Introduction to 2024 MLB Draft: Top college hitters

A look at some of the top college hitters available in the 2024 MLB draft

After reviewing some of the top college pitching prospects in the 2024 MLB Draft, today we will focus on the hitters.

At least at the top, this is the strength of the draft class. On MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, nine of their top 10 prospects in their initial rankings are college hitters (one two-way counted as a hitter).

This year is also a little odd, as you rarely see so many players from ‘non-premium’ positions ranked so high.

It could be between a first and second (potentially) baseman heading into the season.

So, here are 10 names to watch going into the college baseball season, with some notes included on watching them play some.

Players to talk about

Nick Kurtz

A towering 6’5” first baseman for Wake Forest who has hit 37 home runs and driven in 120 runs in 109 games his first two years in school. He’s put up fantastic exit velocity numbers but is an all-around strong hitter, walking (63) more than he struck out (50) last year.

Watching the video, Duke lefty Jonathan Santucci got the best of him a couple of times with a pair of strikeouts. Through that, he did foul off some good pitches and eventually ripped a single in his last at-bat against him. He won’t face too many better lefties than Santucci, and he put up a good fight.

Outside of that, he showed a great eye at the plate, rarely chasing, and used all fields in the video.

JJ Wetherhold

MLB Pipeline has him as the top player currently, as well as having the best hit tool (70). He led the nation in hitting last year with a .449/.517/.782 line while hitting 16 home runs, 23 doubles, and stealing 35 bases.

The biggest question on Wetherhold that could cement his status as the top player in the draft is if he can stick at shortstop. He will get another year at West Virginia to prove that.

Travis Bazzana

The Australian-born infielder put up a .902 OPS his first year at Oregon State before upping it to 1.122 in 2023. He was a Cape Cod MVP, and Pipeline has given him a plus grade (60) for his power and run tools.

There was a lot of movement in his swing/stance as a freshman, but he cut back on that this past year. Where there is some question on whether Wetherhold can stick at short, Bazzana is considered a pure second baseman.

Jac Caglianone

Perhaps one of the biggest wildcards in the draft is that only a few can match the raw tools that Caglianone has. He led the nation in home runs with 33 and had some of the best power in the draft.

There are some questions about his approach, as he has an incredibly high chase rate (44%) and has only walked 5% of his plate appearances through two years at Florida.

On the flip side, he’s also only struck out 18.2% of the time, and despite the high chase rate, he does show a great ability to reach and make contact with the pitch.

He’s very much a free swinger at the plate, which works in college but would be something to monitor for whatever team drafted him.

Mike Sirota

Playing for Northeastern, Sirota has five-tool potential, which includes playing center field. He batted .346 with 18 home runs and 19 stolen bases last year and had a great run in the Cape Cod League.

He has a little more of a crouched stance and can generate a lot of torque through his weight transfer, helping drive the ball to all fields.

Vance Honeycutt

Honeycutt burst onto the scene with North Carolina as a freshman, hitting 25 home runs and stealing another 29 bases, but also struck out 30% of the time at the plate. He cut that down to 20% this past year, but his production slipped.

He was also dealing with an injury that cut his season short.

If Honeycutt can keep the strikeouts down, he has the toolset to fly up the board and give Wetherhold and Kurtz a run for their money.

Seaver King

Wake Forest will be a lot of fun to watch this season, as they have potential five first-round picks on their roster, with King being the latest addition. His first two years on campus were spent at DII Wingate (NC), and he hit .411/.457/.699 with 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases as a sophomore.

While MLB Pipeline grades him above average regarding his arm and fielding, they mention he is ‘merely average’ at shortstop and hinted at a move to center field this year with Wake Forest.

Braden Montgomery

It does look like Montgomery gets a little too upright in his swing, which throws him off a bit. Not only did he hit 17 home runs last year, but he also increased his walk rate by 10% (up to 16%).

As a two-way player, he has one of the strongest arms in the draft and will probably settle in right field in the pros.

He transferred to Texas A&M this year, so he will face even better competition to prove the hit tool continues to improve.

Tommy White

White burst onto the scene as a freshman at NC State, hitting 27 home runs and batting .362 before transferring to LSU.

He transferred to LSU, where he had 48 extra-base hits in 66 games, driving in 105 runs.

While the attention usually turns to his power, the hit tool is legit. According to Baseball America, he had an In-Zone contact rate of 87% and 92% against sliders.

The biggest question with White will be his defense, as he plays third now but may require a move to first base. Based on who is available at the top of the draft, that may not be as big a deal as years prior.

Charlie Condon

He might have the most raw power in the entire draft, hitting 25 home runs and slugging over .800 as a redshirt freshman last year.

Condon is a power-over-hit profile currently, but the power is as legit as they come - he had an average exit velocity of 94 mph last year.

There are some swing-and-miss issues, especially against non-fastballs, but still drew walks 13.3% and struck out just 17.7% of the time.

He’s potentially a corner outfield if he shows some more contact ability, he could jump up the board.