Cleveland Guardians 2024 MLB Draft Watch List: College Pitchers
Here's a pre-season list of college pitchers we think are fits and some personal favorites. This will be posted on our 2024 MLB Draft page and this will be updated throughout the season with new names and observations. (We know twitter and substack don’t play well together but we included the links from player clips from there that you can open on another tab for reference).
RHP Chase Burns (Wake Forest) A Tennessee transfer Burns, has a lengthy track record of performing at a high level, dating back to his time as a prep arm. Although he was moved to the bullpen as last year at Tennessee. With a fastball that has touched 102 in the fall and possibly the best slider in this class, Burns has a chance to shoot up draft boards, even more so than he currently is setting. Reports are that he is working on his curveball and splitter. If he puts it all together and maintains his performance he could be a darkhorse option for the Guardians at 1-1
https://twitter.com/BaseballAmerica/status/1731035001951523171
RHP Trey Yesavge (East Carolina) Yesavage made the transition from the bullpen last season and had great results. Which led him to make the team USA roster in the summer. His fastball stats in the mid-90s with an amazing slider to go with it. He does offer a curveball in a change-up, but they are behind the other two options, if he can repeat what he did last year, he could be a mid-first-round pick.
https://twitter.com/PGCollegeBall/status/1673052065327661057
LHP Gage Jump (LSU): The UCLA transfer has a fastball that sits in the low to mid 90’s with great metrics, to go along with a hammer curve. Coming off TJ surgery during his last season at UCLA. Looks to be a weekend starter for the Tigers.
https://twitter.com/mason_mcrae/status/1510746393023066118
RHP Ben Hess (Alabama) Hess is a big-body presence on the mound. He was hurt early in the 2023 season but showed a great deal of impressive stuff before being hurt. His fastball sets in the mid-90s and hammers this down with it he throws a curveball as his best secondary pitch, which has a very high spin rate that generates a ton of swing and miss. He throws a slider and a change-up as well, which have shown flashes of being average patches. If he shows that he is healthy and stays on the path, he was on before the injury, he could shoot up draft boards quickly.
https://x.com/petergflaherty/status/1720587122913186170?s=46&t=l_kyAxpsV_UfZKpcu3KojQ
RHP Tyson Neighbors (Kansas State): Neighbors is possibly the best reliever in this class. struck out 86 batters in just 48 ⅔ innings pitched last season. His fastball sits in the upper 90s with great spin behind it. He follows that with an upper 80s slider that has a very good life and late break. Some in the industry think could be a starter but will likely stay as a reliever and could be in the majors very quickly.
https://x.com/petergflaherty/status/1718026099404505460?s=46&t=l_kyAxpsV_UfZKpcu3KojQ
RHP Matt Ager (UC Santa Barbara) The UCSB ace has a great frame and easy delivery. His fastball sets in the low 90s has been reported up to 96. He is primarily a two-pitch pitcher with a slider that goes with his fastball. So much so that he used these two pitches 90% of the time last season, he throws a ton of strikes but needs to work on a third offering to reach his potential.
https://x.com/joedoylemilb/status/1719495039771165076?s=46&t=l_kyAxpsV_UfZKpcu3KojQ
LHP Jac Caglianone (Florida): Left-hander who can run it up to 97. He may not have ideal control but is on this list because he is a two-way starter at Florida and the Guardians popped three Florida arms in the 2021 draft (Tommy Mace, Jack Leftwich and Franco Aleman).
https://twitter.com/HardballSide/status/1628595095401275395
RHP Ryan Forucci (UC San Diego) Forucci basketball. It sits in the mid-90s with a ton of ride and carry in the upper part of this out. He throws a ton of strikes and has a good slider to go with his fastball. He has shown feel for the change-up in the past but does not utilize it that much. If he can bring that pitch along, he fits the bill for Guardians type.
https://x.com/joedoylemilb/status/1675582959481683969?s=46&t=l_kyAxpsV_UfZKpcu3KojQ
LHP Andrew Healy (Duke): Healy is a 6’6 draft-eligible sophomore. Scouts in the industry rave about his makeup and body. His fastball sits in the low 90s and has shown great command in the past. His best secondary pitch is this changeup which shows a lot of fade and drop at the end. He needs to develop his slider more so, but could be a steal as a draft-eligible sophomore in the second-round range.
