After last year showcased one of the best draft classes in recent memory, the 2024 MLB Draft appears to be far less star-studded. There is no Paul Skenes or Wyatt Langford on the board, and it's generally seen as a bit of a dud.
Still, there is talent to behold, and while JJ Wetherholt jumped to the favorite spot in the waning hours before the draft, Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana ultimately went first to the Cleveland Guardians.
Here's a look at the MLB odds before the draft commenced. We'll be back in this space ahead of next summer's event.
2024 MLB Draft: Odds to go first overall
| Player (Position - School) |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| JJ Wetherholt (SS/2B - West Virginia) | -190 | -230 |
| Travis Bazzana (2B - Oregon State)* | +170 | +200 |
| Charlie Condon (OF/3B - Georgia | +1,200 | +1,500 |
| Jac Caglianone (1B/LHP - Florida) | +4,000 | +5,000 |
| Chase Burns (RHP - Wake Forest) | +4,500 | +4,100 |
| Hagen Smith (LHP - Arkansas) | +9,000 | +14,000 |
| Konnor Griffin (SS/OF - Jackson Prep) | +9,000 | OTB |
| Bryce Rainer (SS - Harvard-Westlake) | +12,000 | OTB |
| Nick Kurtz (1B - Wake Forest) | +12,000 | +14,000 |
| Braden Montgomery (OF - Texas A&M) | +15,000 | +14,000 |
Odds as 7-14. * - top pick
Favorites to be picked first overall in the 2024 MLB draft
7/15/2024: It turns out that the line movement favoring JJ Wetherholt was perhaps smoke and mirrors. Ultimately, the Cleveland Guardians went with Travis Bazzana, the player who had been earmarked for the first-overall selection for weeks ahead of time. Bazzana is the first pure second baseman to ever be selected 1-1 at the MLB Draft.
As for Wetherholt, he fell to the St. Louis Cardinals with the seventh-overall pick. He has perhaps the best hit tool of the draft class but also dealt with a hamstring injury this year that may have hurt his stock a little.
For the second consecutive year, the Cincinnati Reds picked a right-handed pitcher from Wake Forest with their first-round selection, grabbing Chase Burns second after taking Rhett Lowder in 2023.
Charlie Condon, who many pundits pegged as the best player in the draft, went third to the Colorado Rockies.
Infielder Konnor Griffin was the first high school player off the board when the Pittsburgh Pirates used the ninth pick to select him. Griffin has incredible upside, but it's always tricky to project prep school talent as they're often many years away from making an impact at the big-league level.
Previous 2024 MLB Draft odds analysis
7/14/2024 (3rd update): Movement in JJ Wetherholt's direction has continued at a steady pace. He's now as short as -200 with 45 minutes before the first selection is announced. If you are still bullish on Charlie Condon, he's now 15/1 and Travis Bazzana is nearly +200.
7/14/2024 (2nd update): There has been significant movement in the odds since early on Sunday. West Virginia infielder JJ Wetherholt is now the betting favorite at DraftKings and even with Travis Bazzana elsewhere. The movement came shortly after what could be construed as a cryptic tweet from the college star. This could mean nothing, but Wetherholt has long been considered the other name alongside Bazzana and Charlie Condon who could be the Cleveland Guardians' target with the top pick.
7/14/2024: With hours to go before the first pick, Travis Bazzana appears the clear frontrunner and he's ranked as the top option by several pundits. However, while The Athletic's Keith Law predicts Bazzana will indeed be the top pick by the Cleveland Guardians, his final rankings had Georgia 3B/OF Charlie Condon ranked No. 1. He's not alone, either. ESPN's MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel also rates Condon ahead of Bazzana. With Condon paying as long as +850 at FanDuel, there is some value in a sprinkle on him. However, the separation between Condon and Bazzana is microscopic. Still, with more than one baseball draft guru listing Condon as the top option, I'd rather take those odds than Bazzana at -150. Even with J.T. Wetherholt drawing shorter odds than Condon, I think the top pick comes down to the Georgia slugger and the Australian wunderkind.
