2024 MLB Draft Combine Standouts: Hitters

The two of us were part of the FanGraphs contingent in Phoenix for the 2024 MLB Draft Combine last week. The first half of the week consisted of showcase events like batting practice, infield and outfield drills, and a game featuring many of the high schoolers in attendance. The back half of the week consisted of athletic and biometric testing, including the 30-yard dash.

Below are scouting notes for some of our favorite hitters from the event. Major League Baseball distributes a list of the top performers in several of the athletic tests to the media, but doesn’t share complete data. Eric recorded the electronic 30-yard times by hand as they unfolded; at the very bottom of the post is a complete list of those times, save for the couple he missed while he was schmoozing, eating, etc. (Update: Arnold Abernathy’s time has been added) We’ll have a post highlighting Combine pitchers, as well as a draft ranking update, to follow. The players aren’t listed in any particular order; our initials appear at the end of the blurbs we wrote.

Kellon Lindsey, CF, Hardee Senior HS (FL) – Florida commit

Lindsey ran the fastest 30-yard dash at the Combine in his two attempts, at an ice cold 3.53 and 3.55 seconds; it looked like he teleported from one end of the stanchions to the other. Tennessee commit Arnold Abernathy, Clemson’s Will Taylor and West Virginia commit Griffin Burkholder had the next fastest couple of times at right around 3.6 flat, and a few kids ran in the mid 3.6s, but nobody was close to Lindsey, whose infield workout suggests he’ll likely move from shortstop to center field in pro ball.

Don’t be surprised if you hear Lindsey compared to Trea Turner during the next month or so. Like Turner, Lindsey is a skinny speedster with defensive questions and a swing that needs to involve his entire body to generate thump. His BP in Phoenix was impressive and he’s much more physical than Turner was as a high schooler. Lindsey takes a comfortable hack, with bodily connectivity from head to toe. He’s short to the ball with his top hand driving contact, and he showed he could move the barrel around to make consistently flush contact during his session. Because Lindsey didn’t play a ton of showcase ball, the sample of reliable data we have access to is relatively small, meaning there’s substantial variability in projecting his hit tool, especially how he’ll handle breaking balls. But Lindsey thrived in the Combine’s showcase setting and could easily be someone’s multi-million dollar man if they believe he’ll hit. – EL

Aiden Harris, 3B, PDG Academy (VA) – Virginia commit

Harris is a 17-year-old from Virginia who showed some of the easiest plus raw power of the event. It’s a simple stride and rhythmic hand load with significant bat speed through the zone. Harris’ definitely looks to be an operation that is slugging oriented, and while it’s hard to get a great grasp during BP, there didn’t seem to be a lot of adjustability in the bat path. A 17-year-old who shows the type of power Harris did is definitely of note, though his swing-and-miss track record in high school is concerning. – TI

Chase Harlan, 3B, Central Bucks HS East (PA) – Clemson commit

Harlan is a Pennsylvania high schooler with a loose, fluid right-handed stroke, and he really knows how to rotate. Nearly everything he hit had backspin and was elevated with authority. He got into multiple balls to the pull side when he was really letting it eat, and he undoubtedly already has above-average raw power in his game. It’s a very efficient and repeatable swing that produced one of the best prep BP rounds of the event. There’s also obvious room for projection on the frame. Harlan hit four balls 108 mph or above during BP. He entered the spring with hit tool question marks that he wasn’t necessarily able to put to rest playing in PA. Because he’s a corner bat, teams may ask him to go to school to prove he can get to his power in games. – TI

PJ Morlando, 1B/OF, Summerville HS (SC) – South Carolina commit

Insert a Lil Jon GIF here, because I can’t hear you over Morlando’s BP. He had one of the most impressive power displays of any player in Phoenix regardless of demographic, depositing baseballs halfway up the right field bleacher seats with ease. It’s reasonable to see hit tool risk here, but Morlando’s high school bat-to-ball track record is much better than high school power bats who got $1 million – $1.75 million last year (George Wolkow and Eric Bitonti), so we’d project his bonus to be north of that. – EL

Eddie Rynders, SS, Wisconsin Lutheran HS – Kent State commit

Rynders’ bat path is geared for elevating without him selling out to create loft. He consistently gets extended out front on contact, which allows him to really get into his juice to the pull side. It isn’t a high-effort operation, but it isn’t light on intent either. He generates leverage with an abbreviated leg kick and utilizes his lower half to produce above-average power to the pull side. I’ve seen Rynders in game environments several times over the past couple of years in the Midwest and walk away higher on his swing each time I see him. – TI

