Top college prospects ready to go straight to Major League ball?

There is a group of impressive college players who have put up big numbers this spring, led by sluggers Charlie Condon, Travis Bazzana, Jac Caglianone, Nick Kurtz and pitchers Chase Burns and Hagen Smith. All are 21 years old except Smith, 20, and each will likely be a top pick next month in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Their numbers this year suggest they are ready to step right into a big league roster. History shows that’s not always a good idea, even though there are 11 players in the Baseball Hall of Fame who never played in the minors.

The Cleveland Guardians have a tough task ahead of them in the draft. They hold the No. 1 pick for the first time in franchise history and know they can get a potential superstar. The big question is which prospect will turn out to be the best?

Some scouts insist it’s Condon, a 6-foot-6 slugger with the power of a light tower. He hit 37 home runs in 60 games at Georgia. That led the nation, as did his .433 batting average and 1.009 slugging percentage. The right-hander played first base, third and all three outfield spots. Most scouts agree that he is best suited for left or right field.

Bazzana nearly matched him at Oregon State, hitting .407 with 28 home runs in 60 games. The six-foot, left-handed Australian second baseman also stole 16 bases. In 184 career college games, he made 66 on 77 tries. Scouts are divided on his defensive qualities. Many argue that Bezzana’s overall athleticism will flourish as a pro. Others aren’t sure how strong his arms are to make double plays. Everyone agrees on his bat speed and his ability to make contact at the plate.

Caglianone’s career at Florida ended on June 19 with a loss to Texas A&M in the College World Series semifinals. In 66 games, he hit .419 with 35 home runs. The 6-5, 245-pounder did more than that, however. He also went 5-2 in 16 games as a starting pitcher, but has had poor control since rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. MLB teams covet him as a first baseman, although some scouts are spooked. A year ago, the left-hander struck out 58 with just 17 walks. He completely reversed that in 2024, drawing 55 walks on just 26 whiffs.

Smith went 24-6 in three seasons at Arkansas and emerged as a superb starter in 2024. After Tommy John surgery in high school, the 6-3, 225-pound southpaw showed great promise in sacking seven no-hitters as a prep senior. This year, he went 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 84 innings, allowing 41 hits and 34 walks. He has a high-90s fastball, cutter, slider and splitter, but he struggles to throw strikes at times. In college, this didn’t matter since many hitters flailed at pitches outside the zone.

Demonic Deacon Duo

Kurtz regressed from his superb 2023 season at Wake Forest, while Burns was absolutely dominant on the mound following his transfer from Tennessee.

Kurtz entered 2024 as the consensus No. 1 college prospect after hitting .354 with 24 homers a year ago. The 6-foot-5, 2,325-pound first baseman was recruited as a pitcher, but never took the mound in college. This year, he missed two weeks with a shoulder injury, then hit six homers in seven times shortly after returning. He finished with 22 home runs and a .307 average. Scouts recognize his raw power and point to good secondary tools such as 190 walks to 132 strikeouts in 165 career games and an 11-for-11 mark in steal attempts.

After going 13-5 as a starter/reliever at Tennessee, Burns flourished at Wake Forest in 2024. The 6-3, 210-pound Italian native grew up in Texas and put up numbers Texas-sized: 11-1. 2.55 ERA and 204 strikeouts in 106 innings while allowing just 62 hits and 32 walks. A 96-102 mph fastball tops the right-hander’s four-pitch mix that features a powerful slider, good curveball and a developing changeup. Some say he could be closer to an elite MLB player, others point to his success in the rotation this year and predict even better development.

Straight to the majors

Only 104 men since 1920 have gone directly from signing to the Majors, not counting those from the Negros Leagues like Satchel Paige and Willie Mays or foreign leagues like Shohei Ohtani, Ichiro Suzuki and others. Only a handful have ever played in the minors. A few, like Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, started in the majors, got fired, then enjoyed a long career in the big leagues. Many have simply disappeared.

Garrett Crochet was traded from Tennessee to the Chicago White Sox immediately after the 2020 draft. He appeared in 59 games in relief, injured his arm and required Tommy John surgery in 2021. He missed the entire season. ‘year 2022, then rehabbed in the minors last year. He struck out 124 in 88 2/3 innings this year as a starter.

Just for fun, I put together a list of 26 players who have never played in the minors. There are great players. There were also four that were needed to fill the positions. Both receivers listed, Vic Janowicz and Tom Gastall, were highly rated. Neither lasted in baseball for very different reasons.

Janowicz won the 1950 Heisman Trophy as a running back for Ohio State. He preferred baseball, signed with Pittsburgh, then joined the NFL and played two seasons before suffering a brain injury in a car accident that ended his career.

Gastall was an excellent quarterback and receiver at Boston University. The Baltimore Orioles signed him for $40,000 in 1955. He spent much of his bonus on an airplane and took flying lessons. On September 20, 1956, he crashed into the Chesapeake Bay and died.

A pinch of this, a pinch of that

Eddie Gaedel is the famous 3-foot-7 showman who was sent to bat for the St. Louis Browns in 1951 by owner Bill Veeck. His tiny strike zone resulted in a march, plenty of laughter from the crowd and devastating condescension from league authorities.

Two decades later, Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley signed American sprint star Herb Washington solely as a pinch runner. He never hit, never played the field in the majors or minors.

In “my” team listed below, since there are so many stars on the roster, I decided to “sign” both. Even if another club put us in a difficult situation late in the inning, imagine Gaedel drawing an almost automatic walk (let’s say with the bases loaded). Or ask Washington to replace him.

One thing is for sure, the Guardians won’t have to choose between a Gaedel or a Washington next month with so many real baseball players to select from.

NEVER PLAYED A GAME IN THE MINORS

Regular season career

Starting lineup, G AVG HR RBI SB

SS Dick Groat 1,929 0.286 39,707 14 14

2B Frankie Frisch** 2,311 .316 105 1,244 419

LF Al Kaline ** 2,834 0.297 399 1,582 137

DH Mel Ott ** 2,730 .304 511 1,860 89

RF Dave Winfield ** 2,973 0.283 465 1,833 223

1B Ernie Banks ** 2,528 0.274 512 1,636 50

3B Bob Horner 1,020 0.277 218 685 14

C Vic Janowicz 83,214 2 10 0

CF Ethan Allen 1,281 0.300 47 501 84

Reserves

C Tom Gastall 52.181 0 4 0

INF Eddie Yost 2 109 0.254 139 682 72

INF Jack Barry 1,223 0.243 10,429 153

PH Eddie Gaedel 1,000 0 0 0

PR Herb Washington 105,000 0 0 31

Regular season career

Launchers, WL SV ERA BB K

Eddie LHP Board ** 326-194 23 2.35 1,072 2,246

RHP Bob Feller ** 266-162 22 3.25 1,764 2,581

LHP Sandy Koufax** 165-87 9 2.76 817 2396

Catfish Hunter RHP ** 224-166 1 3.26 954 2012

LHP Eppa Rixey ** 266-251 14 3.15 1082 1350

RHP Ted Lyons ** 260-230 25 3.67 1,121 1,073

RHP Jack Coombs 158-110 8 2.78 841 1052

RHP Milt Gaston 97-164 8 455 836 615

LHP Johnny Antonelli 126-110 21 3.34 687 1162

RHP Danny MacFayden 132-159 9 3.96 872 797

LHP Billy O’Dell 105-100 50 3.29 556 1133

RHP Tom Zachary 186-191 23 3.73 914 720

**- To the Baseball Hall of Fame