Jamie Cameron

2024 MLB draft coverage is kicking off with positional previews. We start with an intriguing crop of catchers. Image courtesy of Brock Beauchamp We’re excited to ratchet up 2024 MLB Draft content in the coming weeks. We’ll start with a series of articles detailing each positional demographic. These pieces aren’t meant to be an exhaustive list, rather, an overview of the caliber of talent at the position. For each player, we'll run down some basic information, in addition to some strengths and weaknesses. You’ll also find their current position on the Consensus MLB Draft Board in parentheses next to their name. The catching class in 2023 was extremely thin and top heavy. Beyond Blake Mitchell (8th to the Royals) and Kyle Teel (14th to the Red Sox), Michael Carico (149th to the Cubs) was the only other true catcher selected with a top 100 consensus ranking. This years’ class is carried mostly by the college crop. Who are the names to know and what are their strengths and opportunities? Let’s dig in. Caleb Lomavita R/R, Cal (21) Caleb Lomavita is one of a handful of names from a college catching crop that will likely be day one selections in July. The native of Hawaii has improved his offensive game steadily over three seasons at Cal. Lomavita has an unusual setup at the plate, crouched in an open stance before starting a leg drift to a more closed approach as the pitcher is in motion. Nonetheless, it works. Lomavita has a launch oriented swing that provides a nice balance between above average hit and power tools, finding the barrel of the bat plenty to balance his good contact rate with plenty of hard hit balls. While he doesn't walk much (10 in 49 games) there's a ton of impact and Lomavita has launched 14 home runs and 12 doubles in 2024. Lomavita is an excellent athlete and has at least average speed, even doubling as an opportunistic base stealer. While there's refinement needed to the defensive side of his game (receiving, framing etc.) he has the foundation to stick at the position with good lateral quickness and an above average to plus arm. If he doesn't stick behind the plate, there's a first base or corner outfield profile there with his athleticism. Lomavita could be the first college backstop off the board in July. Malcolm Moore L/R, Stanford (24) Moore was one of the better prep bats in the 2022 class and one of the highest ranked players not to sign. Moore made it to campus at Stamford and will be extremely young for the class (20) as a draft eligible sophomore in 2024. Moore had an extremely unusual setup at the plate that he has simplified this season. However strange his operation was, it was effective in his freshman season in Palo Alto, to the tune of 15 home runs and 20 doubles. Moore’s approach and swing decisions have improved in 2024 as he has walked more this season. He has excellent bat to ball skills but seems to have suffered some bad batted ball luck. Moore is a question mark behind the plate. A solid arm is offset by the need to refine his blocking, receiving, and footwork. Moore has the offensive profile to stick in the first round regardless of defensive position, but if he can develop his catching skills, he has a chance to provide really good value. Jacob Cozart L/R, NC State (33) Cozart's floor is laid by the fact that he's one of the best defensive catching prospects in the class. Although taller for the position, good hands, lateral movement, defensive actions and pitch framing set an excellent foundation for, at the bare minimum an average defensive catcher at the big league level. Cozart has plenty to offer on the offensive side of the ball too, and took solid steps forward in his sophomore season. In 2023 he managed a .301/392/.536 line with 10 home runs and 14 doubles. Most of his present power comes to the pull side, with more line drive power to center field and the opposite field. Cozart has typically struggled against spin, but there's plenty to like about his offensive profile. His plate discipline is very good, he doesn't strike out a ton, and he has good bat to ball skills. If (as has proven the case so far), Cozart can continue his steady improvement to his offensive game in 2024, he’ll be one of the first few backstops off the board. Walker Janek R/R, Sam Houston St (34) After back to back solid seasons for Sam Houston State, Walker Janek looks to have broken out in a major way in 2024. Simply put, Janek has a solid all around profile in both his offensive and defensive game. At the plate he has good bat speed and finds the barrel often. There's present pull side power and good bat to ball skills. Although Janek does have a tendency