Two Mississippi natives and two transplants gave the state a heavy presence at the top of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft.

Jackson Prep’s Konnor Griffin was the first high school player selected, by the Pittsburgh Pirates, while former Madison Central star Braden Montgomery and Mississippi State pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje went within the next six picks to Boston and Seattle, respectively, during the first round on Sunday.

Another Mississippi State pitcher, Khal Stephen, was selected in the second round by the Toronto Blue Jays.

“What a great feeling,” Griffin said during a post-draft press conference on Sunday. “I have it all on video. It’s going to be really cool to go back and watch. It’s a super cool experience. What a great organization to be with.”

The Pirates took Griffin, a shortstop and outfielder, at No. 9 overall. The Gatorade National Player of the Year was regarded as the top high school player in the country. In 43 games with Jackson Prep this spring, he hit .559 with 66 hits, nine home runs, 39 RBIs and 87 stolen bases.

Griffin’s father, Kevin, is the softball head coach at Belhaven and coached softball and basketball at Porter’s Chapel Academy in Vicksburg in the early 2000s.

“He’s an incredible athlete, honestly,” Pirates amateur scouting director Justin Horowitz said at a press conference Sunday night. “A potential five-tool superstar at the highest level, with some of the biggest upside in the whole Draft. As talented of a kid that Konnor is on the baseball field, he’s an even more incredible human being. He’s someone we believe in as a leader and someone who’s going to impact the community as well. We’re really grateful to have the opportunity to draft Konnor.”

Three picks after the Pirates took Griffin, the Boston Red Sox selected Montgomery at No. 12. The Texas A&M outfielder and pitcher batted .322 with 27 home runs and 85 RBIs this season.

Montgomery played at Stanford in 2022 and 2023 and was a two-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection.

“It was joy,” Montgomery said of being drafted. “To be picked by anybody today means a lot to me and my family. For it to be the Red Sox means a whole lot, so I’m excited to get to work.”

Red Sox director of amateur scouting Devin Pearson said the team has been tracking Montgomery since he led Madison Central to the MHSAA Class 6A championship as a high school senior in 2021. Montgomery was a national high school All-American and the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021.

“We were enamored by him then, and then got to follow his career to Stanford and (then Texas A&M),” Pearson said. “He had a huge year in the SEC, and we believe he has even more development left. His skill set fits perfectly into what we are trying to do here.”

Cijntje and Stephen formed the core of Mississippi State’s weekend pitching rotation this season, and both heard their names called on Sunday night.

Cijntje was selected 15th overall by the Seattle Mariners, and Stephen went to Toronto with the 59th pick. Cijntje’s selection marked the fifth consecutive year that a Mississippi State player has been picked in the first round.

Cijntje is a rare switch-pitcher, who can throw with both his right and left hands. He can throw 95 mph left-handed and 99 mph right-handed.

Cijntje had an 8-2 record for the Bulldogs in 2024, with 113 strikeouts and a 3.67 ERA in 90 2/3 innings.

Mariners director of amateur scouting Scott Hunter said the team intends to let Cijntje continue down the ambidextrous path.

“We’re going to let Jurrangelo make that decision to start,” Hunter said. “That’s the fun part of it. … There is a huge advantage if he does do both. I don’t think it will be a true left today, right tomorrow. It’s more about maybe picking match-ups and seeing how it works in the minor leagues. But it is definitely an option that’s on the table to keep it going.”

Stephen transferred to Mississippi State in 2024 after playing the previous two seasons at Purdue. The Indiana native was the Bulldogs’ Friday night starter and finished 8-3 with 107 strikeouts and a 3.28 ERA in 96 innings. The right-hander has a 95 mph fastball, and throws three other pitches.

“In terms of having a feel for four different pitches, I think he was one of the better pitchers in college baseball,” MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis said on MLB Network following the pick. “His fastball, curveball, slider and change-up are all effective and he throws strikes.”

The second day of the draft included rounds 3 through 10 on Monday, and seven more Mississippi players were selected.

From Mississippi State, pitcher Nate Dohm was picked in the third round, No. 82 overall, by the New York Mets; outfielder Dakota Jordan went in the fourth round, No. 116 overall, by the San Francisco Giants; pitcher Brooks Auger was the Los Angeles Dodgers’ sixth-round pick; and pitcher Colby Holcombe was selected in the ninth round by the Blue Jays.

Southern Miss pitcher Niko Mazza was the Giants’ eighth-round selection, at No. 238 overall.
Ole Miss third baseman Jackson Ross went to the Washington Nationals in the ninth round.

The 2024 MLB Draft concludes Tuesday, beginning at 1 p.m. with rounds 11-20.