’s athletic enough to play almost anywhere, including center field. He has a ton of upside and has continued to improve his game each year. He could be an exciting pick for the Royals at number 6.
PITCHERS
Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest
Electric factory. That is what you get when you tune into a Chase Burns start. Not only is his stuff electric, but so is his attitude on the mound. He brings a bulldog mentality to the mound and isn’t afraid to come right at hitters with his stuff. He exudes confidence in all these pitches. His bread and butter is his two-pitch fastball and slider combo. The fastball is one of the best in the draft class. He sits in the upper-90s but can get it up to 101-102 if he needs a little extra to get a batter out. The slider is usually in the low 90s and is absolutely disgusting in a good way. The ceiling is sky-high for the University of Tennessee transfer who will have the opportunity to benefit from the Wake Forest pitching lab this year. Burns is considered the best pitching prospect in this draft class almost everywhere, so there is a chance he doesn’t even make it to the Royals at #6. But if he is there, you would love to see the Royals go in this direction.
Brody Brecht, RHP, Iowa
Outside of Burns, Brody Brecht might have the best stuff out of any arm in this MLB draft class. And like Burns, he is an absolute electric factory. It’s hard to find a guy with two plus-plus pitches. The one thing that is holding Brecht back is his control. He had 61 walks in 77 innings pitched last year. This could be due to the fact that he came to Iowa to play both football and baseball. He’s now decided to focus on baseball; by doing so, he could take his game to the next level in 2024. Brecht might a bit too risky for the Royals’ liking, but it is hard to ignore the stuff that he has. He’s someone who could really benefit from the Royals’ “Raid the Zone” mentality. He could thrive with the Royals and their newly revamped ways of developing pitchers. He is a must watch in 2024 to see how his game progresses this season.
Jonathan Santucci, LHP, Duke
Am I writing about Jonathan Santucci because I am watching him pitch against Indiana as I write this? Probably, but that’s not to say Santucci isn’t nasty. The Duke left-hander has been finding his way up draft boards after a strong 2023 campaign. Santucci came to Duke as a two-way player but has gone pitcher only as he is a dominant force on the mound. He repeats his delivery with ease The fastball comes up on hitters quickly, and he was sitting mostly 95-96 today. He can command the zone well and has a lot of confidence in his secondaries that feature a plus-changeup and slider that also flashes plus. He mixes his pitches well. He back-doored a slider to catch a few righties looking in this game against Indiana. Santucci likely finds himself being taken in the first round. If the Royals decide to go with an arm, Santucci presents the safest floor and most polished arm in the class.
Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas
Hagen Smith is the guy I am most looking forward to watching this year. Especially after reports this fall showcased a velocity increase (touching triple digits). The question is if he will be able to hold that velocity increase throughout the season, but regardless, he is still an exciting prospect. His fastball averaged 93 mph before that and topped out at 98 mph. He pairs that fastball with a mid-80s slider, which is easily his best pitch. He’s also got a change-up and a cutter he’s been working on. Command holds Smith back from hitting his ceiling, and he will likely be looking to improve there in 2024. He could see his draft stock rise if he finds a way to make significant progress there. He could be a fun target for the Royals in the 2024 MLB Draft.
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