NEWSLETTER
The Philadelphia Phillies are set to make their first-round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft with the 10th overall pick.
Exploring Potential Fits for the Washington Nationals in the 1st Round of the 2024 MLB Draft
It’s a new week, which means we’ve got updated mock drafts from the game’s biggest names, now complete with intel from the MLB Draft Combine, which took place at Chase Field in Arizona last week. Let’s start with the latest mock draft from MLB.com, a collaborative effort between Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, and Brendan Samson.
The prospecting trio at the mothership have the Nationals taking a big swing in the first round, selecting prep shortstop Konnor Griffin out of Mississippi at No. 10. Here’s Jim Callis on Griffin and the selection:
“There are teams who question the swing and how well it’s going to play against big league pitching, but in terms of ceiling, I think he’s got the highest ceiling in the Draft. You’re talking a potential 30-30 guy who could be a plus defender at shortstop or a Gold Glove center fielder.”
Even before the baseball scouting world came together in Phoenix last week, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel had the same thought, mocking Griffin to the Nats in round one in his most recent mock draft from last week. McDaniel also says that the Nats could flip the script and simply take the best college player available at that point, but feels that Washington will land on Griffin’s upside and ceiling.
“Griffin, or the best college position player available, is believed to be the mix here. The Nats have a new scouting group in control for its first draft together. Griffin could be the rare player who balances the upside-at-all-costs approach Washington was known for under the old group and the more modern approach of the newer group, with GM Mike Rizzo, a former scouting director himself, the bridge between the two regimes.”
However, The Athletic’s Keith Law has the Nats leaning in the other direction, taking Texas A&M outfielder Braden Montgomery with Griffin still on the board (and going next to the Detroit Tigers at No. 11). Here’s what Law had to say on Montgomery:
“Montgomery might have sneaked into the top five had he not broken his ankle in the Super Regionals, ending his season and pushing his draft status into the hands of team doctors once they see his medicals.”
