Guardians Mock Draft 2.0

With an off day for the entire organization, here's my CLE mock draft 2.0.

I'm Team Bazzana at 1.1, but for the purpose of this exercise, I won't mock anyone that I had in my first mock draft. All reports are from FSS and I took their and PG's Top 400 Boards for reference.

So here goes:

1 3B/OF Charlie Condon - Georgia

Condon’s emergence for the Bulldogs in 2023 came as a bit of a surprise to the college baseball world after the long, lanky outfielder redshirted in 2022 to add weight and work on his swing. It’s a similar player arch to former Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford, and Condon could be following in his footsteps. Condon broke through as the regular left fielder for the Bulldogs last year and immediately provided impact with the bat. He’s moving around the field at different positions this spring, but the bat is what ultimately catches the headlines.

He’s got double-plus raw power and a hit tool that has continued to improve at the University of Georgia. The swing can get a little long at times, and there’s some questions on his ability to make enough contact on pitches outside of the strike zone to be a truly consistent pure hitter at the next level. That’s to be expected of a 6-foot-6-inch frame. The levers are long and the path to the baseball will always be more complicated than his peers. Few doubt the impact in the overall offensive profile, even if he may have some small holes in his offensive game at the next level.

Condon may only possess a solid average hit tool when all said and done, but there’s 40-homer upside.

Condon has received mixed reviews on his defensive ability, though just about everyone who’s laid eyes on him this spring agrees the glove has taken a step in the right direction. He’s received a ton of time at third base this year and has showcased at least average athleticism with strong situational awareness and some flair for the highlight reel play. It’s still a huge frame that might have trouble playing low enough to the ground to sick at the hot corner long term, but there’s a chance. His arm strength is stronger on the dirt than in the outfield receiving above average grades from scouts featuring carry across the diamond. He’s moving better than he once did, and the arm strength is plenty strong enough to warrant consideration in right field as a pro — some considering that his most likely future home.

Condon has the makings of a right-right power-hitting outfielder or third baseman. If Condon’s defensive home and athletic prowess get settled as July approaches, he’s as good a bet as anyone to go No. 1 in the Draft. There have been Kris Bryant and Nick Castellanos comps thrown on Condon this year.

36 1B/OF PJ Morlando HS South Carolina

Morlando might be the most polished high school bat in the 2024 class with budding bat speed and high contact rates regardless of pitch type. Morlando has long had the bat speed to out-slug his peers, but it's his mature approach and willingness to take the walk that has scouts raising eyebrows. The raw power here is already huge and should comfortably sit in the plus category at the highest level. His bat-to-ball skills and discerning eye make the possibility of a future 6 hit/6 power bat feasible. He should hit for a reasonably high average at the next level and is likely to slug toward the middle of a lineup as a pro.

Defensively, Morlando projects a fringy corner outfielder or first baseman where his fringy speed and solid average throwing arm fit nicely. Morlando has worked hard over the last twelve months to re-shape his physique and add explosiveness to his defensive capabilities. He's played centerfield for his high school team, and has reportedly looked comfortable enough in the grass to warrant legitimate consideration in a corner in professional ball. This is a high-level, impact bat that teams will likely covet the early.

48 SS Carter Johnson - HS Alabama

Johnson is a smooth, rhythmic infielder who can really, really hit. It's a sweet left-handed stroke that's designed to impact the gaps. Scouts project power on the horizon, but this spring he hasn't taken the physical steps some were expecting. The hit tool continues to stand out. He features loose hands, a consistent bat path and loads the barrel with conviction and repeatable triggers. It's easy to see the bat speed is strong despite an overall lack of twitch in his broader game. Johnson does a tremendous job of taking his hands and the barrel to the ball, staying inside and extending through the hitting zone. The offensive upside is clear.

Defensively, Johnson has a strong brand with the glove, an above average shortstop that might be able to stay at the position as he continues to grow into his physical frame. As mentioned, he's not the twitchiest, quick-fire guy, instead providing reliable, steady work at the position through technique and fundamentals. It's not too dissimilar to Cole Young from the 2022 class. Johnson is a stretched out, sloping shoulders frame who projects to add muscle. Johnson is just a smooth player who doesn't have any carrying tool, but shows a smattering of solid average traits and has a shot to stick at the shortstop as potentially an average glove. Those bullish on the profile argue it's one of the more projectable swings and hit tools in the class, one that could get to plus with continued reps.

84 LHP Josh Hartle - Wake Forest

Josh Hartle had a lot of money offered his way in the 2022 MLB Draft, but wanted the opportunity to grow and develop inside the Wake Forest Pitching Lab. That appears to have been a good idea. Hartle is a tall, lean, projectable lefty with a prospect pedigree and the ability to pound the zone. He's a five-pitch guy with a sinker-slider-changeup arsenal, working in a curveball and cutter that are usable. Hartle lives in the low-90s but projects to throw harder with added strength. His slider is a sweeper with huge depth and the changeup really fades back off the slider tunnel. Those two offerings have produced immense whiff rates in the ACC. Hartle has a good frame and can really mix it up. If his stuff ticks up, he has first round qualities.

