USA Baseball has revealed its highly anticipated 2024 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, featuring 55 exceptional players from the high school and college baseball arena. This prestigious list includes the top 13 players from MLB Pipeline's esteemed Top 100 Draft Prospects list.

The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will regularly update the watchlist, allowing players to vie for the award based on their performances throughout the season. In an exciting twist, fans of amateur baseball will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com. The voting will commence on May 20, coinciding with the announcement of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. The finalists for the award will be unveiled on June 5, with fan voting reopening on GoldenSpikesAward.com until June 21.

Leading the preseason watch list this year is JJ Wetherholt, an outstanding infielder from West Virginia who earned the title of 2023 semifinalist. Wetherholt holds the distinction of being the number one prospect for the upcoming Draft, according to MLB Pipeline. Joining him are Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz (No. 2), Georgia outfielder/first baseman Charlie Condon (No. 4), and Florida's versatile star Jac Caglianone (No. 5), who were all semifinalists in the previous year's award race.

Impressively, a total of 36 of the 55 players on the watch list also find themselves among Pipeline's prestigious Top 100 Draft prospects. This includes all top 13 prospects and an astonishing 17 out of the top 20.

Last year's Golden Spikes Award winner, LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, played a pivotal role in guiding the Tigers to a College World Series triumph. His exceptional performance led to his selection as the second overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. Notably, nine former winners of the Golden Spikes Award, such as Bryce Harper (2010) and Adley Rutschman (2019), graced the Major Leagues in the previous season.

The complete list of the 55 players on the 2024 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list, along with their respective rankings in MLB Pipeline's Draft prospect rankings, can be found on the official USA Baseball website.

Excitement and anticipation build as these remarkable athletes embark on their journey to claim the coveted Golden Spikes Award. Baseball fans eagerly await the upcoming season to witness the exceptional talents showcased by these standout players.