Potential sleepers in the 2024 MLB draft

MLB teams can draft players straight out of high school, players in junior college, or college players after their junior year. While it may be tempting, preferable even, to choose position players and hitters directly out of high school, the consensus view around the MLB is that, all things being equal, when it comes to pitchers, it is best to choose from college.

College pitchers, so the reasoning goes, have had the time to develop at an extremely high level and can thus spend a minimal amount of time in the minors. A team that needs help in the bullpen, and let’s face it, that is every team, will want a guy that they can get into their rotation within a year or two.

If you have the luxury of looking to the future, then high school pitchers can be a great investment. But they will certainly not go in the early rounds, and the money won’t be enough to entice most of them away from a good Division I program who may be sniffing around.

Here are five college pitchers who could sneak up on you in the 2024 MLB Draft, players who have been ranked lower than their potential landing spot.

L.P. Langevin: RHP Louisiana-Lafayette

Let’s talk about L.P. Langevin, a right-hander from Louisiana-Lafayette with some of the wildest fastball stats you’ll ever see. He’s hitting 97 MPH with high spin, and his fastball has this crazy combination of ride and run from a flat approach angle. Even though hitters know that fastball is coming, they’re still whiffing at an eye-popping 46% of the time and only managing a measly .156/.299/.234 slash line against it. We are talking top-level dominance.

Cade Obermueller: LHP Iowa

Obermueller is a sophomore-eligible lefty from Iowa who brings a unique look to the mound. This kid can dial it up to 97 MPH from a low attack angle, usually sitting in the 88-93 range, but with deception and ride that’ll leave you shaking your head. His go-to second pitch is a sweeper that is a thing of beauty. He has a changeup in the mix, but the real attraction here is the fastball/sweeper combo.

Luke Holman: RHP LSU

Let’s talk about Luke Holman, who’s got a real feel for pitching. He stepped in as LSU’s No. 1 starter after serving as Alabama’s ace in 2023. He had huge shoes to fill behind Paul Skenes and he did it admirably. Holman’s best pitch is a low-80s slider with depth that he spots beautifully. His low-90s fastball plays better than its velocity may suggest, thanks to his superb command and that sneaky induced vertical break.

Ryan Johnson: RHP Dallas Baptist

Ryan Johnson, now there’s a character. He’s got this quirky, self-taught delivery that’s working wonders for him. Conference USA pitcher of the year, 2.29 ERA (eighth in D-I), 151 strikeouts (fourth), and a 10.8 K/BB ratio (third). The man creates deception while pounding the zone with a lively low-80s slider and a mid-90s fastball. It’s a five-pitch arsenal that’s turning heads.

Brooks Auger: RHP Mississippi State

Lastly, we have Brooks Auger from Mississippi State. He’s often overshadowed by his switch-pitching teammate Cjintje, but don’t sleep on Auger. He’s throwing a riding fastball up to 97 MPH with noticeable carry through the zone. His best secondary pitch is a nasty mid-80s gyro slider that he throws with confidence. The changeup is a work in progress, but a splitter might be a better fit for him. With his fastball-slider combo, Auger’s looking like a strong bullpen candidate if starting doesn’t pan out.

There you have it. A lineup of pitchers with some serious heat and plenty of promise. Keep an eye on these names; they might just take you by surprise in the draft. But don’t say you weren’t warned.