Over the past few years, Wake Forest has become one of the best and most advanced baseball programs in the country. From their front of the line pitching lab, to their constant advanced seminars, Wake Forest has dove into baseball player development like a bear looking for fish in water. It’s paid off in a big way, as they set a program record during the 2023 MLB Draft with 10 of their players selected during the draft. This season, they are set to be just as good, with an astounding 5 players inside the top 100 college prospects per Prospects Live, with 3 of them inside the top 7 college prospects. This group is headlined by the 3 main players in the top 10, and according to most scouts, all of them have the potential to be generational players once they reach professional baseball. Taking all of this into consideration, Wake Forest is set to be the powerhouse of the 2024 MLB Draft. Let’s take a deeper look into some of their talent that makes up the number one team in the country.

Nick Kurtz: A Young Jim Thome?

Nick Kurtz, currently the consensus number two prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft, headlines the list of superstars taking the field for Wake Forest this year. The left-handed slugger is likely one of the best pure power bats college baseball has seen in years, as his raw power tool has typically gotten a ranking of 65 or higher. Kurtz is currently in his junior year of college, and his first two years at Wake were truly just an advertisement to the player he could be.

In his freshman season where he played 54 games, Kurtz hit 15 homers, 14 doubles, 56 RBI, 48 BBs, slashed .338/.471/.637 with a 1.108 OPS. Kurtz debuted on Prospects Live’s BaGS leaderboard atop almost every category, as he earned a 171 BaGS+ which was an astounding 71 points above the average mark. His eye and power tool graded out at 75, which is extremely impressive. Meanwhile, his contact and wOBAcon graded out at a 60 as well. Kurtz truly proved to be one of the best hitters on one of the best teams in the country during his freshman season. When looking at his sophomore season though, his freshman year looked like nothing.

Kurtz came into his sophomore season looking to continue what he did in his freshman year, and fully solidify himself as a top prospect in the 2024 draft class. Kurtz did just that and more in 56 games, as he hit 24 homers, 10 doubles, 69 RBI, 63 BBs, slashed .353/.527/.784 with a 1.311 OPS. Kurtz followed up his astounding freshman BaGS+ ranking with an even better 183 BaGS+. Wake Forest’s top position player Brock Wilken (who went on to be picked by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft) was outperformed by Kurtz in some areas, as they posted similar numbers and grades according to Prospects Live. Kurtz had his eye and power grades make the jump to an 80 grade, which is absolutely incredible. Kurtz also displayed a 75 grade wOBAcon which is extremely impressive. Kurtz was part of a stellar Wake Forest team, who went the whole way to one game within the College World Series finale. Kurtz had an incredible sophomore season, and he’s only looking for more ahead of his 2024 junior season.

Kurtz stands in at 6’5″, 235 lbs, making him one of the strongest players in this upcoming draft, which should really help him as he continues to fill out even more as he transitions into pro ball. From what I’ve seen when watching Kurtz, he has a really quick, powerful stroke, and doesn’t get overpowered often. Granted he likely gets a boost from metal bats, his exit velocities routinely reach over 100 MPH, which is super impressive regardless of the bat. Going back to Kurtz rarely being overpowered, he hasn’t struck out more than he’s walked in either of his two college seasons. Many scouts have called Kurtz one of the better fielders at the first base position, and especially for his size, this is super impressive. If I had to place compare Kurtz to a player currently and formerly in pro ball, I’d say Jim Thome and Matt Olson. I still personally think JJ Wetherholt will go number one overall in the summer, but I definitely wouldn’t be surprised to see Kurtz go there as well. Regardless, he is one of the most talented prospects in college baseball without a doubt.

Chase Burns: College Baseball’s Top of the Line Flamethrower

Chase Burns, a flame-throwing right-handed pitcher, is entering his first season with Wake Forest after transferring from Tennessee last season. Burns enters Wake Forest as the number two player taking the field for them this spring, as well as a top 5 draft prospect in this summer’s MLB Draft. Chase Burns is one of the better draft prospects of the past few years, which really means something considering how good NCAA pitchers have been in the last few years. Burns has some of the best raw stuff in all of college baseball, and he’s truly in for a great year this year.

Burns began his college career with Tennessee as I previously mentioned, and his freshman year was one for the ages. Playing on a Tennessee team with a stellar rotation, Burns shined through. He posted a 2.91 ERA in 80.1 innings pitched, striking out 103, posting a WHIP of 1.12, while only allowing just 26 earned runs as a whole. Burns would debut on Prospects Live’s DIGS+ leaderboard with a score of 149. His grades were really good, as his BAA graded out at a 65, his BB rate graded out at a 60, and his K rate graded out at a 70 grade. Burns’ triple digit fastball was arguably one of the better pitches in all of college baseball, and his wipeout slider was a great pitch to pair with his fastball. These two pitches helped assist with his his strikeout rate, and it was really impressive to see him pitch well alongside other top arms such as Chase Dollander. After a good freshman season, Burns was heading into his sophomore season with confidence at an all time high.

