The Diamondbacks will have three of the top 35 selections in the 2024 MLB Draft. They have the No. 29, 31, and 35 selections and have the opportunity to select three players who could make a future impact for the club. The combined slot values for the three picks account for $8.5 million of their total signing bonus pool of $12.662 million.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In the leadup to the draft, every prospect pundit in the media released a mock draft. MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, FanGraphs, and The Athletic all have released their draft day mocks.
A big piece of news in the draft came out today, as right-hander William Schmidt announced he will honor his commitment to Louisiana State University and take himself out of the draft. That heavily impacts the Diamondbacks’ strategy with one less high-profile player to choose from.
The 2024 MLB Draft starts at 7:00 P.M. ET/4:00 P.M. MST, with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announcing the first 30 picks.
Pick No. 29 (Original first round pick)
- Jim Callis (MLB): Stanford catcher Malcolm Moore
- Jonathan Mayo (MLB): North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt
- Keith Law (The Athletic): Valley View HS outfielder Slade Caldwell
- Carlos Collazo (Baseball America): Hardee HS shortstop Kellon Lindsey
- Eric Longenhagen (FanGraphs): Westlake HS second baseman Theo Gillen
There isn’t much of a consensus as to where the Diamondbacks could go from here. There are two college guys in Malcolm Moore, who had impressed scouts in interviews at the Draft Combine last month. Vance Honeycutt is a talented player with a questionable hit tool due to a lot of swing-and-miss but has a ceiling comparable to some of the top bats in the draft.
Slade Caldwell is an interesting pick as the Diamondbacks have had success picking out of his demographic in Corbin Carroll and Alek Thomas. Kellon Lindsey could also be in play if the team likes the makeup, he fits their mold for recent high school bats they’ve taken on the first night of the draft.
Pick No. 31 (PPI pick for Corbin Carroll winning 2023 NL Rookie of the Year)
- Callis: York HS right-hander Ryan Sloan
- Mayo: Stanford catcher Malcolm Moore
- Collazo: Elk City HS left-hander Kash Mayfield
- Longenhagen: Kansas State shortstop Kaelen Culpepper
Both Callis and Collazo have the Diamondbacks drafting a high school pitcher, with Mayo opting to go with another college bat at 31. Moore has been a recent popular mock pick for Arizona at 29, although 31 also seems like a more likely destination for the Stanford catcher. Collazo has back-to-back high school picks at 29 and 31, which will certainly make an impact on their spending in the draft.
Pick No. 35 (Competitive Balance Lottery Pick)
- Callis: Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan
- Mayo: Hardee HS shortstop Kellon Lindsey
- Collazo: Vanderbilt right-hander Bryce Cunningham
- Longenhagen: Independence HS shortstop Wyatt Sanford
With this third pick, you see the strategy come together. Callis goes with another college bat in Jordan, with the middle being a falling high schooler the Diamondbacks have to go way over slot to sign. Mayo goes for the over slot high school pick with Lindsey. Collazo, who took a high school bat and arm with the top two picks, has Arizona reaching down a bit for Cunningham to pay for those selections. The Vanderbilt right-hander is a relatively safe rotation projection with the potential to be a middle of the rotation starter, so there is still plenty of upside with the pick.
Here are other names to watch for in the draft:
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
