2024 MLB Draft: Top 36 JUCO Prospects
Welcome to my 2024 MLB Draft Juco Rankings! In this article, I have scouting report on 35 Juco prospects who I believe are the best prospects/have the most potential in the country. All of these prospects are in my Top 400 Draft Prospect Board or will be featured in the next updat.e I expect many of these players to get drafted next month, while the rest should be great contributors to their respective 4-year schools. It goes without saying, there are countless Juco prospects from this class who will be drafted over the next couple years after playing at the 4-year level. If you’d like to support my work, I would really appreciate if you used this link. Any support is appreciated! https://buymeacoffee.com/lukewortman
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- Kevin Mannell — RHP — Cloud County Juco (KS) — Mississippi State Commit
● Mannell transferred from Kansas State after his freshman season and saw his stock explode this spring. His fastball tops out at 95 with considerable run. He also throws a nasty slider that gets lots of movement. Mannell pairs his fastball with a good changeup. His sidearm delivery helps to throw hitters off. His plus command should allow him to continue to start in the future.
2. Michael Carpenter - LHP - Madison College Juco (WI) - East Carolina Commit
- Carpenter put up arguably the best pitching season in Juco this year, tossing 78.1 innings of 1.03 era ball, while striking out 111 and only walking 11. The lefty has a bit of a deceptive delivery and has a fastball that tops out at 95 with good movement. Also throws a low 80s curve and and a solid changeup. Has great command and only walked 3.7% of the batters he faced this season. Will only be 19 at the draft.
3. Brandon Clarke — LHRP — State College of Florida (FL) — South Carolina Commit
● Heater’s been up to 96, with a solid slider as well. The control is a bit spotty and will need to improve for him to start in proball. Lots of natural arm talent. Was one of the best strikeout artists in Juco this season. Will most likely be a reliever due to command, but the team that drafts him should give him a chance to start.
4. Brent Iredale — 3B/SS — New Mexico Junior College (NM) — Arkansas Commit
● The Australian dominated at New Mexico Junior College last season hitting .411 with 17 home runs in one of Juco’s best conferences. He somehow upped the ante hitting .441 with 25 homers this season. Iredale has a ton of pop at the plate and gets to it consistently. On the diamond, Iredale is a good defender at third with a plus arm. As a bonus Iredale had solid speed having 40 stolen bags over the past two seasons. He can expand the zone and chase at times, but he really improved on that this season. There’s major upside here.
5. Justin Thomas — CF — Florida Southwestern JC (FL) — Arkansas Commit
● After not playing much his freshman year at Georgia, Thomas transferred to Florida Southwestern and put up some of the best numbers in JUCO. Easy strength but tends to have a line drive approach. Good defensive fielder in center.
6. Deniel Ortiz — 3B — Walters State CC (TN) — Tennessee Commit
● A Tennessee Commit, Ortiz has been a major producer the last two seasons for Walters State. He’s got really solid raw power and is pretty speedy as well. He can expand the zone a bit too much at times, but he has a strong overall hit tool. Is hitting great currently in the MLB Draft League.
7. Brandon Stone -RHP — Johnson County Juco (KS) — South Carolina Commit
● Stone dominated at Johnson County, putting up arguably the best statistical season for a pitcher in Juco. Stone has a towering frame at 6’6” with more room to grow. Has a full arsenal with a fastball, slider, curve, and changeup. His fastball tops out at 93 and his slider is his best pitch. Great command. Lacks a plus offering but his overall combo of skills makes him an intriguing prospect.
8. Caden Powell — 3B/2B — Seminole State Juco (FL) — Oklahoma State Commit
● A transfer from Oklahoma, Powell put up incredibly impressive numbers hitting a ridiculous .502 with 32 home runs. Swing is geared for lots of loft. Plus base runner who stole 16 bases this spring.
9. Blaise Priester — C — Meridian Community College (MS) — LSU Commit
● Priester has a great glove and arm behind the plate, making him one of the best defensive catchers in this draft. Has some solid raw pop and a developing hit tool as well. If he doesn’t get enough draft interest, Priester will take his talents to Baton Rogue.
10. Brandon Arvidson — LHP — San Jacinto JC (TX) — Texas Commit
● Lefty up to 97 with solid command. Has a nasty slurve that will get a bunch of swings and missed at San Jac. Super projectable.
