Ryan Waldschmidt, Travis Smith Named Top 200 MLB Draft Prospects

The pair of Cats are two of over 50 SEC players on the list of potential draftees.

As the game of baseball continues to evolve, so does the type of player that becomes hot commodities throughout high school, college and beyond. Every MLB draft, a new batch of talent files in that's more exciting and eye-popping than the group before it. 

Kentucky, while not superbly dominant, has had no issue getting players to the next level. Since Nick Mingione became the head coach of the Wildcats in 2017, 33 players have heard their name called. 

On Monday, Joe Doyle of the Future Star Series released his top 200 prospects for the 2024 MLB draft. The draft is much shorter now than what it used to be, but it doesn't make weeding out the top prospects from the middle of the pack any easier. As the SEC was a mainstay throughout the list, a pair of Wildcats made the cut. 

Checking in at No. 44 on the list is sophomore outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt. The Charleston Southern transfer was highly thought of by many when he was in the portal, but Mingione managed to bring him to Lexington. 

In his one season in the Big South Conference, Waldschmidt played 52 games with 48 starts as a freshman, where he batted .310 with a team-best 1.044 OPS in 145 at-bats. He had five doubles, two triples, five home runs and 43 RBIs, swiping 18 bases while also drawing more walks (36) than strikeouts (26). 

So far in 37 games as a Wildcat, he's slashing .294/.435/.468, has 11 doubles, a triple and three homers, equaling 26 RBIs. While the offense has been good, the defense has been stellar. Manning left field, he's yet to make an error and has shown off elite range, excelling in getting to balls hit in the left-center gap.

Doyle:

"Waldschmidt began his college career at Charleston Southern where he immediately made a name for himself, but transferred to Kentucky in 2023 where his game really took off. Waldschmidt is a strong runner who takes solid routes to the ball in the field and has at least an outside shot of sticking in centerfield at the next level, so long as a more premium defender doesn't shift him to left. At the plate, there's sneaky raw power here and Waldschmidt makes a lot of contact. He's a good blend of polish and punch at the dish. He's also a threat on the basepaths. This is a well-rounded player who could stick up the middle and be an asset while on base. He's got a shot at becoming a top-three round guy.

Down at No. 195 is right-hander Travis Smith. The Walton, Ky. native returned to the mound after not pitching in 2022 due to arm surgery. After throwing just 7.1 innings in the Great Lakes League over the summer, Mingione and pitching coach Dan Roszel inserted Smith into the midweek starter role. 

In eight starts, he owns a 3-0 record, throwing 26.1 innings. He's allowed 14 runs (13 earned), good for a 4.44 ERA. In 116 batters faced, he's struck out 21 while walking 15. Kentucky has kept a tight leash, letting his pitch count normally hover around 60. The Wildcats are 8-0 in his starts. 

In 2022, Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 72 overall prospect in the 2024 draft. 

Doyle:

"Smith was a heavily recruited arm in 2021 and was highly regarded as one of the better pitching prospects in the country as a prep. He was sidelined for the 2022 season recovering from surgery, but pitched during the summer and his stuff was right back where scouts remembered it. Smith touched 96 with a sweeping curveball in the mid 70s. He commanded the zone and looked more physical and athletic than he had in high school. If he can stay healthy and the stuff continues to tick up, Smith has early upside."

Smith will toe the slab for the ninth time on Tuesday night, facing his biggest task of the season in the No. 21 Louisville Cardinals. First pitch at Kentucky Proud Park is set for 7 p.m. EST and will air on the SEC Network. 

Other SEC players ranked:

• 1. 1B/LHP Jac Caglianone (Florida)
• 7. RHP Chase Burns (Tennessee)
• 9. 1B Tommy White (LSU)
• 11. OF Charlie Condon (Georgia)
• 12. RHP Eli Jerzembeck (South Carolina)
• 13. LHP Hagen Smith (Arkansas)
• 14. RHP Ben Hess (Alabama)
• 19. LHP Carter Holton (Vanderbilt)
• 24. RHP Thatcher Hurd (LSU)
• 25. RHP Bryce Cunningham (Vanderbilt)
• 28. C/1B Blake Burke (Tennessee)
• 34. OF Dakota Jordan (Mississippi State)
• 38. SS/2B Davis Diaz (Vanderbilt)
• 39. RHP Chris Cortez (Texas A&M)
• 41. RHP Drew Beam (Tennessee)
• 44. OF Ryan Waldschmidt (Kentucky)
• 46. OF Dylan Drieiling (Tennessee)
• 49. RHP Andrew Dutkanych IV (Vanderbilt)
• 53. RHP Greysen Carter (Vanderbilt)
• 56. RHP Colby Holcombe (Mississippi State)
• 58. OF Paxton Kling (LSU)
• 65. RHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (Mississippi State)
• 66. RHP Sam Tookoian (Ole Miss)
• 68. LHP Pierce Coppola (Florida)
• 78. RHP Brandon Neely (Florida)
• 82. 2B Peyton Stovall (Arkansas)
• 85. 2B/3B Kendall Diggs (Arkansas)
• 91. OF Michael Robertson (Florida)
• 93. IF Colby Shelton (Alabama)
• 97. 1B/3B Hunter Hines (Mississippi State)
• 98. LHP Matthew Becker (South Carolina)
• 99. RHP Kade Woods (Alabama)
• 101. RHP Coleman Willis (Georgia)
• 102. 2B/OF Bryce Chance (Mississippi State)
• 126. LHP Wyatt Evans (Tennessee)
• 128. RHP Nate Dohm (Mississippi State)
• 129. IF/OF Jared Jones (LSU)
• 135. RHP Chase Allsup (Auburn)
• 143. C/1B Cole Messina (South Carolina)
• 144. IF Christian Moore (Tennessee)
• 148. RHP Jake Faherty (Arkansas)
• 150. LHP Ryan Prager (Texas A&M)
• 151. 2B/SS Jonathan Vastine (Vanderbilt)
• 153. LHP Hunter Elliott (Ole Miss)
• 160. OF Matthew Polk (Vanderbilt)
• 164. IF Michael Braswell (South Carolina)
• 168. SS/3B Chris Maldonado (Vanderbilt)
• 169. LHP Devin Futrell (Vanderbilt)
• 171. RHP Yoel Tejada Jr. (Florida)
• 180. OF Carson Hornung (South Carolina)
• 183. OF Ty Evans (Florida)
• 186. RHP Roman Kimball (South Carolina)
• 195. RHP Travis Smith (Kentucky)

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