Tennessee baseball 2024 MLB Draft Tracker

The 2024 MLB Draft is taking place down the street from the Texas Rangers' new $1.1 Billion stadium Globe Life Field. The draft will span over three days starting Sunday night and wrapping up on Tuesday.

MLB Network will have draft coverage all week, including live coverage. Day two of draft coverage will consist of Rounds 3-10 and day three will be rounds 11-20. The draft will begin at 2:00 PM ET on Monday and Tuesday to conclude the bulk of the drafting for all 30 MLB teams.

The First and Second Rounds of the draft took place on Sunday night with four Tennessee baseball players being drafted on night one.

One unique aspect with the MLB Draft is that players do not have to play for the team they are drafted by on draft night. If a player is drafted out of high school they can opt to go to college or begin their professional career.

If a draft-eligible college player is drafted, they can choose to return to college or forgo their remaining college eligibility and play professional baseball. This means teams can draft a player, he return to college, and be drafted again the next year.

This won't be the case for most of Tennessee's draft-eligible players because they are seniors and no longer have college eligibilty.

Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello is also in attendace for the MLB Draft. He had the opportunity to see the Vols have the most drafted players of any program in the country on night one starting with Christian Moore with the No. 8 pick in the draft.

Christian Moore is the first player to be drafted out of Tennessee and the first player to be drafted in the top ten out of Tennessee since Nick Senzel in 2016.

Moore dominated the SEC in his final season in a Tennessee uniform, hitting .429 at the plate with 20 home runs and 41 RBIs against some of the best teams in the country in SEC play.

As an All-American, he also led college baseball with 111 hits, 236 total bases, and finished 3rd in the country in home runs with 34, and 8th in runs with 83 on the year.

"[Moore] has taken his production to a higher level this spring, leading NCAA Division I with 111 hits, ranking third with 34 homers (a school record) and setting another Volunteers mark with 61 career blasts," MLB.com writes. "He hit for the cycle in Tennessee's College World Series opener and led off the clincher with a home run en route to the program's first-ever national championship.

"Scouts appreciate the way he'll rise to the occasion and play above his tools, but there also are times when he tries to do too much. His mindset, bat speed and strength give him power that plays to all fields and 25-homer potential, and he works deep counts in search of pitches to drive and draws a healthy amount of walks."

Burke is the second player from Rocky Top to hear his name called in the 2024 MLB Draft with the No. 34 overall pick. Another All-American and power bat to add to the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

His senior season was by far his best season on Rocky Top. Burke led college baseball with 30 doubles and had the second-most hits with 108, behind his teammate drafted in the first round.

Burke hit .379 at the plate with 20 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 74 runs in 2024. The unanimous first-team All-American will take his power to the Brewers organization and have the opportunity to earn a spot as a designated hitter or first baseman with the organization.

"[Burke] mashed his way into the top two rounds of the Draft while winning Southeastern Conference tournament MVP honors and helping Tennessee win its first College World Series championship, MLB.com writes. "Burke has an impressive combination of bat speed and strength and leverage in his 6-foot-3, 236-pound frame, which generate plus-plus raw power and consistently high exit velocities.

"His left-handed pop plays to all parts of the ballpark, and he has grown to realize that he can hit home runs without swinging for the fences. Despite his lack of quickness, he's an opportunistic basestealer who will take advantage if opponents forget about him."

Billy Amick transferred to Tennessee last year from Clemson and made an immediate impact for the Vols. He hit .306 with 23 home runs and 65 RBIs, which are good for top-three on Tennessee for the 2024 season.

He earned All-SEC and All-American recognition for his performance at the plate as well as his defense in the hot corner at third base.

"Amick has a quality right-handed swing and repeatedly barrels balls despite frequently chasing pitches out of the strike zone," MLB.com writes. "His aggressive approach yields hard contact to all fields but does cut into his walk totals. His bat speed and strength create plus raw power that plays all over the ballpark and should translate into 20-25 homers per season.

"Amick has gotten the chance to man the hot corner for the Volunteers and looks like he'll be able to stay there in pro ball. Equipped with below-average speed and quickness along with average arm strength, he's a fringy to average third baseman who has looked more comfortable as he has gained more experience. He does have the work ethic to continue to improve but also may wind up at first base."

