OMAHA, Neb. – Christian Moore had a historic night, hitting for the second-ever cycle in College World Series history on Friday night at Charles Schwab Field.
Moore showed a tremendous ability to drive the baseball with authority in Tennessee’s 12-11 victory against Florida State. The Tennessee second baseman hit a home run 440 feet at 117 mph exit velocity to straightaway center field.
One of the more memorable moments for Moore was in the ninth inning, with Tennessee trailing. Undeterred, Moore seized the opportunity, lacing a breaking pitch to left field for a double with two outs, keeping Tennessee’s hopes alive.
“Through the whole game, the only mindset I have is to win, get on base for my team and set the tone,” Moore said. “I have really good hitters behind me, so I just want to get on for them.
“Really, to be honest, I didn’t know I did it. I was just so hyper-focused on winning and just that next task. And I guess talk about that last AB, just want to fight. Down to my last strike there with two outs, just want to fight. It’s a battle. Me versus him, mano y mano. And I guess I won that one.”
Moore is surging up MLB draft boards after a tremendous season that included him capturing the SEC triple crown. He is a likely first-round pick in July’s MLB draft due to his ability at the plate and strong defensive skills at second base.
Here is a look at other top 2024 MLB draft prospects that stood out on Friday at the College World Series:
Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina
Both games ended with a walk-off on Friday. Honeycutt’s lone hit came in the ninth inning when he knocked a breaking pitch into left field to drive in the runner from third base to give North Carolina a 3-2 victory over Virginia.
“Coach (Jesse Wierzbicki) had a really good approach for us, and I just wanted to just go at it slow, just try to slow myself down,” Honeycutt said. “And I got a good pitch 2-0 and kind of came out of it. Got the same pitch 2-1 and stayed down.”
Honeycutt is a must-watch player at the College World Series. He’s a potential top-20 pick in July’s draft. He is a dynamic athlete with quality instincts and an improving hit tool. Defensively, Honeycutt is an elite center-field defender due to his athleticism, instincts, arm strength and ability to cover tons of ground.
Read an in-depth draft profile to learn more about Honeycutt and his skill set here.
Dylan Dreiling, OF, Tennessee
Moore stole the headlines on Friday due to hitting for the cycle. But it was Dreiling who delivered when Tennessee needed a clutch hit. With the score tied at 11-all against Florida State, Dreiling sent a 1-0 pitch to left-center field for a walk-off base hit.
Dreiling is a draft-eligible sophomore who is a potential second-round pick. The left-handed hitter can hit for average and power. He also is athletic and boasts some potential in the outfield.
Blake Burke, 1B, Tennessee
Burke is a 6-foot-3, 236-pound left-handed hitter who showed his quality tools at the plate. He had three hits and three RBIs, including a line drive back up the middle for a two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to push Tennessee into an 11-11 tie with Florida State.
Burke drives the ball with authority to all fields, boasting above-average raw power. He has improved his contact rate throughout college, and on Friday, he showed that against quality Florida State pitching. Burke is a potential second-round pick in July’s draft.
Cam Smith, 3B, Florida State
Smith has destroyed the baseball this season, showing his above-average raw power. The right-handed hitting third baseman had an RBI double, but his plate discipline on Friday drew the attention. He drew three walks, with two being four-pitch free passes and one consisting of him coming back from a 0-2 count to record the walk.
Smith will likely be selected in the first half of the first round in July’s draft due to his hitting ability and respectable skill set at third base.
Read more in-depth stories on top 2024 MLB draft prospects at Baseball Prospect Journal.
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for nine years. He has interviewed 518 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
