Six amateur players to attend the 2024 MLB Draft presented by Nike
Six amateur players are among the guests scheduled to attend the opening night of Major League Baseball’s 2024 Draft presented by Nike on Sunday, July 14th at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. The opening night of the Draft will feature the first 74 picks before continuing on Monday with the start of the third round. ESPN and MLB Network will both broadcast the first round of the Draft with live selections from inside Cowtown Coliseum. Following the live event at Cowtown Coliseum, MLB Network will carry each of the remaining 44 picks of the opening night of the Draft with a simulcast on MLB.com.
The six scheduled attendees include left-handed pitcher Cam Caminiti from Saguaro High School (AZ); switch pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje from Mississippi State University; shortstop Kaelen Culpepper from Kansas State University; outfielder Braden Montgomery from Texas A&M University; second baseman Christian Moore from the University of Tennessee; and shortstop JJ Wetherholt from West Virginia University.
A total of 71 amateur players all-time have attended the Draft, including three-time American League Most Valuable Player, 11-time All-Star and 2012 AL Rookie of the Year Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels (2009); three-time All-Star, 2015 AL Rookie of the Year and 2012 top overall selection Carlos Correa of the Minnesota Twins; six-time All-Star, 2016 AL Rookie of the Year and 2022 AL Most Valuable Player Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees (2013); 2017 second overall selection Hunter Greene of the Cincinnati Reds; 2021 top overall selection Henry Davis of the Pittsburgh Pirates; All-Star third baseman and 2018 third overall selection Alec Bohm of the Philadelphia Phillies; and Angels shortstop Zach Neto (2022).
The Draft is scheduled for July 14th-16th during All-Star Week in Arlington. The Draft will feature 20 rounds across the three days, including the first two rounds, compensatory rounds, competitive balance rounds and prospect promotion incentive selections on the opening night of the Draft. The Draft will begin exclusively on MLB Network, ESPN and MLB.com on Sunday, July 14th at 7:00 p.m. (ET)/6:00 p.m. (CT). The Draft will resume at 2:00 p.m. (ET)/1:00 p.m. (CT) on Monday, July 15th with the first pick in Round 3, and will continue through Round 10 on MLB.com. Day three of the Draft on Tuesday, July 16th will begin at 2:00 p.m. (ET)/1:00 p.m. (CT), featuring picks in rounds 11-20 on MLB.com.
The order of the first six picks in the Draft were determined via MLB’s second annual Draft Lottery held at the Winter Meetings in December. Starting with the seventh selection, the remaining order is determined by the reverse order of finish at the close of the previous championship season among the remaining non-Postseason teams with Postseason teams ordered by their finish in the 2023 Postseason (i.e., the Texas Rangers will have the last selection in the first round after winning the 2023 World Series), with the exception of the Washington Nationals, who will have the 10th selection because they were ineligible for the lottery after receiving a lottery selection in the 2023 Draft. Additionally, the first-round selections of the New York Mets, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees were moved down 10 selections because those Clubs exceeded the second CBT payroll surcharge threshold in 2023. Both Arizona and Baltimore received Prospect Promotion Incentive Selections, to occur immediately following the end of the first round, as a product of Corbin Carroll (NL) and Gunnar Henderson (AL) winning the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Awards in their respective leagues.
For the first time in history, the Cleveland Guardians will have the first overall selection of the Draft. Previously, Cleveland’s earliest draft selection was the second overall pick on five occasions, including in 1970 (selected RHP Steve Dunning); in 1972 (drafted infielder Rick Manning); in 1986 (selected LHP Greg Swindell); in 1988 (drafted infielder Mark Lewis); and in 1992 (chose RHP Paul Shuey). The Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins each have a Major League-best four picks on the Draft’s opening night, followed by 12 different Clubs which have three picks apiece (BAL, CIN, CLE, COL, CWS, DET, KC, LAA, MIA, OAK, PIT, TB).
MLB Network will produce comprehensive coverage of the MLB Draft Opening Night presented by Nike for the 16th consecutive year. MLB Network will air the first two rounds on Sunday, July 14th; beginning live at 7:00 p.m. (ET)/6:00 p.m. (CT) from Cowtown Coliseum. Pick-by-pick analysis and breakdowns throughout the night will be provided by MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger, Melanie Newman, Dan O’Dowd, Harold Reynolds, Xavier Scruggs, Marquee Sports Network’s Lance Brozdowski, MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo, and University of Tennessee head baseball coach and 2024 Men’s College World Series champion Tony Vitello. Interviews with newly-drafted players, extensive highlight packages, footage from Club draft rooms, player profiles and interviews with front office personnel will be part of the telecast. MLB Network’s Draft Pre-Show presented by Nike, including contributions from MLB Network’s Buck Showalter, will begin at 6:00 p.m. (ET)/5:00 p.m. (CT).
In addition to ESPN’s broadcast coverage, the first round of the MLB Draft will be available on the ESPN App and ESPN+. Karl Ravech will host the Draft for ESPN with analysts Eduardo Perez, Jessica Mendoza, Kyle Peterson, Chris Burke and Xavier Scruggs as well as MLB Insiders Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel.
Fans can register here for an opportunity to attend the 2024 MLB Draft presented by Nike. Draft spots are provided on a first-come first-served basis, and subject to availability. Confirmation of registration does not guarantee entry to the Draft.
The MLB Network Radio channel on SiriusXM will also offer live on-site MLB Draft coverage from Cowtown Coliseum to listeners nationwide. SiriusXM’s Grant Paulsen, Dani Wexelman and former MLB general managers Jim Duquette and Jim Bowden will host Sunday, July 14th starting at 6:00 p.m. (ET) and will provide live pick-by-pick analysis throughout the first round on SiriusXM channel 89 and with your phone on the SiriusXM App.
Fans can experience MLB All-Star Sunday at the Stockyards beginning at 12:00 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, July 14th for an afternoon filled with electrifying pre-Draft festivities. With live music, a special autograph session featuring Rangers legends Michael Young and Ian Kinsler, and an exhilarating post-Draft drone show, this event promises non-stop excitement for baseball fans. In addition, a free Draft watch party hosted by the Fort Worth Sports Commission on the East Exchange Ave. lawn will provide fans with an opportunity to catch all the action.