The 2024 Draft class is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory.
Following a 2023 class that featured some of the best top-end prospect talent of any Draft -- with names like Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, Wyatt Langford and Max Clark going in the top five -- the ‘24 group was not necessarily viewed in the same regard. Yet, less than two years later, the 2024 Draft could end up being one of the best this century and features players who could make a pronounced impact in the Majors in 2026.
We’ve already seen Nick Kurtz (No. 4 overall to the A’s) and Trey Yesavage (No. 20 to the Blue Jays) produce huge value in the Majors. But they’re far from the only impact players poised to become legitimate big-leaguers this season, with many of them playing for potential playoff teams to boot.
Here are nine players from the 2024 Draft class who could shape the ‘26 season.
Nick Kurtz, 1B, A’s (No. 4 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
Let’s start with the two players who already had excellent rookie seasons. Kurtz went from the fourth pick in the 2024 Draft to unanimously winning AL Rookie of the Year the following season. Kurtz absolutely mashed baseballs in his debut, with 36 home runs in 117 games and a 173 OPS+ (100 is considered league average). Kurtz truly has 80-grade pop and flashed it with a barrel rate, hard-hit rate and average exit velocity that ranked in the 92nd percentile or better. For a burgeoning A’s lineup and club looking to return to the playoffs, Kurtz figures to play a big role yet again.
Trey Yesavage, RHP, Blue Jays (No. 20 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
Yesavage’s meteoric rise from Single-A to postseason hero in the same season was one of the best stories in baseball. After three solid September starts (3.21 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 14 innings), Yesavage more than met the moment in the postseason as a 22-year-old rookie. In six playoff outings (five starts), Yesavage went 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA and a whopping 39 strikeouts in just 27 2/3 innings. That included a 12-strikeout performance across seven innings of one-run ball in Game 5 of the World Series. After throwing 139 2/3 innings last season, the Blue Jays will monitor Yesavage’s workload, but MLB Pipeline’s No. 12 overall prospect is a key X-factor for the Blue Jays and the fate of the AL East.
Konnor Griffin, SS, Pirates (No. 9 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
Similar to Yesavage, Griffin had an enormous breakout season and rise through the system, going from a toolsy teenager to MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect by the following year. In 122 games across three levels (he finished in Double-A Altoona), Griffin had a .942 OPS with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases, all while playing excellent defense at shortstop. Griffin’s certainly made the case for making the Pirates' Opening Day roster and has already homered three times, the most by a teenager in a single MLB Spring Training in at least the last 20 years, according to MLB’s Sarah Langs. Griffin has been one of many impressive performers this spring and could help guide the Pirates to their first postseason appearance since 2015.
Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF, Royals (No. 6 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
A two-way star at the University of Florida, the Royals drafted Caglianone as a full-time hitter, justifiably so given the loud tools he possesses. Caglianone posted a .924 OPS with 22 home runs in 95 games in the Minors before he was promoted to the Majors last June. Caglianone struggled with a .532 OPS in his first 62 MLB games, but the loud tools were on display (77.4 mph bat speed and 12.0 percent barrel rate) and he was at least a little unlucky based on his underlying numbers (his .321 expected wOBA was much higher than his actual .329 wOBA).
Caglianone is crushing baseballs this spring much like he did last Spring Training but he might be leveling up even more -- he's had a 120.2 mph double, a 116.5 mph double and a 115.2 mph home run so far. If the Royals' young slugger can consistently get to his power in games, Kansas City could significantly improve an offense that scored the fifth-fewest runs in the Majors last season.
Chase Burns, RHP, Reds (No. 2 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
Burns' 4.57 ERA in his first 43 1/3 MLB innings last season does a disservice to how electric he was: his 3.48 expected ERA painted a much rosier picture thanks to an excellent 35.6 percent strikeout rate. Burns mainly operates with a high-octane upper-90s heater and a wipeout slider that sits around 90 mph, two pitches garnering huge results this spring. In his first two spring outings, Burns produced whiffs on over half of his swings.
Reds starters finished second among all MLB rotations with 16.1 Wins Above Replacement (per FanGraphs) last year and it's possible there's even more upside to improve. Between Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Burns, Brady Singer and Rhett Lowder, Cincinnati's elite rotation could make it two straight playoff appearances for the Reds.
JJ Wetherholt, 2B, Cardinals (No. 7 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
Wetherholt (MLB Pipeline's No. 5 prospect) doesn't feature the individual loud tools that others on this list have, but the sum of all of his parts make him one of baseball's top prospects. Considered a potential 1-1 pick in 2024, Wetherholt fell to No. 7 (partially due to hamstring issues in his Draft year) and the Cardinals gladly selected him there. It's proving to be the correct call, as Wetherholt has dominated the Minors with a .304/.418/.487 slash line in 138 games with as many walks (88) as strikeouts.
With the Cardinals entering a rebuilding/retooling phase, Wetherholt is primed to take the mantle as their most important player moving forward. And while St. Louis likely won't be a playoff contender, Wetherholt has a good chance to make the Opening Day roster and is a surefire 2026 NL Rookie of the Year candidate.
Payton Tolle, LHP, Red Sox (No. 50 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
Tolle (MLB Pipeline's No. 19 prospect) could very well be the best player taken outside of the first round in the 2024 Draft. Drafted 50th overall out of TCU, Tolle is the poster boy for Boston's booming pitching apparatus that also includes Connelly Early (No. 56 prospect), Kyson Witherspoon (No. 84 prospect) and Juan Valera. Since being drafted, Tolle has added significant velocity as he's grown into his 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame and is now sitting in the upper-90s and touching 101 mph on his fastball, which plays up due to his 7.5 feet of extension (99th percentile). It's as close to an 80-grade fastball as you're going to find, and Tolle has improved his secondaries and added a new sinker.
The key to Tolle's 2026 season will center around further improvement and command of his secondary pitches. A crowded Red Sox rotation with plenty of depth might force Tolle -- who debuted in the Majors late last season -- to begin his season in the Minors, but there's no doubt the talented lefty will play a major role in Boston this year.
Carson Benge, OF, Mets (No. 19 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
Fewer teams saw as much turnover as the Mets during the offseason. While the club is banking on the new additions via free agency (Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco and Devin Williams) and trade (Freddy Peralta, Marcus Semien and Luis Robert Jr.), there are a handful of internal players poised to play a major role. Along with Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, Benge (MLB Pipeline's No. 16 prospect) is one of several young players primed to help the Mets reverse their fortunes in 2026.
With Juan Soto locked in at left field and Robert in center field, Benge has an opportunity to make the Opening Day roster as the starting right fielder. With a diverse all-around skill set, Benge could prove to be a force on both sides of the ball in short order.
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians (No. 1 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
We've made it this far without mentioning Bazzana, the top pick in the 2024 Draft and still widely considered one of the best prospects in the sport -- Pipeline has him at No. 20. It's shaping up to be a big year for Bazzana, who is Australia's headliner at the World Baseball Classic -- he homered in his first WBC game in an Australian win against Chinese Taipei -- and will assuredly debut this season. Bazzana owns a career .801 OPS in 111 MiLB games, along with 12 home runs and 17 stolen bases. The Guardians' offense could use some more punch in the lineup and Bazzana figures to be a part of the equation later this season.
Others of note
Hagen Smith, LHP, White Sox (No. 5 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
Cam Smith, OF, Astros (No. 14 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, D-backs (No. 31 overall pick in 2024 Draft)
Gage Jump, LHP, A's (No. 73 overall pick in 2024 Draft)