JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hunter Carns is in a no-lose situation.
The First Coast High graduate signed with Florida State and is one of the gems of baseball coach Link Jarrett’s recruiting class. The four-time All-News4JAX baseball selection is also one of the top prospects in the Major League Baseball draft, which begins Sunday with the first 74 selections.
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Rounds three through 10 are Monday and 11-20 wrap things up on Tuesday.
Carns is a consensus top five high school catcher in the country and was a Baseball American All-American selection. Carns has been on a collision course with high level college or professional baseball most of his playing career as he’s dominated on the elite travel and high school circuit. With the Buccaneers, he’s a career .457 hitter with 21 homers and 71 RBI.
MLB.com lists Carns ranked at the 152nd-best prospect in the 2024 draft. He’s the only player with local ties listed in that service’s top 250 players. Florida and Florida State both have multiple players tabbed to go high. Gators star Jac Caglianone has been projected to go as high as No. 2. His teammates Colby Shelton (SS, 133) and Brandon Neely (pitcher, 193), along with Florida State OF James Tibbs (12) and third baseman Cam Smith (14) are also projected to go high.
For Carns, he knows that it’s a perfect scenario.
“I’ve heard that it’s win-win either way. I go to college, it’s a win. If I go to pro ball, it’s a win. So, kind of just like, live in the moment,” Carns said. “Don’t get too stressed out about it. Everything happens for a reason. So, we’ll see what happens.”
The baseball draft is one of the most difficult pro selection processes to nail down. Unlike pro football or NBA, the draft bonus pool and the ability to pick high schoolers cloud individual teams choices.
The draft slot bonus system implemented 13 years ago assigns a monetary value to every pick in the first 10 rounds. Teams have a set amount of money to spend based on those picks. They can often select players who may accept a lower slot value than projected, and then apply that savings to another prospect they select. Or, they can pay over slot and then create the savings elsewhere. If teams go over their draft pool over money, they’re taxed heavily.
Carns, like most potential high draft picks, will have a choice to make. Should he be picked in the fifth round (where pick no. 152 is) the draft slot for that pick is $440,100.
The last played from First Coast High who was drafted was pitcher Liam McCall, a 29th round selection in 2017.
“I can either get drafted or stay here at Florida State,” he said. “Either way is good for me.”
The other option is just as appealing to Carns. He’s been a Seminoles fan for years and years.
He’s a big believer in Jarrett and the Seminoles staff, something that was amplified when he had a serious injury last summer during travel ball. Carns was hit in the face by a fastball and needed surgery for his injuries.
“So, Link is, I think he’s a really good dude. He helped me last summer with the surgeon that did my surgery after I got hit in the face,” Carns said. “And I’ve talked to him a little bit since I’ve been here. And he’s just been really helpful with everything whether it comes to baseball, if I have questions about school, places to be. The whole coaching staff really has been really helpful.”