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It’s finally upon us. The 2024 MLB Draft begins tonight and on this page, we’ll update who the Phillies are taking in each round along with a scouting report on that player. We’ll take that scouting report from MLB Pipeline unless otherwise noted.
1st round - Dante Nori, OF, Northville (MI) HS
Teams that weigh age heavily won’t be interested in Nori, who’ll turn 20 three months after the 2024 Draft and is easily the oldest high school player in MLB Pipeline’s rankings. There also are evaluators who believe his all-around tools are comparable to Alek Thomas’ at the same stage and think he’s a better bet to hit than fellow Michigan prepster Caleb Bonemer. His grandfather, Fred Nori, recruited Kyle Schwarber to Indiana as an assistant coach, and his father Micah is a longtime NBA assistant coach currently with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Part of a state Division 1 championship team this spring, Nori has a mature approach at the plate, controlling the strike zone and looking to make consistent contact to all fields. He has a quick, direct left-handed swing and will shorten his stroke with two strikes. While he’s strong and shows average power during batting practice, he focuses on producing line drives rather than launching balls during games. Nori posts top-of-the-scale 60-yard dash times and is a well above-average runner who’s aggressive on the bases. A Mississippi State commit, he chases down balls from gap to gap as a no-doubt center fielder and his solid arm strength is another asset. He’s physically maxed out and offers no projection, but he has plenty of talent and scouts love his makeup as well.
2nd round - Griffin Burkholder, OF, Freedom (VA) HS
Over the past few years, the mid-Atlantic states have produced some high quality high school bats that have gone in the first couple of rounds. In 2021, Jackson Merrill was a first-rounder from Maryland while James Triantos went in the second from Virginia. Last year, Bryce Eldridge went in the first round while Jonny Farmelo went No. 29 overall. This year, the top prep hitter from the region is Burkholder, a speedy outfielder who seemed to have an up arrow next to his name as the spring progressed. Burkholder already looks like he belongs with a strong and athletic frame that is “what they look like.” And he has some tools to match. The right-handed hitter was one of the best performers at last summer’s East Coast Pro Showcase and has the chance to have real impact at the plate. He has plus raw power and can get to it in games at times, though he doesn’t always square the ball up, relying on strength at times more than finding the barrel. When he is on time, he can drive the ball. The West Virginia recruit’s standout tool is his well-above-average speed. His 70-grade wheels help him on the basepaths and in center field, where he has every chance to stick, with an average arm. He missed a little time with a hamstring injury this spring, but when he’s healthy, he looks like he could be a plus defender up the middle. The speed is key — if he slows down, that could make him more of a fourth outfielder type.
3rd round - John Spikerman, SS, Oklahoma
After missing the first two months of his freshman year with an injury, Spikerman joined Oklahoma’s lineup and helped spark a run to the 2022 College World Series Finals. He slumped throughout the first half of 2023 before finishing strong, then was enjoying the best season of his career when he broke the hamate bone in his right hand in mid-March. He returned as a pinch-runner a month later and rejoined the lineup in May. Spikerman’s double-plus speed is the key to his game. He makes a lot of ground-ball contact, using his quickness to beat out hits, and he’s a prolific and successful basestealer. He also covers plenty of ground in center field and leaves no doubt that he can remain there at the next level. In his first two seasons, the switch-hitting Spikerman struck out too much for a player trying to serve as a catalyst, but he has made more consistent contact this spring. He never has displayed much power, though some scouts think he has enough strength and bat speed to produce 10-12 homers per season if he opens up his approach. A shortstop in high school, he has at least average arm strength and could see some action as a middle infielder in a utility role as a pro.
