Top 5 SEC players who could go big in 2024 MLB Draft ft. Christian Moore
The Southeastern Conference has produced many Major League Baseball-worthy talents in the just-concluded college baseball season. These SEC prospects are likely headed to the 2024 MLB draft from July 14-16 at the Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas.
There are some SEC players in this year's draft who experts believe could become potential superstars in the future. Here are the top five SEC players who could go big in the 2024 MLB draft.
Top 5 SEC players who could go big in the 2024 MLB draft
#5. Christian Moore, 2B, Tennessee
Christian Moore had a power surge this past season. The six-foot-one second baseman hit .375 with 34 home runs and 74 RBIs to lead the Tennessee Volunteers to their first-ever national championship, beating Texas A&M in the best-of-three College World Series final.
Moore finished the year with 83 runs, 19 doubles and two triples and recorded an on-base and slugging percentage of .451 and .797, respectively. Mock drafts see the Brooklyn-born infielder as a Top 15 overall pick and a future superstar second baseman.
#4. Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas
Hagen Smith had a superb 2024 season with Arkansas, going 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA. The left-handed pitcher started in all 16 games and played 84 innings.
Smith had 161 strikeouts this past season, including a career-high 17 against Oregon State. In three seasons for the Razorbacks, the Bullard, Texas native had a 24-6 record with a 3.40 ERA and 360 strikeouts in 233 innings.
Smith could be selected between sixth and 10th overall in the MLB draft just ahead of another pitching ace, Chase Burns.
#3. Braden Montgomery, OF, Texas A&M
Braden Montgomery played three seasons for Stanford and Texas A&M and hit .317 and smashed 62 HRs and 203 RBIs. It was in his third year with the Aggies that Montgomery blossomed into a superstar. He hit .322 and smacked 27 HRs and 85 RBIs in 61 games this past season.
Montgomery had an on-base percentage of .454 and his slugging rate was an outstanding .733. The outfielder is expected to be in the mix for the third-to-fifth overall picks and could get called up to play for his MLB team as early as next season if his batting continues to improve.
#2. Jac Caglianone, 1B/LHP, Florida
Dual-threat Jac Caglianone has been good in both pitching and hitting in his collegiate stint with Florida. Caglianone was 12-6 with a 4.55 ERA as a pitcher but he was way better in the hitting aspect as he hit .355 with 75 home runs and 189 RBIs in three seasons with the Gators.
The Gators standout will likely end up in the top three overall picks in this year's draft and is capable of helping his new team in the MLB with his excellent pitching and powerful batting skills.
#1. Charlie Condon, OF/3B, Georgia
Charlie Condon has led the Georgia Bulldogs to the 2024 NCAA Super Regional with a lethal combination of power-hitting and batting accuracy. In his last season with Georgia, Condon hit .433 with 37 home runs and 78 RBIs.
Condon had an on-base percentage of .556, and his slugging rate was 1.009. Those statistics were good enough to earn him the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy and the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award.
Condon is expected to be picked in the the top two as he and other prospective top pick Travis Bazzana could make an immediate impact in the field once called to play in the majors.