Tyler Bell, SS, Lincoln-Way East HS (IL) – Kentucky commit

Perhaps our favorite all-around player from the Combine, Bell is a switch-hitter who showed authoritative, rhythmic swings from both sides of the plate, with his right-handed hacks producing more raw power. He drove the ball into both gaps during his left-handed rounds, with occasional over-the-wall pull-side pop. His right-handed rounds were heavy on hard, elevated contact, and he showed above-average raw power overall while hitting right-handed. Both strokes are compact, and he showed feel for manipulating the barrel in the zone. Bell also had one of the better infield sessions of the high school prospects. He’s had trouble hitting spin in games. – TI

Arnold “Jay” Abernathy, SS, North Cobb HS (GA) and Manuelle Marin, SS, ESB Academy (FL) – Tennessee commits

Abernathy gets the most out of his smaller frame by taking a substantial move forward in the box. He’s strong for his size and a rather explosive rotational athlete. His swing’s a little long, but that’s more acceptable for a hitter his size. He has the tools of a dynamic college leadoff man, and there are teams that give high school outfielders like this $500,000 or so in the draft.

Marin is rail thin, but has an aesthetically pleasing swing and controls the barrel pretty well for someone who would desperately need to put on strength to compete in pro ball. More than they are draft prospects for 2024 (I could see someone taking a mid-six figure shot on Abernathy), these two are talented guys to watch at Tennessee, especially Marin, who might break out with a few months on an SEC strength and conditioning program. – EL

Kale Fountain, 3B, Norris HS (NE) – LSU commit

Fountain is a prep bat from Nebraska who has a very loose swing from start to finish. He has a very simple pick-it-up, put-it-down trigger and only needs a short, easy hand load to generate above-average pull-side power. He maximizes the rotational phase of his swing, which contributes to him generating above-average raw power to the pull side. Fountain has been one of the premier prep bats in the Central Plains the last two years and also had one of the most projectable frames at the Combine. – TI

Myles Bailey, 1B, Lincoln HS (FL) – Florida State commit

Bailey shows impressive bat speed and a very steep path through the zone, which enables him to consistently elevate with authority. It has a look similar to Freddie Freeman’s swing, but Bailey doesn’t track the baseball with that kind of precision. He sets up and loads with his hands away from his body, and utilizes his lower half especially well. His already strong frame doesn’t have big projection, but there’s obvious upside here as a power-oriented offensive profile. – TI

Jared Jones, 1B, Louisiana State

Jones is a strong, mature-framed college bat with a rhythmic, high back-elbow hand load who scattered plus power to all fields during his rounds. It’s a loose swing that doesn’t force loft while having plenty of it. Jones has a simple, repeatable stride and utilizes his strong lower half well throughout his swing. There’s notable length in his swing, which will likely continue to result in pronounced swing-and-miss, but there’s certainly eye-catching power potential here. – TI

Jackson Strong, OF, Canisius University

Strong spent the last three years at Canisius University in New York, but will transfer to Kentucky next year if he returns to the amateur ranks. He has a lean, medium frame, and he hits out of an upright stance with a leg lift stride. His high back-elbow load creates natural loft in his path, which stays in the zone for a long time, and he has feel for manipulating the barrel. All of his over-the-wall power came to the pull side, and while it wasn’t the loudest raw at the event, Strong produced some of the most consistently authoritative contact in attendance. He swing is sweeter looking than it is explosive. – TI

Joseph Sullivan, OF, South Alabama

Sullivan showed some of the biggest power at the Combine, hitting several pull-side homers in excess of 110 mph, including two of the six hardest-hit balls in play at the entire event. He’s tightly wound and stiff in the hips but has uncommoon power for a lefty bat. He’s likely to come off the board in the middle of Day Two of the draft. – EL

Tytus Cissell, SS, Francis Charles HS (MO) – Missouri commit

Cissell is a tightly wound switch-hitting shortstop who blew up some of the lower body explosion testing at the Combine. He ran a 3.65 second 30-yard dash (a top 10 time at this year’s event), had the biggest vertical jump (32 inches with use of his hands), and was among the event leaders in ground forces generated when adjusted for the athlete’s size. He also had an impressive BP, showing a smooth stroke from both sides and hitting with surprising power for such a skinny guy. We know Cissell has had trouble hitting in actual games and consider him a toolsy dev project. – EL