ESPN projects two Tennessee Baseball players in first 30 picks of 2024 MLB Draft

ESPN’s first mock draft for the 2024 MLB Draft included two players from Tennessee Baseball hearing their names called in the first round: Christian Moore and Billy Amick.

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projected Moore to be the No. 16 overall pick to the Miami Marlins and Amick to be the No. 26 pick to the New York Yankees. 

Moore was the SEC’s triple crown winner, leading the league in batting average (.429), home runs (20) and RBI (41) in conference games. 

On the season, Moore leads No. 1 Tennessee (50-11) with a .382 average, a .447 on-base percentage, a .789 slugging percentage and 1.236 OPS. He set a new single-season program record with 28 home runs and has 63 RBI. He also leads the team in runs scored (67) and hits (94). 

“Moore was perceived to be behind teammate Billy Amick in the draft a month ago,” McDaniel wrote in ESPN’s Mock Draft 1.0, “but has now overtaken him with a blazing-hot finish. 

“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 preps SS Carter Johnson and RF P.J. Morlando come up, though they likely land later.”

Amick, the Clemson transfer, is hitting .317 this season with 19 home runs, 53 RBI and 53 runs scored on 65 hits. He has a 1.051 OPS, .663 slugging percentage and .388 on-base percentage. 

“The Yankees have been tied to Amick,” McDaniel wrote, “(Mississippi State pitcher Jurrangelo) Cijntje, (California pitcher Braylon) Doughty, (Oklahoma State center fielder Carson) Benge, (Kentucky left fielder Ryan) Waldschmidt, (California pitcher Boston) Bateman and (Duke pitcher) Jonathan Santucci. Those last two may have a chance to get to New York’s next pick.”

McDaniel also mentioned Amick as an “under-the-radar option” for the San Francisco Giants and also reported that the Toronto Blue Jays, who have the No. 20 overall pick, have been tied to a list of college position players that included Amick.

Drew Beam was also mentioned among college pitchers that could be picked after the top-30 selections. 

Beam has a career 3.45 ERA over the last three seasons, starting 47 times and pitching 245.1 innings with a 25-8 career record. This season he has pitched a career-high 85.0 innings, with an 8-2 record and a 3.92 ERA. He had a career-best 2.72 ERA in 76.0 innings as a freshman in 2022 and a career-high 88 strikeouts in 84.1 innings last season.