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This year’s MLB Draft was nothing short of surprising, as teams were seen going really far off the board numerous times. With this being the case, this left room for plenty of other teams to jump on players who they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. With more of the draft still coming, I want to cover the best picks of the first round of the MLB Draft in today’s article, and then cover the best non-first round picks later on.

Charlie Condon and the Rockies are a Match Made in Heaven

When it came to how I viewed this year’s draft prospects, it was a close call between Australian second baseman Travis Bazzana, and Georgia superstar Charlie Condon. For me, Condon had a slight edge as the best hitter in the draft, and he fell right into the lap of the Colorado Rockies at pick number 3. Condon’s offensive skills are top-notch, as his game is mostly headlined by his raw power. For those of you who are familiar with the run environment in Coors Field, you can start to see how this is going to work out. In just 60 games during his 2024 college season, Condon managed to hit an astounding 37 home runs. If this was stretched over a 162 game season, Condon would be looking at a 99 home run pace. I expect Condon’s offensive numbers to dip slightly once he reaches professional baseball, but the Rockies are still in possession of the best power hitter in this year’s draft, and this pairing is disgustingly good. Unfortunately, part of the reason that Condon fell was due to the fact that he was expected to demand a signing bonus near the $10.5-10.7 million dollar range, which is a record setting bonus for the MLB Draft. Given this, the Rockies will have to be careful about how they use the rest of their allotted slot money, as they might have to be more careful than they may have originally thought. Regardless, we may be looking at the beginning of a very dangerous pairing between Charlie Condon, and the Colorado Rockies.

Boston’s Farm System Levels Up With the Addition of Braden Montgomery

The Boston Red Sox came into the 2024 MLB Draft in a very interesting position. They would be picking 12th overall, and there was a chance that a range of players may fall into their laps, but it was a matter of who the pick would be. There were also rumors they may go after a player who was ranked a little later, such as Vance Honeycutt. However, the Red Sox had Braden Montgomery fall right into their hands, which was the best pick in the entire first round in my opinion. Prior to his injury that sidelined him for the latter part of the college season, it was expected that Montgomery would likely be one of the first 6 names off the board on draft night. After slipping a little bit due to his injury, and concerns over his asking price, the Boston Red Sox were able to scoop him up at pick number 12 with ease. Montgomery, a switch hitting outfielder, possesses all the tools to be considered a 5-tool prospect, and he’s going to fit really well in Boston’s loaded farm system. This year at Texas A&M, he hit 27 home runs, while slashing .322/.454/.733 with a 1.187 OPS. These are absolutely disgusting numbers to see, and I think Montgomery can continue to be this type of player once he begins playing in professional baseball. For the Red Sox, landing Montgomery at pick number 12 was a dream scenario.

Cam Caminiti Becomes the Newest Top Braves Arm

Ahead of the draft, there was a lot of speculation around who the best high school arm. Many people leaned towards William Schmidt, others towards Kash Mayfield, but ultimately, it was Cam Caminiti who prevailed. He was often seen in mock drafts going as high as pick number 11 to the Detroit Tigers, but he instead fell to the Atlanta Braves at pick number 24. According to MLB Pipeline, this pick was an improvement of 9 selections, as Caminiti was regarded as the 15th best prospect. I truly believe that the best arm in the draft was a toss up between William Schmidt and Cam Caminiti, but with Schmidt pulling his name, the Braves have officially landed the top high school pitching prospect in the draft. Caminiti will likely sign over the slot value of the Braves selection, but he will be worth every penny. He’s currently just 17-years-old, and  he already can dial it up to 98 miles-per-hour on the gun. With Caminiti still filling out, we may see him get closer and closer to reaching triple digits in the future. His breaking balls will be very good, and will develop even further in professional baseball. There’s a good chance that this pick is regarded as the “steal of the draft” and when you take a look into Cam’s skills, it’s easy to see why this is the narrative. For the Braves, they have another superstar pitching prospect entering their system.

Kash Mayfield Enters a Loaded Padres Farm System

When it comes to the San Diego Padres, they’ve always been regarded as one of the better draft evaluators in the league, as they always end up drafting and producing the best talents in the Minor Leagues. Even though a lot of their assets end up being moved for big league pieces, their prospects always develop. For example, James Wood. This year, the Padres found themselves in a good position, as Kash Mayfield was available at their pick. With Mayfield being debatably the best high school arm in the draft, this decision was easy for Padres general manager A.J. Preller. Mayfield would be drafted by the Padres with the 25th pick in the draft, which I think is an amazing fit. The Padres have proved they can develop left-handed pitching talents, as Robby Snelling has really blossomed in their system. Similarly to Caminiti, Mayfield’s fastball has gotten up around the triple digits, typically getting to the upper nineties. His changeup is his best pitch, as it possesses an amazing ability to kill spin. He will likely need a better third pitch according to scouts, and there’s not many people who I’d trust more with that task than Ruben Niebla. For the Padres and Kash Mayfield, this is a really good pairing in the first round.

Cam Smith Adds Some Much Needed Power to a Loaded Cubs System

Coming into the draft, I was incredibly interested to see the direction that the Chicago Cubs would take on Draft Day. They would be picking with the 14th pick in the draft, which left them in a place where they may find some amazing talents who fell early in the draft. The Cubs elected to go with one of the best power hitters in this draft, as they would draft FSU third baseman Cam Smith. Not only is he one of the better power bats in the draft, but he’s also one of the more complete hitters overall. During his 66 games at FSU this year, Smith would hit 16 homers,  drive in 57 runners, also while slashing .387/.488/.654 with a 1.142 OPS. As you can see, Smith is incredibly talented, and he’s truly one of the best hitters taken in the first round. Smith also posted a 183 wRC+, and he’s walking into one of the best all-around farm systems in the league. Smith is truly incredible, and he will only continue to grow in the Windy City.

Conclusion

The first round of this year’s MLB Draft was full of surprises from top to bottom. A lot of picks in this round couldn’t have been predicted by anyone, and there were so many perfect pairings made in the first 30 picks. There were a lot of picks that I think were incredible matches, such as JJ Wetherholt going to the Cardinals, or Jac Caglione going to the Royals. However, I wanted to focus on some good matches that weren’t as obvious as the two picks I mentioned just now. With the next rounds coming up in the coming days, the fun has just become in Arlington.