UNC baseball star Vance Honeycutt selected 22nd overall in 2024 MLB Draft

Vance Honeycutt’s childhood dreams came true on Sunday evening, as he went 22nd overall in the MLB Draft.

The North Carolina Tar Heels knew how special of a baseball player Vance Honeycutt was – from the moment they started recruiting him out of Salisbury (NC) High School.

By the time Honeycutt’s junior season at UNC ended, Honeycutt solidified himself as a first-round MLB Draft pick.

Honeycutt came to Chapel Hill a decorated high school athlete, highlighted by a 2021 state championship and Player of the Year honors in his home county. In Year one as a Diamond Heel, Honeycutt gave us all a glimpse of his potential, hitting for a .296 batting average, while mashing 25 home runs and driving in 57 runners.

Last year, Honeycutt led North Carolina to the College World Series with one of the best individual seasons in program history. He mashed .318 (4th-best on UNC) and drove in 70 runners, but it was his 28 home runs and stolen bases that made history, as Honeycutt became the first player in ACC history to mash 50 career home runs and steal 70 career bases.

In the NCAA Tournament, Honeycutt showcased his clutch hitting abilities with two separate walk-offs. This only boosted Honeycutt’s draft stock further – where exactly to?

On Sunday, July 14, Honeycutt was selected 22nd overall – by the Baltimore Orioles – in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft.

Honeycutt immediately joins a team full of exciting young talent, as Baltimore has the top-ranked farm system in all of baseball, with the likes of 2023 top overall pick Jackson Holliday.

I’m intrigued to see which minor league affiliate Honeycutt is assigned to, though I bet it’ll be either in Single-A with either the Delmarva Shorebirds or Aberdeen IronBirds.

If Honeycutt can continue his hot streak from the NCAA Tournament, he’ll be playing Major League Baseball before we know it.

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