Dylan Dreiling rounded out the Tennessee players drafted in the first day of the three-day MLB Draft experience. He hit .341 with 23 home runs and 75 RBIs, which led the team in runs batted in.

He also earned All-SEC and All-American honors as a sophomore, and also earned College World Series Most Outstanding Player after hitting .542 in the CWS with three home runs and 11 RBIs.

"As a Kansas high schooler, Dreiling drew comparisons to Tennessee star and eventual Astros first-round pick Drew Gilbert," MLB.com writes. "He excelled in a platoon role as a freshman and has starred as an everyday player as a Draft-eligible sophomore in 2024, earning Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series after homering in all three games in the championship series as the Volunteers won their first national title.

"Dreiling has the chance to hit for average and power because he makes consistent hard contact to all fields. He drives the ball in the air while managing the strike zone, drawing plenty of walks and keeping his quick left-handed swing under control. He has improved as a left fielder but probably won't be more than an average defender with a subpar arm and lacks the instincts for center."

Drew Beam is the first Tennessee pitcher to be taken off the board. He was the Vols ace this season and one of the most reliable pitchers for the Vols during the latter half of its championship run.

He finished the season with a 4.22 ERA, but excelled down the stretch. In his two appearances in the College World Series, Beam only allowed two runs and was a big reason the Vols were able to secure the national championship.

"One of the most polished and consistent pitchers in the college ranks, [Beam] allowed two runs in two CWS starts as Tennessee won its first national championship in June, though his arsenal was a little less effective this year than it had been previously," MLB.com writes.

"His best offering is a mid-80s changeup with fade and sink that works well with a fastball that operates at 93-95 mph and climbs to 98 with carry. He gets good depth on a low-80s curveball and also can mix in an upper-80s cutter to give hitters a different look."

Kavares Tears is the next player heading to the next level. It was in the air if he would return or go to the team that drafts him, and he announced after being drafted that he plans to play for the San Diego Padres organization instead of returning to college.

Tears was drafted in the 4th round because of his great bat speed and power at the plate. In 2024, he hit for .335 with 20 home runs and 61 RBIs. He is also a great player in the outfield and can be the Padres' next great centerfielder.

"[Tears] suddenly has emerged as one of the toolsiest players in college baseball and one of the most productive hitters on Tennessee's College World Series championship team," MLB.com writes. "Tears has a relatively flat left-handed swing but creates at least plus raw power with his wicked bat speed and strength, generating a lot of hard line drives that carry over the fence to all parts of the ballpark.

"A physical athlete with an outstanding work ethic, Tears earns fringy to well-above-average grades for both his speed and arm strength. He's slower out of the batter's box and quicker once he gets going, though he's not much of a basestealer. He has played mostly right field for the Volunteers, though some evaluators believe he could handle center field at the next level."

AJ Causey will join fellow Vol Drew Beam in the Kansas City Royals organization. The Royals made it clear they are drafting for future aces on the mound this year and they are taking a chance on two of the top pitchers in Tennessee's rotation.

Causey went 13-3 as a senior with a 4.43 ERA and a 12.3 strikeout per nine innings ratio. That means he would record 12 strikeouts on average if he pitched all nine innings in a game. Over 91.1 innings, he recorded 125 strikeouts and could be a strikeout pitcher for the Royals in the future.

"[Causey] tied for the NCAA Division I lead with 13 victories while helping Tennessee win its first-ever national title," MLB.com writes. "Causey succeeds despite a mediocre 89-91 mph fastball that peaks at 93 with run and sink but gets crushed if he's not precise with his location.

"Causey creates a lot of deception with a sidearm delivery that provides wiffle-ball action to his changeup and slider. He pounds the zone but will need to refine his fastball command to prosper against more advanced hitters in pro ball. He projects as more reliever than starter at that level, but his baffling secondary pitches and strike-throwing ability could help him move quickly."

Tennessee's closer is the next pitcher off the board. Aaron Combs was one of the two veteran bullpen arms Vitello heavily relied on in high leverage moments.

He finished the year with three wins and a 3.35 ERA with six saves, including coming into the College World Series Finals Game 3 to finish off Texas A&M and record the final outs of the game.