2024 MLB Draft Combine Day Two: 10 Standouts, Data Leaders & More

Statcast Standouts

Bullpen Max Velocity (mph)

1. Dennis Colleran, 99.2
2. Brock Moore, 98.1
3. Brandon Clarke, 98
4. Pierce George, 97.3
5. Grant Knipp, 97.2

Bullpen Max IVB (inches)

1. Carson Wiggins, 21.7
2. Luke Hayden, 20.9
3. Ryan Andrade, 20.8
4. Grant Knipp, 20.5
5. Blake Hammond, 20.5

Bullpen Max Spin Rate (rpm)

1. Cade Townsend (SL), 3265
2. Conner Ware (CB), 3124
3. Ryan Verdugo (SL), 3066
4. Mason Marriott (SL), 2950
5. Ryan Andrade (CB), 2912

Batting Practice Average Exit Velocity (mph)

1. Aiden Harris, 106.8
2. Tague Davis, 105.8
3. Joseph Sullivan, 105.6
4. Alex Hernandez. 104.5
5. Zack Stewart, 104.4

Batting Practice Max Exit Velocity (mph)

1. Nathan Flewelling, 112.4
2. Tague Davis, 112.3
3. Joseph Sullivan, 112.2
4. Grant Knipp, 111.5
5. Hunter Hines, 111.4

Batting Practice Max ProjectedDistance (feet)

1. Hunter Hines, 441.7
2. Levi Clark, 439.2
3. Cameron Bufford, 430.4
4. Joseph Sullivan, 427.1
5. Tague Davis, 426.7

10 MLB Draft Combine Standouts

Ryan Andrade, RHP, Pittsburgh

Andrade put together one of the most well-rounded bullpen sessions of the day. He filled up the zone with a four-pitch mix, worked quickly and showed a clean delivery. Andrade’s pitch mix starts with a fastball that averaged 93 mph and was up to 95.1 with excellent riding life that was apparent even before noting its 20-inch induced vertical break. It reminded me of Wake Forest righthander Michael Massey’s fastball (considered one of the best in the class), and there are some similarities from their 2024 regular season data: 

Player	Avg	Max	IVB	HB	Spin	VAA	Ext	RelZ	RelX
Michael Massey	93.3	96.2	20.3	2.3	2378.8	-5.01	7.1	73.3	-14.7
Ryan Andrade	93.2	96.2	20.1	10	2593.2	-5.01	5.61	73.2	-10.6

The average velocity, max velocity, IVB, vertical approach angle and release height are basically identical, though Massey gets considerably more cut and extension on the pitch, while Andrade has a bit more pure spin. I’m not sure if analysts would view this as a perfect pitch comp, but it stood out to me. 

In addition to the fastball, Andrade mixed in an 82-87 mph changeup, an 80-82 mph downer curve with 12-to-6 shape and an 86-87 mph short-breaking slider/cutter.

Nathan Flewelling, C, St. Joseph Catholic HS, Red Deer, Alb.

The combine is a perfect event for a player like Flewelling. He is a young-for-the-class Canadian prospect seen infrequently by evaluators and was not on the showcase circuit. It’s a chance for him to showcase his toolset in front of plenty of scouts and high-level decision makers. He made the most of that opportunity.

Despite his age, Flewelling’s 112.4 mph max exit velocity in batting practice was tied for second (with PA prep Chase Harlan) among the entire field of players behind only LSU’s Jared Jones (113.4). Jones will be 21 a few weeks after the draft and Flewelling has a 17.7 age on draft day. That sort of raw power production for a player of his age is tantalizing, and reinforces the 70-grade power projections scouts have put on him. Flewelling has lots of natural strength and a simple, repeatable swing in the righthanded batter’s box. 

He showed well in catcher drills as well, with above-average pop times in the 1.93-1.95 second range and solid carry on his throws to the second base bag.

Joseph Sullivan, OF, South Alabama

Sullivan had an eye-opening batting practice session. He finished the day top-five in both max exit velocity (112.2) and average exit velocity (105.6). He consistently drove balls on a line into the right field seats to his pull side. He has rhythm in the box with a soft foot shuffling action in his pre-pitch setup, which is slightly open, before taking a small leg kick to get back to even, loading the barrel and firing snappy hands and an uphill finish. 

He did a nice job getting the bat head extended in this look. While he was fairly pull-heavy it was still a standout effort. Sullivan might not have much physical projection remaining but he’s plenty strong and muscular presently with a 5-foot-11, 198-pound frame and broad shoulders as well as a well-defined lower half.

Cade Townsend, RHP, Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic HS

Townsend showed an exciting combination of power and pure spinning ability in his bullpen session. His fastball averaged 95 mph and touched 97, with some cut/ride action that could make it a real weapon. Then he broke off a power breaking ball in the 80-83 mph range with great spin, tight and hard biting action and great depth and finish. 

