A new year, a new board and new ranks. With college ball right around the corner and more industry insight at our fingertips, it’s time to dive into the top college prospects for the 2024 class. As always, our boards are based on three pillars:
Our team’s Live Looks.
Trackman, Rapsodo and big data evaluation.
Conversations within the industry. What are scouting executives, cross-checkers and area scouts seeing at the ballfields?
This Top 100 really establishes a few things:
There’s a bunch of dynamic bats available in the 2024 class
There’s quality pure stuff on the college pitching side, but polish is necessary.
This is lining up to be another extremely impressive college crop of talents.
Last Update: 1/2/2023
1. Vance Honeycutt
Outfield, North Carolina
Honeycutt is a superstar in every sense of the word. A 25-25 season in college baseball is unheard of. They only play ~60 games! That's precisely what Honeycutt achieved as a true freshman. He's the prototype power/speed centerfielder with plus tools in both areas and the body, trajectory and pedigree to suggest it'll only get better from here. If there's one quip on his profile at present, the swing-and-miss rates will need to come down if he's to project the all-star level contributor at the next level most see him being. In the field, he's an above average centerfielder flashing moments of even bigger promise. His route quality can waver from day-to-day, but there are nights where he looks like a surefire plus centerfielder with long strides and a gliding nature to his game, not to mention a keen awareness at the wall. He's got a solid average arm too. The potential here is big, a potential five-tool star.
2. Thatcher Hurd
Right-Handed Pitcher, LSU
Hurd has the makings of a potential number one overall pick with a strong mixture of size, athleticism and pure stuff on the mound. He battled a back injury during his freshman campaign at UCLA, but a now-healthy Hurd has his sights set high at LSU. Still reasonably green on the mound, Hurd can rush it up to 96, sitting 92-94 over most extended innings. His best pitch is the slider, and it's a banger. Hurd can induce north of 3000 rpm on his breaking ball, featuring strong depth and some sweep as well. He's more than willing to throw it too, posting rates around 30% thus far. Hurd also throws a deeper curveball in the upper-70s with tremendous depth and a ton of sweep. It projects a true plus curveball. If Hurd can stay healthy and the velocity continues to tick up like many expect it will, it's top-of-the-rotation upside.
3. Chase Burns
Right-Handed Pitcher, Tennessee
Primarily a two-pitch guy to this point, Burns offers a mid-to-upper 90s fastball that's touched 99 and figures to tickle triple digits as he continues to mature. Burns' slider is thrown hard and firm, up to 89, sitting 84-87 with two-plane tilt; more depth than sweep. Burns' spin rates are high, and he's got a track record of commanding the baseball and overpowering the opposition. As he starts working in his curveball and splitter, the arsenal should continue to overwhelm hitters. It's a pro body with projection remaining in terms of lean muscle and flexibility still untapped.
4. Pierce Coppola
Left-Handed Pitcher, Florida
A mammoth 6-foot-8-inch southpaw, Coppola has immense upside on the mound with a long, lanky frame and an extremely tough angle for opposing hitters to square up. He's really coming downhill hard on guys in the box and it's tough to pick up out of the hand. An imposing lefty, Coppola has touched upper-90s heat, more comfortably resting in the 93-94 range over multiple innings. He's got a dynamic, sweeping breaking ball that has a ton of bat-missing potential, as well as a changeup he can flip over and fade away from righty bats. The best is yet to come with Coppola as he fully recovers from injury and potentially positions himself as one of the premier arms in the SEC.
5. Michael Sirota
Outfield, Northeastern
Sirota is a super-impressive all-around athlete with the ability to impact the game in a number of areas. The bat-to-ball skills here are legit, and there's projectable juice still coming into his lean frame. Sirota is a plus centerfield defender with plus run times and impressive route running ability; all signs pointing toward a future big league centerfield profile. Sirota has twitchy hips and a ton of bounce to his game with scouts eager to see what’s to come. He's mature beyond his years at the plate and has a chance to be a very high pick in 2024.
6. Ben Hess
Right-Handed Pitcher, Alabama
A decorated midweek starter for the Crimson Tide as a true freshman, Hess features a unique high-spin fastball with both impressive ride through the zone and arm-side bore. As a freshman he threw it close to 50 percent of the time, a metric that should tick back as he develops. Either way, it's a potential plus pitch as a pro, already brushing 97 in-game. Hess is comfortable throwing an average slider, though most believe it's his big, banger curveball that will ultimately be his true weapon. A big, slurvy bender, Hess throws the curve 83-85 mph with intent and snap. As he learns to command and pitch backwards with the pitch, it projects plus as a swing-and-miss offering. The changeup is probably his third-best pitch with significant fading action into righties. Hess may elect to ditch the slider as he develops, or work to craft it into a solid average fourth offering. This is an arm with the potential for three plus pitches if it all breaks right. Top of the rotation upside.
7. Nick Kurtz
First Base/Outfield, Wake Forest
Some evaluators believe Kurtz may be the best hitter in the 2024 class, and that's saying a lot considering his imposing size, strength and power-corner archetype. Kurtz has plus power with the chance to grow into 70-grade juice, as well as a plus hit tool with a willingness to take his walks. He hardly ever strikes out too. Kurtz is an average runner underway with solid baseball instincts and the ability to impact the game on the base paths if you don't pay attention to him. Kurtz has a chance to anchor a big league lineup for a long, long time.
8. Braden Montgomery
Right Field, Stanford
Montgomery has been a stud prospect since his high school days, but signing a player away from a Stanford commitment always proves difficult. A two-way guy, Montgomery likely best projects as a prototype right fielder with easy plus power and solid average athleticism both on the base paths and in the field. He'll need to cut his significant swing-and-miss rates before the 2024 July draft if he's to reach his potential Top 5 pick ceiling. Montgomery might have the best outfield arm in the class, a true double-plus cannon with pinpoint accuracy. On the mound, Montgomery has struggled to command the fastball, but he's been up to 97 with a formidable cutter and a swing-and-miss breaking ball when he's in the zone.
9. Cody Schrier
Infield, UCLA
Schrier was a big ticket item in 2021 as a prep, but went unselected amid high signing bonus demands. That said, he had plenty of suitors calling for his services. Schrier is a bit of a do-it-all infielder. He's posts healthy contact rates, healthy exit velocities and covers every pitch type all whilst refusing to expand the zone. He handles breaking balls particularly well compared to his peers. Schrier likely figures to be a second or third baseman at the next level where his bigger body, average speed and average throwing arm will play best. If he continues on his current path, Schrier could be an above average, maybe even a plus hitter with solid average power at the next level. It's not easy to find second basemen who can mash 18-20 home runs a year, and that's what Schrier could bring to the table.
10. Andrew Dutkanych IV
Right-Handed Pitcher, Vanderbilt
Dutkanych, arguably the most revered freshman to make it to campus in 2022, presents an ideal starting pitcher frame with broad shoulders and tons of projection remaining. He's got an extremely quick arm and the athleticism on the mound is absolutely incredible. Fastball will get up to 97 with serious deception and life. He's got a bulldog mentality and has shown an affinity for pitching on the inner-third of the plate. Dutkanych has a firm slider into the upper 80s, as well as a loopier curveball in the mid-70s. One of the more prototype arms in the class. Dutkanych has the talent and upside to become the first arm off the board.