FORT WORTH, Texas – Opting for an enticing package of speed, defense and collegiate polish, the Cleveland Guardians selected Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana with the first overall pick in Major League Baseball’s draft on Sunday.
Shortly after the festivities began at the venerable Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth’s Stockyards, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the Guardians opted for Bazzana, a 21-year-old Australia native who hit 28 home runs, stole 16 bases and posted a 1.479 OPS for the Beavers in 2024.
The Guardians opted for Bazzana over a fellow speedy infielder, West Virginia’s JJ Wetherholt, along with several collegiate power bats. He is expected to move quickly through the minor leagues after molding himself into the 1/1 slot this year after a childhood spent Down Under playing cricket and other sports.
But he locked in on baseball, and soon could join perennial All-Star Jose Ramirez in Cleveland’s infield.
Bazzana was a career .360 hitter in three seasons in Corvallis and earned Pac-12 player of the year honors. He joins Adley Rutschman (Orioles, 2019) as the lone Oregon State players picked first overall.
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FORT WORTH, Texas — Jurrangelo Cijntje was 7 or 8 years old when he started throwing right-handed, for the most wholesome and relatable reason.
“I wanted,” he said Sunday night, a Seattle Mariners jersey dangling from his frame, “to be like my dad.”
That unlikely road yielded the biggest dividend Sunday, when the Mariners selected Cijntje with the 15th overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft – in part because of his ability to pitch both right- and left-handed.
“I will be down to do everything,” he says, “especially to help them win.”
– Gabe Lacques
For as good as Brody Brecht was in high school and for how great he looked at times in college, the thought has always been that the right-handed pitcher has just barely scratched the surface of his potential. It's also believed that an opportunity in professional baseball could help him unlock the entirety of his special skillset.
Brecht is getting that opportunity.
The former Iowa Hawkeyes pitcher was selected in the Competitive Balance A round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. Brecht, a former standout at Ankeny High School before going to Iowa, was taken with the 38th overall pick.
– Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register
Blake Burke landed multiple first-team All-American honors as a junior after hitting a team-best .379 with 20 homers and 61 RBIs. He tied the Tennessee program record with 30 doubles in 2024 after hitting nine in his first two seasons combined.
– Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel
Cam Caminiti was drafted by the Atlanta Braves with the No. 24 overall pick. An LSU commit and cousin of former National League MVP Ken Caminiti, he reclassified from 2025 to 2024 and is one of the youngest players in the MLB draft at 17 years old.
– Lafayette Daily Advertiser
Oklahoma State pitcher/outfielder Carson Benge was selected by the New York Mets with the 19th overall pick in the draft.
He began his redshirt sophomore season as a late-inning reliever but moved to the Cowboys’ starting rotation for the final month. He finished with a 3.16 ERA, allowing 13 earned runs over 37 innings with 44 strikeouts and 11 walks.
Benge batted .335 with 18 home runs, 24 doubles and 49 RBIs. He also had 10 stolen bases in 14 attempts and was a reliable right fielder. While he maintained a .300 average virtually all season, Benge had a late power surge, hitting 12 of his home runs in the final 21 games of the season.
– The Oklahoman
Mississippi State pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje was selected by the Seattle Mariners with the No. 15 pick.
The most intriguing aspect of Cijntje's game is that he can pitch with both arms — and he's really good at it.
Cijntje can top 90 miles per hour with both arms. He started 16 games for Mississippi State in 2024 but threw right-handed more than left-handed. He may project more as a starter while pitching with from the right side and a reliever from the left side. As a righty, Cijntje features a fastball, slider and changeup but doesn't throw a changeup as a lefty.
– Hattiesburg American
Cam Smith was selected with the the No. 14 pick by the Chicago Cubs. He was a two-year starter at third base for Florida State, exploding in 2024 with a .387 batting average, 16 home runs and 57 RBI. He touted a 1.142 OPS.
– Palm Beach Post
Texas A&M baseball outfielder Braden Montgomery was selected by the Detroit Tigers on Sunday with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft
Montgomery, a junior, produced an early first-round caliber season after transferring from Stanford. The draft pick holds a slot value of $5,712,100. He is the highest-drafted position player in Aggies history, surpassing Tyler Naquin who was picked No. 15 overall in 2012.
– Mississippi Clarion Ledger
The Detroit Tigers selected Harvard-Westlake High School (Los Angeles, California) shortstop Bryce Rainer with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft.
In the 2024 season, Rainer hit .505 with four home runs, 28 walks and 14 strikeouts in 33 games, spanning 127 plate appearances. The 19-year-old has been compared to Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager.
– Detroit Free Press
Tennesee's Christian Moore had one of the best seasons in program history in 2024. The junior second baseman slugged a program-record 34 homers, while setting the career record with 61.
Moore is the highest-drafted Vol since Nick Senzel was picked No. 2 by the Cincinnati Reds in 2016.
– KnoxNews.com
The St. Louis Cardinals selected West Virginia shortstop JJ Wetherholt with the seventh overall pick, tremendous value for a player who some projected would be taken first overall. Wetherholt hit .370 in 557 career at-bats for the Mountaineers, but dealt with a hamstring injury in 2024.
A Tampa native, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Jac Caglianone put together another dominant season at the plate for the Florida Gators, batting .419 with 35 home runs and 72 RBIs. He became the first player to post back-to-back 30 home runs in SEC history, powering UF to a second straight College World Series appearance while setting school records for home runs in a season (35) and career (75).
– Gainesville.com
The Athletics drafted Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz with the fourth overall pick, the second Demon Deacon to be selected already.
After the Reds surprised by taking pitcher Chase Burns with the second pick, the Rockies swooped in to take Georgia slugger Charlie Condon with the third overall selection.
The 6-foot-6 outfielder led Division 1 with a .433 average and 37 home runs in 2024.
Wake Forest right-hander Chase Burns was taken by the Cincinnati Reds with the No. 2 pick. A transfer from Tennessee, Burns went 8-1 with a 2.72 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 13 starts in 2024.
With the first overall pick, the Cleveland Guardians selected Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana.
Bazzana hit .407 with 28 home runs and 16 steals in 60 games for the Beavers in 2024 after posting a .374 average in 2023.
Sunday, July 14 – 7 p.m. ET: Round 1, Competitive Balance Round A, Round 2, Competitive Balance Round B
Monday, July 15 – 2 p.m. ET: Rounds 3-10
Tuesday, July 16 – 2 p.m. ET: Rounds 11-20
Sunday's draft action will air on MLB Network, with the first round also on ESPN. The draft can be live-streamed on MLB.com.
MLB's 2024 draft begins on Sunday, July 14 at 7 p.m. ET.
Here's the full schedule:
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