There’s slider and curveball shapes at times and he’ll sometimes blend the two pitches together, but there’s a plus breaking ball in the tank with significantly more power on the pitch than he showed last summer. He also mixed in a hard and short slider/cutter in the 86-87 mph range and threw a few mid-80s changeups.

Grant Shepardson, RHP, Mountain Vista HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

A month ago we tabbed Shepardson as a helium prospect who was wowing scouts with his performance in Colorado. Now it’s easy to see why after a strong combine bullpen session.

Shepardson pitched in the 92-94 mph range and showed both a four-seam and two-seam variation of the pitch with similar velocity but distinct movement profiles. His arm flew out on one occasion with the fastball and he sent a wild pitch to the backstop. Otherwise, he was solid with his location.

Shepardson mixed a few solid secondaries as well, including a firm upper-80s changeup with impressive tumbling and fading action, as well as an 83-84 mph slider with impressive late sweeping actions. Scouts view the slider as a potential above-average offering and he also flashed a slower 79-80 mph curveball with more depth.

Brandon Clarke, LHP, State JC of Florida

Clarke is a high-upside lefthander who entered the combine with a reputation for loud pure stuff but shaky control. That’s why his smooth and controlled bullpen session was so impressive. 

Clarke has an elite pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds and showed off a calm, deliberate delivery. He did a particularly nice job locating his fastball and changeup. He spiked his breaking ball in the dirt on his first instance of the pitch and seemed to be fighting the release point of that offering, but the fastball/changeup feel was better than expected. 

It was an encouraging look for a lefthander who touched 98 and had the fourth-hardest fastball of the combine. He worked in the 93-97 mph range for the most part and gets to that velocity with relative ease, then mixed in a firm changeup at 88-90 mph and a 79-80 mph curveball with 3/4 shape in the 2,700-2,900 rpm range that has potential but needs some more polish.

Luke Hayden, LHP, Indiana State (Transfer committed to LSU)

Hayden is a 6-foot-1 righthander who showed off a loose and athletic delivery, fast arm and quality five-pitch mix. There is a bit of effort in his finish as Hayden fires to the plate, but his bullpen session was one of the most impressive thanks to his power and diversity of pitches. 

He sat in the 95-96 mph range with his fastball, which has solid riding life and a bit of cut, and he also mixed in an 89-90 mph cutter, 84-86 mph slider, a mid-70s curveball and an 87-88 mph changeup. The slider featured solid spin and 10-to-4 shape with hard finishing action. The cutter was a distinct pitch from the slider with more power and tighter break. Hayden spiked his first changeup but later showed more feel as the session progressed and he flipped in one 76 mph curveball with top-down action and plenty of depth that creates an entirely different look to the rest of his arsenal. 

If Hayden pitches as a reliever in pro ball, he’ll undoubtedly shorten up the repertoire, but his ability to showcase five quality pitches will be encouraging to any team who’s curious about him in a starting role after a breakout season in that capacity with Indiana State this spring.

Grant Knipp, RHP, Campbell

Knipp has one of the most intriguing profiles among the 22 and older field of college players. He just hit over .400 and slugged over 1.000 in an injury-shortened 2024 season that still saw him homer 18 times in just 29 games. A majority of scouts, however, view him as a pitcher in pro ball.

He was the final pitcher to throw at this year’s combine and did a nice job keeping the ball over the plate with a 96-97 mph fastball, 85-86 mph changeup and slurvy breaking ball in the 82-83 mph range. Power isn’t much of a question with Knipp (as a hitter and pitcher), but his track record on the mound is extremely limited and he threw just 5.2 innings this spring. That bullpen session is a key data point for the teams interested in drafting him as a reliever next month.

Aiden Harris, 3B, PDG Academy, Fredericksburg, Va.

Yesterday I praised PJ Morlando’s ability to consistently barrel up the baseball at impressive exit velocities. Harris was that player on the second day of the event. He joined Morlando as the only other player to eclipse a 106-mph average exit velocity in the batting practice rounds. That’s perhaps unsurprising, as the two are considered to be some of the best power bats in the high school class.

Harris has a powerful and muscular 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame. He generates a tremendous amount of force with a relatively simple operation. There’s a soft hand press in his load before he fires the barrel through the zone with an uphill path geared for fly balls. 

JD Dix, SS, Whitefish Bay (Wis.) HS

I mentioned Dix as a standout in yesterday’s high school showcase game, but I had to mention him once again after he turned in one of the more impressive batting practice displays—to my eye at least. Unlike other hitters in today’s notebook, Dix didn’t stand out as much for his huge top-end exit velocities (his max was just 104.1 mph) but instead for his consistent barrel sense as a lefty and righty. 

Dix has an even stance at the plate with a small leg kick and from the left side showed a direct path to the ball and level, line drive stroke that led to lots of sharp, hard contact from gap to gap. There was a bit more loft from the right side. Still, he showed impressive ability to barrel up and make quality contact with a smooth and hitterish swing. The Wisconsin shortstop took full advantage of the combine and looked like one of the most well-rounded profiles at the event.