to chase, especially against secondaries, there's a good shot that it's an above average hit and average power tool when he's done developing, which would play well at catcher. Defensively, he has one of the better arms in the catcher demographic, turning over a solid number of would-be base stealers with good pop and release times behind the plate. All the other prerequisites needed to be at least average defensively are present. Janek moves laterally and blocks well, has solid ability to frame, and while his receiving needs some work, there's plenty to work with. All in all, this is one of the most well rounded catching profiles in the 2024 class. Janek is having an excellent 2024 season. An up arrow prospect for me. Kevin Bazzell R/R, Texas Tech (53) Bazzell transferred to Texas Tech after spending his freshman season at DBU and immediately hit the ground running after sitting out the 2022 season to become one of the better bats in his conference. At the plate, Bazzell has a quiet operation. It's a simple, smooth load, punctuated by a small leg kick to get the bat moving through the zone. His offensive profile is definitely hit over power for now. It's a flatter bat path that's more geared towards gap power, although he did show some pop (10 HR) in his first season at TTU. As an overall offensive package however, there's plenty to like. Bazzell doesn't chase much, walks plenty and has strong bat to ball skills (92% zone contact rate in 2023). While Bazzell has only fringy speed, he's an excellent athlete. An above average arm, good defensive actions and lateral movement give him a chance to stick behind the plate. If that doesn't work out, he's played at third base for the Red Raiders and has enough athleticism to handle left-field. The bat is the calling card for Bazzell, if orgs like his chances to stick behind the plate, it'll increase his stock significantly. Cade Arrambide R/R, Tomball HS, TX (96) The 2024 catching class is much more interesting than the 2023 class. Though mostly buoyed by the college demographic, Arrambide is one of the best prep catchers in the class. Arrambide has the potential to be an excellent defensive catcher. It's easily a plus arm that's recorded throws at over 100mph from the outfield, combined with good lateral movement and great pop times. There are other aspects of catching (such as blocking and framing) that will require refinement, but Arrambide has the potential to be an above average to plus defender, with a right-field profile if it doesn't work behind the plate. Offensively, there's plenty to be excited about too. He has great bat speed and plenty of raw power which has already shown itself in games. The big question marks with his offensive profile are bat to ball skills and chase rate, both of which could be exposed as a professional. If he can sure up at least one of those two areas, he has a good chance to accrue plenty of offensive and defensive value as a pro. Honorable Mentions: Hunter Carns (101), Anderson French (124), Cole Messina (139) Who excites you from the catching class in 2024? Who are you higher on than other prospects? Jump into the draft conversation in the comments below. View full article

In the first mock draft of the 2024 MLB Amatur Draft conducted by Jamie and Jeremy, Jamie gets the pick for the Cubs, who are selected to pick 14th overall, and breaks down who he thinks the Cubs will most likely land at this spot. View full video

2024 MLB draft coverage is kicking off with positional previews. We continue with third base. Image courtesy of Brock Beauchamp We’re excited to ratchet up 2024 MLB Draft content in the coming weeks. We’ll start with a series of articles detailing each positional demographic. These pieces aren’t meant to be an exhaustive list, rather, an overview of the caliber of talent at the position. For each player, we'll run down some basic information, in addition to some strengths and weaknesses. You’ll also find their current position on the Consensus MLB Draft Board in parentheses next to their name. The third base class in 2023 was strong, with 5 profiles in the top 25 in an extremely talented overall class. 