11. Conner Ware — LHP — Pearl River CC (MS) — LSU Commit
● Lefty who has been up to 95 but mostly lower 90s in his starts. He’s put up great numbers, but has not pitched much due to injuries. Command can be sporadic but should be good enough to start.
12. Lucas Elissalt — RHP — Chipola Collge Juco (FL) — Southern Miss Commit
● Elissalt’s profile may not immediately stand out, but he does a bit of everything well. What makes Elissalt an intriguing arm is his super easy delivery and pitch mix. He throws a fastball, cutter, changeup, and curveball. His fastball tops out at 94. The curveball is his best pitch as it gets into the upper-70s with depth. The command here is solid.
13. Mack Estrada — RHP — Northwest Florida State Juco (FL) — Florida State Commit
● Estrada was a highly regarded prep prospect last year who chose to go through the Juco route. He’s an athletic and projectable righty with a fastball that tops out at 94. Throws an extremely nasty slider along with a changeup. Command is pretty iffy but given that he was only a freshman this season, he had time to develop it.
14. Richard Bonomolo — OF — Wabash Valley CC — Alabama Commit
● Speedy center fielder who has short and direct swing to the baseball. Has decent power in games though I expect it to be below average in the pros. Great defensive outfielder.
15. Jake Bennett — C — San Jacinto JC (TX) — Dallas Baptist Commit
● The DBU commit has arguably the best raw power in JUCO with a really good looking swing. He’s a good defender behind the plate who should stick at catcher in the future.
16. Tanner Wiggins — RHRP — Weatherford Juco (TX) — Tennessee Commit
● Wiggins worked mostly out of the bullpen for Weatherford and put up great results, while showcasing a great fastball. Has a siderarmish delivery and gets heavily into his scaps. Lots of effort in his delivery. Fastball tops out at 98 and pairs it with two hard offspeeds in his change and slider.
17. Dawson Willis — SS — LSU Euince JC — Oklahoma Commit
● Very tall, athletic defender who has a very strong arm at short. Good defensive actions with plenty of range. Strong hit tool though the power is still developing. As he adds weight he should get to more power. Plate discipline has been really improved this season.
18. Edwin Toribio- 3B — Central Florida JC (FL) — FIU Commit
● Literally baseball masher. Tons of plus power here and makes tons of power too. Great arm at third.
19. Scott Rienguette — RHRP — Cloud County Juco (KS) — Kansas State Commit
● The Canadian has some of the best stuff in the Juco class. Has a fastball that tops out at 93 that gets lots of spin along with one of the best sliders in this entire draft class; one that gets excess of 3300 rpm. Also throws a decent curveball and changeup. Small frame but still has room to add strength. Rienguette didn’t pitch a ton this spring but if a team seems his command good enough, he could go on day 2.
20. Tanner Reaves — 2B — Blinn JC (TX) — LSU Commit
● Had a ridiculously good year at Blinn hitting .422 with 20 home runs. Despite his crazy power numbers I expect him to have below average pop at the next level. The calling card here is Reaves’s plus contact ability. He’s a good defender but probably is just a second baseman due to a below average arm. Performance took a bit of a step down this season, but he played very well down the stretch, and was a major piece in helping Blinn win a National Championship.
21. Kyrin LeBlanc — RHRP — Cisco Junior College TX — Texas Commit
● Leblanc has 20-grade command but an amazing fastball that tops out at 102 mph. It’s one of the best fastballs in the entire draft and gets solid sinking movement. Also throws a sharp, mid 80s slurve. Athlete on the mound who just recently became a pitcher full time. One of the higher ceilings in this class of his command can improve.
22. Kendry Maduro — SS — Northwest Florida JC (FL) — UCF Commit
● Power hitting shortstop from Aruba who has great defensive actions. Has arguably the highest ceiling out of anyone in the Juco class. Contact ability has taken a step up this season.
23. Chase Williams -2B/OF — Northwest Florida State Juco (FL) — UAB Commit
● Slasher at the plate with a great hit tool. Plus speed makes a major impact on the field and on the bases. Lacks pop but has some solid bat speed. Versatile defender.
