MLB Completes First Day of 2024 Draft Presented by Nike

Major League Baseball has completed the first day of the 2024 Draft, which aired live on MLB Network and ESPN this evening in Fort Worth, Texas at Cowtown Coliseum in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. In total, 74 players were selected during Round 1, Prospect Promotion Incentive Selections, First Round Compensation, Competitive Balance Round A, Round 2, Competitive Balance Round B and Second Round Compensation. The Draft will resume at 2:00 p.m. (ET)/1:00 p.m. (CT) on Monday, July 15^th with the first pick in Round 3, and will continue through Round 10 exclusively on MLB.com. Day three of the Draft on Tuesday, July 16^th will begin at 2:00 p.m. (ET)/1:00 p.m. (CT), featuring picks in rounds 11-20.

The Cleveland Guardians selected second baseman Travis Bazzana out of Oregon State University with the first overall pick in the Draft. Bazzana was the first second baseman taken with the first overall selection in the history of the MLB Draft and the Australian native is just the second player born outside of the United States to be drafted first overall, joining Carlos Correa (2012, HOU). He is also the first number one overall pick in Guardians’ history and joins two-time All-Star Adley Rutschman (2019, BAL) as the only players to ever be selected first overall out of Oregon State University.

Three players from Wake Forest University were selected within the first 10 picks of the Draft with the Cincinnati Reds selecting starting pitcher Chase Burns (2^nd overall); the Oakland Athletics selecting first baseman Nick Kurtz (4^th overall); and the Washington Nationals selecting shortstop Seaver King (10^th overall). Since the inception of the MLB Draft, it is the second time in history that a trio of teammates were selected within the top-10 picks, joining Philip Humber (3^rd overall), Jeff Niemann (4^th overall) and Wade Townsend (8^th overall), who were selected out of Rice University in 2004. Additionally, it is the seventh time that two teammates have been drafted within the first four overall picks, following Louisiana State University teammates Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, who became the first pair of teammates to ever be selected first and second overall in last year’s Draft. For the 21^st time in the last 23 years, at least one pair of teammates (college or high school) were selected in the first round.

All six players who were in attendance at Cowtown Coliseum were selected in the first round tonight. The players in attendance who were chosen included shortstop JJ Wetherholt from West Virginia University (7^th overall, STL); second baseman Christian Moore from the University of Tennessee (8^th overall, LAA); outfielder Braden Montgomery from Texas A&M University (12^th overall, BOS); switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (15^th overall, SEA) from Mississippi State University; shortstop Kaelen Culpepper (21^st overall, MIN) from Kansas State University; and left-handed pitcher Cam Caminiti (24^th overall, ATL) from Saguaro High School (AZ).

Nine of the first 30 selections (30%) of the first round were Black players, tying the 2022 Draft for the most by total and percentage since 1992. Three of the first 10 picks were Black players, which was the 15^th time in Draft history and only the third time since 1992. Nine of the first 21 picks (42.9%) were Black players. Chase Burns’ selection as the 2^nd overall pick was the 13^th time a Black player was selected in that slot and only the fourth time in the last 20 years. Overall, 10 of the 30 first round selections have diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. These players include Burns (CIN), JJ Wetherholt (STL), Christian Moore (LAA), Seaver King (WSH), Braden Montgomery (BOS), Cam Smith (CHC), Jurrangelo Cijntje (SEA), Braylon Payne (MIL), Theo Gillen (TB), and Kaelan Culpepper (MIN).

Three first-round selections are alumni of MLB Develops, diversity-focused programming offered, in part, by MLB and USA Baseball. These players include Moore (DREAM Series, Hank Aaron Invitational, Breakthrough Series), Montgomery (DREAM Series, Hank Aaron Invitational, Breakthrough Series) and Smith (Hank Aaron Invitational). The Hank Aaron Invitational, which begins next week at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, FL, is jointly operated program through the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation.

With the second and third ever Prospect Promotion Incentive Selections, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected Ryan Waldschmidt from the University of Kentucky and the Baltimore Orioles selected Griff O’Ferrall from the University of Virginia. The PPI Selection was awarded to Arizona and Baltimore for the promotion of outfielder Corbin Carroll and shortstop Gunnar Henderson in 2023 who both went on to win the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award in their respective leagues.

Christian Moore (8^th), who was selected by the Los Angeles Angels; Cijntje (15^th overall), who was selected by the Seattle Mariners; Carson Benge (19^th), who was selected by the New York Mets; and Caminiti (24^th), who was selected by the Atlanta Braves are among the players selected in the first 30 picks of this year’s Draft who have family ties to baseball. Caminiti is the cousin of Ken Caminiti, who had a 15-season career as a third baseman, primarily with the Astros (1987-94, 1999-00) and Padres (1995-98), also appearing with the Rangers and Braves (both 2001). He earned three All-Star selections and three Gold Glove awards, and posted career highs in home runs (40) and RBIs (130) en route to winning National Legaue MVP in 1996. Moore’s brother, C.J., was picked in the 13^th round of the 2014 Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Cijntje’s father, Michelangelo, played pro baseball in the Netherlands. Benge’s brother, Garrett, was selected in the 13^th round of the 2017 Draft by the Boston Red Sox.

Overall, 23 of the 30 first round selections came from college, while seven high school players were selected. The states of Florida and Texas produced four players in the first round, followed by Georgia (3), Pennsylvania (3), Arizona (2), California (2), Mississippi (2), Oklahoma (2), Tennessee (2), Illinois (1), Michigan (1), North Carolina (1), New York (1) and South Carolina (1).

10 outfielders were selected in the opening round, the most among all positions, marking the most outfielders selected in the first round since 10 outfielders also went off the board in 2009. Other players taken in the first round tonight included six shortstops; three right-handed pitchers; three left-handed pitchers; two catchers; two second baseman; one first baseman; one third baseman; and one switch-pitcher. For the third straight year, a two-way player was selected in the first round when first baseman and left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone was drafted sixth overall by Kansas City.

MLB.com will continue to provide Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of draft-eligible players with statistics, scouting reports and video highlights. On Twitter, the official Draft Twitter account, @MLBDraft, will provide up-to-the-moment updates and commentary using the official Draft hashtag, #MLBDraft, while @MLBDraftTracker will tweet all picks as they are made.

Accompanying this release is a complete list of each choice made thus far in the 2024 MLB Draft.