2024 is a thinner crop and the demographic will be influenced by tweener shortstop types. Let’s dig in. Cameron Smith R/R, Florida State (13) After appearing as a top-100 prospect on draft lists ahead of the 2022 draft, Smith made it to campus in Tallahassee. After a freshman campaign that saw evaluators question his hit tool, he's been making strides since a summer stint on the Cape to answer those questions and put himself in a strong position as a draft eligible sophomore in 2024. Smith has an athletic profile built for good power, with a flatter bat path indicative that more home run power could be on the way, if Smith can lift the ball with more consistency. Advances in the hit tool have raised his stock over the summer. Smith has begun chasing less and improved his contact rate significantly enabling him to get off to a scorching 2024 season. Smith is a good runner and mover for someone his size but that's a fringe average grade overall. Defensively, he has a plus arm and moves well, making third base a viable long term home as a professional, one that he should be above average at defensively. Smith is definitely an up arrow prospect thus far in 2024 with an increasingly well-balanced offensive profile at the hot corner. Tommy White R/R, LSU (23) Tommy White became instantly famous as a freshman at NC State, earning the 'Tommy Tanks' moniker after a ridiculous 27 home run first college season (and 3 in his first ever college game). He transferred to LSU in 2023 and helped the Tigers to a national championship, protecting Dylan Crews in the middle of a stacked lineup, mashing another 24 home runs and slugging .725 in the process. At the plate, White has a crouched stance and a very wide base. He has excellent bat speed, consistently finding the barrel of the bat for great power to all parts of the field. White's bat to ball skills have improved throughout his collegiate career although he has a high chase rate that could be exposed as a professional. It's a legit hit and power combo though, with not many holes in his offensive approach. White isn't a great athlete, and doesn't offer a ton of additional avenues to accrue value. He's played third based defensively but isn't a great fielder. He has an average arm but as a way below average runner, limiting his impact to the offensive side of the ball. White is a polarizing prospect for me. The bat is explosive, but there's not much else on offer. He'll have to hit a ton to be worth it, which he has the skill set to do, but it's a narrower path to success than other first round prospects. Billy Amick R/R, Tennessee (33) Amick is an up arrow player this spring. After receiving limited playing time at Clemson in 2023, he transferred to Tennessee after a strong summer on the Cape and has started the 2024 season hot. Possessing a simple, quietly loaded right-handed swing, Amick has serious strength and has started to put up some impressive exit velocities to go along with solid bat to ball skills. Amick does chase a bit too much and his aggressive approach might limit his ability to get to his power in game unless he can dial it back, but this is a potentially average hit, above average power profile with an increasing track record of performance to back it up. The one question for Amick remains swing and miss, with a contact rate of under 70% a flag for me. Amick has taken a step forward value wise defensively in 2024. The stocky prospect has manned third base with surprising athleticism. While it's fringe average defense at the moment, an above average arm helps ameliorate some of the rawness and there's increasing confidence he can at least start his pro career at third base. Not blessed with great speed, Amick will need to keep hitting to force his way up draft boards, the offensive profile is well rounded and impactful, though. Carson DeMartini L/R, Virginia Tech (48) DeMartini is the latest in a line of college bats to come out of Virginia Tech, following first rounder Gavin Cross and second rounder Tanner Schobel in 2022. DeMartini is a third baseman who primarily played at DH in 2023 due to a shoulder injury and had a procedure to repair his labrum that impacted his preparation for the 2024 season. When it's all said and done, DeMartini is a power over hit profile that projects as a slugging corner infielder or outfielder. In the box, it's a quiet operation with good bat speed and a swing designed to lift the ball. DeMartini has some chase in his game (although not as much as you might think) and improved his bat to ball skills significantly in 2023, dropping his whiff% by 12%. He strikes out more than you'd like to see, but takes plenty of walks to add to the on-base skill set. Defensively, he has at least an average arm and a solid average glove. He doesn't have much in the way of foot speed but he projects to stick at third base as a professional. There's definitely areas of refinement in the profile, but there's a productive corner infield slugger in DeMartini's future if he continues to develop and improve. Colby Shelton L/R, Florida (66) After an outstanding freshman season playing third base for Alabama, Colby Shelton transferred