5 Mississippi natives ranked in Top 200 prospects headed into MLB Draft

With the MLB Draft just two weeks away, here's a look at the top 5 former and current Mississippi high school baseball players expected to go in the first couple of rounds.

Former Lewisburg Patriots star and current Arkansas pitcher Brady Tygart reacts after the final out of the game against Texas on Feb 17, 2023 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. / Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi will be well-represented when all 30 teams welcome a new crop of talented players in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft, scheduled for July 14-16.

The Draft will feature 20 rounds across the three days, set to coincide with the All-Star Game weekend. The opening day will feature 74 picks in total, including the first two rounds, a compensatory round and competitive balance rounds.

Here’s a look at five former Mississippi high school baseball standouts featured in MLB.com’s Top 200 prospects list going into the draft.

Braden Montgomery (Madison Central)

Jun 8, 2024; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M outfielder Braden Montgomery (6) at bat during the first inning against the Oregon at Olsen Field, Blue Bell Park. / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

• MLB.com Prospect Rank: No. 8
• Projected Round: 1st

Nobody who saw it will soon forget the playoff run Texas A&M Star Braden Montgomery put together when he was a senior at Madison Central. The slugger and ace pitcher led the Jaguars to the 2021 MHSAA 6A State Championship, including a walk-off win in Game 1 against Northwest Rankin in the championship series.

The former Madison Central Jaguar had a fantastic freshman year at Stanford, and blossomed into one of the best hitters in the country as a sophomore before transferring to Texas A&M for his junior year. 

In what will likely be his only season in College Station, he slashed .322/.454/.733, smashing 27 homers and racking up an SEC-leading 85 RBIs to help the Aggies to the finals of the College World Series.

ESPN’s Kylie McDaniel has Montgomery going sixth overall to the Kansas City Royals, while MLB.com’s draft guru Jim Callis has the Madison native slipping to the Cardinals at the No. 7 overall pick.

Konnor Griffin (Jackson Prep)

Konnor Griffin smiles after receiving his trophy for Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year at Jackson Prep in Flowood, Miss., on Thursday, June 6, 2024. / Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY

• MLB.com Prospect Rank: No. 9
• Projected Round: 1st

Many scouts consider Griffin the top-rated high school prospect in the country, and with good reason. 

Jackson Prep’s star earned National Player of the Year nods from Gatorade and Baseball America after hitting for a .559 average with nine homers and 39 RBIs in 171 plate appearances as a senior. He was also 83 of 84 on stolen base attempts and went 10-0 on the mound with a .072 ERA, 107 strikeouts and just 26 walks.

Several MLB insiders consider the right-handed hitting phenom to have the highest upside to any player in the draft. When he’s not pitching, Griffin has flashed superior skills at shortstop and especially in center field.

Both McDaniel and Callis have Griffin going 10th overall to the Nationals. Unlike Montgomery, Griffin has a little more leverage in potential contract negotiations, as the option of playing college ball at LSU is very much on the table.

Dakota Jordan (Jackson Academy)

Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan (42) hits a two run home run against Ole Miss in the 6th inning at Swayze Field in Oxford, Miss., on Friday, Apr. 12, 2024. / Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion

• MLB.com Prospect Rank: No. 29
• Projected Round: 1st-2nd

The former Jackson Academy Raider followed up a great freshman season at Mississippi State with an even better sophomore year.

The right-handed hitting outfielder slashed .354/.459/.671 with 20 homers and drove in 72 runs in the best baseball league in the country this year, leading many experts to believe it’s time for him to take the next step despite just two years in college.

The latest ESPN.com draft projections have Jordan going to the Houston Astros with the 28th overall pick in the first round.

Hunter Hines (Madison Central)

MIssissippi State's Hunter Hines (44) waits for the throw from the pitcher as Ole Miss' Andrew Fischer (3) is safe at first at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., Wednesday, May 1, 2024. / Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA

• MLB.com Prospect Rank: No. 174
• Projected Round: 5th-6th

Hines was on that 2021 Madison Central team with Montgomery, and in three years at Mississippi State, he’s developed into one of the best prospects at first base heading into the draft.

It was hard to see how much higher the ceiling could be for the left-handed slugger after he finished off his stellar Jaguar career with a ridiculously productive senior season. He was a career .395 hitter in three years as a starter, but hit .465 with seven homers and 55 RBIs in his curtain-call season in 2021.

While his average dipped at the college level, the power numbers took off. He hit 54 home runs in three seasons in Starkville and slashed .257/.346/.486 as a junior this year.

Brady Tygart (Lewisburg)

Arkansas Razorbacks pitcher Brady Tygart (25) throws against the Ole Miss Rebels on Jun 22, 2022 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

• MLB.com Prospect Rank: No. 180
• Projected Round: 6th-7th

The Mississippi schools should have never let Tygart out of the Magnolia State. He’s improved in each of his three seasons at Arkansas and is now projected to be taken on Day 2 of the MLB Draft.

The right-hander went 4-3 in 13 starts for the Razorbacks this year, finishing up with a 3.94 ERA, 69 strikeouts and 36 walks over 59.1 innings of work.

Before his tenure in Fayetteville, Tygart allowed just four earned runs in 62.2 innings over his three-year career at Lewisburg. In his senior year, he went 4-1 with a 0.31 ERA in 10 starts, striking out 80 hitters and walking just 17.