CARY, N.C. – Seventeen USA Baseball alumni were selected in the first round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft on Sunday night in Arlington, Texas. USA Baseball has now had 586 total athletes drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft since 1972.
Charlie Condon was the first Team USA alum off the board on Sunday night, going third overall to the Colorado Rockies. Condon, who was also named USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award winner in June, is the second Collegiate National Team alum in the past three years to be selected in the first round by Colorado (Gabriel Hughes, 2022).
Condon’s selection kicked off a streak of 10 consecutive USA Baseball alumni being drafted. Nick Kurtz (No. 4, Oakland Athletics) became the highest-selected player in 12U National Team history before Hagen Smith went fifth overall to the Chicago White Sox. Smith was followed by a trio of teammates from the 2023 Collegiate National Team: Jac Caglianone (No. 6, Kansas City Royals), JJ Wetherholt (No. 7, St. Louis Cardinals), and Christian Moore (No. 8, Los Angeles Angels).
Two-time Team USA alum Konnor Griffin was the first high school player off the board with the ninth pick to the Pittsburgh Pirates before 2023 Collegiate National Team alum Seaver King went 10th overall to the Washington Nationals. Bryce Rainer, who played for the 12U and 18U National Teams, was selected by the Detroit Tigers with the 11th pick, and 2023 Collegiate National Team alum Braden Montgomery (No. 12, Boston Red Sox) put a cap on USA Baseball’s 10 consecutive picks.
PJ Morlando, who played for the 18U National Team in both 2022 and 2023, was the next Team USA alum to be selected as he went 16th overall to the Miami Marlins. Four picks later, a pair of 2023 Collegiate National Team teammates went consecutively: Trey Yesavage (No. 20, Toronto Blue Jays) and Kaelen Culpepper (No. 21, Minnesota Twins).
With the 29th overall pick, 2021 15U National Team alum Slade Caldwell went to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was followed immediately by 2023 Collegiate National Team alum Malcolm Moore (No. 30, Texas Rangers).
The compensatory rounds wrapped up the first round of the draft, with 2023 Collegiate National Team alum Griff O’Ferrall (No. 32, Baltimore Orioles) and 2023 18U National Team alum Levi Sterling (No. 37, Pittsburgh Pirates) being selected in those rounds.
Overall, four USA Baseball national teams were represented in the first round of the MLB Draft. Eleven players from the Collegiate National Team were selected, four alumni of the 18U National Team heard their name called, and two players from both the 12U and 15U National Teams were drafted on Sunday night.
In addition to the 17 national team alumni, 13 players selected in the first round have participated in USA Baseball’s development programs. Eleven athletes have played at USA Baseball’s 16U/17U National Team Development Program, and eight players have previously participated at the Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League
The full list of USA Baseball alumni selected in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft is as follows:
Round-Pick; Name; MLB Team; USA Baseball National Team(s)
1-3; Charlie Condon; Colorado Rockies; 2023 Collegiate
1-4; Nick Kurtz; Oakland Athletics; 2015 12U
1-5; Hagen Smith; Chicago White Sox; 2023 Collegiate
1-6; Jac Caglianone; Kansas City Royals; 2023 Collegiate
1-7; JJ Wetherholt; St. Louis Cardinals; 2023 Collegiate
1-8; Christian Moore; Los Angeles Angels; 2023 Collegiate
1-9; Konnor Griffin; Pittsburgh Pirates; 2021 15U, 2023 18U
1-10; Seaver King; Washington Nationals; 2023 Collegiate
1-11; Bryce Rainer; Detroit Tigers; 2017 12U, 2023 18U
1-12; Braden Montgomery; Boston Red Sox; 2023 Collegiate
1-16; PJ Morlando; Miami Marlins; 2022, 2023 18U
1-20; Trey Yesavage; Toronto Blue Jays; 2023 Collegiate
1-21; Kaelen Culpepper; Minnesota Twins; 2023 Collegiate
1-29; Slade Caldwell; Arizona Diamondbacks; 2021 15U
1-30; Malcolm Moore; Texas Rangers; 2023 Collegiate
PPI-32; Griff O'Ferrall; Baltimore Orioles; 2023 Collegiate
CB-A-37; Levi Sterling; Pittsburgh Pirates; 2023 18U
