2024 MLB Draft Player Profiles: High School Pitching

High risk, high reward

Welcome back to our weekly draft breakdowns! This week, we’ll preview the top of the high school pitching class in a year that’s relatively deep. The M’s are yet to take a prep pitcher in the first round under the Jerry Dipoto regime, however there has been plenty of smoke around the M’s having interest in this year’s crop. While there’s always a lot of risk associated with a high school pitcher, there’s plenty of upside to be had in this year’s draft and should yield plenty of future big league starters.

Cam Caminiti

Caminiti, the younger cousin of the recently passed Ken Caminiti, is garnering much of the headlines as the top prep pitcher in the 2024 draft. Though it’s not a universal consensus, many evaluators see Caminiti’s premium athleticism on the mound in an uber-projectable 6’2 frame and dream on a potential frontline starter. A reclass from the 2025 draft, Caminiti will be one of the youngest players in this year’s class and already features some of the most intriguing stuff a prep arm can offer.

The lefty hurler is a high-waisted kid that is already sitting in the mid-90’s as a 17 year old. The fastball explodes out of his hand and is the main calling card here. It’s incredibly hard to find a young lefty that possesses the premium velocity that Caminiti does, and to have the opportunity to draft him prior to him turning 18 only adds to his upside. Many teams put a premium on player age and he checks that box in a big way. Plus, he’s shown he can land his pitches for strikes.

The main knock on Caminiti is the rest of his arsenal outside of the heater. While he’s been able to effectively ride the fastball, the shape and velocity of his breakers have been less than ideal. In a perfect world, Caminiti would be throwing his slider/curveball combination in a way that made them more distinct from one another. They often blend together into a slower slurve offering that has been fine up to this point, but may not be dynamic enough to get whiffs at the next level. With how young and raw Caminiti is as a player, I find it hard to believe these issues cannot be refined, however as it currently stands, the arsenal is behind some of his peers in this class.

Kash Mayfield

Another hard throwing lefty, Mayfield is somewhat of a pop up prospect this year and has quickly ascended up the ranks this spring. The young Oklahoman features a highly intriguing arsenal and projectable frame that should give him little issue starting as a professional.

Typically sitting in the mid-90’s and touching higher, Mayfield pairs his heater with a bevvy of pitches that all grade out well in the eyes of scouts. The slider has a good shape and has proved to be a whiff inducer as he’s shown he can command it well. Additionally, he’s shown a changeup that has flashed excellently, though I’ve seen some evaluators that are more sold on it than others. Personally, I think it’s safe to say he comfortably possesses three pitches that project to be average or better. When it’s coming from a silky smooth delivery on the left side, it makes it that much more exciting.

My main issue with Mayfield is his age. At his time of draft, Mayfield will be a hair under 19.5 years old. As a high school arm, that’s especially old. Couple this with the fact that he’s elevated his profile considerably this spring and I can’t help but wonder how much of his dominance is related to him being the same age as some college sophomores. Don’t get me wrong, baseball in Oklahoma is no joke. It’s not as if he’s going and beating up on poor competition. But being at such an advanced age gives teams less control over his development while carrying all the same risks associated with drafting a high school pitcher. The delivery, stuff, and frame all scream upside, but I struggle to look past his age. Regardless, he’d be an exciting pick.

William Schmidt

The lone right hander on today’s preview, Schmidt is a physical 6’4 hurler out of Louisiana. Armed with some of the best stuff in the draft, Schmidt routinely finds himself near the top of prep pitcher ranks and has had a fantastic spring season that has his name being thrown around the middle of the first round.

Schmidt packs a one-two punch that is both effective and incredibly appealing visually. A mid-90’s fastball that’s touched 98 pairs perfectly with a curveball that routinely surpasses 3000 RPMs. It’s truly a hammer and the best curveball I’ve seen in the entire draft. The rest of the arsenal lags behind the fastball/curveball duo, but he frankly hasn’t needed anything else to get by. They’re both firmly plus pitches.

He’s not quite the athlete that Caminiti is and he’s not as smooth of a mover as Mayfield, but for my money, he’s the best prep arm in the entire class. He’s got a fast arm, he’s athletic enough to start, and you can’t ask for a better frame. The velocity and ability to spin should only improve with professional guidance and I think he’s got the best chance to be a difference maker in a big league rotation. He won’t come cheap, but no prep pitcher will. If they choose to go that route, I’d strongly consider Schmidt.

That concludes our weekly draft preview! GOMS!