On the Origin of High Draft Picks

The FanGraphs Newsletter, July 16, 2024 [READ IN BROWSER]( July 16, 2024 The Cleveland Guardians made history at the Fort Worth Stockyards on Sunday night, drafting Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana first overall. He became the first Australian player drafted no. 1 overall, as well as the first player born and raised anywhere other than the U.S. or its dependencies. Keith Law pointed out that because no. 2 overall pick Chase Burns was born in Italy (though raised in Tennessee), [2024 marked the first time that both of the top two picks were born outside the U.S.]( Had the Guardians chosen University of Georgia third baseman Charlie Condon, a different kind of history could’ve been made. Condon would’ve been the third no. 1 overall pick from Marietta, Georgia, after Dansby Swanson and Kris Benson, which would’ve given that city of some 60,000 people the distinction of being the only municipality in America to produce three no. 1 overall picks. This piqued our interest enough to ask: Where do top picks come from? For starters, in the history of the draft, the split between high school and college players in the top-five picks is almost even. [LEARN MORE]( [Christian Walker Is Having a Righteous Walk Year]( Christian Walker might not be an All-Star, but he is playing the best baseball of his career and setting himself up nicely for free agency this winter. | by Leo Morgenstern [The 2024 Replacement-Level Killers: Catcher & Third Base]( Highlighting the weak spots on contenders at a couple of key defensive positions. | by Jay Jaffe [Much Like Chris Bassitt, All-Star Seth Lugo Embraces the Art of Pitching]( The Kansas City Royals right-hander is not only an All-Star, he has perhaps the most-diverse repertoire in the majors. | by David Laurila [A Rundown of Relievers on the Trade Block]( Every year, a huge number of interesting relievers change teams at the trade deadline. Let’s predict which ones may be moved. | by Ben Clemens [Showdown at the Shed: Previewing the 2024 Home Run Derby]( Ready to enjoy the loudest, simplest, most dopamine-drenched form of baseball? | by Davy Andrews [FanGraphs Power Rankings: July 8–14 All-Star Edition]( Several fringe contenders gained ground last week as some of the top teams stumbled into the All-Star break. | by Jake Mailhot 🎧 [Effectively Wild Episode 2190: If You Call Him, He Will Pitch]( [DOWNLOAD THE FANGRAPHS APP]( [FanGraphs & Effectively Wild Merch Is Now Available at BreakingT!]( [ORDER HERE]( [The All-Star pitchers who can bring the heat -- and the hitters who can beat it]( by Jesse Rogers, ESPN [The Winners and Losers of the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby]( by Claire McNear, The Ringer [Five Players Who Could Star In The 2025 Futures Game]( by Josh Norris, Baseball America ($) [How to hit Skenes? NL Stars have some advice for AL]( by Do-Hyoung Park, MLB [@fangraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [FanGraphs]( [RSS]( [FORWARD]( [SUBSCRIBE]( Copyright © 2024 FanGraphs Inc, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the FanGraphs Newsletter. Our mailing address is: FanGraphs Inc 3017 N Underwood StArlington, VA 22213 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](