College Baseball Review + MLB Draft Thoughts: Week 1
Chris Clegg runs down the first weekend of NCAA baseball action and gives his early top FYPD rankings for 2024.
The first weekend of Division 1 College Baseball is in the books. There is little to be taken away from 3-4 games at this point, especially since most big-time programs paid smaller schools to come to town for opening weekend. But, its never too early to review what some players did.
NCAA Baseball Player Thoughts: 2024 Draft Eligible
Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest, 6’4”/195
After all the Burns chatter this offseason of his dominant bullpens and being in the Wake Forest pitching lab, we got to see him in game action, and he did not disappoint. Burns fired six scoreless innings with just one walk and three hits allowed, striking out ten.
The fastball averaged 97 and touched 101 mph, and he generated 14 whiffs, most at the top of the zone. It is a high-spinning pitch with high IVB numbers(as high as 22 inches), having the looks of a 70-grade fastball. The slider reached 3000 rpm of spin regularly and touched 91, averaging closer to 87 mph, having a two-plane break. There might be two 70-grade pitches here.
The changeup has good traits, but he will need to throw it more often. But at the end of the day, Burns looks like the best player in the country and could be a 1.1 candidate in this summer’s draft.
Brody Brecht, RHP, Iowa, 6’4”/225
Brecht has all the traits that an arm like Burns has but has one fatal flaw: his strike-throwing ability. He pitched 4.1 innings last weekend, striking out 11 batters, but it took 100 pitches to do so, landing just 53 pitches for strikes. Brecht walked six batters and hit another batter.
On the positive side, Brecht generated whiffs at a 57 percent clip and had a 36 percent CSW. His fastball consistently sat in the upper 90s with an incredible slider. His fastball command will be a big sticking point, but Brecht has the stuff to be a top 10-15 pick in the 2024 draft.
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon St., 6’0”/199
If Burns is taking the crown of best pitcher after the first weekend of the season, Bazzana looks like the best hitter. After four games, Bazzana is up to three home runs, a triple, and a double and is showing a good feel to hit all pitch types, even high fastballs. He has even swiped two bases in three attempts.
With nine hits, 21 total bases, and three walks, Bazzana is supporting a .563/.650/1.313 slash line. His swing looks the part, and the results have followed. Despite being shorter, Bazzana has all the tools you look for and could be the top hitter for this years draft class.
JJ Wetherholt, SS, West Virginia, 5’11”/180
Wetherholt got off to a strong start, collecting four hits including a double and having a slash of .308/.438/.385 but unfortunately left Monday’s game with a hamstring strain. Wetherholt has some of the best contact skills in college baseball and also has posted big exit velocities. Hopefully, the hamstring does not keep him out long.
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest, 6’5”/235
Kurtz did not put up gaudy numbers in the first weekend of action, but he did everything you want to see from one of the top hitters for this summer’s draft. Kurtz left the yard once and had four hits and a single strikeout in 13 plate appearances.
Having one of the better approaches in the draft, Kurtz will consistently post high OBPs while making good contact and having high exit velocities. Despite being first base only, Kurtz is a safer bet with a huge power upside.
Charlie Condon, 1B/3B/OF, Georgia, 6’6”/211
Condon has the hardest-hit ball so far in the early going, having a 118 mph exit velocity. He has not left the yard yet, but he has consistently hit the ball hard. He has had three doubles and seven hits with three walks and just one strikeout. It is no surprise that he has a .636/.733/.909 slash as the draft-eligible sophomore had a near 110 mph 90th percentile exit velocity last season and made contact on over 86 percent of pitches in the zone. There should probably be more discussion around Condon going in the top three of this summer’s draft.
Carson Benge, OF/P, Oklahoma St., 6’1”/184
After undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the 2022 season, Benge is a draft-eligible sophomore for 2024. He has collected seven hits in 12 at-bats, two walks, and a single strikeout. While he hasn’t left the yard, he has collected three doubles and posted some solid exit velocities.
Benge even pitched in relief, but the results weren’t great, as he walked two and recorded just one out. He does have big stuff on the mound, which makes him pretty intriguing, considering his skills at the plate. Benge is one to watch closely as we progress through the season.
Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M, 6’2”/217
Montgomery’s first weekend as an Aggie went quite well as the Stanford transfer mashed a home run, drove in five runs, and walked three times to just two strikeouts. In the small sample of three games, he currently has a slash of .364/.500/.727. Montgomery has big power, and if he shows improved contact skills this year, he could fly into the top ten for this summer’s draft.
Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina, 6’3”/205
Honeycutt had just two hits on opening weekend, but they were both big flys as he collected two home runs but still scored six runs, getting on via walks and hit-by-pitch. He plays an elite centerfield and has a fun power and speed combo, making him one that seems likely to be taken top-ten this summer.
Billy Amick, 3B, Tennessee, 6’1”/220
After a huge year at Clemson in 2023, Amick hit the transfer portal and was one of the coveted players on the market, landing at Tennessee. He looked the part this weekend on a big stage at Globe Life Field in Arlington, hitting two home runs and adding a triple while posting some insane exit velocities.
After having a 109 mph 90th percentile exit velocity in 2023, Amick hit a home run that left the bat at 113 mph, and he had two more batted balls that would have left the yard most places, a 343-foot triple and a 392-foot line out. He had an 80 percent hard-hit rate and a 102 mph average exit velocity in ten batted balls. Amick’s stock is WAY up.
NCAA Underclassmen That Impressed
Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M, 6’5”/228
LaViolette mashed three home runs this weekend, including two in one game after a monster freshman year in which he hit 21 home runs. It is no surprise since, as a freshman, he put up insane exit velocities(93 mph average and 109 90th). He could be a top pick in 2025.
A.J. Russell, RHP, Tennessee, 6’6”/195
After pitching exclusively as a reliever in 2023, Russell started in Tennesse’s win against Texas Tech, tossing 4.1 innings with ten strikeouts and just one walk. He did allow two earned runs, but it came on just three hits, and Russell generated 23 whiffs.
The sophomore had 21 whiffs on his fastball, which sat 94.5 and topped at 97.6 mph. The pitch showed a ton of horizontal movement, averaging over 15 inches of arm-side run consistently. The changeup was nasty, despite not being thrown often, with 20 inches of fade and nice depth. Russell also mixed in distinct curves and sliders.
Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech, 5’9”/175
Burress turned down solid money in the 2023 draft to attend Georgia Tech, and the true freshman looks to have made a good choice as he looks like one of the best freshmen in the country in a small sample. Smashing three home runs on opening weekend, Burress also added three doubles and supports a slash line of .429/.500/1.286.
Daniel Cuvet, 3B, Miami, 6’4”/225
Cuvet was selected in the 17th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Pirates but decided to head to Miami and had a monster opening weekend. Hitting two home runs and driving in seven, Cuvet collected nine hits in 13 at-bats and has a slash line of .692/.733/1.308. He and Burress could duke it out for best true freshman in college baseball.
Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson, 6’0”/175
After receiving the ACC Freshman of the Year award in 2023, Cannarella has picked up right where he left off, collecting seven hits in his first three games. Contact and speed are the name of the game here, as Cannarella had a contact rate north of 85 percent and a zone-contact rate of 92 percent last season. The frame has some projection, but power won’t be a huge part of his game. We are looking at one of the top draft picks in 2025.
Way To Early Top 10 FYPD For 2024-2024
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest
Travis Bazzanna, 2B, Oregon State
Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest
Charlie Condon, 3B, Georgia
J.J. Wetherholt, SS, West Virginia
P.J. Morlando, OF, Summerville HS(SC)
Konnor Griffin, OF/RHP, Jackson Prep HS(MS)
Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M
Billy Amick, 3B, Tennessee
Tommy White, 3B, LSU
Great stuff!
I know its early, but where would you rank Burnes, Bazzana, Wetherholt, and Kurtz on a current top prospect list if you were to draft this weekend?
Really enjoy these college weekend recaps, Chris. Keep up the great work, and congrats on going “full time baseball.” Glad to have your eyes out there in the field!