If you’ve heard anything about UNC baseball in national news, chances are you’ve heard the name Vance Honeycutt.
He’s a power-hitting, magnet-gloved, speedy outfielder who hails from Salisbury, N.C. Honeycutt is the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year, in due part to home run-saving catches that make SportsCenter Top 10 the next morning.
Honeycutt’s 19 stolen bases placed him second on Carolina’s 2023 team, 12 home runs tied him for second with Tomas Frick, while 43 RBIs put him fourth. Injury cut Honeycutt’s season short, so he wasn’t able to help his teammates advance to a Super Regional.
Ahead of the Tar Heels’ 2024 campaign, there’s no doubt that Honeycutt is the best player in Chapel Hill. Honeycutt has a lot of draft hype and, if you put him on a larger scope, is one of college baseball’s top players.
In its latest mock draft, Honeycutt is projected to go 8th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft – to the Los Angeles Angels.
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If Honeycutt ends up being selected by the Angels, chances are he won’t be playing center field. Mike Trout is one of the game’s best and should hold down that spot until he retires – or moves onto a winning organization.
Mickey Moniak and Taylor Ward hold the corner outfield spots. While they are solid players, Honeycutt’s path to a major league roster spot in the City of Angels might be supplanting one of them.
As a reminder – these are just mock drafts. Honeycutt could end up having a record-breaking season and rise further up the draft boards – maybe even to Number One?
The only two other former Tar Heels to be selected Number One overall are B.J. Surhoff and Dave Lemonds (1968).
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