Chapel Hill Regional's top 7 MLB draft sleepers you can't ignore in 2024 ft. LSU's Tommy White
The baseball NCAA Tournament is chock full of future MLB draft picks. That certainly applies to the Chapel Hill regional, where SEC dark horse LSU joins the host Tar Heels. Both LSU and UNC have plenty of big-time talent, even if neither has a Charlie Condon or Travis Bazzana.
Here are seven MLB draft prospects to watch in the Chapel Hill Regional.
Top 7 MLB draft prospects in Chapel Hill Regional
#7. Jared Jones, LSU, 1B
At 6-foot-4 and 253 pounds, Jones could have played for Brian Kelly at LSU instead of Jay Johnson. As a freshman in 2023, Jones hit .302 with 14 homers. This year, he's even better, slugging 27 home runs with a .294 average.
There's no question where Jones's weakness lies. In 380 college at-bats, he's struck out 140 times. But his power is undeniable, and if a team thinks they can work on his contact skills, he could be an attractive MLB draft option.
#6. Casey Cook, North Carolina, OF
A 6-foot outfielder, Cook showed promise in 2023, hitting .317 but with just three homers. His power game arrived in 2024, with Cook now batting .346 with 18 homers and 76 RBIs.
Cook's sudden development suggests that the lefty swinger has a bright future ahead of him. Teams might be wary of a lack of speed or defensive excellence, but a line-drive lefty swing is never a bad bet.
#5. Thatcher Hurd, LSU, RHP
Hurd is a tough case to figure out. He won the championship game of the College World Series in 2023 for LSU. That said, he had an uneven season, going 8-2 with a whopping 5.68 ERA. Hurd fanned 84 batters in 63 1/3 innings but also walked 40 batters.
2024 has been a step back for Hurd. He's 2-4 with a 7.04 ERA on the year. He still gets strikeouts, with 50 in 38 1/3 innings. But he also walked 24 batters. Hurd has mid-90s speed and some decent breaking pitches. But the sum of the parts has always exceeded the whole. It's interesting to see which MLB team will gamble on Hurd putting it all together.
#4. Gage Jump, LSU, LHP
On the other hand, Jump, who like Hurd transferred in from UCLA, has helped his stock in 2024. Jump has gone 6-1 with a 3.42 ERA for the Tigers. He has whiffed 89 hitters in 73.2 innings while walking only 20.
Jump has earned praise with his stuff, and he is good at avoiding strong contact. He's a little bit of a question mark, coming off a redshirt season. But his arm is certainly alive, and being a lefty won't hurt him. Jump could be a calculated gamble for a team that can let him fill out and develop.
#3. Luke Holman, LSU, RHP
A transfer from Alabama, Holman has been electric this season for the Tigers. He's 9-3 with a 2.54 ERA. Holman has fanned 116 hitters in 85 innings and has given up just four homers all year. The 6-foot-4 Holman tends to pitch in the lower 90s and is working on a bevy of breaking pitches.
If Holman's slider and change can develop with his curve, he'll be a legitimate top-end MLB starter. He's improved every season in college, and while he's not the guy with the most eye-popping heat, he's been an excellent collegiate pitcher. Holman is probably a second-round draft pick.
#2. Tommy White, LSU, 3B
A year ago, White was spoken of in the same breath as guys like Jac Caglianone and Charlie Condon. All the 6-foot-1, 228-pound White does is mash baseballs. After he hit .362 with 27 homers as a freshman at NC State in 2022, he transferred to LSU. In 2023, he hit .374 with 25 homers and 104 RBIs. This year, the RBIs have dropped to 69, but it's not on White – he's hitting .337 with 24 homers.
White is slow afoot and probably ends up at first base to hide him defensively. But there's no denying his power bat and his solid contact ability. White has whiffed just 35 times in 255 at-bats this year. He's still probably a first-round draft pick, but not a top five or 10 pick as he might have been a year ago.
#1. Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina, OF
The 6-foot-3 Honeycutt has rebounded from a disappointing 2023 season. As a freshman in 2022, Honeycutt hit .296 with 25 homers and 29 stolen bases. He slumped to .257 and 12 homers last year. But this season, Honeycutt is at .319 with 22 homers and 28 steals.
Honeycutt is strikeout-prone, with 211 strikeouts in 654 college at-bats. But given his speed and defensive excellence, he's a five-tool player. He has faded a bit from potential top overall pick status to somewhere in the middle of the first round of the MLB draft. He could be an All-Star level player in the big leagues easily.
Which stars from the Chapel Hill region will you watch out for in the MLB draft? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.