The Cleveland Guardians have surprised many fans by surging to a first-place spot in the American League Central division after racking up just 76 wins in 2023.
And their future looks just as bright as the present, as they hold the first overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft. But surprisingly, the latest “mini-mock draft” from ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has the team forgoing the No. 1 ranked prospect, Charlie Condon, and instead going for Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana.
“I am hearing Bazzana and Jac Caglianone are the leading options here, more than Charlie Condon, but due to team preference, not early price shopping; prices aren’t floated until much later,” McDaniel wrote.
Picking Travis Bazzana Over Charlie Condon in the MLB Draft Would Be a Surprise
Bazzana is an elite college player in his own right and seems poised for a long and productive MLB career. But Condon has emerged as the leading talent on the board, not just in McDaniel’s own estimation but per MLB.com’s rankings as well, making the projection for the Guardians a bit of a surprise.
“Condon has a slight edge as the consensus best player in the draft class with vibes similar to Kris Bryant or Alec Bohm as a tall, right-handed hitting third baseman (or maybe outfielder, depending on how things break) with big raw power and a loud spring,” McDaniel wrote. “Oh, and a pretty swing.”
Condon profiles with elite power and plus hitting. Though he was relatively overlooked coming into college, he has ascended to the top of many rankings.
“Scouts and college recruiters took little notice of Condon when he was a physically underdeveloped Georgia high schooler, and he wound up going to Georgia as a preferred walk-on,” MLB.com noted. “He redshirted in 2022 as he continued to gain strength, then earned national Freshman of the Year honors last spring. He slashed .386/.484/.800 with a Southeastern Conference freshman-record 25 homers and led college baseball’s premier league in slugging, and has posted even better numbers while establishing himself as the likely No. 1 overall pick in 2024.”
Travis Bazzana Could Be the Cleveland Guardians’ Franchise Infielder of the Future
Despite that likelihood, McDaniel expects Condon to fall to the Cincinnati Reds with the second-overall pick. And he outlined why the Guardians might prefer Bazzana instead.
“The Australian-born Bazzana is no slouch here, as a plus runner with plus power also having an enormous spring but with a different sort of frame than Condon,” he wrote. “He is hitting well over .400 and set the Oregon State single-season home run record.”
Bazzana profiles as a more well-rounded prospect, though without the same power as Condon.
“The left-handed-hitting infielder is compact and strong with plenty of bat speed,” per MLB.com’s scouting report. “He has an advanced approach at the plate with a ton of raw power he taps into.”
Rounding out the rest of the initial picks, McDaniel projected that the Colorado Rockies would take infielder/outfielder Jac Caglianone, the Oakland Athletics would take first baseman Nick Kurtz, the Chicago White Sox would take pitcher Hagen Smith, the Kansas City Royals would take dual-player Konnor Griffin and that the St. Louis Cardinals would take outfielder Braden Montgomery.
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Guardians Projected to Make Surprise No. 1 Overall Pick in MLB Draft