MLB Draft 2024: 4 Big 12 players selected on Day 1 ft. JJ Wetherholt
Day 1 of the MLB draft 2024 has officially wrapped and four players from Big 12 teams had their names called. While there will certainly be more as the draft continues on Monday afternoon, let's take a deeper dive into each of the four Big 12 players that were selected in the first day of the MLB draft 2024.
Big 12 Players Selected on Day 1 of MLB Draft 2024
JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia
The first Big 12 player off the board was West Virginia shortstop JJ Wetherhold. He missed two months of action with a hamstring injury and should be a threat with the St. Louis Cardinals going forward.
He was projected to be the top pick in this draft ahead of the season and did not disappoint when he was healthy. He hit .370 throughout three seasons with 29 home runs and 129 RBIs while stealing 57 bases.
He is going to be a bat-first middle infielder who can transition to second base as well. With his ability to be the strongest pure hitter in the MLB draft class, the Cards got a great player out of the Big 12.
Carson Benge, Oklahoma State
The New York Mets made a splash as they took two-way player Carson Benge out of Oklahoma State. He recovered from Tommy John surgery as he redshirted but in two full seasons, he has been able to pitch at an okay level. However, the Mets drafted him for his ability to hit.
He appeared in 120 games for the Cowboys and posted a 1.064 OPS with 25 home runs and 107 RBIs. While not really a major threat to steal bases, he has shown the ability to pick up speed rounding the bases.
With an excellent arm, he can more than hold his own in the outfield to help keep runners at bay at Citi Field while being a solid middle-of-the-lineup bat.
Kaelen Culpepper, Kansas State
Shortstop Kaelen Culpepper was selected by the Minnesota Twins with the 21st pick out of the Kansas State Wildcats program. He moved to shortstop after beginning his collegiate career at third base but besides the positional versatility, he has shown to be more than capable with the bat.
In his three seasons, he has a .314/.402/.531 slash line with 26 home runs, 122 RBIs and 109 runs scored in 152 total games. While he could wind up playing third base as his lateral quickness may not be enough in MLB, this is still a strong pick by Minnesota.
Payton Tolle, TCU
The fourth and final Big 12 player to be selected on the first day of the MLB draft 2024 was left-handed pitcher Payton Tolle. He was chosen 50th overall by the Boston Red Sox and was a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes and Dick Howser Trophy this season.
The southpaw did well as he started 14 games and finished 7-4 with a 3.21 ERA and a .198 batting average against 81.1 innings. He had incredible control as well with just 37 walks to 125 strikeouts.
His three-pitch mix (fastball, slider, changeup) made him solid and his massive 6-foot-6 frame helps him get more extension, which makes Tolle's 92 MPH fastball look even faster.
Tolle may need to add a fourth pitch to keep hitters guessing but this seemed to be solid value for the Red Sox.