Will Vance Honeycutt get drafted? Taking a look at North Carolina player's 2024 MLB draft projection
North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt provided a glimpse of what he could do in the past NCAA Baseball season. He helped the Tar Heels claim the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and make the 2024 College World Series by defeating West Virginia in two close super regional games.
Honeycutt was clutch on both occasions, scoring the game-winning home run in Game 1 of the best-of-three series and hitting another round-tripper, which put the Tar Heels on top in Game 2.
The centerfielder's torrid batting continued in the College World Series, hitting a home run in North Carolina's games against eventual national champions Tennessee and Florida State. However, his power bat wasn't enough to carry the Tar Heels deep into the CWS, as the Seminoles eliminated them in the win-or-go-home, second-round eliminator.
Honeycutt suited up for 62 games this past season and hit a career-high .318. The six-foot-three star scored 88 runs, 28 home runs and 70 RBIs for North Carolina. He also stole 28 bases and put up an on-base and slugging percentages of .410 and .714, respectively.
The 2024 power surge handed the centerfielder the First-Team All-America and First-Team Academic All-America honors and the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove award.
The North Carolina superstar also excelled on defense, recording 491 putouts and 10 assists with just eight errors, for a .984 fielding percentage. The consistent defensive numbers handed Honeycutt back-to-back ACC Defensive Player of the Year Awards.
The outfielder is ranked 22nd in the MLB Top 200 prospect list and the MLB Pipeline projects him to be the No. 17 overall pick while Bleacher Report puts him as No. 19 pick.
2024 MLB draft first-round draft order ft. Vance Honeycutt's draft projection
Here's a look at the draft order of the first round and where Honeycutt will likely end up:
1. Cleveland Guardians
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Oakland Athletics
5. Chicago White Sox
6. Kansas City Royals
7. St. Louis Cardinals
8. Los Angeles Angels
9. Pittsburgh Pirates
10. Washington Nationals
11. Detroit Tigers
12. Boston Red Sox
13. San Francisco Giants
14. Chicago Cubs
15. Seattle Mariners
16. Miami Marlins
17. Milwaukee Brewers*
18. Tampa Bay Rays
19. New York Mets*
20. Toronto Blue Jays
21. Minnesota Twins
22. Baltimore Orioles*
23. Los Angeles Dodgers
24. Atlanta Braves
25. San Diego Padres
26. New York Yankees
27. Philadelphia Phillies
28. Houston Astros
29. Arizona Diamondbacks
30. Texas Rangers
Vance Honeycutt would boost the strong lineups of the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles if he gets drafted and called up by one of those teams.
The Orioles could be Honeycutt's ideal destination, as the American League East power has weak batting options at center field. If Baltimore picks him, he could form an interesting power-batting lineup with Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander and Adley Rutschman.
Vance Honeycutt would also be a great addition to Milwaukee's outfield line, as he would form a partnership with rightfielder Sal Frelick and leftfielder Christian Yelich. His power bat could spell the difference for the Brewers, as Rhys Hoskins and Willy Adames were the top homerun hitters for the team this year with 14 round-trippers each.
As for the Mets, Honeycutt could work alongside Harrison Bader in the centerfield, and his defensive skills could strengthen New York's outfield line. On the offensive end, the centerfielder could be the other powerhouse the Mets need after Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor.
Vance Honeycutt could get called up immediately from the minors to gain learnings from Bader and get the needed exposure for his future center-field job with the Mets.