113 LHP Mason Russell - HS Arizona

Russell, an Arizona commit, is one of the more impressive metrics arms in the 2024 class. He features a big riding fastball up to 94 with big spin rates. He's generally sat lower than that in game settings; often 90-91. Scouts want to see a velocity jump before July. Breaking ball has really come on in the last calendar year with late bite and more solid spin rates. There's also a changeup that flashes upside and feel, but is nascent in development. He's an impressive mover with a quick arm. Has a shot to go high in the draft if he continues to throw strikes and add velocity. There aren't many high school arms in the 2024 class that showcase the starting pitcher upside that Russell does.

146 RHP Gage Ziehl - Miami

Ziehl is a fastball-slider guy whose stuff has been ticking up since arriving on campus. The fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s, touching 96 with big hop and some armside run. Ziehl mixes in a hellish slider in the mid 80s with massive spin rates and ton of tilt. He'll mix in a changeup, though it lags behind his two primary weapons. Ziehl is a big, barrel-chested hurler whose future role is to-be-determined, but the arm talent is undeniable.

175 RHP Nate Dohm - Mississippi State

Dohm burst onto the scene in 2023 for the Bulldogs chucking upper-90s heat and mixing in a mid-to-upper 80s slider with serious tilt. He's primarily worked in relief, but some see a potential future in a rotation at the next level. The pure arm talent here is substantial, and if his sequencing and secondaries continue to polish up, he could go early in 2024.

205 C Ryan Campos - Arizona

Campos has been a productive offensive force for the Sun Devils since arriving on campus, his defensive chops improving along the way. Campos makes a lot of contact and always seems to post mature at-bats with a sound process and discerning eye. He hardly ever strikes out and does draw a fair amount of walks. Campos isn't necessarily a power hitter, and is unlikely to develop into much more given his smaller frame, but he has a bat path geared toward lifting the baseball in that low-and-inside "go zone". He'll pummel mistakes from righties and has a shot at developing into an above average hitter at the next level with a smattering of fringe-average to average tools across his profile.

235 SS JD Dix - HS Wisconsin

Wisconsin has produced some truly impressive infielders over the past half-decade, but Dix may be the best of the bunch. A switch-hitter with real ability from both sides, Dix features more loft and bat speed from the left side. From the right, it's a bit more hitterish with an opposite field gap approach with ringing doubles bat-speed. He has a real chance to switch-hit moving forward. Performing on the showcase and tournament circuit has been streaky, but those who have seen him at his best swear by the offensive tools. On the dirt, he uses his wiry frame well with a whippy arm and solid range to his left and enough arm to make most plays into the hole. Dix may end up at second base or third base as a pro. This is a high-level athlete with a ton of twitch and torque in how he plays with plenty of projection on the tools ahead of him.

265 RHP Jason Doktorczyk - Nevada

Doktorczyk has been a productive starter with the University of Nevada and impressed during his stint on the cape with Yarmouth-Dennis. The fastball will grab 95 with carry and occassional cut. He'll mix shapes and bore the ball in on righties at times as well. He works at the top of the zone and routinely ties up hitters on the knuckles, though he's not necessarily a prototypical punchout guy. Doktorczyk's sweeper is a good one, a low-80s banger with depth and considerable lateral tilt. He's shown a very good changeup with shape and tunnel. There's also a bigger curveball that'll he'll play off the sweeper to give a different look. Doktorzyck is a strike-thrower who doesn't possess overpowering stuff, but he knows hos to pitch. It's not a prototype deliver, more deception and angle than looseness and stride. He may ultimately end up in a relief role as a guy who throws a ton of sweepers. That said, the strikes are there and so is the menu of pitches. He projects a potential second-half of day two profile if a team believes in the starter upside.

295 RHP LP Langevin - LA Lafayette

Langevin is a big, physical righty with an explosive fastball and secondaries that have performed. A transfer from Wabash College, Langevin received draft interest during the 2023 draft, but elected to go to Louisiana in the hopes of upping his draft stock. Just 20 years old for this draft, he'll have models on his side as well. The fastball has been up to 96 with considerable carry and arm-side run. The pitch explodes out of his hand, and really lives and feasts on the top rail. It's technically a dead-zone fastball, but the movement profile is so extreme in both directions the pitch performs incredibly well. A mid-80s slider has been effective, if not inconsistent, against righties. A mid-80s changeup is his best weapon, a cambio that pulls the e-brake and slams away from left-handed hitters late, riding the fastball tunnel hard. Langevin has a reliever operation on the mound, and likely profiles best in a leverage situation toward the back-end of a bullpen. The stuff is unique and real. He has a shot at going on day two, but will be a priority add if he lasts into day three. However, considering his age, Langevin could elect to go back to school and still be 21 years old for the 2025 Draft. He's an interesting prospect with one of the most productive fastballs in the 2024 class.

Rounds 11-20 (more on those in the comments)

325 RHP Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman - East Carolina

355 C/OF Marco Dinges - FSU

385 2B Kodey Shojinaga - Kansas

415 RHP Tyler Renz - HS New York

445 CF Dalton McIntyre - S. Mississippi

475 LHP Caden Favors - Wichita State

505 1B Blake Cavill - Western Kentucky

535 OF Sam Miller - HS New York

565 LHP Sam Garcia - Oklahoma State

595 LHP Derek Clark - West Virginia