<
>
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Get ESPN+

MLB draft 2024: Scouting college hitters who could go No. 1

AP Photo/Gary McCullough)

The strength of the 2024 MLB draft is the top tier of college position players, five hitters who are all legitimate candidates to go No. 1 overall on draft day.

You can also see all five of these emerging stars in action this weekend as their teams have all reached the super regional round of the NCAA baseball tournament and will be playing with hopes of leading their teams to the Men's College World Series in Omaha.

Given the data- and video-rich environment that we now have in modern college baseball, along with my own in-person looks and thoughts from evaluators around the league, we are able to take a deep dive on the important baseball traits that separate this group from the rest of this year's draft class and also break down the deciding factors that could ultimately decide which of them the Cleveland Guardians select with this July's No. 1 pick.

Starting with an SEC slugger who made NCAA home run history this season, here's a look at the players slugging their way to the top of this year's MLB draft.