4th round - Carson DeMartini, SS, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech has built a recent reputation of developing hitters who go early in the Draft, with six players taken in the top five rounds over the previous two, led by 2022 first-rounder Gavin Cross. DeMartini has been part of the offensive upswing since his freshman year in ‘22, posting an OPS over 1.000 in his first two seasons. A shoulder injury forced him to a DH role for much of the 2023 season, and surgery to repair his labrum kept him out of fall action. He returned to the lineup and the field in the spring, and while the power returned, so did some concerns about his approach. DeMartini is a compact and strong left-handed hitter who looks to do damage. He has a power-over-hit profile with plenty of bat speed to drive the ball, with extra-base authority to all fields. After striking out in 25 percent of his plate appearances in 2022, he trimmed that to 17 percent as a sophomore by cutting his chase rate on breaking stuff, seeing a lot of pitches and upping his walk rate. He was still drawing free passes as a junior, but the K rate jumped back up, with some wondering if the repaired shoulder had forced a swing change that added holes in his path. A shortstop in high school, DeMartini moved over to third base at Virginia Tech with fringy footwork and hands. He had plenty of arm for the hot corner before the surgery, but he’ll have to prove his repaired shoulder is 100 percent. A move to left field could be in his future, but it’s the power potential a team will be buying in the first few rounds.
5th round - Carter Mathison, OF, Indiana
Mathison surged late in his season as an Indiana high schooler in 2021 to finish among the national prep home run leaders with 16 in 33 games. But he wasn’t crosschecked enough to warrant a bonus that would lure him away from his college commitment to Indiana, where he set a school freshman record with 19 homers. Once projected as a top-three-rounds pick, his stock has dropped after his performance dipped the last two years, and he didn’t hit for power with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer. Mathison is a streaky hitter with plus raw power that plays to all parts of the ballpark and gives him 25-homer upside. He doesn’t chase or swing and miss excessively, but he takes too many hittable strikes and falls behind in counts, leading to strikeouts. He will draw some walks, but his left-handed swing can get long and uphill, and there are questions about his ability to consistently do damage against pro pitching. A 6-foot-2, 215-pounder with quality athleticism, Mathison has plus speed but isn’t much of a basestealer. His quickness plays better in center field, where he’s a solid to plus defender. With average arm strength, he’s capable of playing all three outfield positions.
6th round - Kodey Shojinaga, C, Kansas
Shojinaga set a Kansas freshman record by hitting .378 a year ago, when he also earned an invitation to try out for the collegiate national team. He slipped to .335/.402/.485 this spring, and while he makes repeated contact with an efficient right-handed swing, he doesn’t offer much beyond that. He has below-average power and speed and lacks a viable defensive home. A pro team may try him at catcher though he looked overmatched behind the plate during fall practice, and he’s rough at third, second and first base. Second base may be his best option.
7th round - Joel Dragoo, OF, Presbyterian College
Dragoo was a decent hitter as a sophomore and in the Appy League last summer, but put up a staggering .401/.508/.797 as a junior. He played in the Big South Conference and has struggled in 17 games in the draft league (just one extra base hit, a double), but he was one of the best statistical hitters in college baseball last year.
There is some definite worries about if his tools, in particular his raw power, match the stat line. He did walk (43) more than he struck out (33) this year. He has played mostly center field, but is likely headed for right in pro ball.
-Matt Winkelman, Phillies Minor Thoughts
8th round - Camron Hill, LHP, Georgia Tech
A 6-foot-6, 215-pound lefthander, Hill has pitched as a starter and reliever for three seasons with Georgia Tech where his scattered control has limited him. He had an excellent summer stint in the Cape Cod League in 2023 with Cotuit where he posted a 1.09 ERA over 33 innings and seven starts, but never quite translated that success to Georgia Tech. For his career with the Yellow Jackets, Hill owns a 6.65 ERA over 88 innings and 11 starts with a 23.1% strikeout rate and 12.8% walk rate. He has a three-pitch mix including a 90-94 mph fastball that has been up to 96, but his best pitch is a slider in the low-80s with spin rates in the 2,500 rpm range. He ups his low-80s changeup usage against righthanded hitters but needs to develop more feel for the pitch. Following the 2024 season Hill once again pitched in the Cape Cod League but struggled to an 11.57 ERA with erratic control in 9.1 innings.
