UNC Baseball: Vance Honeycutt featured in early 2024 MLB mock draft

The UNC baseball program’s star centerfielder is projected as a potential day-one pick in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft.

There’s plenty of time until the 2024 MLB Draft, but it’s never too early to look at some of the players who may hear their names called early on day one of the event.

Vance Honeycutt, the UNC baseball program’s star centerfielder, is certainly a must-watch player as he heads into his junior season with the Diamond Heels. Being draft-eligible, plenty of Major League teams will keep an eye on Honeycutt, as he’s worked his way into being a very intriguing draft prospect.

Although his sophomore season wasn’t as strong as his outstanding freshman campaign, there’s still plenty to love about what Honeycutt brings to the table. In fact, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com projects Honeycutt to be a top-20 pick in next year’s draft.

In his early projection, Mayo has the Boston Red Sox selecting Honeycutt. This keeps the recent AL East tradition alive, as all three UNC baseball standouts selected in the 2023 MLB Draft (Mac Horvath, Max Carlson, and Tomas Frick) were all taken by teams within this competitive division.

Here’s what Mayo had to say about Honeycutt:

"17. Red Sox: Vance Honeycutt, OF, North CarolinaHoneycutt might end up being a polarizing prospect next year. On the one hand, the power-speed combination is real, with 25 homers and 29 steals in 2022 and double-digits in both categories this past year. But there might be questions about his hit tool, with a 25.5 percent strikeout rate in his two years with the Tar Heels."

One area that Honeycutt can improve on is his strikeout rate, as this has been a bit of an issue during his time with the UNC baseball program. However, when he puts the ball in play, Honeycutt is electric, as he’s a speed threat who has also shown some power during his collegiate career.

This is a big year for both Honeycutt and the Diamond Heels, as they hope that their star player can lead them to Ohama while proving that he is very worthy of being a first-round draft pick.

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