UVA shortstop Griff O’Ferrall has been climbing the draft board the past few weeks, and now looks to be a likely first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
If his name is called, that would give the Virginia Baseball program a first-rounder for the second straight year. Kyle Teel, now raking in Double-A in the Boston Red Sox system, with a projected MLB arrival date of spring training next year, went with the 14th pick in the first round in 2023.
The three-day draft begins on Sunday, and five members of the 2024 roster, and eight recruits from the high-school recruiting class that Baseball America ranked fifth nationally, are among the Top 250 prospects, from our scan of the prospect lists from Baseball America, D1Baseball.com, ESPN, The Athletic and MLB.com.
The consensus with O’Ferrall is that he will go in the latter stages of the first round, possibly as high as the 26th pick, which is owned by the New York Yankees.
The next guy from the 2024 roster likely to go is catcher/first baseman Ethan Anderson, who is ranked as the 45th-best prospect by The Athletic, and is a consensus second- to third-round pick.
Outfielders Casey Saucke (D1Baseball: #60) and Harrison Didawick (D1Baseball: #64) should go next, also likely in the second or third round
Right-handed pitcher Jay Woolfolk is the wild card among the group of 2024 ‘Hoos.
D1Baseball.com has Woolfolk in its Top 100 (at 88), and MLB.com has him at 250. Meaning, we could see Woolfolk going as high as the second half of the third round, or free-falling into the into the ninth or 10th round.
Where Brian O’Connor will have his eyes focused during the draft will be on that Top 5 recruiting class, which has eight guys among the consensus Top 250 prospects, led by shortstop Caleb Bonemer (ESPN: #40).
Bonemer, along with shortstop Luke Dickerson (MLB.com: #49), right-handed pitcher Bryce Meccage (MLB.com: #51), outfielder James Nunnallee (ESPN: #52), and right-handed pitcher Trey Gregory-Alford (The Athletic: #89) could all go in the second or third round, which would lead to decisions with signing bonuses in the range of $1 million to $2 million potentially on the table.
Three other incoming recruits are projected fourth- or fifth-round picks – left-handed pitchers Tomas Valincius (MLB.com: #107) and William Kirk (MLB.com: #110) and third baseman Aiden Harris (MLB.com: #168).
Video
Chris Graham reviews the 2024 UVA Baseball draft class (link).
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