9th round - Marcus Morgan, RHP, Iowa
Brody Brecht isn’t the only former multisport athlete with upside on Iowa’s pitching staff. Morgan comes from a basketball family — both parents and all four of his siblings played in college, including a brother and sister who played professionally — and had college scholarship offers to play shooting guard and quarterback before focusing on baseball. His ERA doubled from 3.72 as a sophomore to 7.45 this spring as scouts were critical of the Hawkeyes’ pitch-calling and tinkering with his repertoire. Morgan throws five different pitches, including a 91-93 mph fastball that reaches 96 with a lot of armside run and carry that make it difficult to control, as did the fact that he threw it only one third of the time as a junior. His best offering remains his slider, though evaluators prefer the tighter mid-80s version he employed in 2023 than the slower and sweepier edition Iowa had him use this year. He also lost effectiveness and velocity on his now upper-80s cutter, and he can mix in an upper-80s changeup with sink and a low-80s curveball. Despite his twitchy athleticism and a sound delivery, Morgan issued 125 walks in 135 innings during three seasons in college. He might be better off paring down his repertoire and throwing more fastballs to improve his command of the pitch. At his best, he flashes three plus offerings and he has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter if he can provide a lot more strikes.
10th round - Brady Day, 2B, Kansas State
Day is a 6-foot, 190-pound second baseman who stands out for his baseball skills and performance more than any individual tool. As a redshirt junior, teams will probably treat him as a senior in the draft, but he could be a fit on the second day thanks to a competitive approach, advanced understanding of the strike zone and bat-to-ball skills. He’s hit over .300 in back-to-back seasons with Kansas State and has consistently walked more than he’s struck out, though Day doesn’t have much power to speak of with a flat swing that’s more conducive to ground balls and line drives.
11th round - Titan Hayes, RHP, Austin Peay
12th round - A.J. Wilson, LHP, UNC Charlotte
13th round - Teagan Cain, RHP, Kansas
A starter in two seasons at Barton County (Kan.) CC, Cain became a reliever this spring after transferring to Kansas. He unleashes three interesting pitches from a sidearm slot but struggles with his control and command, resulting in a 5.94 ERA with a 47/18 K/BB ratio in 33 1/3 innings. His fastball gets hit despite operating at 93-96 mph and reaching 99, his low-80s changeup tumbles at the plate and grades better than his low-80s frisbee slider.
14th round - Jared Spencer, LHP, Indiana State
A closer on a 2023 Indiana State team that reached the NCAA super regionals, Spencer had shoulder issues at the end of last season. He avoided surgery, didn’t pitch in the summer and fall and started slowly in 2024 before the Sycamores moved him into their rotation at midseason. He’s better suited for the bullpen because he has effort in his funky delivery and has spotty control and command, but he’s a lefty with two useful pitches. His sweeping low-80s slider misses bats and he sets it up with a 92-94 mph fastball that touches 98 in shorter stints. He logged a 4.08 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 53 innings.
15th round - Luke Gabrysh, RHP, St. Joseph’s
16th round - Eli Trop, RHP, University of Pennsylvania
17th round - Ryan Degges, RHP, UNC Charlotte
Degges is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound righthander who was a two-way player with Columbia State (Tenn.) JC before becoming a pitcher-only in 2024 with Charlotte. A straight reliever, Degges had a decent season and posted a 5.53 ERA in 42.1 innings with a 26.3% strikeout rate, but analytically-inclined teams will be more interested in his pitch traits than performance. He primarily works off a fastball/slider combination and averaged 94 mph and touched 97 this spring. In addition to above-average velocity Degges gets above-average riding life on the pitch and has a slightly lower release point paired with a shallower approach angle. The slider is a low-80s sweeper with tons of horizontal movement that grades out well on Baseball America’s stuff+ metrics and also generated a whiff rate north of 50% this spring. Degges also has an upper-80s changeup but it’s the fastball and slider that will get him drafted. He needs to significantly improve his control—he walked 15.5% of batters in 2024—but his two-way background could leave teams optimistic about his future projection in that area.
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