7/4/2024: This is a college-heavy draft, at least when it comes to the top prospects. Of the Top 10 — according to MLB Pipeline — only two players projected to go within the first 10 selections are high-school players. The rest all come out of various college systems. Oregon State Beavers second baseman Travis Bazzana is the betting favorite to go first overall. The Australian slugger has the most pedigree, playing professionally in the Australian Baseball League since he was 16. Upon arriving in the United States, Bazzana has hit .360/.497/.660 with 45 home runs and 66 stolen bases across 184 games with Oregon State. However, not all mocks have Bazzana in that first spot. The Athletic's Keith Law has the Cleveland Guardians taking Georgia Bulldogs outfielder/third baseman Charlie Condon with the top selection. He's not certain about that, acknowledging that Cleveland could easily go with Bazzana as many in the industry expect or go under slot for high school hitter Konnor Griffin. JJ Wetherholt is also seen as an option, though some hamstring concerns could apparently steer the Guardians in a different direction. Condon hit .410/.523/.909 with 62 home runs and 145 RBI in 116 games over two seasons with Georgia. He led all of college baseball with 37 homers in 2024.
A look back at 2023: While it looked for a time like Wyatt Langford would be the first-overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, he ultimately slipped to fourth — not that the Texas Rangers are complaining. Instead, the Pittsburgh Pirates took right-hander Paul Skenes out of LSU. Skenes has made a major impact in Pittsburgh and looks like a frontrunner to win the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile, Langford has greatly improved his stock after a bit of a rocky beginning to his MLB career. Skenes' LSU teammate Dylan Crews went second overall to the Washington Nationals but has yet to crack the big-league roster. A late-season audition could be in order if his Triple-A numbers warrant it, otherwise, Crews is a candidate to open the 2025 season with the Nats. A pair of high-schooler outfielders wrapped up the Top 5, with the Detroit Tigers selecting Max Clark third and the Minnesota Twins taking Walker Jenkins fifth.
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2024 1st Round MLB Draft order
Cleveland Guardians 
Cincinnati Reds 
Colorado Rockies
Oakland A's
Chicago White Sox 
Kansas City Royals
St. Louis Cardinals
Los Angeles Angels
Boston Red Sox
San Francisco Giants
Chicago Cubs
Seattle Mariners
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers 
Tampa Bay Rays
New York Mets
Toronto Blue Jays
Los Angeles Dodgers
Atlanta Braves
San Diego Padres
New York Yankees
Texas RangersThe Guardians won the MLB Draft Lottery during the Winter Meetings last December, earning the right to take the top pick in the 2024 Draft. It's the first time Cleveland has ever received the first overall selection.
Despite finishing with the worst record in baseball, the Oakland A's will select fourth due to draft lottery rules.
The Twins received a compensation pick at 33 after Sonny Gray declined their qualifying offer last fall and signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles each received bonus picks after Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson won NL and AL Rookie of the Year, respectively, and spent the entire 2023 season on major-league rosters.
Popular MLB futures markets
Recent MLB Draft history
Here is a look back at the last 10 first overall selections:
| Year | Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Paul Skenes | Right-handed pitcher |  Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 2022 | Jackson Holliday | Shortstop |  Baltimore Orioles |
| 2021 | Henry Davis | Catcher | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 2020 | Spencer Torkelson | First base |  Detroit Tigers |
| 2019 | Adley Rutschman | Catcher | Baltimore Orioles |
| 2018 | Casey Mize | Right-handed pitcher | Detroit Tigers |
| 2017 | Royce Lewis | Shortstop |  Minnesota Twins |
| 2016 | Mickey Moniak | Center fielder |  Philadelphia Phillies |
| 2015 | Dansby Swanson | Shortstop |  Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 2014 | Brady Aiken | Left-handed pitcher |  Houston Astros |
Covers MLB betting tools
Understanding MLB Draft betting
Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When Jonathan India emerged as the National League Rookie of the Year in 2021, his odds had a minus (-) sign ahead of the number down the stretch.
Jonathan India -1,200
That means that a bettor in September had to wager $1,200 to win $100 by betting on India to win NL Rookie of the Year. Before the season starts, almost every player will have a plus (+) sign ahead of their odds.
Reid Detmers +2,000
That means a bettor would profit $2,000 for a $100 wager on Detmers before the season started if he's ultimately successful.
If American odds aren't your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.
2024 MLB Draft FAQ
Oregon State's Travis Bazzana is the current betting favorite to go first overall.
The 2024 MLB draft will be held from July 14-16 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Cleveland Guardians have the top selection in this year's draft.
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes first overall out of LSU.