https://x.com/petergflaherty/status/1735095339173265778?s=46&t=l_kyAxpsV_UfZKpcu3KojQ
LHP Cameron Hill (Georgia Tech) Hill is a very interesting prospect. His command in college has been iffy at best, but He was absolutely dominant in the Cape Cod league last summer with an ERA of 1.09 and struck out 44 batters in 33 innings. Many attribute this to the increase of his changeup during this time. His fastball sits in the low 90’s but could see that increase.
https://x.com/officialccbl/status/1674490205686976513?s=46&t=l_kyAxpsV_UfZKpcu3KojQ
RHP Daniel Avitia (Grand Canyon) The Grand Canyon ace the last two seasons, Avitia has amazing command. His fastball sits in the 89–92 range but gets a ton of swing and miss off the pitch. He has a lower slot delivery which adds deception to his pictures. He added a sweeper and his sliders which are both above average pitches. He is a prime candidate for the Guardians in the 2nd-3rd round range.
https://x.com/petergflaherty/status/1732563071766544410?s=46&t=l_kyAxpsV_UfZKpcu3KojQ
RHP Brody Brecht (Iowa): Brecht has possibly the best stuff. A two-sport athlete at Iowa, it is exciting to see what he will look like while just focusing on baseball. Although the command has never been there, the ceiling is through the roof. With a fastball that has a ton of life and tops out at 102, he pairs it with a devastating slider that he throws a great deal. There are reports of him working on a sweeper as well as a splitter. It will be interesting to see if he can refine his command. If he’s able to put it all together, he will hear his name called very early.
https://x.com/petergflaherty/status/1634702418477821952?s=46&t=l_kyAxpsV_UfZKpcu3KojQ
LHP Hagen Smith (Arkansas) Smith has had a great deal of success ever since he stepped on campus. He has seen his fastball velocity increase every year ever since he started. The fastball has been reported to have hit triple digits this fall, and he looks to showcase that this spring. The command is something that he needs to improve on but the overall stuff is great. His best offering is a slider in the upper 80s. There are some reports that he has developed a split change. His delivery has some deception and makes for an uncomfortable at-bat for college hitters.
https://x.com/pgcollegeball/status/1644497159515930627?s=46&t=l_kyAxpsV_UfZKpcu3KojQ
RHP Drew Beam (Tennessee ) Beam is a big body workhorse at Tennessee. His fastball sits in the 92-95 range, but has topped 98 in the past. He throws a five-pitch mix, but relies heavily on his curveball as his go-to secondary. He has all the makings of a solid big-league middle-of-the-rotation arm, with the potential to be better as he refines his secondary stuff.
RHP Luke Holman (LSU) Holamn was kind of the forgotten man last year, not only in the SEC, but on the loaded LSU roster. He was second in the conference in terms of FIP with a 1.05, with only Skeens ahead of him. His fastball sits in the 92-94 range, but it has topped in the upper 90’s on occasion. He throws a slider and a change-up as well. He pitched for Team USA last year and racked up 15 k’s and only two walks in eight innings pitched.
https://twitter.com/PeterGFlaherty/status/1723867526872854720
RHP Michael Massey (Wake Forest): Massey was a reliever at Wake in the past, putting up great numbers in his role. He hides the ball extremely well in his delivery. His fastball sits in the mid-90s but due to its outlandish shape and delivery, he had a 41% miss rate on the pitch. He offers a great slider to pair with his fastball. He will finally get a shot at the rotation this year, and if he can garner the same success, he could see his stock rise more so than it is.
https://twitter.com/jnorris427/status/1674960457843482624
LHP Cade Obermuller (Iowa) A sidearm lefty, Obermuller has primarily been used as a reliever in the past, but he is looking to crack the starting rotation this year. He is primarily a two-pitch pitcher currently, with a bowling ball sinker, and a sweeping slider to pair with it. He is more than likely a reliever in pro ball, but that could change if he can show he can start, and add a third pitch to the mix.