While still about six months away, it's never too early to start looking ahead at what the Atlanta Braves might be doing in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft. So, with that thought in mind, let's take a look at three way-too-early first-round 2024 MLB Draft targets for the Atlanta Braves, who are set to pick at No. 24 overall this year.
3 way-too-early Atlanta Braves first round 2024 MLB Draft targets
RHP Drew Beam (Tennessee)
We begin with one of the top collegiate pitchers available in this draft. Beam is expected to be the ace of Tennessee's pitching staff this Spring in his third season in Knoxville. He is a right-handed pitcher and was named the 2022 SEC Freshman of the Year. Beam owns a combined 17-5 record with a 3.20 ERA and a 150/44 K: BB ratio across 160.1 IP the last two seasons with the Volunteers. 32 of his 33 appearances during that span have been starts.
He has a fastball that sits around 95 mph on average but he can hit 98 mph when needed. Beam also features a good changeup and curveball. Occasionally, he will throw a slider and cutter when he needs to change things up. He doesn't miss a ton of bats but his strikeout rate did increase from 7.3 per nine innings in 2022 to 9.4 per nine innings during the 2023 season.
Drew Beam would be a solid middle-of-the-rotation starter and has great upside. He has a great chance of making a difference on any team that drafts him. The Braves would be a perfect landing spot for the talented Tennessee right-hander.
OF Dakota Jordan (Mississippi State)
One of the top eligible sophomores in this draft will likely be Jordan, who is considered one of the top collegiate outfielders in the first round behind the likes of Braden Montgomery and Charlie Condon. Jordan is coming off a stellar 2023 freshman season with the Bulldogs in which he slashed .307/.397/.575 with 10 HR, 40 RBI, and four SB across 44 games, 41 of which he started.
Dakota Jordan is known for his power to all fields and he is developing way faster than MLB scouts expected him to. He has really good bat speed and shows a lot of promise in that department. However, he does struggle with hitting breaking pitches.
Jordan isn't known for stealing a lot of bases and plays average defense in the outfield. So, he will need to improve in that department but he is hands down one of the best bats that will be available in the draft.
RHP Michael Massey (Wake Forest)
An intriguing collegiate arm to potentially watch for this spring is Massey, who is likely to make the move to Wake Forest's rotation after serving primarily as a reliever a year ago. He is a right-hander and originally began his collegiate career at Tulane. Massey owned a 3-1 record with a 2.59 ERA and a 76/16 K: BB ratio across 41.2 IP last season, with only one of his 27 appearances having been starts.
The Wake Forest Junior throws a four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup. He delivers the ball from a bit of a high angle and that helps him deceive hitters a bit. Massey has some great traits that you look for with a starting pitcher.
Last year, Massey dominated with his fastball and slider, earning a 47.2 strikeout percentage against hitters he faced. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and maxes out at 97 mph with movement. That paired with his above-average slider helps him get swings and misses when he needs them. Massey does feature a changeup but that pitch still needs a bit of development.
This is just a taste of the talent offerings in the 2024 MLB Draft and hopefully, the Braves will be able to get exactly who they want to fill their organizational needs.