As Tennessee baseball begins NCAA Tournament play this week at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, Major League Baseball scouts will continue to have their eyes on the Vols.
The 2024 Tennessee baseball team has a number of draft prospects and that was evident when ESPN released its inaugural 2024 MLB First Round Mock Draft. ESPN’s mock draft had teams selecting two Tennessee players in the first round of this July’s draft.
The mock draft has the Miami Marlins selecting Tennessee second baseman Christian Moore with the 16th pick of the 2024 draft.
“Moore was perceived to be behind teammate Billy Amick in the draft a month ago but has now overtaken him with a blazing-hot finish,” ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel wrote. “Miami is tied to ACC/SEC position players, which also is what the board is giving them at this point. This is also the first spot prep SS Carter Johnson and RF P.J. Morlando come up, though they likely land later.”
A blazing-hot finish is an accurate way to describe Moore’s incredible junior season for the Big Orange. He enters the NCAA Tournament hitting .382/.447/.789 with 28 home runs, 16 doubles and 63 RBIs this season. Moore’s 28 long balls make him the program’s single-season home run champion.
ESPN’s mock draft projects the New York Yankees to select Tennessee third baseman Billy Amick with the 26th pick in this summer’s draft.
“The Yankees have been tied to Amick, Cijntje, Doughty, Benge, Waldschmidt, Bateman and Jonathan Santucci,” McDaniel wrote. “Those last two may have a chance to get to New York’s next pick.”
Amick transferred to Tennessee from Clemson this offseason. Despite missing two weeks due to an appendectomy, the Vols’ third baseman is hitting .317/.388/.663 with 19 home runs, 12 doubles and 53 RBIs.
While Moore and Amick are the only Vols in the first round of the mock draft, a multitude of other Vols will likely go in the first five rounds including first baseman Blake Burke, left fielder Dylan Dreiling, right fielder Kavares Tears and right-handed pitcher Drew Beam.
Tennessee baseball opens up NCAA Tournament play on Friday night when it hosts Northern Kentucky in its opening game of the Knoxville Regional.