to Florida with an opportunity to play shortstop after Josh Rivera was drafted in July of 2023. Shelton is a stockily built infield prospect with a left-handed power profile that will likely appeal to teams come July. In the box, it's a very quiet approach. Shelton has little to no pre-swing movement. Good bat speed and a strong lower half help him generate plenty of loft and power in his swing. Shelton walks at a decent clip (13% in 2023) but strikes out more than you'd like to see (24% in 2023). He's been particularly susceptible to velocity and has some swing and miss to his game against secondaries too. While Shelton doesn't have premium athleticism, he's handled the move to shortstop well and, while it doesn't always look picture perfect, has made plenty of plays. I think his home will be somewhere else on the infield when it's all said and done. An average arm and glove should support a transition to second or third base as a professional. The hit tool will be what to watch for Shelton, he leveled out a previously steep swing this spring. If he can hit enough, he is going to end up having an appealing all round offensive profile. Honorable Mentions: Kale Fountain (90), Gage Miller (93), Chase Harlan (108) Who excites you from the third base class in 2024? Who are you higher on than other prospects? Jump into the draft conversation in the comments below. View full article

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 34 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie sit down with Joe Doyle, Senior Analyst at FSS and host of Over Slot, an MLB Draft Podcast. The guys talk through the top of the 2024 draft class, including asking Joe who he’d take at 1:1 before talking about some specific demographics and how they stack up compared to 2023. The guys then talk about some options for the Cubs, Brewers, and Twins with their first round picks in what looks like a chaotic draft board after the top group of prospects. They talk through the college catching class and some options for prep pitching and the challenges of the demographic. 1:20 Joe Doyle Intro 3:45 Comparing the top of this year's class vs last year's class 9:00 College bats are strong... but is there anything else aside from the top 8 picks? 18:27 A little chat about college catching. 20:25 Options for the Cubs at #14 24:45 Who would you consider for the Brewers at #17? 28:00 How about the Twins at #21? 32:15 Prep pitching 37:27 Some prep pitching highlights 43:00 Joe's take on the lottery and trading draft picks 48:30 Joe's chance to plug his stuff You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 33 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie sit down with Twins Vice President of Amateur Scouting, Sean Johnson. Sean details his journey with the Twins, walks through the scouting calendar and details some of the work that goes into putting a draft board together. He offers insights into evaluation of high school versus college players, how his team evaluates their work and gives some of his impressions of the 2024 class. The guys then give some updates from the MLB Consensus Draft Board. They talk through Nick Kurtz and Jac Caglianone’s hot streaks, in addition to injury woes at the top of the class. They discuss some risers and fallers in this weeks’ board update, before taking deeper dives into Florida State third baseman Cam Smith, Oklahoma State outfielder Carson Benge, and Florida State outfielder James Tibbs III. 1:45 Sean Johnson, Twins VP of Amateur Scouting: His role with the organization, approach to draft cycle/process, this year's class 40:30 Draft Notes 49:00 Consensus Board Updates You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 31 of Destination: The Show, baseball is back! Jeremy and JD talk through the opening few games of the new MLB season and spend time rueing injuries. They touch on the complexity of the prospect promotion incentive draft picks and introduce the new Consensus MLB Draft Board. The guys then talk about MiLB rosters and discuss the players and teams they’re most excited to see in action this season. Finally, they walk through three risers on the latest version of the draft board in Kellon Lindsey, Billy Amick, and Luke Holman. 0:00 Intro - MLB Highlights, Injuries and PPI 15:07 Draft slots and bonus pools 16:19 Consensus Board 23:09 MiLB Rosters - Brewers and Twins 50:00 Draft Stuff 1:01:50 Listener Question You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Obviously it depends on the demo but college players in general is deep. College catching and pitching are above average to strong demos for me. Generally agree it's not 2023, by a long shot.

