The Cowtown Coliseum is normally home to rodeo events as the premiere attraction of the Fort Worth Stockyards, but, as host of the 2024 MLB Draft, it became Winston-Salem West.
Wake Forest was the consensus preseason number one last season. While that may not have resulted in a national championship for the Demon Deacons, the talent that packed Wake’s roster caught the attention of Major League Baseball.
Wake Forest had three players chosen in the top 10 of the MLB Draft, including the highest selection in program history.
Deacs went second, fourth and tenth overall in the draft. Only Rice University, who had three players taken in the top eight of the 2004 draft, has had a better performance in the history of the event.
After the Cleveland Guardians took Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana first overall, the spotlight shifted to Wake. The Cincinnati Reds selected righthander Chase Burns with the second pick. Burns, who transferred to Wake last year for his junior season, was the consensus top pitcher in the draft. He was chosen before 2024 player of the year Charlie Condon, a slugger out of Georgia, possibly because Condon is expected to demand a higher signing bonus.
Cincinnati is certainly familiar with the products of Wake’s vaunted pitching lab. The Reds took Rhett Lowder seventh overall in last year’s draft, and he has already advanced to Double-A. Lowder also was selected for the MLB Futures Game, a showcase of baseball’s top prospects which took place at All-Star weekend the day before the draft.
Burns became the highest-drafted Deac in program history, topping pitcher Kyle Sleeth, taken third overall by the Tigers in 2003. He won ACC Pitcher of the Year and led the nation in strikeouts with 169.
“Chase Burns has the chance to be a true number one (starter) for the Cincinnati Reds,” Wake coach Tom Walter said in a draft-night statement. “Between his electric arm and compete gene the Reds got what I believe is the best arm in the class, and Chase will be a valuable addition to the Reds staff for years to come. I’m so happy that he gets to join Rhett Lowder in the Cincinnati organization and look forward to watching that duo come up together.”
It didn’t take long for Wake to make another appearance. After the Rockies took Condon third overall, the Oakland Athletics went back to the Winston-Salem well. Oakland, soon to relocate to Sacramento and then Las Vegas, chose Wake’s slugging first baseman Nick Kurtz with the fourth pick.
Wake Forest became the fifth school with two picks in the draft’s top five, joining LSU, who had the top two picks last year—Paul Skenes, who will pitch in this year’s All-Star Game, and Nationals outfield prospect Dylan Crews. Prior to that, the last time it happened was 2011, when UCLA had Gerrit Cole taken first overall and Trevor Bauer third.
Kurtz is second all-time in Wake history with 61 career home runs and is the program’s career and single-season leader in walks. He was the only active college player with a .500 career on-base percentage.
“A true pro,” Walter said of Kurtz. “The Oakland Athletics drafted someone who’s work ethic, ability to make those around him better and his consistency a sure-fire big leaguer. He hits the ball to all fields for power and average while also being an elite defender.”
Shortstop Seaver King rounded out Wake’s invasion of the top 10, getting selected by the Washington Nationals with the tenth overall pick. He transferred to Wake this past season after two years at Wingate and led the Deacs with 78 hits.
“The Nationals got a dynamic personality and a dynamic athlete in Seaver King,” Walter said. “His bat speed, raw athleticism and upside put him in a class by himself. This guy is going to be in the big leagues very quickly.”
Wake wasn’t the only North Carolina school to have players taken in the first round. East Carolina righthander Trey Yesavage, considered the No. 3 pitcher in the draft, went to the Blue Jays with the 20th pick. He became the second-highest drafted Pirate in program history, behind Jeff Hoffman, also drafted by Toronto, back in 2014, with the ninth overall pick. Yesavage was the AAC Pitcher of the Year last season.
The consensus is that Yesavage was a late first-round steal for Toronto, and he’s projected to be one of the first picks from the 2024 class to reach the big leagues.
UNC’s Vance Honeycutt rounded out the state’s participation in the first round. The outfielder went to the Baltimore Orioles with the 22nd pick. A two time ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a postseason hero for the Tar Heels with his clutch hitting, Honeycutt joins an organization that has produced some of baseball’s top prospects in recent years.
The second round saw Duke and NC State join the party. Blue Devils pitcher Jonathan Santucci went to the Mets with the 46th pick, while Pack catcher Jacob Cozart was taken by the Guardians two picks later.