Burns entered his sophomore season looking to continue more of the success he had during his freshman year, and that he did. Burns was starting to make a name for himself as one of the top arms to look out for in the 2024 MLB Draft. Scouts all over the country were drooling over his plus fastball and amazing slider. Burns would throw less innings, but he’d arguably be more effective on the mound. He posted a 4.25 ERA, in 72 innings pitched, striking out 114 batters, posting a WHIP of 1.139, while just dominating hitters on all cylinders. His DIGS+ score of 158 during his second season was the fourth best in all of college baseball, ahead of other talented college pitchers such as Braves first rounder Hurston Waldrep, and more. Burns’ grades were pretty solid as well, as his runs allowed and BB% got 60 grades, with his BAA at 65, and his K% at a stellar 75 mark. Burns was now truly one of the most talented and well advanced pitchers in the country, and he was really able to showcase his talents during a nine strikeout relief appearance in the 2023 College World Series. Burns would then go on to transfer to Wake Forest following the season, where their pitching lab has taken him to new heights.

Burns stands at a huge 6’4″, 195 lbs frame, and he is exactly what you want to see from a pitcher. He is a tremendous athlete with a huge amount of energy that you can just see when watching him pitch. He’s constantly pumping his fist, and yelling as he comes off the mound. Burns’ elite fastball gives him an overpowering pitch to go after hitters with, similarly to how we saw Paul Skenes attack hitters during his college tenure. As I previously mentioned, his fastball can touch triple digits regularly, and his slider plays really well off this. Throwing it in the low to mid 90s, his slider can be really deceptive. It’s been said that Burns can change the shape of his slider, sometimes making it move more vertically, and other times having it move more horizontally. He’s reportedly developing a splitter and curveball to pair with his changeup for a complete 5 pitch mix. There’s been some concern echoed about his command, but when watching him pitch, I haven’t seen it be as big of an issue as most people think it is, but it is not elite. However, he is definitely the best pitcher in this draft. I can’t wait to see how Wake Forest’s pitching lab will improve him, as we already saw him record 18 swing and misses and 10 strikeouts in just 4 innings in a scrimmage against Wake. Keep in mind they’re the number one team in the nation. Burns is definitely comparable to someone like Hunter Greene with his raw abilities. Chase Burns is truly elite, and he makes a true argument for the best pitcher in the NCAA this season.

Seaver King: College Baseball’s Infield/Outfield Dual Threat

Seaver King is a player who enters the 2024 College baseball season as one of the more underrated names in the higher part of the MLB Draft. King, a shortstop/outfielder, is one of the true dual threats of this draft. Similarly to his teammate Chase Burns, King is entering his first year with Wake Forest, and he has quite the resume to show for his time with Wingate. King is typically being regarded as a top 5-7 prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft, but he brings plenty of upside to slide up the rankings if he plays well in the spring. King has one of the purest bats in college right now, and I can’t wait to see how he plays this year.

King began his college career as a 19-year-old freshman at Wingate University. Although it was a Division II program, King faced some really good competition. In his first season, he balled out in the 39 games he played. In this short time, he posted 4 homers, 18 doubles, 44 RBI, 12 BBs, slashing .381/.449/.640 with a 1.089 OPS. King posted a BaGS+ of 130, which was really solid especially given the short time he played in his freshman year. King also hit 3 triples which showed that he had a good bit of speed up his sleeve as well. Most people thought of King as a pretty well balanced player, and I’d have to agree. King was thought of pretty highly after this first year, but he certainly wasn’t the top of the line talent that he is today. Regardless, this was a really great first season for King.

After a pretty solid first season at Wingate University, Seaver King headed into 2023 looking to continue the great start he got off to. King took huge steps in his development for Wingate in his sophomore year, and he looked incredible. King hit 11 homers, 20 doubles, 53 RBI, 18 BBs, slashing .411/.457/.699 with a 1.155 OPS. King also put up a BaGS+ of 150, which was one of the best marks in all of D2 college baseball. Although King was able to play 11 more games, his increase in offence was incredible to see. King also showcased his speed similar to his first season, as he hit 5 triples. King furthered the narrative of being an extremely advanced player, with his positional versatility, and mixed playstyle helping with this. King’s contact and wOBACON were all in the 65-70 scale range as well, which was also nice to see.

Following his sophomore season, Seaver King would be making his way to Wake Forest where he’ll play his Junior season, and where he’ll likely be a part of the first 10 picks in the draft. King is truly a spectacular player, who possesses many valuable abilities in the eyes of scouts across the nation. As I’ve touched on throughout this article, King’s positional versatility will likely boost his draft stock, as MLB teams have plenty of fallback options when it comes to his development. His exit velocities have reached above 110 MPH, and his line drive style of hitting may make him a 130+ wRC+ hitter at the MLB level. King’s well balanced build of 6’0″ 190 LBS makes him a speed demon as well. King’s most accurate comparison in MLB currently is a Bo Bichette style player with some outfield versatility. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like one heck of a player.

Closing Things Out

The three players I highlighted in this article are far from all of the talent Wake Forest has on the roster without a doubt. This is truly the best team in college baseball, and they are built for the upcoming MLB Draft. Typically, draft boards have Wake Forest having around 5-6 draft picks in the top 150, which is practically unheard of. Chase Burns, Seaver King, and Nick Kurtz are all generational type talents, and seeing them all go within the first 10 picks on draft day is a huge compliment to Wake Forest’s player development. Only time will tell with how these players will finish their careers, but you may be looking at three of the best players in the MLB within the next few years.