The Class of 2024’s must-have picks
Credit to Author: Eric Karabell| Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2024 07:53:58 EST
Unlike fantasy football and basketball, fantasy baseball managers in redraft formats often fail to concern themselves with MLB’s annual amateur draft, as baseball players tend to take years to develop and earn themselves a promotion to the major leagues. The great Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Paul Skenes is an exception for immediate success, but even he needed roughly 10 months before his big league debut. For most players, the ride is hardly as swift or as smooth.
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Still, whether participating in redraft or dynasty/keeper formats, fantasy managers should pay attention to the future stars of the most recent draft, which was held just a few days before the All-Star game. More than a few accomplished college hitters landed in positive situations, along with a potential ace pitcher or two. These top players are not likely to debut until 2025, at the earliest, but the wait should be worth it.
Here is one analyst’s thoughts on 10 of these recently drafted individuals that you should be coveting in fantasy baseball leagues for 2025 and beyond.
Charlie Condon, 3B/OF, Colorado Rockies: The polished No. 3-overall pick produced historic numbers at Georgia, blasting 37 homers as a sophomore. He should move quickly through the minors, perhaps warranting his debut by this time in 2025. Of course, it does not hurt that Condon will play his future home games in the high altitude of Coors Field, too. Don’t overthink this. We will be drafting Condon in 2025 standard redraft formats, perhaps in the top-100 overall, and he is already a reasonable top-five prospect for dynasty thanks to a high ceiling for run production.
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Cleveland Guardians: The No. 1-overall selection hit .407 with big power for Oregon State and, as with Condon, doesn’t figure to need considerable minor league nurturing. The Australian-born Bazzana has a will to succeed and improve, often relying on analytics to make adjustments — and there’s nothing wrong with that. Also as with Condon, spend no time worrying about his eventual defensive position. This bat will translate anywhere on the diamond.
Guardians first overall pick Travis Bazzana tallies his first professional hit for the Lake County Captains.
Jac Caglianone, 1B, Kansas City Royals: The two-way star from Florida figures to concentrate on hitting over hurling for the Royals, and there is little doubt about his power potential. Caglianone smashed 68 homers over the last two seasons. He boasts a pro body for sure (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) and, while there is some concern about his swing-and-miss profile hurting his batting average against top-shelf pitching, fantasy managers always covet potential 40-HR options.
J.J. Wetherholt, 2B/SS, St. Louis Cardinals: Yet another high-profile college hitter, Wetherholt is a contact-oriented, left-handed hitter with plate discipline and excellent speed who thrived at West Virginia. Cardinals fans envision Wetherholt and current SS Masyn Winn leading their lineup and stealing myriad bases for the next decade. The stolen bases are more valuable for roto leagues, but Wetherholt adds value in points formats by avoiding strikeouts, too.
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Oakland Athletics: This Wake Forest product hits for power and led all of Division I in walk rate. Scouts agree that his skills should translate nicely to the next level. Kurtz is a middle-of-the-order bat to build around, which the Athletics organization needs. For those concerned about hitting in Oakland’s spacious ballpark, forget about that. Turn your attention to Sacramento’s more hitter-friendly stadium, since Kurtz should debut when the A’s begin play there.
Christian Moore, 2B, Los Angeles Angels: Moore hit .375 with 34 homers to help lead Tennessee to the school’s first national title. He’s the rare contact-oriented slugger who ranked second (behind Condon) in average exit velocity this past season. Moore is not likely to steal many bases, but he should hit enough that fantasy managers will not mind. The Angels, just like much of the Mike Trout era, lack lineup depth. So, whenever Moore is ready, he will play. He may well be among the first from the 2024 class to debut next summer.
Braden Montgomery, OF, Boston Red Sox: The switch-hitting Montgomery slugged .733 in his lone Texas A&M season, missing the team’s College World Series loss to the Volunteers due to a broken ankle that may keep him from debuting in the minors this year. Still, Montgomery is a prototypical slugging right fielder from yesteryear and, while we may not see him in the majors until 2026, we’ll see power when he does make it.
Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks: The No. 31 pick slid a bit in the draft, but this sleeper led Kentucky to the College World Series with his 1.079 OPS. Waldschmidt hits right-handed and may end up at DH, knowing the priority Arizona places on outfield defense. That said, few question his ability to hit for average, contact and power — oh, and he steals bases, too. The contending Diamondbacks may need his right-handed power next season.
Chase Burns, RHP, Cincinnati Reds: Ah, finally we get to a pitcher. Look, hitters are considerably safer for fantasy purposes in terms of both health and statistical performance. Burns went No. 2 overall after dominating in his lone season at Wake Forest and he fills a big need for the Reds, who are loaded with young hitters. Burns hits triple digits with his fastball and flummoxes hitters with a high-spin slider. Perhaps he takes a similar path as the dominant Skenes did and debuts as an ace next summer. Just remind yourself that Skenes is pretty special, so try to keep the expectations in some degree of check.
Hagen Smith, LHP, Chicago White Sox: The SEC pitcher of the year at Arkansas offers similar ace upside to Burns, but he may slip under the radar in your dynasty drafts. Don’t let that happen. Smith struck out nearly half of the hitters he faced this past season, though there is some concern he’ll end up as a reliever due to his command issues. There is upside, too. We could see a Garrett Crochet trajectory here.