Heart of America MLB Draft Preview
July 10, 2024
The 2024 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft will take place from Sunday, July 14th through Tuesday, July 16th, where professional clubs are set to select amateur players in the 20 round format.
Over the last few years, in particular, the Central Region, as identified by our staff as Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Colorado, has become somewhat of a hotbed for the MLB Draft. Whether it be players selected directly out of high school, or former in-state products who made a name for themselves collegiately, there has been a multitude of players from this part of the country that have heard their names called during their respective draft cycles.
Below we have broken down a multitude of prep names to know from our region that garnered professional attention throughout the spring and may hear their names called in the coming days. Continue reading to gain more knowledge on the name-to-know high school prospects in this draft cycle.
ARKANSAS
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Slade Caldwell OF / Valley View, AR / 2024One of the top prospects in the entire country, Caldwell’s left-handed stroke is as pure, polished, and impactful as you’ll find in this year’s draft cycle. He’s coming off a huge spring for state champion Valley View, setting a handful of in-state records in the process. Caldwell’s bat-to-ball skills headline his skill-set, but his ability to impact the baseball and profile as a true top-of-the-order bat at the next level showed throughout the spring. He can really run and that speed, coupled with instincts, equate to a quality profile on the defensive end, too. Look for Caldwell to be one of the buzzier prep names when draft day rolls around or as one of the next premier names on the college baseball scene should he go that route. |
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Lance Davis RHP / Valley View, AR / 2024Presently physical with room to tack on more to a 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame, Davis performed plenty in our spring looks this season for state champion Valley View. His fastball plays in the low-90s, bumping up to 94 mph, from a clean, controlled operation. He’ll spin a tight low-80s slider with bullet-like shape and can also turn over a fading changeup in the low-80s. Davis has a true starter profile that’s signed with the in-state Razorbacks. |
MISSOURI
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Tytus Cissell SS / Francis Howell, MO / 2024Few in the country have risen more than Cissell in the past 12 or so months, vaulting to the top spot in Missouri’s rankings and within the top-60 on a national scale. He helped pace Francis Howell to another trip to the state finals and put the finishing touches on a stellar high school career with an impressive senior nod. From an athletic standpoint, Cissell’s measurables jump out the page; he’s a 6.53 runner with a 38.6 inch vertical that also generated big bat speed and rotational acceleration at the Super 60. A switch-hitter, Cissell’s started to impact the baseball more authoritatively in the last year or so, tacking on more muscle mass to a 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame that offers additional physicality. His athleticism allows him to bounce around the infield and could also provide a seamless transition to center field at any point throughout his career. Cissell drew plenty of professional attention throughout his final season of high school and could certainly hear his name called sooner rather than later this upcoming weekend. |
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Trey Snyder SS / Liberty North, MO / 2024Coming off a spectacular senior season for the Eagles, Snyder has long been known as one of the purest hitters in the Midwest for this 2024 cycle. He can flat-out hit and has a consistent track record of performing in-game, especially against some of the toughest competition in the state of Missouri. It’s a polished right-handed spring that can spray the baseball to all fields with regularity, though he did flash more impact in various looks throughout the spring. His offensive skill-set translates seamlessly to the next level, whether it’s from a professional standpoint or with the national champion Tennessee Volunteers. |
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Cole Gibler LHP / Blue Springs, MO / 2024Gibler’s demeanor and competitiveness has long stood out to our staff on the mound, though his stuff ticked up this spring to match that mindset. He ran his fastball up to 94 mph in an early spring look, pitching in the upper-80s to low-90s, and matches that with a bendy breaking ball, as well as a fading changeup. The Arkansas signee helped lead Blue Springs to the Class 6 state championship and was the MSHBCA Player of the Year, striking out 106 batters in 57 ⅔ innings of work. |
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Drew Dickerson SS / Lees Summit West, MO / 2024Dickerson’s upside rivals that of anyone on this list. He’s a highly physical 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete that’s a 6.56 runner with effortless bat speed and a max exit velocity of 105.5 mph. The Oklahoma signee had a power-surged spring for one of the top teams in the state, slashing .429/.533/.686, and he continued to launch home runs on the college summer circuit, too. |
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Tristan Hunter RHP / Forsyth, MO / 2024Hunter has been somewhat of a pop-up name, dating back to last winter, where he starred at the A’s Scout Day before an eventual commitment to Kentucky. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound right-hander took a jump this winter, pumping his fastball at 92-94 mph in a bullpen with a hammer breaking ball in the upper-70s. We saw Hunter in a trip to Forsyth this spring and he showed a similar arsenal; his fastball played in the low-90s, reaching 94 mph, and his breaking ball showed sharp swing-and-miss action off a 12/6 plane. |
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Jack Nobe RHP / St Francis Borgia, MO / 2024Nobe put together a polished ‘pen at the Super 60 in February, sitting at 92-93 mph with his fastball while showing feel for both his slider and changeup. The Xavier signee earned our ‘Player of the Year’ honors after pitching to a 0.65 ERA over 53 ⅔ innings with 86 strikeouts and 21 walks. He also slashed .420/.517/.730 in 121 plate appearances with eight home runs and 31 RBI. |
