2024 MLB Draft Profile: Carter Holton
Draft Profile: Carter Holton (Vanderbilt)
Height: 5'11
Weight: 195
Bats/Throws: Left/Left
Carter Holton, one of college baseball’s freshman darlings back in 2022, and coming off a solid 2023 campaign when he was available, enters 2024 with the potential to be a day-one arm in the 2024 MLB Draft.
In his first two seasons at Vanderbilt, Holton had a 3.51 ERA in 130 2/3 Innings to go along with a 10.5 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, and a 1.14 WHIP. He had an injury-plagued 2023 season that saw each of those stats increase slightly, but there is still reason to be optimistic about Holton heading into his junior year at Vanderbilt.
Holton features a four-pitch mix including a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. He has two plus pitches in the fastball and curveball, whereas the latter two are still a work in progress.
Holton’s fastball plays into the mid to high 90s, reaching as high as 98 on the radar gun. This is a pleasant surprise given his physical makeup, but it is a testament to his mechanical makeup and ability to generate torque with his lower half with anticipation in throwing to the plate. His fastball is most effective at generating swings and misses up in the zone, which is where it plays up to overwhelm hitters with its late life.
Holton’s curveball is his second plus pitch. It has a sharper movement profile with depth that can lead to drop levels that are more sudden in appearance. He has been able to generate swings and misses thanks to the movement profile, as well as his ability to hide his delivery effectively with similar release points while pitching.
Holton’s slider is another pitch in his arsenal that he relies on for off-speed swings and misses. When he is ahead in counts, it has proven to be a useful pitch to use in sequencing to generate whiffs and keep hitters off balance who are expecting his curveball, which has lesser levels of horizontal break.
Holton also has a changeup, though he does not throw it often. It would be nice to see it become a bigger part of his arsenal in 2024. It is often one of the pitches that college pitchers tend to learn and trust more later in their careers, so it will be interesting to see if the same holds true for Holton.
Holton comes into 2024 with a chip on his shoulder to prove he can replicate the production and buzz he generated during his freshman year at Vanderbilt. He will be one of their weekend starters who can be the workhorse that helps bring the program back to Omaha in 2024.
He has three potential plus-level pitches and can generate sufficient swings and misses with all three pitches in various situations. His delivery and mechanics are sound, which helps him create deception against the hitters he faces. Holton’s command was good in 2022 but shakier in 2023. If he can get back on track with his control and stay healthy, there is enough with Holton to believe he can be a day-one pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
