2024 MLB Draft Grades: Best and Worst Picks from Sunday Results
2024 MLB Draft Grades: Best and Worst Picks from Sunday Results0 of 6
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The first day of the MLB draft is complete and with it, a new set of prospects begin their journey towards reaching The Show.
While it will be a while before many of the prospects selected on Sunday will reach the majors, many of them have given fans a glimpse of what they bring to the table after competing in the collegiate ranks.
Other players drafted directly out of high school will look to showcase their skills in the minors throughout the next season.
While it’s impossible to predict how those selected on Sunday will fare at the next level, here’s an early take on the three best and three worst picks of the first day of the MLB draft.
No. 3 Worst Pick: RHP Ben Hess, New York Yankees1 of 6
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No. 28 Overall
Ben Hess clearly has plenty of upside after three impressive seasons at Alabama, but he showed concerns in his final year in Tuscaloosa that make the Yankees choosing him so early a bit questionable.
After recording a 3.22 ERA with the Crimson Tide in 2023, that number jumped to 5.80 in 2024 as Hess got more reps with 15 starts as opposed to seven the year before.
His two best pitches are his fastball, which he throws in the mid-90s, and his slider, but his changeup showed signs of waning in his final year at Alabama and it’s unclear if that pitch will be in his rotation moving forward.
MLB Pipeline rated Hess’ fastball and slider a 60 on a 20-80 scale, but his curveball and changeup were both 50s, giving him both a control and overall score of 50.
The Yankees seem willing to look past his ERA and walk rate in favor of his impressive strikeout rate, though. Hess is Alabama’s all-time leader in K/9 ratio at 13.3 for his career.
No. 3 Best Pick: 3B Charlie Condon, Colorado Rockies2 of 6
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No. 3 Overall
The Colorado Rockies have to be ecstatic about getting arguably the best player in this year’s draft class at No. 3.
While fans and analysts will argue over whether Charlie Condon, Travis Bazzana or Jac Caglianone is the best player, there’s no denying that Condon is the most impressive.
The Georgia product belted an NCAA-best 37 home runs last season—nine more than Bazzana—while also recording the best batting average in the nation at .433. What’s more, he did in the best conference in college baseball.
Condon’s mix of power and average means he should waste no time getting into Colorado’s lineup, and the Rockies are in need of an offensive boost.
No. 2 Worst Pick: CF Braylon Payne, Milwaukee Brewers3 of 6
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No. 17 Overall
Braylon Payne was slated as a late first-round to early second-round pick by many experts and was ranked as the No. 53 prospect by MLB Pipeline. It’s a bit puzzling why the Milwaukee Brewers would use an early pick on him, but they could get the last laugh if he develops the way they believe he will.
There are a few upsides with Payne, namely his speed. He’s one of the fastest prospects in the draft and that speed will translate well to the next level. Payne is also just 17 years old and won’t turn 18 until August, giving him plenty of time to develop in the minors.
But Payne’s outlook doesn’t change the fact that there were plenty of better prospects to choose from that early in the draft. The move could make more sense depending on how the Brewers use their bonus money later in the draft.
No. 2 Best Pick: RHP Trey Yesavage, Toronto Blue Jays4 of 6
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No. 20 Overall
The Toronto Blue Jays got a steal landing Trey Yesavage at No. 20.
The righty from East Carolina was a consensus All-American and had the third-best ERA in the nation at 2.02. While he recorded that number while playing in a smaller conference, he faced MLB-level hitters throughout the season and in the postseason.
He features a four-pitch arsenal with a mid-80s slider/cutter, a low-80s curveball, a splitter and a fastball that peaked at 98 last year and sits around 93-95. It’s rare to see one of the best three arms in the draft slip so low, but the Blue Jays aren’t complaining.
Another bright spot: Yesavage is just 20 years old and has plenty of time to work on his control and up his velocity.
No. 1 Worst Pick: 1B/OF PJ Morlando, Miami Marlins5 of 6
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No. 16 Overall
One of the benefits of drafting a player straight out of high school is getting a young prospect who has plenty of time to develop while playing in the minors rather than college.
But for the Miami Marlins first-round pick, they don’t necessarily get the age benefit, as PJ Morlando is 19 and a few months old—old enough to be in his second year of college.
He obviously has some upside, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been on scouts’ radars. The lefty has shown plenty of potential as a power hitter. With the right development, he could be the slugger the Marlins are searching for.
But his speed is below average for an outfielder and his defense is less-than-impressive. Combine that with his age and he becomes one of the more surprising picks of the first round.
No. 1 Best Pick: 3B Billy Amick, Minnesota Twins6 of 6
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No. 60 Overall
The Minnesota Twins arguably got the biggest steal through the first two rounds of the MLB draft.
Billy Amick, who began his career at Clemson and became a national champion last season with Tennessee, was much considered by many to be a first-rounder, with MLB Pipeline ranking him as the No. 32 overall prospect and Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter projecting him to go to the Baltimore Orioles at No 32.
How did Amick slip so much? It’s unclear, but the Twins have to be happy to land him so late in the draft.
He slugged a career-high 23 home runs last season, also tacking on 63 RBI on a potent Tennessee roster. His average dipped quite a bit in 2024, as he hit .306 a year after hitting .413, but he was also facing better pitchers in the SEC.
One of Amick’s main flaws is his aggressiveness, but that also led to his home run total. If he can improve on chasing balls out of the zone, he could find himself in the Twins lineup sooner rather than later.
