The 2024 MLB draft is underway on ESPN, with the Cleveland Guardians kicking things off by selecting Travis Bazzana with the first overall pick.
What will the Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox do as they follow Cleveland into the top five? And who will be the biggest winners on Day 1?
Follow along for pick-by-pick coverage, with ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield and Dan Mullen breaking down everything you need to know about who your favorite team took in the first round as the selections are made.
Final Mock Draft | Draft Rankings: Top 250 | The Big Question for All 30 Teams
Who is Bazzana? Bazzana, a native of Australia, had a monster season for the Beavers, hitting .407/.568/.911 with 28 homers and more than twice as many walks as strikeouts (37-for-76). The 28 homers set a school record, and the overall numbers are a bit better than what Adley Rutschman had for the Beavers when he went No. 1 overall in 2019. Bazzana is a left-handed hitter, and his hitting tool is a bit better than his raw power, though he’s learned to tap into it this season, improving from the 11 homers he hit as a sophomore. He’s a pure second baseman who could potentially move to center field, too.
Passan: Bazzana's rise to the top of the MLB draft
Why did the Guardians bring him here? There was a lot of pre-draft discussion about what Cleveland would do with this pick, including speculation that the Guardians might opt to strike a deal with a slightly lower prospect, but in Bazzana, they’re getting one of the best players in this draft class. The Oregon State star pushed his way to the top of draft boards by packing power and hitting ability into his compact frame, making him exactly the type of player Cleveland has managed to get the most out of in recent years. He also gives off some Jose Ramirez vibes with the swagger that comes with his ability. — Dan Mullen
2. Cincinnati Reds: Chase Burns, right-hander, Wake Forest
Who is Burns? The latest in Wake Forest’s line of pitchers, Burns transferred from Tennessee for his junior season and becomes the fifth Demon Deacon pitcher taken in the first round since 2018, joining Rhett Lowder, Ryan Cusick, Jared Shuster and Griffin Roberts. He also joins Lowder (seventh overall last year to the Reds) and Kyle Sleeth (third overall in 2003) as the first-round picks in program history. Burns starts with a 98 mph fastball that can touch 101, with a hard, high-spin slider that helped him post the highest strikeout rate in Division I at nearly 49% (191 K in 100 IP). There is some concern about his pitching, but he averaged fewer than 3.0 walks per nine over three seasons in college.
Upcoming selections
First round
3. Colorado Rocky Mountains
4. Oakland Athletics
5. Chicago White Sox
6. Kansas City Royals
7. St. Louis Cardinals
8. Angels of Los Angeles
9. Pittsburgh Pirates
10. Washington Nationals
11. Detroit Tigers
12. Boston Red Sox
13. San Francisco Giants
14. Chicago Cubs
15. Seattle Mariners
16. Miami Marlins
17. Milwaukee Brewers
18. Tampa Bay Rays
19. New York Mets
20. Toronto Blue Jays
21. Minnesota Twins
22. Baltimore Orioles
23. Los Angeles Dodgers
24. Atlanta Braves
25. San Diego Padres
26. New York Yankees
27. Philadelphia Phillies
28. Houston Astros
29. Arizona Diamondbacks
30. Texas Rangers
Incentive Selections for Prospect Promotion
31. Arizona Diamondbacks (for Rookie of the Year winner Corbin Carroll)
32. Baltimore Orioles (for Rookie of the Year winner Gunnar Henderson)
Compensation Selections
33. Minnesota Twins (Sonny Gray Compensation)
Competitive balance round A
34. Milwaukee Brewers (acquired from the Orioles in the Corbin Burnes trade)
35. Arizona Diamondbacks
36. Cleveland Guardians
37. Pittsburgh Pirates
38. Colorado Rocky Mountains
39. Washington Nationals (acquired from the Royals in the Hunter Harvey trade)
Second round
40. Oakland Athletics
41. Kansas City Royals
42. Colorado Rocky Mountains
43. Chicago White Sox
44. Washington Nationals
45. Angels of Los Angeles
46. New York Mets
47. Pittsburgh Pirates
48. Cleveland Guardians
49. Detroit Tigers
50. Boston Red Sox
51. Cincinnati Reds
52. San Diego Padres
53. New York Yankees
54. Chicago Cubs
55. Seattle Mariners
56. Miami Marlins
57. Milwaukee Brewers
58. Tampa Bay Rays
59. Toronto Blue Jays
60. Minnesota Twins
61. Baltimore Orioles
62. Atlanta Braves
63. Philadelphia Phillies
64. Arizona Diamondbacks
65. Texas Rangers
Competitive balance round B
66. Tampa Bay Rays
67. Milwaukee Brewers
68. Chicago White Sox (acquired from the Mariners in the Gregory Santos trade)
69. Minnesota Twins
70. Miami Marlins
71. Cincinnati Reds
72. Detroit Tigers
73. Oakland Athletics
Compensation Selections
74. Los Angeles Angels (By Shohei Ohtani)