COLORADO
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Trey Gregory-Alford RHP / Coronado, CO / 2024Alford has been a particularly famous name in this draft cycle for some time now. He’s about as physical as it gets on the mound, standing at 6-foot-5, 220-pounds with huge arm strength to pair. Recently, at the MLB Draft Combine, Gregory-Alford’s fastball touched 99.7 mph, and we’ve seen him pitch in the upper-90s in-game as well. The power-armed Virginia signee should be the top prospect drafted from Colorado this year. |
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Grant Shepardson RHP / Mountain Vista, CO / 2024Rankings StateRank: 5 / POS: 5
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound San Francisco signee has been one of the highest risers from the state of Colorado from a draft perspective this spring. His fastball has reached upwards of 97 mph, while pitching in the low-to-mid-90s, and he rips off a tight, high spin slider (2700+ RPM) in the low-80s off it. |
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Easton Miller RHP / Fossil Ridge, CO / 2024The 6-foot-1, 190-pound right-hander pumped his fastball in the low-90s in a look this spring. Miller’s fastball played in the low-90s when our staff saw him this spring and he also spun an upper-70s slider with big sweep at 2500+ RPM. The Prep Baseball Future Games alum is an Air Force signee. |
OKLAHOMA
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Kash Mayfield LHP / Elk City, OK / 2024There may not be a prep prospect that boosted their stock more than Mayfield, who came away from the Super 60 in February as arguably its biggest winner. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Oklahoma State signee allowed only four hits the entire spring and has virtually locked himself into the first day of the draft. He’s run his fastball up to 96 mph with a sweeping slider and a changeup that has the potential to be a plus pitch at the professional level. |
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Garrett Shull OF / Enid , OK / 2024Shull has been a big name in the state of Oklahoma for some time and entered the spring season with plenty of professional buzz. He’s a legitimate switch-hitter with power and feel to hit from both sides of the plate. Shull made the move to the outfield this spring and showed the ability to cover plenty of ground with enhanced arm strength. The Oklahoma State signee has a track record of high level performance, earning the Prep Baseball Oklahoma Player of the Year award in 2023. |
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Owen Hall RHP / Edmond North, OK / 2024The Vanderbilt signee has one of the more metric friendly arsenals amongst prep right-handers in this draft cycle. His fastball has reached upwards of 98 mph, pitching in the mid-90s, and has huge life and carry at the top of the zone. His mid-80s slider has flashed plus at times and Hall is one of the tougher arms to handle in the region when he’s in command. |
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Carson Wiggins RHP / Roland, OK / 2024Wiggins is one of the more physical arms in the region, toeing the rubber at 6-foot-5, 200-pounds. He offers raw upside from an arm strength perspective, pitching in the low-to-mid-90s with his fastball, though he’s been up to 99 mph in the past. Wiggins’ has professional bloodlines - his brother was selected in the second round of last year’s draft by the Chicago Cubs - and he is an Arkansas’ signee. |
KANSAS
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Anson Seibert RHP / Blue Valley Southwest, KS / 2024Seibert is an anomaly on the mound, toeing the rubber at a highly physical 6-foot-9, 235-pounds. It’s a tough look on hitters from that regard alone, though his arm works out of a short, compact window that adds more deception out of the hand. We saw him run his fastball up to 97 mph in a start this spring, pitching in the low-to-mid-90s, with relative ease down the mound. Seibert spun a slider at 82-85 mph that eclipsed the 2700 RPM mark with more depth and tilt to it than before, and he also turned over a mid-to-upper-80s changeup on that day, though it was used sparingly. Seibert’s plenty unique with a power arsenal to back his huge stature and is signed with the national champion Tennessee Volunteers. |
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Eli Lovich OF / Blue Valley West, KS / 2024After an impressive senior season, Lovich was named the Prep Baseball Kansas’ Player of the Year after hitting .414 with19 extra-base hits, including five home runs, and 36 RBI. The Arkansas signee swings a smooth, leveraged left-handed barrel that has impact potential, especially as he continues to fill out a wiry 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame. His athleticism should be noted as well, as Lovich is a 6.71 runner that jumped 34.2 inches at the Super 60 in early February. |
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Hudson Byrd RHP / Blue Valley, KS / 2024Byrd peaked at 94 mph with his fastball at the Super 60 this winter and pitched in the low-90s with his fastball when our staff saw him this spring. His fastball holds plane up in the zone, though will also show late run at times to stay off barrels from both handed hitters. He’ll spin a low-80s slider with downer action and can also turn over a changeup with feel at times. The 6-foot-6, 185-pound right-hander is signed with Kansas State. |
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Victor Christal RHP / Bishop Miege, KS / 2024Another performer at the Prep Baseball Super 60 that garnered pro attention was Christal. A twitchy athlete that also paced his high school club in several offensive categories, the Missouri signee’s fastball flashed mid-90s heat and he mixed two distinct breaking balls off it, as well as a changeup. |
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Jack Jones 1B / Shawnee Mission East, KS / 2024Jones blended polish and power throughout his senior season with a physical right-handed swing that was on display throughout the spring. There’s no shortage of all-fields juice with Jones, who is signed with the University of Tennessee. |