College baseball stars Charlie Condon, Jack Caglianone battle for No. 1 MLB Draft pick in CBS Sports mock (2024)

The top college bats of Travis Bazzana, Charlie Condon, Braden Montgomery and Jac Caglianone are bigger names, but Cleveland could both secure a potential slot bonus and acquire an elite hit tool if it selects JJ Wetherholt at No. 1 overall. The West Virginia standout won the Division I batting title in 2023 with his .449 average, and even though that mark slipped by more than 100 points this spring, he still paced the Mountaineers. Wetherholt is an on-base machine who fits perfectly in the Guardians' contact-oriented offense.

Golden Spikes Award winner Charlie Condon is a lock to come off the board in the first few picks, and he is the top candidate to go No. 1 overall. The Georgia slugger boasted remarkable power in his breakout 2024 campaign, when he led the nation in batting average (.433), OPS (1.565), home runs (37) and multiple other categories. Power is Condon's greatest tool, and his strides in contact last season allowed him to tap into his mashing ability at a truly elite level. Should he remain available at No. 2, Cincinnati ought to drool over his fit in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.

Colorado would be far from the ideal landing spot for one of the 2024 class' top two pitching prospects, but it would behoove the Rockies to select Chase Burns and hope that he can hold his own at Coors Field — any pitcher's worst nightmare of a ballpark. Burns opened his career with a stellar freshman season at Tennessee, slumped as a sophom*ore, then transferred to Wake Forest and delivered a tremendous bounce-back junior campaign. Behind a terrific fastball, the righty led Division I with 191 strikeouts.

Australia native and three-time All-American Travis Bazzana is perhaps the most complete prospect in the 2024 class and has a strong chance of coming off the board at No. 1 overall. Should he slip to Oakland, though, the A's would receive a refined college bat with outstanding on-base skills, proven power and game-changing speed on the base paths. Bazzana smashed the Oregon State single-season home run record this spring with 28, and he departed from the blue-blood program as its career leader in numerous categories — needing just three years to do so.

The biggest question surrounding Jac Caglianone is whether his future pro organization will allow him to continue as a two-way player. The lefty was Florida's best batter and pitcher throughout the 2024 campaign and on its Cinderella run to the College World Series, but the idea has long been that Caglianone would give up pitching and focus on refining his skills as an elite power hitter en route to the big leagues. The Gators star was one of the best players in college baseball each of the last two years and pitched to a 4.55 career ERA while mashing more than 30 round-trippers in 2023 and 2024 apiece. He left Florida as its all-time home run leader.

National Pitcher of the Year and Golden Spikes Award finalist Hagen Smith is one of the two most prized arms in the 2024 draft and has the potential to be a quick riser through his future organization. The southpaw set a Division I record with his 17.3 K/9 this season when he racked up an eye-popping 161 strikeouts across 84.0 innings of work. Arkansas' all-time strikeout king has a monster fastball-slider arsenal, with the latter already looking like a plus MLB offering.

Bryce Rainer is widely considered to be the top high school prospect in the 2024 draft pool and should hear his name called within the first 10 picks. His hit tool has scouts fawning over his potential as a big-leaguer, and at 6-foot-3, he has the frame to develop more power as he moves through the minor leagues. Rainer also pitched at Westlake, though his pro outlook is far more projectable as a position player. The lefty-hitting infielder is quite a ways out from making an MLB impact but is well worth a look in the top half of the first round.

The collapsed lung that held Trey Yesavage out of the American Athletic Conference tournament was a non-issue in the NCAA Tournament, wherein the East Carolina righty put the finishing touches on a terrific three-year college career. He entered the draft pool with a sparkling career 2.58 ERA and 295 strikeouts over 195.1 innings, and opponents batted a mere .186 against him over those three campaigns with the Pirates. Yesavage brings a four-pitch mix to the pros and improved his control during his junior season.

James Tibbs III has positional flexibility and can play either corner outfield or first base at the pro level. The hit tool is by far his greatest asset. The Florida State product, impressively, batted .300 and above in each of his three seasons at the college level, and his junior campaign featured a breakout in the power department as he slugged a career-high 28 home runs. Tibbs struck out just one every two games this spring and could be an on-base menace throughout his rise through the minors.