24. Mathis Meurant — 2B — Cochise JC (AZ) — Arizona Commit
● Toolsy, middle infielder from France who is committed to U of Arizona. After showing very little pop in 2023, his raw pop showed up a bit more in games this season. Regardless, the hit tool will have to carry most of the weight, due to below-average power. Hits tons of line drives and has a good glove at short. Plate discipline needs to improve.
25. Michael Gupton — OF — Gulf Coast State College JC (FL) — Samford Commit
● As a high schooler, Gupton set an all-time perfect game event record for the 60 yard dash with a 5.96 time. After a season at NC State, Gupton transferred to Gulf Coast State College for more playing time. Still has top-of the scale speed and some developing pop as well. Developing hit tool but lots of tools here.
26. Sam Parker — 1B — Chipola College (FL) — Uncommitted
● Originally born in London, Parker was drafted in the 19th round by the Twins last season. He didn’t get to a ton of pop in games this year, but has some of the best raw power in the Juco class. Really sweet left-handed swing geared for loft. Great contact hitter who covers the plate well. Being a first baseman puts a lot of pressure on his bat, but he is an athletic defender there.
27. Karter Muck — RHP — Central Arizona Juco (AZ) — Arizona Commit
● A transfer from Kansas, Muck has put up great numbers in his first year with Central Arizona. His fastball tops out at 96 and pairs it with a very strong slider. Lots of effort in his delivery and has below-average command.
28. Luke Orfi — SS — Georgia Highlands Juco (GA) — Uncommited
● Orfi was originally a Clemson commit who chose to instead play at Georgia Highlands. Super twitchy and speedy dude who can be a table setter in the lineup. Good contact hitter with power still developing. Very strong arm.
29. Joey Colucci — RHRP- Harford Community College (MD) — Virginia Commit
● A transfer from Maryland, Colucci has put together a great season at Harford. His fastball tops out at 96 and he pairs it with a solid slider and cutter. Put together good walk rates this season, but effort in his delivery and head whack lead me to project him as a reliever.
30. Colin Linder — RHRP — Northwest Florida JC (FL) — Arizona State Commit
● Righty who has been up to 95. Has an over the top slot that produces a good angle on his pitches. Solid slider with some good spin. Below average command.
31. Gavyn Jones — LHP/1B — McCelennan CC (TX) — Oklahoma Commit
● Jones came into the season as a near industry consensus #1 Juco prospect, but struggled badly throughout the season. Jones was a big-name prospect in high school who was drafted in the 18th round last season by the Mets. Jones enrolled at McClennan CC and almost immediately asserted himself as one of the top prospects in Juco thanks to a strong fall. On the mound he gets up to 95 from the left side with strong offspeeds as well. He’s a legitimate two way candidate as he can play 1B/OF and has a bunch of pop. I wouldn’t be surprised if the team that drafted him lets him do both, though his ceiling is much higher given that lefties that throw 95 with solid command are so rare.
32. Robert Fortenberry — LHP — Weatherford Juco (TX) — Mississippi State Commit
● Fortneberry is a solid pitch-ability lefty who dominated on the juco circuit this season. His fastball tops out at 91 and he pairs it with a decent slider. Also throws a changeup. He’s close to maxed out and the ceiling isn’t high here, but if his command holds up he could be a depth starter.
33. Qrey Lott — OF — Northwest Florida State Juco (FL) — Uncommitted
● Lott was a 15th-rounder last year out of high school who has 5-tool potential. He had a lanky, 6’5” frame with plenty of strength to add. Plus runner and arm makes him a good defensive right fielder. Lots of power projection but the hit tool really needs to develop more.
34. Brett Rozman — C — Central Arizona Juco (AZ)
● Rozman didn’t dominate in terms of stats this season, but the freshman showed plenty of intriguing tools. He has solid speed and should be able to stick at the catcher position long-term. More of a line-drive hitter currently, but may be able to grow into more power as time goes on.
35. Landon Waters — RHRP — Meridian Community College (MS) — Ole Miss Commit
● Waters put a great 2.12 era this spring while striking out 115 batters. His fastball tops out at 93 and pairs it with a tight slider. Has a decent change in his arsenal as well. Command will probably lead him to a bullpen role, but he should be given the chance to start.
36. Jase Woita — 1B — Kansas City Community College (KS) — South Carolina Commit
● Woita is a strong hitter who has a great offensive skill set. Good approach at the plate.
