Plenty Of Future MLB Stars At College World Series
Montgomery and Caglianone Among 2024's Top NCAA World Series Players
Future First-Round MLB Picks Feature in College World Series
A quick look at the MLB stats shows that current home run leader Aaron Judge is one of the three former college stars in the top 20 in the majors in OPS. Teams could add to their crop of hitters by picking prospects playing in the College World Series.
When it comes to the 2024 Top NCAA World Series players, one mock draft has seven of the first 10 picks being college hitters and that includes three players set to play in the CWS that starts on Friday in Omaha, Nebraska.
The college baseball news has six of the eight teams with players viewed as potential top-20 picks in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Last year, pitcher Paul Skenes helped LSU win the NCAA Division I national title while Florida’s Wyatt Langford was also playing in Omaha. Both are currently in the majors with Skenes striking out hitters as a dizzying rate for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Langford having moments of brilliance for the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers.
The Cleveland Guardians defied the baseball odds by earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft lottery with Oakland falling to fourth in the 2024 MLB Draft order.
The 2024 MLB Draft will run from July 14-16 in conjunction with the MLB All-Star Game festivities. This is the fourth draft in a row to be held in July after years of players being selected in the middle of the NCAA Division I baseball tournament.
Is Montgomery The One?
Texas A&M outfielder Braden Montgomery has a chance to be the first player taking part in the 2024 College World Series to be drafted next month. It doesn’t take long for Montgomery’s name to be mentioned about the 2024 Top NCAA World Series players.
Montgomery has plenty of power with 27 home runs and a team-leading 85 RBIs. Montgomery has also walked 57 times in 61 games and that number will attract the attention of the pro scouts. He spent his first two seasons at Stanford and was a member of multiple Freshman All-American teams.
The Aggie is viewed as a potential top-five pick. He did appear to suffer a recent ankle injury so that is something to keep an eye on.
Bringing the Power
Three of the top 16 players in slugging percentage are in Omaha.
Florida first baseman Jac Caglianone is also a standout pitcher but it is his bat that sets him apart when looking at the 2024 Top NCAA World Series players. He had a 30-game hitting streak and went 66 at-bats without striking out earlier this season.
Among Caglianone’s noteworthy baseball stats are a .411 batting average with 79 runs, 33 home runs, and 68 RBIs. He ranks in the top 10 nationally in home runs, slugging percentage, batting average, and on-base percentage.
- His 52 walks and 25 strikeouts are rather impressive. He is also 5-2 as a pitcher with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Scouts love middle infielders with power and Tennessee’s Christian Moore fits that description rather well.
- Moore is batting .375 with 75 runs, 17 doubles, 32 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 35 walks in 66 games.
Moore is a pretty solid fielder as well with a .957 fielding percentage with the versatility to play multiple positions at the next level.
Two Seminoles On the Radar
There could be a pair of Florida State players taken in the top half of the draft.
- Outfielder James Tibbs has 28 home runs, and 94 RBIs, with 54 walks and 31 strikeouts.
He has driven in 28 more runs than any of his teammates. It is not a surprise to see him go early as he is landing in the top 10 in many mock drafts. Tibbs has committed just one error and has six assists from the outfield.
Third baseman Cam Smith has already topped 100 hits this season. He leads Florida State with 79 runs and a .402 batting average.
They played key roles in one of the most eye-opening baseball scores in this year’s tournament as Florida State opened the Super Regional with a 24-4 win over UConn.
Some Speed to Burn
Several hitters can wreak havoc on the bases as well.
North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt is the only Division I player with at least 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases. He has tremendous potential and the scouts will be checking out his every at-bat. Honeycutt has made great strides in a year as he hit .257 with 12 home runs in 2023.
- Kentucky outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt is hitting .346 with 64 runs, 31 extra-base hits, and 24 stolen bases in 56 games. He is another college hitter who shouldn’t have to wait long to hear his name called.
A Look At the Schedule
ACC rivals Virginia and North Carolina get things going in the College World Series schedule with a game at 2 p.m. ET on Friday followed by Florida State meeting top-seeded Tennessee at 7 p.m. Both games are available on ESPN or ESPN+.
It will be North Carolina State and Kentucky playing at 2 p.m. on Saturday followed by a 7 p.m. matchup between Texas A&M and Florida.
Teams will start to be eliminated on Sunday.
The winners from the two brackets will meet in a best-of-three series. Game 1 is on June 22, Game 2 is the following day. If the series is tied after two games, a winner-take-all matchup is set for June 24.
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