There are 300 NCAA Division I baseball programs. Assume an average of 35 players per roster and you’ve got 10,500 collegiate baseball players. Now, many of those are not on the MLB Draft radar, but it still speaks to the sheer volume of prospects to cover — many of which are far more polished than the extensive crop of prepsters. With those numbers, there will always be talented players who fall through the cracks. But here at Razzball, we do our very best to cover every fantasy-relevant college star. We already went over 20 players in the fall, but that left a lot to be desired. There are far more than 20 college prospects to have on your first-year player draft radar ALREADY. And things have already shifted since August with the coming and going of fall practice schedules as well as the unveiling of MLB Pipeline’s top-100 draft prospects. So who did we miss in the fall that you need to know NOW, before the upcoming college campaign kicks off on February 16? Here are six collegiate names to plug into your dynasty strategy and FYPD prep.
Seaver King, INF/OF, Wake Forest
King hasn’t proven anything yet at the Division I level as a Division II transfer out of Wingate, but he’ll enter the 2024 season as the No. 9 overall prospect for the MLB Draft via MLB Pipeline. In two years at Wingate, King slashed .399/.454/.676 with 15 homers, eight triples, 38 doubles, and 20 steals in 21 attempts across 399 plate appearances. Take his 11.0% career strikeout rate and status as a potential five-tool player, and you can see why many ‘perts are excited about the ceiling. Although he was a stellar .424/.479/.542 hitter over 16 Cape League games last summer, King needs to prove himself in the ACC before his draft status gains clarity.
We've long raved about what Seaver King is capable of and man, he CRUSHES a first-pitch heater for a two-run HR. Plenty of twitch and bat speed in his profile, this one left the yard at 111 MPH and landed 408 feet away.
Sound up! @WakeBaseball pic.twitter.com/OH6kldJkIF
— Tyler Jennings (@TylerJennings24) October 22, 2023
Mike Sirota, OF, Northeastern
You don’t become a top draft prospect while playing at Northeastern on accident. Sirota has potential 20-20 ability and the tools to stick in center field long term. As a .338/.449/.611 hitter in college, Sirota has racked up 22 big flies and 23 two-baggers to pair with 29 stolen bases and an 18.2 K% through 92 games. He was also solid on the 2023 Cape despite exhibiting less power, hitting .312/.465/.477. Unless he runs into big trouble this year, Sirota should be a lock as a first-rounder and penned into your FYPD radar.
Mike Sirota of @GoNUbaseball got all of this one, he then oromptly showed he does have potential as a 2 sport athlete pic.twitter.com/p6hnSuxx4f
— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) March 16, 2022
Josh Hartle, LHP, Wake Forest
The biggest mistake I made in my Way-Too-Early rankings in the fall was my failure to include Hartle, which was a massive oversight. That’s an understatement when we’re talking about perhaps the first college arm selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. In the fall, I ranked Jac Caglianone (two-way), Brody Brecht, Chase Burns, Hagen Smith, Braden Montgomery (two-way), Hagen Smith, Carter Holton, Michael Massey, Drew Beam and Thatcher Hurd ahead of Hartle. That’s why I call them “way-too-early” and roll out a fresh list in the spring. But leaving hindsight to the dust, Hartle WILL NOT be the 11th college hurler taken this July. Although he pitched to a 5.30 ERA and 7.0 K.9 in 69 2/3 freshman frames in 2022, he was a completely different guy last year and fall reports have been positive. Last season, he went 11-2 with a 2.81 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 12.3 K/9, and 2.1 BB/9 in 102 1/3 innings – 18 appearances (17 starts). Yipee skipee, me likey! Hartle isn’t a flamethrower, working 89-94 with a lively heater that pairs with a plus-slider in the low 80s, plus-cutter, and fringey changeup. Brody Brecht is still my top-ranked pitcher in this draft class, but expect Hartle to be gone in the first 20 selections as well.
Wake Forest lefthander Josh Hartle struck out nine in 5.2 innings today against Duke. He got 16 swings and misses. Here they are. pic.twitter.com/6kLvo3dV2v
— Josh Norris ? (@jnorris427) March 12, 2023
Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford
Moore stands as the top draft-eligible sophomore in the class. As a true freshman at Stanford, the draft’s highest-ranked catcher slashed .311/.386/.564 while adding 15 homers and 12 doubles in 64 games. His 16.8 K% is of no concern, but his 7.0% walk rate could use some work as he matures in his second collegiate campaign. The downside is he’s more of a two-to-three tool player as a hit-first prospect with plus power and a solid arm. If a team thinks he can stick behind the dish long-term, he’s likely a top 10-to-15 pick. If not, he’ll still probably slot into the back third of the first round due to his projectable tools at the dish. The only concern is he looks like the second coming of Alex Verdugo at the plate.
Have a day, Malcolm Moore! He goes down to get this fastball and crushes it out to dead CF for a 2-run HR! pic.twitter.com/fpB98qXT3b
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) June 11, 2023
Dakota Jordan, OF, Mississippi State
Another draft-eligible sophomore, Jordan’s upside is enormous. He’s a fantastic athlete at six feet and 200 pounds, holding status as a three-star wide receiver out of high school that makes his 60-grade power and 60-legs no surprise. In his first taste of college ball last year, Jordan posted a .307/.397/.575 batting line with 10 home runs, nine doubles, and four steals. He struck out in 25.0% of his plate appearances while drawing walks at a strong 13.6% clip. What do I like most? He’s a Mississippi kid who grew up playing sports year-round, namely football and doesn’t have the same volume of at-bats under his belt as the vast majority of his SEC peers. Not only does that make him more athletic, but it means there’s untapped upside in the bat especially as it relates to hitting breaking/offspeed stuff. He could end up going in the bottom third of the first round, but this is a top-10 talent. If he learns to tap into his speed on the bases, he could be a future five-category fantasy star.
Dakota Jordan’s 487-foot home run would’ve been the 7th longest home run in Major League Baseball in 2022. pic.twitter.com/u6X01Yfsu6
— Jack Byers (@JackVByers) March 31, 2023
Drew Beam, RHP, Tennessee
Last year, I had the opportunity to take in a series in Knoxville and scout that talented Volunteers rotation: Chase Dollander, Chase Burns, and Drew Beam. While talking to one of my friends and industry colleagues leading into the Friday matchup, I commented that Beam was my favorite pitching prospect of the trio and the one I would be most concerned about facing. My comrade was appalled, but let me defend my stance. Like I said about Reid Detmers four years ago, Beam is the most-polished college arm in the draft and his changeup is his best pitch. That is the recipe for immediate success in the pros. Beam has been a staple in the UT rotation the last two years, earning a rotation spot as a true freshman and running away SEC Freshman of the Year honors (8-1, 76.0 IP, 2.72 ERA, 0.93 WHIP). Last season, he upped his K/9 from 7.3 to 9.4 while holding his BB/9 steady at 2.5. Along with that, Beam went 9-4 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 84 1/3 innings (17 starts). He is close to having three plus pitches in his fastball (93-97 MPH), curveball (80-83 MPH), and 60-grade changeup (84-87 MPH), which he mises with an average slider. If you invest in Beam in dynasty, you won’t regret it.
Nasty stuff from Drew Beam.
Another day, another Vol pitcher tearing it up. pic.twitter.com/cv5PiVGhSB
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 6, 2022
That’s all for this week, Razzball fam! As always, I’m happy to take this conversation into the comments section or on Twitter, where you can find me @WorldOfHobbs.
