NCAA baseball tournament: 7 MLB draft prospects to watch on road to College World Series

When Major League Baseball pushed its annual draft back five weeks to coincide with the All-Star Game, the hope was to generate more attention for the least-heralded of the major sports’ talent selection shows.

It also created an extra three weeks for scouting directors and fans to gawk at the eye candy on the diamond.

With NCAA baseball regionals beginning this weekend, a top prospect is never more than a click of the remote or an opening of the browser away. Sixteen regionals will give way to eight super regionals that will determine participants in the College World Series, from June 14-24 in Omaha.

But blink, and you could miss a significant talent. Two losses at any stage will send a team home, which is why the coming weekend is guaranteed to showcase a bevy of projected first-round picks.

Here’s a look at seven compelling talents to watch from Friday through Monday - and perhaps beyond:

Charlie Condon, OF, Georgia

Projected: No. 1 overall by Baseball America, No. 2 by MLB Pipeline

Regional: Athens, seeded No. 1

Notable: “Home run king in the BBCOR era” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, but Condon’s 35 homers this year are the most since the NCAA took the rocket fuel out of bats in 2011. The 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore and former walk-on also homered in eight consecutive games, has a logic-defying .558 OBP and just 39 strikeouts in 210 at-bats.

Fun fact: His coach, Wes Johnson, may earn the rare distinction of coaching consecutive No. 1 overall picks at different schools. Johnson was LSU’s pitching coach a year ago when Paul Skenes was the 1/1.

Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas

Projected: No. 3/No. 6 overall

Regional: Fayetteville, seeded No. 1

Notable: Need to drop a pitcher in here before the bats get too loud. Smith, 20, is Arkansas’ all-time strikeout leader and he’s punched out a staggering 154 in 79 innings this year, against just 30 walks. He struck out at least 10 batters in 11 of his 15 starts, including 17 in just six innings against Oregon State in February. At 6-3 and with a fastball sitting in the mid-90s, he’s far from Skenes-esque but projects as a quick-to-the-majors mid-rotation sort.

Fun fact: Threw seven no-hitters and four one-hitters in 2021, his senior year at Bullard High School in Texas, less than two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida

Projected: No. 7/No. 3 overall

Regional: Stillwater, seeded No. 3

Notable: The most significant two-way player in the draft, Caglianone is a surer bet as a hitter, probably because he hit 33 home runs as a sophomore – setting a record Condon broke this year. As a junior, Caglianone simply homered in a record-tying nine straight games, hit 29 overall with a 1.369 OPS and struck out 68 batters in 62 innings over 13 starts. Followed Mets star Pete Alonso’s path from Tampa’s Plant High School to Gainesville.

Fun fact: His teammates call him Jactani, for obvious reasons, and you can even cop a T-shirt with that two-way tribute on the back.

Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M

Projected: No. 5/No. 8 overall

Regional: College Station, seeded No. 1

Notable: Another two-way star who strongly leans toward hitting, Montgomery, 21, is a first-year Aggie after two seasons at Stanford. While not quite a five-tool talent, Montgomery, a switch-hitter, slugged 26 home runs, had a .451 OBP and brings a shutdown presence to outfield defense with his mound-worthy arm. His strike-zone recognition as a hitter should improve in the right organization.

Fun fact: Montgomery grew from 5-foot-7 to 6-foot-2 between his sophomore and senior year of high school, according to mother Gretchen.

Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest

Projected: No. 6/No. 5 overall

Regional: Greenville (N.C.), seeded No. 2

Notable: The Demon Deacons were a consensus preseason No. 1 in part due to Burns’ transfer from Tennessee, yet finished 38-20 and 15-15, fifth, in the ACC. Yet they have perhaps the ultimate regional weapon in Burns, who earlier this month struck out a career-high 16 batters to beat Clemson, now the No. 6 national seed. He set a school record with 184 strikeouts this year, touches 100 mph on the radar, has a 0.87 WHIP and is a fun dude to watch pitch. (Hopefully he’ll get more than one start this June).

Fun fact: Mike Piazza, beware: Burns was born in Napoli, setting the stage for No. 1 starter status on Italy’s World Baseball Classic team.

Carson Benge, OF, Oklahoma State

Projected: No. 16/No. 19 overall

Regional: Stillwater, seeded No. 1

Notable: Stop us if you’ve heard this before: A two-way player with Tommy John surgery in his past. Benge is very much in the developmental phase as a pitcher, since he’s just two years removed from 2022 elbow surgery, but his fastball touches 96 mph and needs more scrutiny as a pitcher. He struck out 10 and walked none in a Big 12 Tournament start against Texas Tech; he also had three hits, as a matter of course. Still, his athleticism at the plate and in the field is tough to deny, with 17 homers, a .451 OBP and the ability to play anywhere in the outfield.

Fun fact: Benge drew as many walks – 46 – as he had strikeouts this year.

Griff O’Ferrall, SS, Virginia

Projected: No. 111/No. 41 overall

Regional: Charlottesville, seeded No. 1

Notable: Hey, it’s not all exit velocity and home run records. There’s still a spot in the college game for the consummate ballplayer, and on a Virginia team that ranked ninth nationally with 113 home runs, O’Ferrall holds it all together. He has the most career hits of any three-year player in program history, including a team-high 86 in 56 games this year, along with 15 steals in 19 attempts. Given the volatility of his stock, a player who could greatly benefit from an extended look in June.

Fun fact: Started at shortstop for the Team USA collegiate national team, batting .463 in international play.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA baseball tournament: MLB draft prospects to watch in 2024 bracket