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Draft  | Story  | 12/30/2024

Year in Review: Draft

Tyler Henninger      Isaiah Burrows      Tyler Kotila     
As the remainder of 2024 winds down, we’re taking a look back at what this year has brought us with regard to the MLB Draft. While the PG Draft Team is looking ahead and well underway with the 2025 MLB Draft Cycle, there are still some things to reflect on from this year’s draft class. 

It was Travis Bazzana who cemented himself as the top pick in the draft, being Cleveland’s guy at no. 1, kicking off the 2024 MLB Draft. But it was a class that, first, overall, was uncertain for quite some time, and it took some sorting out this spring to iron out the board. It’s a talented group, with many players who have bright futures ahead, but it started out with the Australian native, Bazzana, hearing his name called first—more on Bazzana and the ‘24 class to come below.



Looking back at the 2024 class, there were a lot of Perfect Game alumni who heard their names called. Whether it was players who showed out at our National Showcases, former PG All-Americans, or guys who grinded it out and showed their best on the tournament circuit – there were plenty of Perfect Game alums. 

As we close the chapter on 2024, let’s talk about the 2024 MLB Draft one more time and look ahead for what 2025 could have in store as part of the Year-In-Review piece from the PG Draft team.

Travis Bazzana Makes History:
Before 2024, an Australian player had never been selected in the first round in the history of the MLB draft. In fact, the highest-selected Australian was Josh Spence in the third round of the 2009 draft. Travis Bazzana changed all of that this past summer. The former Oregon State second baseman not only went in the first round, he went first overall to the Cleveland Guardians. Bazzana came over to the States and immediately made an impact as a freshman for the Beavers, posting a .902 OPS in 63 games. He continued to develop and produce throughout the next two years, putting his name in the conversation with the top of the class. After a stellar junior campaign (.407/.568/.911), the profile was too enticing for the Guardians to turn down, resulting in his 1:1 selection. Bazzana now looks to be in line for a quick ascension to the big leagues, where he could be just the 39th Australian to play in the Major Leagues. It was an obvious historical pick for the country of Australia and has the chance to make a major impact on future generations to come.

2024 MLB Draft Positional Breakdown:
Position players were targeted most in the first round. Outfielders made up ten of the first 30 picks, while six total shortstops were selected. More pitchers were selected in the first round than last year, with seven pitchers picked in total. In the entire draft, the majority of selections once again were pitchers, with 58% of picks being arms. Pitchers garnered nearly $151 million in signing bonuses. While nearly 100 fewer position players were selected, bats were clearly valued more. Position players commanded nearly $63.5 million more in signing bonus money than pitchers, signing for over $215 million as a group. Outfielders commanded the highest total in signing bonuses among position players ($73.7 million) but also had the highest total numbers of players selected within the position player group (93 players). Shortstops are still the most valued position among position players. Sixty total shortstops were selected, but the group signed for nearly $68.7 million. The two-way player trend did not grow with a total of five two-way players selected compared to seven total last year. This year, the first two-way pick was higher than last year, as Jac Caglianone went 6th overall. 

PG All-Americans Get Called, Cash in : It was yet another strong year for the Perfect Game All-Americans, particularly the 2024 class. Konnor Griffin (No. 9), Bryce Rainer (No. 11), PJ Morlando (No. 16), Braylon Payne (No. 17), Theo Gillen (No. 18), Cam Caminiti (No. 24), Dante Nori (No. 27) and Slade Caldwell (No. 29) highlighted PGAAC first-round picks along with a slew of others. It was a strong group of All-Americans in yet another draft class and this particular group highlighted huge strengths in the class. Loads of position players and prep arm All-Americans were selected. 

A College-Filled Top-10 In 2024 :
Looking at last year’s draft, it certainly was collegiate-heavy at the top. Bazzana, going one made history of its own; the first prep player did not come off the board until the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Konnor Griffin at 9th overall. The Detroit Tigers grabbed Bryce Rainer at 11th overall, but it was a college-heavy Top 10, with eight college players selected in the first 10 draft picks. 

Going back to 2021, there were five prep players in the Top 10 that year, followed by four prep players in both the 2022 & 2023 Top 10 picks. With just two last year, it has been a shift over the past few years. If you go back to 2020, there were only two prep players taken in that Top 10, though scouting that year was tough given constraints and lack of baseball due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last few years, there has been a shift to organizations investing in collegiate talent at the top. Each class has been different, but it has led to fewer and fewer prep players in the Top 10, with more college players being taken in the Top 10.

Peering into the magic 8-ball for the 2025 draft, it will look more like the 2022 & 2023 classes, with a more fluid mix of college & prep, with college still likely being the majority at the top. Currently, our Top 300 Draft Board for PG has four prep players in the Top 10. There’s a lot of time and a lot of moving on the board to be done, but it seems that there could be a few more prep players taken at the top with the likes of Ethan Holliday, Seth Hernandez, Xavier Neyens, and Kruz Schoolcraft near the top of the board for the time being.

Looking Ahead to 2025:
Expect a different group of draft talent and strengths entering the new year. The 2025 class is deep in college power with potential frontline starters, as well. The Prep class brings an exciting array of athletes with up the middle defensive value and a slew of high end defenders. Ethan Holliday of Stillwater, Oklahoma leads the way as our No. 1 prospect at this point followed by Texas A&M product Jace LaViolette as the top college prospect and right behind. 

This class in particular has a chance to really shape and mold itself as the year unfolds. A number of prep players can really rise after big springs. There are several college arms in the rotation and out of the ‘pen who may be early Day 2 type upside picks when it’s all said. On the prep side, it is regionally deep in California with eight players coming in ranked inside the Top 20 of the 2025 class. The top end in the Pacific Northwest is awfully high end, as well. Similar to some of the 2024s, the prep class has a good handful of reclass talents particularly Eli Willits, Schoolcraft and Quentin Young. All three rank inside the Top 15 of our 2025 rankings. 

Be on the lookout for more PG All-Americans to headline an enticing class this upcoming year. It is a good blend of athletes and power both on the position side of things and on the bump. 2025 has the makings to be yet another big year. 
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