Louisville Players Who Could Get Selected in 2024 MLB Draft

The 2024 Major League Baseball Draft is roughly two weeks away, and there are several Cardinals who could be selected.

Louisville center fielder Eddie King Jr. (42) / Jared Anderson - Louisville Report

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the Louisville baseball program well into their offseason, one of the first orders of business after summer assignments is roster management. More specifically, figuring out what players you will and will not be losing to the MLB Draft.

Even in a 20-round draft format, Louisville could still be losing a fair amount of talent to the draft, as they typically have every year in the Dan McDonnell era. Below are the Cardinals most likely to hear their name called sometime between July 14 and July 16, sorted by category:

Likely Early Departures

Eddie King Jr.

Position: Outfielder
Measurables: 6-foot-2, 200 pounds
2024 Stats (51 games, 39 starts): .322/.409/.664, 14 HR, 43 RBI, 7 2B, 11 BB, 8 SB

King was one of only a couple players on the team that you could say is a five-tool prospect. He led the team home runs, RBI, slugging percentage and OPS (1.073), had the third-highest batting average, is a very rangy center fielder and does well on the base paths. You'd like to see his OBP improve some, but he has plenty of other noteworthy aspects of his game.

Top Upperclassmen

JT Benson

Position: Outfielder
Measurables: 6-foot-0, 190 pounds
2024 Stats (52 games, 50 starts): .302/.438/.525, 9 HR, 41 RBI, 13 2B, 39 BB, 34 SB

Benson is proficient in getting on base and electric as a base runner, leading the team in walks and steals by a wide margin to help him score a team-best 52 runs. He also has a solid mix of speed and power at the plate, but what could hold him back from getting drafted is his defense (five errors, .940 fielding %)

Sebastian Gongora

Position: Left-Handed Pitcher
Measurables: 6-foot-5, 240 pounds
2024 Stats (15 games, 15 starts): 6.14 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 77.2 IP, 89 K, 29 BB, .277 B/AVG

Coming to Louisville after being named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year at Wright State, Gongora was named the Friday night starter for Louisville. While he didn't have as efficient of a season as many hoped, he still led the team in strikeouts. He also has the physical intangibles that appeal to teams/scouts.

Luke Napleton

Position: Catcher
Measurables: 6-foot-1, 215 pounds
2024 Stats (41 games, 30 starts): .320/.406/.680, 11 HR, 32 RBI, 7 2B, 2 3B, 16 BB, 1 SB

After starting his career at Quincy and being one of the most prolific hitters at the Division II level, Napleton made a smooth transition to the ACC. That being said, something that could hold him back from being drafted is that his defense - specifically his arm strength - leaves some to be desired, and he wasn't the every day catcher.

Evan Webster

Position: Left-Handed Pitcher
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 230 pounds
2024 Stats (16 games, 15 starts): 4.18 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 71.0 IP, 62 K, 20 BB, .268 B/AVG

Webster might not have been the first pitcher in the weekend rotation, but he was statistically Louisville's best pitcher last season. Among Cardinals pitchers with at least five starts, he had the lowest ERA, WHIP and opponent batting average.

(Photo of Eddie King Jr.: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)

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