Major League Baseball held the first of three days of the 2024 MLB Draft Sunday night. Rounds 1 and 2 along with competitive balance picks in between were held in Ft Worth, TX.
There were four players with ties to the Sooner State selected during the evening. Both Carson Benge and Kash Mayfield were drafted in the 1st round with Owen Hall and Payton Tolle taken in the 2nd round. While Benge and Mayfield were expected to hear their names tonight, Hall and Tolle were a little of a surprise as their rankings/projections were were outside the first two rounds.
Carson Benge (Yukon HS/Oklahoma St), 1st Round
As expected, Benge was the first player from Oklahoma taken as he went to the New York Mets with the 19th overall pick.
Benge is one of the more polished bats in the draft. Even though he pitched in college and was one of the best 2-way players in college, most “experts” believe Benge will be an outfielder exclusively.
Kash Mayfield (Elk City High School), 1st Round
Just as it was expected that Benge was the first Oklahoman taken, Mayfield was the 2nd Oklahoman taken at #25 overall by the San Diego Padres.
Mayfield was the 2nd high school left handed pitcher taken overall. Reports have said that the Dodgers, Padres, and D-Backs were the highest on the Elk, so win Cam Caminiti went just before Mayfield, the Padres pounced.
Owen Hall (Edmond North HS), 2nd Round
It was no secret that Hall had one of the most explosive arms in the draft – especially of the high school pitchers. However, most scouts had Hall going in the 3rd-4th rounds.
So it was a bit if a surprise when the Detroit Tigers picked Hall with the 49th overall pick in the 2nd round.
The Vanderbilt commit/signee will have a decision to make on whether to start his pro ball career or head to Nashville. Seeing how the Tigers took him at 49, they are comfidemt they’ll get a deal done.
Payton Tolle (Bethany High School), 2nd Round
Right after Hall was taken at #49, the Boston Red Sox selected Tolle at #50 overall.
The Red Sox taken Tolle here was a surprise as well with Tolle’s highest ranking was #69 by Perfect Game. Tolle just completed his junior season at TCU (his first with the Frogs after 2 with Wichita St) and he was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.
Expect Tolle to start his pro career later this summer.
One final thought about both Hall and Tolle taken in the 2nd round…
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