Vance Honeycutt was the last first-round draft pick to sign with his respective team from the 2024 MLB Draft. However, he has now officially inked his first professional contract.
According to Jim Callis at MLB Pipeline, the Baltimore Orioles have signed Honeycutt, their No. 22 overall selection, to a $4 million deal.
Honeycutt just completed a three-year collegiate career at North Carolina, where he started all 177 games in center field for the Tar Heels.
During his time in Chapel Hill, Honeycutt batted .293 in 693 at-bats, with 203 hits, including a program record of 65 home runs, and posted 170 RBIs. He also ranked high on the school’s all-time list in runs, total bases, slugging percentage, stolen bases, walks, and RBIs.
As a fielder, Honeycutt recorded 491 outs with just eight errors, resulting in a .984 fielding percentage.
His impressive career earned him several honors, including First-Team All-American, First-Team Academic All-America, the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove award, and two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Scouting Report for Honeycutt:
Ahead of the draft in mid-July, MLB.com evaluated Honeycutt as a top prospect in the class.
“Honeycutt comes with at least plus tools across the board with one notable exception: his bat,” they wrote. “He carried a 30 percent strikeout rate as a freshman, cut it to 20 percent as a sophomore (when he wasn’t nearly as productive), and has seen it shoot back up to 28 percent as a junior. He has a decent right-handed swing but needs to refine his pull-heavy approach, do a better job of making in-zone contact, and cut down on his chases.
“How much Honeycutt hits will determine if he becomes Drew Stubbs or better than that. At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he creates well-above-average raw power with bat speed, strength, leverage, and loft. He has similar speed and fine instincts, making him a basestealing threat and a potential Gold Glover in center field, where his plus arm is stronger than most at the position.”
