The Pirates have seen many prospects/players go on to thrive in other organizations – is anyone worried the Pirates don’t get the best out of Skenes?

I’m more worried about Skenes staying healthy than anything else, as he’s a pitcher. But I think he’s pretty much a what you see is what you get guy who should fly to the majors so quickly that he’ll largely be the same guy when he hits the majors as he was when he left LSU with a few minor tweaks.

Arjun Nimmala was my favorite HS prospect this draft. How are the early impressions since he signed?

Hey everyone. I’m thrilled to be chatting with BA subscribers. Thank you all for coming out. The early returns we’ve heard are very good. I know it’s a very small sample, but there’s bat speed, hitting ability, range and an arm at shortstop and room to grow. So far so good.

In your view, what are the top 5 MLB organizations for player development?

I think it’s the Dodgers at the top and a pretty clear gap to everyone else. There are other impressive orgs in development, but what the Dodgers do year in and year out is hard to top. They are incredibly impressive in what they do in pretty much every aspect of their operation. The value of getting and developing a Bobby Miller (2020, pick #29), Will Smith (#32), Walker Buehler (#24) at the back of the first round is absurd. There are teams picking top 10 year after year that can’t match that. The Rays are obviously impressive as well. The Orioles are cranking out a ton of players, but I put the Dodgers at the top.

How effective do you think Yamamoto will be in the MLB?

Very. Top-end Japanese pitchers generally make a very smooth transition to the majors, and Yamamoto has been exceptionally top-end in Japan. His career ERA is below 2.00. That’s hard for me to fathom. And the stuff is legit. Look at what Senga has done this year. Yamamoto is better than Senga IMO.

When are the stats returning to the BA website?

Soon. I wish I could say tomorrow, but I do know it will be soon. Our web dev team is getting close to having them ready to go. We’re really sorry it’s taking this long. It’s taking way longer than we had hoped.

Why does your newly designed website make great content harder rather than easier to find?

I’m sorry you’re finding that to be the case. Can I recommend bookmarking this page? https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/category/news/ This doesn’t show you every story as it posts, but it shows most of them. This a good page to see what you may have missed. We are working hard to keep making the new site better and better.

If Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched 175 innings next year in the majors, what kind of stat line do you think he would put up?

I’d expect him to be among the top 20-25 starting pitchers in baseball.

Is Cole Ragans for real? Did the Royals actually do something right for once?

It’s hard to fake your way to a stretch of dominance like he’s just shown. And the stuff is clearly legit. Now, he’s not this good (no one is), but this does look like a guy that can be written into the 2024/2025 rotation in pen, not pencil. It’s an encouraging development for the Royals.

Jasson Dominquez has been super hot is he going to move up in the Top 100

He has had an outstanding August, and it’s very encouraging that he’s been so good right after a jump to Triple-A. That said, here are now some caveats to that. He’s got a .480 BABIP since he moved to Triple-A. If Ted Williams and Barry Bonds were fused into a super-hero, they wouldn’t post a .480 BABIP. I’ve written about Dominguez before here. I think this is still relatively accurate a year later. He’s a well-rounded player who should help a big league club in a multitude of ways. He can run, provide some defensive value. He takes good at-bats and I do think he can hit for a higher average than he’s shown this year. But he’s not most likely a well-rounded solid regular more than he’ll be a star. And I think there are a lot of expectations that he’ll be a star.

What is the reason Hunter Goodman gets no love when it comes to the rankings? Is it all defense or are there questions about his hitting vs. better pitching?

We talked about him on yesterday’s podcast if you want a more in-depth answer, but the questions really revolve around where he’s going to play. If he was a sure-fire catcher, he’d be ranked higher, but he’s not. If he was a sure-fire outfielder, that would allay concerns, but he’s not. He’s most likely a 1B/DH and the demands on the bat at that position are very high. There’s a path to him being a long-term regular for the Rockies, but it will involve him continuing to get better and better.

Overall opinion on FCL Yankees Top players. They really did well.

