Phillies reveal why their first two picks in 2024 MLB Draft were high school bats

The first two days of the 2024 MLB Draft are now in the books. On Sunday night, the Philadelphia Phillies made two selections on Day 1 of the draft, drafting high school outfielder Dante Nori with the 27th pick in the first round and prep-school outfielder Griffin Burkholder in the second round with the 63rd overall pick.

The Phillies have now selected a high school player in the first round in five consecutive drafts dating back to 2020. News of Nori's selection took many by surprise as the Phillies assistant general manager of amateur scouting Brian Barber recently hinted that the team could break the trend and draft a college player for the first time since 2019.

While a couple of names who were attached to the Phillies in various mock drafts were still available when pick No. 27 went on the clock, the Phillies opted to select Nori, a 19-year-old from Northville, MI, who was committed to play college baseball with Mississippi State, when all was said and done.

Phillies reveal why their first two picks in 2024 MLB Draft were high school bats

Whether it was a last-minute change of heart or a Draft Day rope-a-dope to throw the other 29 teams off the scent, the Phillies front office, led by Barber, seemed happy with the selections of Nori and second-round pick Burkholder when addressing the media at the conclusion of day one.

"Dante is a guy that we first identified as a potential high pick going back to last summer," said Barber. "We got to know him. He's a very good baseball player with good tools who's an advanced bat."

Considered an older high school talent by some evaluators (he turns 20 in October), the Phillies liked what they saw from a player who helped lead his Northville High School baseball program to a state championship earlier this summer. With previous high school picks like Justin Crawford (2022) and Aidan Miller (2023) rapidly advancing through the Phillies farm system, it's clear Barber and the rest of the Phillies front office holds Nori in similar esteem.

"We just like the total package of him," Barber continued. "It was sort of like everything that you're looking for in a player that knows how to play the game, that is a quality hitter, impacts the ball with the bat."

Why did the Phillies draft outfielder Griffin Burkholder?

Griffin Burkholder was the second of the Phillies' two picks on Sunday night, selected at pick No. 63 out of Freedom High School, a prep school in South Riding, Virginia. The 6-foot-2 outfielder impressed scouts with his speed and raw power potential. With Burkholder's selection — the team's first second-round pick since 2021 — the Phillies have another young player who enters the organization with a strong athletic profile.

Burkholder's high school coach Mark Wrighte went into great detail about the 18-year-old's advanced approach at the plate when speaking to Tyler Ingle of InsideNova.

“His stock has risen because his bat-to-ball skills has improved markedly along with pitch recognition,” Wrighte said. “He had power last year and while his power has improved, it’s his ability to better recognize shape and speed of pitches, coupled with minimal swing and miss at the plate that has increased his stock markedly.”

When speaking about Burkholder post-draft, Barber doubled down on why they felt comfortable selecting another high school player with the second pick.

"It's an elite athlete and tool package," said Barber. "But again, a good baseball player who can hit. We've had the opportunity to work him out. We actually brought him to Citizens Bank Park and took batting practice. It's a pretty good show in batting practice already as well ... The power is definitely there."

As the Phillies add another pair of exciting young prospects to an improving farm system, the organization's recent track record of finding and identifying elite high school talent remains intact. With top prospects like Justin Crawford and Aidan Miller steadily climbing through the minor league ranks, Dante Nori and Griffin Burkholder look the part of becoming future Top 100 prospects themselves.