CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today named the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, continuing the process of identifying the best amateur baseball player in the country for the 2024 season. The list features 45 of the nation’s top athletes from college and high school baseball.
Twenty-seven athletes have played their way onto the list since the announcement of the Preseason Watch List on February 9. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will continue maintaining a rolling list of athletes throughout the season, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award before the announcement of the semifinalists on May 20.
“We are honored to acknowledge the top forty-five amateur players in the nation for their stellar performances so far this season,” said USA Baseball CEO/Executive Director Paul Seiler. “There is unbelievable talent up and down the entire amateur baseball landscape, and the players on this list represent the best of the best. We look forward to watching the rest of the season unfold as we move closer to naming the 46th winner of the prestigious Golden Spikes Award.”
A group of four players who were named Golden Spikes Award semifinalists last season earned spots on this year’s midseason list, including 2023 finalist Jac Caglianone (Florida). Charlie Condon (Georgia), Hagen Smith (Arkansas), and Tommy White (LSU) were also named to the Midseason Watch List following semifinalist runs in 2023.
Eight players returned to the Midseason Watch List after earning spots in 2023, including Chase Burns (Wake Forest), who becomes just the fifth player in the award’s history to make the midseason list in three different seasons. Burns, Caglianone, Condon, and White are joined by Brody Brecht (Iowa), Jacob Cozart (NC State), Braden Montgomery (Texas A&M), and Trey Yesavage (East Carolina) as players who are making repeat appearances on the Midseason Watch List.
For the third time in program history, Texas A&M features a trio of players on the midseason list. After having three athletes in both 2012 and 2013, the 3rd-ranked Aggies have placed Jace LaViolette, Montgomery, and Ryan Prager on the 2024 list. No. 14 Florida State also has three players on the Midseason Watch List: Jamie Arnold, Cam Smith, and James Tibbs III.
Amidst a record-breaking season at the high school level, Konnor Griffin (Jackson Prep) is the only non-Division I athlete on this year’s midseason list. Griffin, who also earned a spot on the Preseason Watch List, broke the Jackson Prep record for stolen bases in a season with 41 in the team’s first 14 games of 2024.
In total, 36 different schools and 12 NCAA conferences are represented on the Midseason Watch List. In addition to Florida State and Texas A&M, five other schools placed multiple athletes on the list: Duke, East Carolina, Florida, LSU, and Tennessee. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads all conferences with 15 players on the list, followed closely by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with 12.
LSU’s Dylan Crews is the most recent winner of the Golden Spikes Award, earning the prestigious honor after helping lead the Tigers to a College World Series title in 2023. He joins an elite group of recent winners including Ivan Melendez (2022), Kevin Kopps (2021), Adley Rutschman (2019), Andrew Vaughn (2018), Brendan McKay (2017), Kyle Lewis (2016), Andrew Benintendi (2015), A.J. Reed (2014), Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Trevor Bauer (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009), Buster Posey (2008), and David Price (2007).
The 2024 Golden Spikes Award timeline is as follows:
- May 20: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, and fan voting begins
- June 3: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends
- June 5: Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, and fan voting begins
- June 21: Golden Spikes Award finalists’ fan voting ends
- June 22: Golden Spikes Award winner announced
Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2024. Baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, beginning on May 20 with the naming of the semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 5, and fan voting will once again open at GoldenSpikesAward.com before closing on June 21.
To stay up to date on the 2024 Golden Spikes Award, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Instagram and Twitter/X.
A complete list of the 45-player 2024 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List is as follows:
Name; Position; School; Conference
Billy Amick; INF; Tennessee; SEC
Jamie Arnold; LHP; Florida State; ACC
RJ Austin; UTIL; Vanderbilt; SEC
Blake Barthol; INF; Coastal Carolina; Sun Belt
Ethan Bates; INF/RHP; Louisiana Tech; C-USA
Travis Bazzana; INF; Oregon State; Pac-12
Brody Brecht; RHP; Iowa; Big Ten
Chase Burns; RHP; Wake Forest; ACC
Drew Burress; OF; Georgia Tech; ACC
Jac Caglianone; INF/RHP; Florida; SEC
Charlie Condon; 1B/OF; Georgia; SEC
Casey Cook; OF; UNC; ACC
Jacob Cozart; C; NC State; ACC
Brady Day; INF/OF; Kansas State; Big 12
Carson DeMartini; INF; Virginia Tech; ACC
Konnor Griffin; OF/RHP; Jackson Prep
Brian Holiday; RHP; Oklahoma State; Big 12
Luke Holman; RHP; LSU; SEC
Riley Huge; LHP; Winthrop; Big South
Ike Irish; C; Auburn; SEC
Walker Janek; C; Sam Houston; C-USA
Ryan Johnson; RHP; Dallas Baptist; C-USA
Dakota Jordan; OF; Mississippi State; SEC
Caden Kendle; OF; UC Irvine; Big West
Grant Knipp; C/RHP; Campbell; CAA
Josh Kuroda-Grauer; INF; Rutgers; Big Ten
Jace LaViolette; OF; Texas A&M; SEC
Caleb Lomavita; C; California; Pac-12
Ben Miller; 1B; Duke; ACC
Gage Miller; INF; Alabama; SEC
Lyle Miller-Green; OF; Austin Peay; ASUN
Braden Montgomery; OF/RHP; Texas A&M; SEC
Christian Moore; INF; Tennessee; SEC
Ryan Prager; LHP; Texas A&M; SEC
Zach Root; LHP; East Carolina; AAC
Jonathan Santucci; LHP; Duke; ACC
Brett Sears; RHP; Nebraska; Big Ten
Colby Shelton; INF; Florida; SEC
Cam Smith; INF; Florida State; ACC
Hagen Smith; LHP; Arkansas; SEC
James Tibbs III; OF/1B; Florida State; ACC
Jason Torres; INF; Miami (Fla.); ACC
Tommy White; 3B; LSU; SEC
Blake Wright; INF; Clemson; ACC
Trey Yesavage; RHP; East Carolina; AAC