MLB today announced the 2024 draft and 2025 international signing period bonus pools. Read to find out where the Cubs rank financially against other MLB organizations. Image courtesy of Brock Beauchamp Today, MLB released bonus pool allocations and pick values for the 2024 MLB Draft. Additionally, MLB released international signing bonus pools for the 2025 signing period. The Cubs have the 19th largest bonus pool overall, at $9,802,300. The Cubs top 100 picks and slot values are as follows: Slot value for pick 14: $5,070,700 Slot value for pick 54: $1,681,200 Slot value for pick 90: $826,000 Similarly to 2023, the Cubs are limited in terms of both financial flexibility and picks to leverage in a draft class shaping up to be weaker than 2023, but with a deep crop of college talent. Reminders on Draft Financials Organizations are allowed to spend up to 5% more than their total pool without incurring a penalty, a choice many teams take advantage of. The Twins and the Rockies are the only MLB teams who have never spent any overage on their bonus pool. Any amount up to 5% over the pool is met with a 75% tax on the overage. If a team spends between 5-10% more than their pool, the penalty is 75% tax on the overage and loss of a future first rounder. Any team who exceeds their bonus pool by more than 10% up to 15% pays 100% tax on the overage and will lose a first and second round future pick. Any team who exceeds their bonus pool by more than 15% loses two future first round picks in addition to paying 100% tax on the overage. Rounds 11-20 work differently to the first half of the draft. These picks do not come with an assigned slot value. Teams can spend up to $150,000 per pick without that spending coming out of their bonus pool. If they spend over that amount, any overage will be deducted from their bonus pool. For example, an 11th round pick signing for $250,000 will result in $100,000 being subtracted from that teams’ bonus pool. MLB Announces 2025 International Bonus Pools MLB announced bonus pools for the 2025 international signing period today. The 2025 signing window opens on January 15th, 2025 and runs through December 15th, 2025. The Cubs are in a group of twelve teams who rank middle of the pack in possible spending. The Cubs can spend $6,261,600 in the 2025 international signing window. View full article

Thanks for checking it out! Really appreciate it.

For the third consecutive draft cycle, I'm releasing the Consensus MLB Draft Board, combining rankings from as many public boards as we can find to help you navigate the 2024 draft. Image courtesy of Brock Beauchamp Welcome to the 2024 MLB Consensus Draft Board! What is the Consensus MLB Draft Board? This is the third draft cycle for which I’m co-authoring content, alongside @Jeremy Nygaard, who has probably forgotten more about the draft process than I’ll ever know. When I first started, I found I was craving a tool that cut through some of the noise and variance of different draft rankings and industry boards, so I decided to create a consensus board. Following Arif Hasan’s original NFL consensus board format, the premise is simple; the board combines all industry boards I can find into a composite ranking for each player. The final number of ‘input’ boards is impossible to know at this early date, but it will likely be in the 8-12 range by the time we get to July. The rationale is that there’s value in consensus, particularly to more casual fans of the MLB Draft. How is the Board Organized? It should be relatively easy to orient yourself to the board. For each player, you’ll find their current consensus ranking, position, name, age, height, weight, handedness, and school. Additionally, you’ll find a write-up of 150-200 words per player in the top 50, which I have been working on since February. One note regarding rankings on this board: Most industry boards make major updates on a monthly basis, typically toward the end of the month. As such, there’s some ‘lag time’ between other boards you read and those rankings being reflected in the consensus. Simply put, it takes a little time to process major updates, and they usually come in clusters. What’s Coming Next? One of the biggest advantages of having the board as a page, as opposed to a Google Sheet, is the possibility of real-time updates. Last year, I published three versions of the consensus board. This approach allows daily updates, if and when we want to publish them. Early in the draft cycle, you can expect an update every week or two. We’re also thinking through possibilities that would make the write-ups collapsible, and allow us to track movement of players up and down the board, as I did in previous cycles. For now, it’s a simply organized top 50, which you can expect us to expand upon more frequently than in 2023. When the board is final, I expect there will be 150-200 write-ups of players and a total of around 300 players listed. What You Can Do to Support This Project The publication of this board at Twins Daily, Brewer Fanatic, and North Side Baseball is the culmination of a ton of work, with the aim being to create a draft board that casual and hardcore MLB Draft fans can find useful. I’d like to share some public appreciation for Brock Beauchamp, who helps turn ideas into real-life projects at all three of these sites. This wouldn’t be possible without him. If you enjoy this resource, I’d appreciate it if you'd consider sharing it, retweeting it, and passing it along to others. In order to grow the board, add features, increase the time I can put into it, and so on, I need to show that folks find it useful. Anything anyone reading this can do to support that, I’ll be truly grateful for. There’s much more to come as the draft cycle really gets going. For now, I hope folks enjoy this first top 50. If you have feedback, thoughts, or comments, we’d love to hear them, to help us improve the board. View the Draft Board View full article

