2024 MLB Draft: The Eligible Soph

The MLB Draft is all about leverage, and there might not be a demographic that holds more leverage than draft-eligible sophomores.

“Old for the class” has become a notorious label when talking about prep players’ draft stock, and ultimately leads to the elder statesmen being undervalued and pushed to campus. Fast forward two years, and those same players flip the script becoming some of the most sought-after prospects in the class with both draft and college eligibility remaining. 

In most years it is a small, exclusive group of players who fit this description. 2023 saw seven-figure bonuses dished out to likes of LHP Sean Sullivan (Wake Forest, 46th overall), RHP Grant Taylor (LSU, 51st overall), and RHP Jackson Baumeister (Florida State, 63rd overall), and a look back to 2022 saw a significant influx of draft-eligible sophomores in the 1st round with Jacob Berry (LSU, 6th overall), Kevin Parada (Georgia Tech, 11th overall) and Daniel Susac (Arizona, 19th overall).

If this trend is to become the norm, then allow the ‘24 class to usher it in with full force. Of the more than 30 prospects with such distinction, 15 are presently featured in the Top 100 Draft Prospects with a strong likelihood of many more joining in the near future.

Below, notes on 20 players who might ultimately drive significant Day 1 attention as well as a list of others who will be followed closely: