Baseball analysts are divided about which player the Guardians will select with the first pick in the MLB amateur draft July 14. However, most agree they will pick either second baseman Travis Bazzana from Oregon State or shortstop JJ Wetherholt from West Virginia. The draft begins at 7 p.
m. on the final day before the MLB All-Star break begins on July 15. The first round will be televised on ESPN.
Rounds 3-10 will begin at 2 p.m. July 15.
Rounds 11-10 will be conducted July 16 beginning at 2 p.m. The draft July 15 and 16 can be followed at MLB.
com. The baseball draft is not followed nearly as closely as the NFL and NBA drafts. If it were, Guardians fans might be clamoring for President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti to choose corner outfielder Charlie Condon from the University of Georgia with the first pick.
Condon led all of Division I college baseball with a .433 batting average in 2024. He also led the nation with 37 home runs.
Condon is 6-foot-6. A corner outfielder with power is exactly what the Indians/Guardians have needed since Manny Ramirez left Cleveland as a free agent after the 2000 season. But the Guardians are expected to pass on Condon.
It comes down to money, but fans who would bark “That’s because the Dolans are cheap” if they don’t draft Condon would be incorrect. The Guardians have $18,334,000 to spend on 21 picks. That figure is assigned by Major League Baseball.
The slot value of the first pick is $10,570,600. That is also determined by .