If Braden Montgomery slips towards the back of the top 10, it would only be a product of the gruesome ankle injury he sustained in Game 1 of Texas A&M's super regional. His talent is that of a top-five pick. Montgomery was a two-way star at Stanford but settled in as a position player for the Aggies, shining as a switch-hitting outfielder with a .322 batting average, 27 home runs and a whopping 85 RBI for the No. 3 national seed in this year's NCAA Tournament. He will become the highest-drafted position player in Texas A&M history if he goes earlier than No. 15 overall.

11. Detroit Tigers: LHP Cam Caminiti, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro

12. Boston Red Sox: SS/OF Konnor Griffin, Flowood (Miss.) Jackson Prep

13. San Francisco Giants: 2B Christian Moore, Tennessee

14. Chicago Cubs: 1B Nick Kurtz, Wake Forest

Few players elevated their stock in the 2024 postseason as much as Moore, who hit for the cycle at the College World Series and smacked a home run in Game 3 of the CWS Finals. The hit tool is unquestionable as Moore led the nation with 111 hits, and there is plenty of power in his profile, too, given that he posted a Tennessee-record 34 round-trippers this spring. The Vols did not lack offense on their run to the national championship, and Moore was the centerpiece of the attack.

15. Seattle Mariners: OF Ryan Waldschmidt, Kentucky

16. Miami Marlins: OF Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina

17. Milwaukee Brewers: 3B/CF Seaver King, Wake Forest

18. Tampa Bay Rays: SS Kellen Lindsey, Wauchula (Fla.) Hardee

Honeycutt was the most clutch player in the 2024 NCAA Tournament with his multiple walk-off hits. When he puts the bat on the ball, remarkable things happen; he set the UNC single-season and career records in home runs this year. Honeycutt's defense is also outstanding, and he might just be the best fielder in the draft. Contact is a glaring issue for the center fielder, though. His inflated strikeout rates with the Tar Heels need to come down if he is to have staying power in the majors.

19. New York Mets: OF Carson Benge, Oklahoma State

20. Toronto Blue Jays: RHP Brody Brecht, Iowa

21. Minnesota Twins: C Walker Janek, Sam Houston State

22. Baltimore Orioles: 3B Cam Smith, Florida State

Benge has two-way potential but will likely settle in as an outfielder when he reaches the pro ranks. The Oklahoma State star bounced back from freshman-year Tommy John surgery with a pair of tremendous campaigns at the dish, hitting .335 or greater in his sophom*ore and junior seasons. Benge more than doubled his power output this season, raising his home run total from seven to 18 without sacrificing too much in the way of contact.

23. Los Angeles Dodgers: RHP/LHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, Mississippi State

24. Atlanta Braves: RHP William Schmidt, Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic

25. San Diego Padres: LHP Kash Mayfield, Elk City (Okla.)

26. New York Yankees: RHP Braylon Doughty, Temecula (Calif.) Chaparral

Ambidextrous pitchers are extremely few and far between, and Cijntje's profile as a switch-pitcher makes him an intriguing first-round pick. The Dodgers are one of the very best franchises in terms of developing pitchers, and if they take him at No. 23, his pro upside will skyrocket. The Mississippi State star is a natural lefty but has much better stuff with his right hand — including a fastball that lives in the mid-90s and a pair of nice secondaries.

27. Philadelphia Phillies: OF Slade Caldwell, Jonesboro (Ark.) Valley View

28. Houston Astros: 3B Billy Amick, Tennessee

29. Arizona Diamondbacks: IF Theo Gillen, Austin (Texas) Westlake

30. Texas Rangers: C Caleb Lomavita, California

Amick broke out in a massive way in 2023 when he came essentially out of nowhere to hit .413 for Clemson, and while his batting average dipped more than 100 points upon his transfer to Tennessee, the corner infielder displayed an uptick in power with his 23 home runs. Amick does have a tendency to chase, and he posted three multi-strikeout games at the College World Series, but the overall tools make him worth a look in the back end of the first round.