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 29 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and JD review the inaugural spring breakout games for the Twins and Brewers. The guys then complete a 16 pick mock MLB draft, alternating picks to help listeners get familiar with the top of the class before ending with listener questions. 0:00 Intro 3:30 Spring Breakout - Twins 14:20 Spring Breakout - Brewers 20:40 Mini-Mock Jaime and Jeremy take turns selecting players. Jamie goes first and they alternate for 16 picks. The only rules are each team must have a prep and college player and a hitter and a pitcher. Who's team do you like more? 1:01:49 Listener Question You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Charlie Condon has made noise for Georgia early in the College Season, but just who is he, and what makes him a standout in the top five of the draft class consensus board? View full video

The Cubs selected catcher Michael Carico out of Davidson University in the 5th round of the 2023 draft. Carico ranked as the 88th-best prospect in the class on our Consensus Board. What can Cubs fans expect from the backstop in 2024? Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo Michael Carico was one of my favorite under-the-radar signings in the 2023 MLB Draft class. In particular, he was a sneakily good selection given the Cubs' sad-trombone combination of not much money and not many picks in the higher rounds. The catcher position was barren in 2023. After Blake Mitchell and Kyle Teel, Carico was the only other catcher I had ranked in my top 100 (Ralphy Velazquez was listed as a first baseman and catcher), with the next-ranked prospect being Zion Rose at 120th overall. Yikes. While I’d usually advocate for selecting from the strength of a given draft, rather than weaker demographics, we often arrive at spots where that is no longer relevant. Selecting Carico 149th qualifies. Young for the college demographic of the draft class at just 20 years old on draft day, the 6'0", 190-pound receiver played only sporadically in his first season at Davidson, before a massive breakout in 2022. In 54 games he put together a nutty .406/.559/.843 line with 21 home runs and 21 doubles, to turn heads nationally. His follow-up season in 2023 was marred by injuries, but there was still plenty to celebrate. In 21 games, he managed a .350/.514/.688 line with 7 home runs. Carico’s offensive profile is underpinned by good swing decisions and above-average power. In his final season in college, he maintained a 15.9% walk rate and a strikeout rate south of 14%. Carico has a slightly stiff, steep swing that lends itself to fly balls. So what’s the catch? Quality of competition. Carico faced a very limited sample of pitches over 93 mph (around 2%) in his collegiate career, so I think there's going to be an adjustment period in pro ball. If he can make that adjustment, there’s a really solid offensive profile there, if not, there’s at least some value in the left-handed pop and strong on-base skills. Defensively, Carico should be given every opportunity to continue at catcher. He has a solid-average arm with good defensive actions, and like most young catchers, there's some work to do to continue to improve his receiving skills. There’s plenty there to let percolate, and sticking behind the plate would do much to raise the offensive profile. Carico did make a seven-game pro debut after being drafted, managing a .784 OPS with 4 walks and a home run in the Arizona Complex League. His first full season should be a solid barometer and test for Carico. He’ll be coming into the season healthy, and he’ll get an extended opportunity to see better stuff than he did consistently in college. I like Carico as an interesting name to watch in 2024. There’s certainly enough there to make the pick good value as-is, with an improved ceiling directly proportional to the improvements he can make to the hit tool. In the fifth round, he's everything you could ask for. What are your thoughts on the Michael Carico pick? What are your hopes for his 2024 season? View full article

Draft tandem Jeremy Nygaard and JD Cameron team up for a podcast to discuss prospects on their way to the big leagues and the MLB draft, produced by Theo Tollefson. Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 23 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and JD are joined by Ben Badler of Baseball America. Ben talks about his journey in the baseball industry and how he ended up covering the international signing period at BA. Ben details the joys and challenges of covering baseball on Latin America, in addition to breaking down the recent adds of the Brewers, Cubs, and Twins, and answering listener questions. 0:55 Ben Badler joins the show 5:52 International signing period 9:42 July signing period is now January 15:20 Scouting the draft prospects 20:45 Ben's thoughts on the recent Athletic article 27:00 International Big Board 35:58 How does this most recent international group compare to recent classes? 38:10 Teams and their "approach" to international free agency 43:44 Brewers Notables 50:30 Cubs Notables 54:41 Twins Notables 1:03:09 Final thoughts You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including I-Tunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheoforeTollef1. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article