MLB Draft Grades: Guardians, Rays receive high marks in the American League
Travis Bazzana kicked things off for a really good draft class by the Cleveland Guardians.
The 2024 MLB Draft is in the books as teams added some fresh talents to their organization. Grading draft classes this early is always a subjective task. One factor that should be considered while reading this piece is that we are assuming that every player will be signed by their team. This is a significant thing to note, as Day 3 is where you typically see teams draft players that may not sign due to bonus pools so it may not be reflective of the players that actually join each organization. That being said, let’s get to it!
American League East
Baltimore Orioles
After a solid Day 1 that saw the Orioles take high upside but risky players in Vance Honeycutt and Griff O’Ferrall, they were able to add a couple of very strong catching prospects in Ethan Anderson and Ryan Stafford while grabbing the super athletic Austin Overn. This draft will hinge on the production and development of the top two picks, because if they hit this is even more successful than it already is.
Grade: B
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox were able to get a steal when Braden Montgomery was still available at No. 12. They were then able to add some intriguing players with solid upside in Conrad Cason, Payton Toll, Brady Tygart, Devin Futrell, Brandon Neely, and Brandon Clarke. On a holistic view, the Red Sox were able to add a lot of good depth, but Montgomery is definitely the highest upside player amongst their selections.
Grade: B+
New York Yankees
Arms aplenty for the Yankees as they used eight of their first nine picks on pitchers. Ben Hess seems like a bit of a reach in the first but probably wouldn’t have been there when they picked again in the second round. Bryce Cunningham, Thatcher Hurd, and Gage Ziehl make for another trio of promising arms. I would have liked to see a little more on the position prospect side, but a really strong draft especially when you focus on the pitching.
Grade: B+
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays added a ton of talent as they got their draft started by taking the elite athlete Theo Gillen. Emilien Pitres and Tyler Bell are another pair of really good hitters that they were able to snag with their second and competitive balance pick. That’s already a lot to like and that’s just three picks in the draft. Tampa Bay would go on to add an additional five from the top 250 including a massive arm in Oklahoma State right-hander Janzen Keisel.
Grade: A
Toronto Blue Jays
Getting Trey Yesavage with the 20th pick must have made the Blue Jays front office ecstatic as he was seen as one of the top pitchers in the draft. Khal Stephen and Johnny King were interesting selections, but there was seemingly a little more talent available with those picks. There’s a good amount to like about Sean Keys, and while the talent he faced in college wasn’t exactly the best, if he can hit to the degree that he did in college, that’s a really good bat-first third baseman. If the Blue Jays can sign Dmarion Terrell, which is not likely, the grade shoots up to a B+, but if not, it’s still a solid draft by the Blue Jays.
Grade: B
American League Central
Chicago White Sox
It was certainly interesting to go with Hagen Smith over JJ Wetherholt who was one of the top players in the draft. But the White Sox recovered with some really interesting high upside picks like Caleb Bonemar, Blake Larson, Nick McLain, and Case Saucke. The Day 3 additions of Pierce George and T.J. McCants also help in the overall evaluation of their draft class.
Grade: A-
Cleveland Guardians
Expectations were high for a Cleveland team who are one of best teams in the league while also having the top pick in the draft. The trio of Travis Bazzana, Braylon Doughty, and Joey Oakie gives you three picks with potential first round value as is. Add in the slugging Jacob Cozart, the undersized but big-armed Aidan Major along with going for it on Chase Mobley and you have a tremendous amount of talent in a single draft without even getting into the rest of the picks.
Grade: A
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers went all in on high upside players with their selections of Bryce Rainer and Owen Hall. In the competitive balance round, they added the intriguing Ethan Schiefelb who has great projectability in his frame along with already good command for his age. Later, they would add right-hander Michael Massey who provides them with another high end pitching prospect. As noted, this article assumes the entire class signs, so with the addition of Anson Seibert in the 16th round, this is a very high upside draft for the Tigers.
Grade: A-
Kansas City Royals
Jac Caglianone is likely the most intriguing player in the draft with enormous upside but a significant amount of risk with the amount that he swings and misses. If he hits, he alone could propel this draft class, or any other draft class to an A. Outside of him, the Royals went big on pitching nabbing themselves five pitchers in the top 250. Dennis Colleran is a real wildcard as well as he has an enormous arm but struggles to command his fastball and slider. There is a lot to like with Colleran, but also a lot of risk.
Grade: B+
Minnesota Twins
Rounding out the AL Central are the Twins who did well for themselves with the additions of Kaelen Culpepper, Billy Amick, Dasan Hill, and Kyle DeBarge. There is risk in all of these players, but that’s what the start of the draft is all about. Gambling on high upside players that could make significant contributions in the future. Then you add in a guy like Khadim Diaw who just hits, and if he can stay at catcher can becomes a player to watch himself. The first two days, alone, make this a fantastic draft for the Twins
Grade: A
American League West
Houston Astros
The Astros definitely had an uphill battle by having only a single pick in the first 100 of the draft but they were able to get really good value in catcher Walker Janek at No. 28 and then right-hander Ryan Forcucci in the third. Cole Hertzler in the fifth could pay off, but there is also some reliever risk with him.
Grade: B-
Los Angeles Angels
If they can get everyone signed, this is a good draft for the Angels and one that they desperately needed. Christian Moore was a bit of an overdraft at No. 8 but still has good upside. Chris Cortez and Ryan Johnson both have reliever risk but there is a ton of arm talent there. Trey Gregory-Alford, and Connor Gatwood are also high upside pitching prospects but overall, a good amount to like about this Angels draft class.
Grade: A
Oakland Athletics
The Athletics must have thought JJ Wetherholt would have priced them out of their draft strategy because going with Nick Kurtz at No. 4 was pretty odd. Getting Tommy White and Gage Jump with their next two picks really helped ease those questions. They also stockpiled on really good college players like Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Rodney Green, Kyle Robinson, and Sam Stuhr. There’s virtually no way they sign Dylan Volantis but for the sake of this article let’s say they do which helps lessen the knock they get for going with Kurtz over Wetherholt.
Grade: B+
Seattle Mariners
There’s no denying the arm talent that Jurrangelo Cijntje has but picking him at No. 15 and then giving him full slot value is a bit interesting. Ryan Sloan in the second is fantastic as he was projected as a first round talent. The only issue is that if they don’t develop this is a bit of a weaker draft, though Josh Caron and Hunter Cranton are good picks themselves. If Cijntje and Sloan both come close to their ceiling, the Mariners will have two high end pitchers with the first two picks but there is a good amount of risk with this draft.
Grade: C+
Texas Rangers
Getting Malcolm Moore in the first round was definitely a solid pick and then adding Dylan Dreiling who should hit, but doesn’t really have a position to play made for an okay Day 1 for the Rangers. Casey Cook should hit, even though he doesn’t project to be a star but rather just a solid high average guy with a good approach. Days 2 and 3 were okay, with an interesting selection of Devin Fitz-Gerland in the fifth which looks like a reach, but they were able to grab Cade Obermuelller which definitely helps