Several college outfielders made their marks in this season's NCAA baseball tournament and boosted their stocks going into next month's 2024 MLB Draft. These players have performed brilliantly throughout the season, causing MLB scouts to mark them as a potential pick in this year's draft.
Here are the top 10 MLB Draft-eligible college outfielders who could be drafted in the annual event scheduled at the Cowtown Coliseum from July 14-16.
Top 10 college outfielders who could get picked in the 2024 MLB Draft
#10 Kavares Tears, Tennessee Volunteers
The six-foot outfielder out of Columbia Academy improved rapidly in his second year with Tennessee.
In 68 games, Tears hit .329 with 20 home runs and 61 RBIs. His defense is likewise superb, with 95 putouts and four assisted forceouts. He has not yet committed any error in two years with the Volunteers.
#9 Casey Saucke, Virginia Cavaliers
The third-year player has achieved career-highs in home runs (14) and RBIs (65) this season. In 62 games, Saucke hit .344 this season with an on-base percentage of .407 and slugging percentage of .578.
#8 Mike Sirota, Northeastern Huskies
Sirota, a six-foot-three junior out of Broad Channel, New York, is a .324 hitter with 29 homers and 111 RBIs in three seasons with the Huskies.
He has an on-base percentage of .457, and his slugging percentage was .576. His fielding percentage is .986 after recording 335 putouts and seven assisted outs from 2022 to 2024.
#7 Zack Stewart, Missouri State Bears
Stewart had a standout season with the Bears, hitting .303 with 22 home runs and 56 RBIs.
The sophomore has played 111 games with Missouri State and has batted .302 with 34 homers and 117 RBIs. His on-base percentage is .376, and his slugging percentage is .605 over the past two years.
#6 Jared Thomas, Texas Longhorns
The six-foot-two Thomas has improved his hitting prowess in his sophomore year with the Longhorns. In 60 games, he has hit .349 with an on-base and slugging percentage of .434 and .635, respectively. He has 16 home runs and 47 RBIs this season.
#5 Dakota Jordan, Mississippi State Bulldogs
Jordan has smacked 20 home runs and driven in 72 runs in 63 games for the Bulldogs this season.
The six-footer hit .354 with an OPS of .459, and his slugging percentage was .671. Overall, Jordan is a .336 hitter with 30 homers and 112 RBIs. He has an OBP and slugging percentage of .435 and .634. respectively.
#4 Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina Tar Heels
Honeycutt has played 63 games with the Tar Heels, including the regionals and the College World Series.
He hit .313 with a .407 on-base percentage and .703 slugging percentage. Honeycutt can rely on his power bat, recording 28 home runs and 70 RBIs this season. He can also run on the basepaths with 28 stolen bases.
#3 Carson Benge, Oklahoma State Cowboys
Carson Benge is a two-way player capable of performing excellent pitching and recording as many runs as possible. This season, Benge has 18 home runs and 64 RBIs. He has a slugging percentage of .665 and an on-base rate of .444.
#2 Ryan Waldschmidt, Kentucky Wildcats
The six-foot-two Waldschmidt transferred from Charleston Southern to Kentucky in his second season and is a key player who helped the Wildcats gain their first CWS appearance.
He played 59 games this season and recorded 14 home runs and 46 RBIs. He has 25 stolen bases in 32 attempts. Waldschmidt had a .333 batting average and recorded an on-base percentage of .469 and a slugging percentage of .610.
#1 Braden Montgomery, Texas A&M Aggies
Montgomery has been an important piece for Texas A&M this season. In 61 games, he has hit 27 home runs and 85 RBIs.
He had a .322 batting average and .454 on-base percentage and .733 slugging percentage. In defense, the outfielder had 91 putouts and three assisted outs but had three errors that pulled her fielding percentage down to .969.
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