Top Draft prospects decorate Golden Spikes midseason watch list

By Ben Weinrib | April 4, 2024

Nearly two months into the college baseball season, many of the top performers are being recognized as USA Baseball announced the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List on Thursday. More than half of the 45 players honored also appear on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Draft Prospects list.

The Golden Spikes Award has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country since 1978 and will be announced on June 22. Eighteen players are returning from the preseason watch list, including Konnor Griffin (No. 8 Draft prospect), the only high school player on the midseason list.

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MLB Pipeline's top Draft prospects are heavily represented, as six of the top 10 prospects -- led by Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana (No. 3), Georgia slugger Charlie Condon (No. 4) and Florida two-way star Jac Caglianone (No. 5) -- and 13 of the top 30 prospects made the cut. Of the 27 newcomers to the watch list, seven are ranked, including Florida State third baseman Cam Smith (No. 25), Duke lefty Jonathan Santucci (No. 29), Virginia Tech third baseman Carson DeMartini (No. 43) and Sam Houston catcher Walter Janek (No. 48).

Many of the players are repeat members of the Golden Spikes watch lists from years past. Wake Forest righty Chase Burns (No. 16) became just the fifth player to make five midseason watch lists, and Condon, Caglianone, Tommy White (No. 7) and Hagen Smith (No. 15) were all semifinalists in 2023.

The next step in the process will be USA Baseball announcing the semifinalists on May 20, with fan voting continuing until June 3. Finalists will be announced two days later, and fan voting runs through June 21.

Will the 46th winner of the Golden Spikes Award go on to become a high Draft pick this July? It's quite possible. Among the last 20 winners, four players (Adley Rutschman, 2019; Bryce Harper, 2010; Stephen Strasburg, 2009; David Price, 2007) have gone on to become No. 1 picks, with another nine going in the top five -- including last year's winner and No. 2 overall pick, LSU outfielder Dylan Crews.

Here is the complete list of 45 players on the 2024 Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List and where they fall on MLB Pipeline's Draft prospect rankings:

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Billy Amick, INF, Tennessee (No. 50 Draft prospect)
Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
RJ Austin, UTIL, Vanderbilt
Blake Barthol, INF, Coastal Carolina
Ethan Bates, INF/RHP, Louisiana Tech
Travis Bazzana, INF, Oregon State (No. 3 Draft prospect)