2024 MLB draft combine standouts

Who stood out at the MLB draft combine?

The 2024 MLB Draft Combine was this week, and some of the best-eligible players attended. It was a good opportunity to get an added look at some of the best players available in the upcoming draft and learn about some of the lesser-known names.

Unfortunately, The MLB Network (and MLB in general) only covered the first day, so that’s all we had to go off.

Here are a few names that stood out to us during day one of the combine.

Myles Bailey - 1B Lincoln HS (FL)

Baseball America: 184

MLB Pipeline: 167

Future Star Series: 305

Few consistently hit the ball as hard as Bailey did during the batting practice portion. He looks like a legitimate power-hitting first-base prospect, something the Pirates currently lack.

According to BA, being a left-handed hitter with his frame has already drawn some Xavier Isaac comparisons from scouts.

The limitation he potentially has on defense and his age could force him to drop a bit, but if the Pirates are looking for elite raw power, Bailey is at the top of his class.

Conrad Cason - RHP Greater Atlanta Christian HS (GA)

Baseball America: 122

MLB Pipeline: 99

Future Star Series: 156

A multi-sport athlete who is also a two-way player on the diamond and is also from Georgia. Does that sound familiar?

Cason played basketball, football, and baseball and could be one of the top athletes in the draft this year. It just took a couple of swings in the batters’ box during the hitting portion to buy in, but it was his interview after the fact that stood out, where he mentioned he ‘sits’ 96-98 with the fastball and has hit triple digits.

FSS did note that there may be some hesitation about committing to pitch in the pros, but considering his apparent upside on the mound, that could win out in the end.

Nola Notes: Conrad Cason was impressive from his batting session alone, and then the whole aspect of finding out he was a pitcher that throws mid-90s — touching 100 — was icing on the cake. Unfortunately didn’t get a chance to see him take grounders at shortstop, but I’d have to imagine with his athletic background, it would’ve been just as fun to watch. As Anthony noted from the FSS report, there is some uncertainty about whether he wants to pitch, which may be his biggest draw to scouts and teams. So, maybe he could be grabbed in a later round with a commitment to letting him try out both, as the Pirates did with Bubba Chandler. Or maybe he’s drafted as a two-way, and they find out he’s a quality position player and let him stick with that, as they did with Jack Brannigan.

Chase Harlan, 3B Central Buck East HS (PA)

Baseball America: 113

MLB Pipeline: 124

Future Star Series: 66

Another power-over-hit profile, Harlan has a nice swing that he was able to put a good jolt into some balls during batting practice. A third baseman, Harlan, was throwing in the upper 80s during the fielding drills, although the first few were wild.

A few reports suggest he could eventually move to the outfield, but his power and arm still help him profile well.

Bryce Boettcher, OF Oregon University

Baseball America: NR

MLB Pipeline: NR

Future Star Series: NR

Talking about two-way stars, Boettcher played football and baseball at Oregon. I didn’t see him hit, but he has a big frame and a cannon for an arm, reaching up to 94 mph on throws home during drills.

He’s never really put up big numbers until his senior year, where he posted double digits in home runs and stolen bases.

The big sell with him? His interaction during the broadcast of the combine.

“You like to hit baseballs, and you like to hit humans.”

“Yeah, it’s what I do.”

That’s about the best kind of answer you can give. Make him a late-round pick and see if he can run into some baseballs.

Nola Notes: Bryce Boettcher was running into some pitches in his batting session. Then they did the outfield drills, and not only was he showcasing some arm strength, he was hitting every base including home plate with precision. Winded after humming some heaters, he was interviewed by Gary Sheffield and explained how he tries to keep the ball low and keep his chest fluid through the throws. It showed a player very knowledgeable about his craft.

Toss in the second interview with Harold Reynolds, where he was handing out Oregon Ducks swag to the crew. He gives me the work ethic and confidence vibes of Henry Davis.

Trey Gregory-Alford, RHP Coronado HS (Col)

Baseball America: 97

MLB Pipeline: 125

Future Star Series: 96

A UVA commit, Gregory-Alford, hit triple digits on the broadcast radar gun during his bullpen session (they rounded up, apparently).

For the most part, he sat in the 95/96 range, mixing in a slider in the mid-80s and posting around 2500/2600 RPMs of spin.

For a prep player, his frame is already very mature (6’5”, 235 lbs), and according to other scouting reports, he also mixes in a curveball and change-up. The Pirates generally target at least one prep pitcher in each draft to go over-slot with, and Gregory-Alford is one of the top power arms that fits that mold.

