MLB Draft 2024: Scouting Reports for Top Prospects

The 2024 MLB draft is finally here with the first 74 picks taking place on Sunday, followed by rounds three through 10 on Monday and rounds 11 through 20 on Tuesday.

This is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable years at the top of the draft. There are several reasons for that, most notably the lack of consensus around 2024 class and financial maneuvering that teams could employ.

One thing that's not uncertain in this draft, particularly the first round, is that it is going to be very heavy on college position players. That was the strength of the class coming into the season and, with the exception of some injuries along the way, that held true as we arrive at the draft.

Here is a closer look at some of the top players in the 2024 draft with only a few hours remaining before they will hear their name called.

Best Player: Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State

It's rare that a second baseman would be considered the best player in a draft, but Travis Bazzana has done nothing but hit since he arrived at Oregon State in 2021 after growing up in Australia.

Bazzana was a finalist for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award after hitting .407/.568/.911 with 28 homers and 16 stolen bases in 60 games. His power isn't quite at the same level of guys like Charlie Condon or Jac Caglianone, but it's not far behind and he's got the best hit tool in the class.

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, who has Bazzana ranked as the No. 2 player in the class, praised the Oregon State standout for having more polish as a hitter than Condon thanks to his "his optimized swing rate, pitch selection, swing path/style and also his maxed-out frame."

Bazzana's swing is compact and lightning quick through the zone, allowing him to easily project as a plus-power hitter in pro ball.

Even with some concerns about his defensive position, Bazzana's offensive profile is so impressive that a team can live with his glove being average at the keystone.

Best Power (tie): Charlie Condon, OF Georgia and Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida

The two biggest stars from the 2024 college season were Condon and Caglianone. They seemed to be having their own head-to-head home run derby at times with how frequently they were putting the ball over the fence.

Condon homered in eight straight games, setting the NCAA record during the BBCOR era (since 2011). Caglianone did it one better by tying the overall NCAA record with a homer in nine consecutive games later in the season.

Condon wound up winning the Golden Spikes Award thanks to leading Division I with a .433 batting average, 37 homers and a 1.009 slugging percentage.

The difference between Caglianone and Condon as prospects comes down to their hit tool. Condon has a much better approach at the plate with tremendous bat speed and plate coverage to drive the ball to all fields.

Caglianone is more one-dimensional in that he wants to pull the ball and hit it as far as he possibly can. That type of approach could get him in trouble against more advanced pitching, but it was extremely encouraging to see how much he cut his strikeout rate from 2023 to 2024.

After punching out 58 times in 282 at-bats as a sophomore, Caglianone struck out 26 times in 248 at-bats last season. He is still prone to chasing pitches out of the zone, which professional pitchers will take advantage of.

If the strikeouts don't become an issue, Caglianone has the ceiling of someone like Atlanta Braves star Matt Olson. If pitchers are able to exploit that, he could end up being the next Joey Gallo.

While Caglianone probably has slightly better raw power of the two, Condon's ability as a hitter makes him more likely to translate his pop into games.

Best Pitcher: Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest

In a rough draft for pitching overall, Chase Burns is the best of the bunch because of his combination of electric stuff and an outstanding season at Wake Forest.

Burns finished with a 2.70 ERA and 191 strikeouts in 100 innings over 16 starts. This was a huge rebound year for the right-hander after two disappointing seasons at Tennessee that saw him get dropped out of the rotation in 2023.

The 21-year-old looks the part of an ace at 6'3" and 210 pounds. His fastball, curveball and slider are all rated as plus pitches by MLB.com, which noted his heater has touched 102 mph.

Those pitch grades line up with how effective they were for Burns last season. He was one of the best strikeout artists in all of college baseball, with the best whiff rate in Division I and third-best whiff rate on pitches in the strike zone.

There are two big concerns when trying to project Burns into pro ball. The first one being, despite having elite velocity, hitters were able to get on top of his fastball during his two years with the Volunteers. He allowed 125 hits and 23 homers in 152.1 innings over 35 appearances from 2022-23.

Even in his dominant season at Wake Forest, Burns still gave up 14 homers in 100 innings. His fastball doesn't have much movement and hitters seem to be able to pick it up fairly easily out of his hand.

Burns' combination of size and stuff gives him the upside of a No. 2 starter, but if the delivery becomes a bigger problem against pro competition, he could end up being a late-inning reliever.

Best High School Player: Bryce Rainer, SS, Harvard Westlake High School (CA)

If MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo is writing stories comparing you to Corey Seager, you're doing something right.

To be fair, like Seager, Bryce Rainer is a 6'3" left-handed hitting shortstop. It's a lofty comparison and not totally out of line, but there's a long way for him to go before fully validating that hype.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing for Rainer, who turned 19 on July 3, coming into the draft is there seems to be little doubt that he can play shortstop in pro ball.

The Athletic's Keith Law called Rainer "by far the best high school infielder in the class" and a "plus defender" at shortstop with a plus-plus arm.

Rainer's offensive profile is a more difficult to pin down. His bat speed is decent and there's above-average power projection, especially after he posted five of the top six exit velocities from all players at the National High School Invitational in April.

If Rainer proves he can catch up to velocity against professional pitching, he could develop into a potential All-Star because his floor is already high thanks to the defense. It's an enticing all-around package that makes him a top-10 talent in this class.