(Cover photo via River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Leland Barclay)
The 2024 MLB Draft is not too far away. The draft will be 20 rounds over 3 days starting on July 14.
Once again, the Sooner State should be well represented with players that have ties to the Sooner State that will have their name called during the draft.
Leading up to the draft, we will take a look at some of the those players.
*Prospect Ranking: MLB Top 200 (MLB), ESPN Top 150 (ESPN), Perfect Game Top 500 (PG)
*When looking at the scouting grades, MLB uses a “20-80” system: 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average, 70-80 is well above average.
Today’s player: Carson Wiggins
Wiggins is a name that shouldn’t be unfamiliar to fans of baseball in the Sooner State. Carson’s brother, Jaxon Wiggins, is a 2020 Roland HS grad that went to the University of Arkansas and was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. His dad is the head baseball coach at Roland HS.
As ballyhooed as Jaxon is, Carson is considered more “talented” than Jaxon was at this same point in his career. In fact, if it weren’t for some control issues, Wiggins would most likely be a little higher than fellow Oklahoman, Owen Hall, in the rankings. Wiggins grades out higher than Hall in both the fastball and slider right now, but his control is lower.
Playing at 3A Roland may not have provided much competition for Wiggins, but his performances in the big showcases throughout his high school days make him stand out.
Draft Prospect Rankings
- MLB – 79
- ESPN – N/A
- PG – 130
Scouting Grades and MLB Report
Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45
Like his older brother, Jaxon, who was selected in the second round by the Cubs in 2023 despite missing his junior season at Arkansas following Tommy John surgery, Wiggins has a big body and an electric arm. He’s more advanced at the same stage than his sibling, though his stuff stands out more than his polish. He skipped several events on the showcase circuit during the summer but was the most dominant pitcher at both the High School All-American Game and Perfect Game National.
Wiggins generates premium velocity with relative ease, dealing at 93-96 mph and hitting 99 with late run and good carry on his fastball. He also has a power breaking ball — a mid-80s slider with depth that repeatedly gets chases out of the zone. His changeup features similar velocity and nice tumble, showing the potential to become at least an average third offering.
Wiggins is athletic and throws with little effort, but he has yet to prove he can command his fastball or land his secondary pitches in the strike zone. There’s still projection remaining in his 6-foot-5 frame, so he could add more velocity in the future. The Arkansas recruit has a high ceiling as a potential No. 2 starter, but he’ll need time to get there and comes with a good deal of reliever risk.
Per mlb.com
Outlook
It is hard to understand what the prognosticators see about Wiggins. According to mlb.com, Wiggins should go in the 3rd round. According to Perfect Game, it is the 5th-6th round. According to ESPN, it’ll be even later.
Regardless of where he goes, an organization will draft Wiggins and do their best to sign him. That upper 90’s fastball with a plus slider is too hard to pass up and each organization has what they think it takes to teach control.
Even if Wiggins doesn’t go pro, he is committed/signed to the University of Arkansas. If he ends up in Fayetteville, Wiggins will get what is necessary to be successful on the mound.
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