Guardians Make Bold Pick At No. 1 In Latest Mock Draft

ESPN predicts the Cleveland Guardians to select West Virginia SS JJ Wetherholt as the number one pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

West Virginia infielder JJ Wetherholt (27) throws the ball to first during the game against the Texas Longhorns at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Saturday, May 20, 2023 in Austin. / Aaron E. Martinez / American-Statesman /

In less than three days, the Cleveland Guardians will select first overall in the MLB Draft for the first time in the franchise’s history. Even with time running out before the event, who the organization will end up taking appears to be a mystery.

ESPN revealed their latest mock draft on Friday morning and predicted the Guardians would select West Virginia SS JJ Wetherholt with the first overall pick.

Here is MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel’s reasoning for why he believes Cleveland will take Wetherholt with the pick:

“Obviously, this will be a bonus price-dependent decision. Bazzana's camp may believe they have the player atop the Guardians board (I also believe that) and ask for $9.21 million, breaking Paul Skenes' $9.2 million bonus record (under the current hard-slotting draft rules). Cleveland could then argue that he should take a discount because they have a viable, comparable option in Wetherholt and that Bazzana won't go until the fourth pick if Cleveland passes; I believe both of those things, as well.”

As McDaniel alludes to here, taking Wetherholt first overall could allow the Guardians to spread out their draft pool to other picks and maximize the daft class as a whole, not just with one pick.

It’s a bold strategy, especially considering Wetherholt is widely considered to be one of the third-to-eighth best players in the daft when looking at prospect big boards such as MLB Pipeline, Perfect Game, and The Athletic. 

If anything, this latest mock draft from ESPN points to the uncertainty those around baseball have regarding who Cleveland will take with the pick. Even McDaniel believes Cleveland going with Wetherholt is just a 45 percent chance. 

West Virginia infielder JJ Wetherholt (27) throws the ball to first during the game against the Texas Longhorns at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Saturday, May 20, 2023 in Austin. / Aaron E. Martinez / American-Statesman /

Keith Law (The Athletic) released his latest mock draft on Thursday and projected the Guardians to take Oregon State 2B Travid Bazzana with the first pick, while McDaniel of ESPN believes this to be a 40 percent chance. 

All of the guessing will come to an end shortly, though, as the MLB Draft will begin at 7:00 PM EST on Sunday night.