Nola Notes: Fastball go vroom vroom. He was clearly amped up, to the point that Al Leiter and Edwin Jackson told him to take a breath and do his thing. The funny part was that his final pitch hit 100 MPH, but the broadcast had thought Roman Kimball was the one that hit 100. But after he didn’t even come close to it again, I rewound the feed and saw that the on-screen Statcast had just become delayed.

Luke Sinnard, RHP University of Indiana

Baseball America: 282

MLB Pipeline: 184

Future Star Series: 228

It’s pretty easy to point Sinnard out, as he stands at 6’8” and 250 lbs. He sat in the lower-to-mid-90s with his fastball, topping out around 94, but it was a high-spin offering, which also showed some strong Induced Vertical Break numbers (had the top mark of 21.5” on day one).

He missed the entire 2024 season due to elbow surgery, but seeing him throwing bullpens is encouraging.

At his height, there has to be some added extension there, with that fastball getting on top of hitters quicker than he throws—and we know that’s something the Pirates like.

Tyler Bell - SS, Lincoln-Way East (HS)

Baseball America: 102

MLB Pipeline: 81

Future Star Series: 55

Tyler Bell is a 6’1” 190 lbs switch-hitting shortstop who is committed to Kentucky. He’s considered a well-rounded player who could develop into a 20-HR powerhouse.

I thought what was most impressive about him was just how smooth he was across the board. It was a bit of a tough day for infield drills. The players were all trying to let it fly and often missed the target. Bell, on the other hand, gracefully went through his set of groundballs.

The “downside” of Bell is that he is considered an “old” prep player, which just means he’d be a “young” college-eligible sophomore in two years. He was also mentioned among Baseball America’s Day One 10 Standouts. (Murphy note: The Tigers are laughing all the way to the bank after drafting Kevin McGonigle, who was also ‘older’ and is currently raking in Lakeland)

Gavin Kash - 1B/OF, Texas Tech (JR)

Baseball America: 173

MLB Pipeline: NR

Future Star Series: 422

Gavin Kash was one of the more interesting players I saw, in that he wasn’t a focus during the batting sessions or infield drills. But to me, he became a focus of the infield drills due to the aforementioned tough day for infielders.

Especially with the third basemen, they were throwing the ball all over the place. But, there was a kid on first base that was scooping EVERYTHING. That kid was Gavin Kash. He would actually get into the outfield drills, where they spoke on him some more saying he had a great deal of raw power, and mentioned he graded out with +7 DRS at first (I don’t recall where that number came from other than the broadcast). Now, as they mentioned, he’s athletic enough that he could give the outfield a try, but if that doesn’t work then you have a very quality defensive kid at first.

It reminded me of a previous personal favorite, Tre’ Morgan, but with the polar opposite bat profile. Kash had a huge sophomore year with Texas Tech, hitting 26 HR and 84 RBI while slashing .327/.397/.692 in the Big 12. His junior year saw his numbers drop to 15 HR, and 51 RBI, with a .300/.365/.561 slash. I think he could be a quality late-day 2 pick.

Nick Montgomery - C, Cypress (HS)

Baseball America: 217

MLB Pipeline: 196

Future Star Series: 98

Ironically what stood out with Nick Montgomery during the combine was his throws. He’s a 6’4” 215 lbs catcher who gets a lot of talk about his bat with power upside and ability to handle velocity.

There are question marks of whether he can stick behind the plate, and obviously the combine isn’t the place to get a full detailed view of a catcher, but he definitely has the arm and accuracy. Much like Tyler Bell with the infielders, Montgomery was impressive with his arm AND accuracy.

He is an Arizona State commit, which may be a tougher sign if he is not picked in the higher round.

Sam Antonacci - SS, Coastal Carolina (JR)

Baseball America: 294

MLB Pipeline: NR

Future Star Series: 211

If the Pirates feel the need to grab a bat-to-ball skills infielder this draft, that player should be Sam Antonacci. After playing at Heartland JC, he transferred to Coastal Carolina for his junior season. He had a 93% in-zone contact rate but doesn’t come with much power.

To keep this one short, he looks like he could stick at shortstop. He had only 19 extra-base hits, with six home runs. He also walked more (50) than he struck out (40).

Murphy note: I watched a few Coastal Carolina games and Antonacci always stood out for me. He seemed like a grinder, a high-effort player that is just an old-school ‘ballplayer.’

On the combine broadcast someone also tossed out a Brenden Donovan comp as well, who is a very solid major leaguer for the Cardinals.

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