Our Josh Norris has just been finishing up a Top 20 Florida Complex League prospects list. I won’t spoilt the list, but you’ll be very happy if you’re a Yankees fan.

Also will the Summer of Ben Rice continue in the Fall League or do they go right into Spring Training instead.

I don’t have any inside info on it, but I can see the case for him going to the AFL. It’s not like he’s maxed out on games where he needs to be shut down. But there is also a horse-trading aspect of how AFL rosters are put together (you need guys at every position and you’re trying to balance the needs of multiple teams) that makes predicting it quite difficult.

Is Tom Saggese for real? And Drew Thorpe seems to be pitching like the best SP in the minors. How come I’ve only seen him on maybe 1 top 100 rankings?

We’ve been debating adding Thorpe to the 100 for a while and I wouldn’t be shocked if he climbs on as players’ graduate. Most of his success came in Class A, so it has been encouraging to see him handle the jump to High-A. With Saggese, he’s good. He can hit. He can probably play 2B. We talked about him on yesterday’s podcast as well. He’s a very likely big leaguer. The question is going to come down to whether he has enough power to be a long-term starter or a useful big leaguer with a briefer time as a regular.

Curtis Mead got a cup of coffee. How do you see his longer term role in Tampa working out?

I think this is a semi-lost year for Mead because of injuries. He’s still young. He can still really hit. The big question that’s tough to answer is where he fits positionally for the Rays. If he’s a 1B long-term, it’s going to be tough. If he can prove he can handle 2B or 3B (especially 2B) there is a clearer path. I think he’s one of several players (Jonathan Aranda is another) where the Rays will have to figure out this offseason or next year at the latest whether they are pieces of the Rays future or trade pieces to fill other needs.

I was looking through Dylan Lesko’s game log and it looks like there are some good and some bad. Strikeouts look good. How has his stuff looked, post TJ?

I watched some of his first start for Fort Wayne, so this isn’t based on a scout conversation but what I saw with my own eyes on MiLB.tv. He can still pull a string on his changeup, and he’s still throwing a big, breaking curve but one that he’s not always consistent with. I don’t think his fastball has the same hair to it yet that it had pre-injury, but that and feel for locating often takes a little while to get back post-TJ. Nothing so far seems concerning.

If you had to bet on it today, do you think Paul Skenes breaks camp in the rotation to begin 24?

No. But I’d bet he’s up before long…That’s my guess for now.

Do you think Chayce McDermott or Griff McGarry is more likely to remain a starter? Think either will be up in September?

I think McDermott more likely to be a starter. McGarry’s control troubles are worrisome. I don’t think either of them will be up next month, but I’d see as unlikely for McDermott and nearly impossible for McGarry. If you haven’t been following McGarry closely, he couldn’t throw a strike two outings ago and had to be lifted after walking six and hitting a seventh batter in a seven-batter outing. He was better in his more recent start, but he still had a stretch where he threw 11 consecutive balls. He just seems to lose his delivery at times where he can’t locate.

MATT. DAMON.

BEN. AFFLECK.

After a horrid start, has Emmanuel Rodriguez reinstated himself as a bonafide prospect with a legitimate chance of being a good CF with the Twins?

Yes. Still a bonafide prospect with a chance to be a regular in the OF. Not so sure he’ll be playing CF long-term, especially as the Twins seem to really value CF defense.

Answering funny questions in chats is something that writers have done to draw me to their content. It shows that like the rest of us, you like humor. Cheers!

I would describe my sense of humor as enjoying some bizarre Conan O’Brien 1:15 a.m. sketch where he’s on Satellite TV channels watching a channel called “Jar Barf.” Bizarre, unexpected humor is what I love.

Thanks for chatting with a bunch of baseball nerds! That is all.

If you have in any way followed my fascination with one-knee catching stances, the decline in error rates, the fact that when TV broadcasts switch from one view to another they back-up a few frames in time or many, many other aspects of my bizarre baseball fascinations, I can comfortably say I wear baseball nerd proudly myself as a badge of honor. And thank you all for subscribing. It’s why I get to have the best job I can imagine.

World Series prediction?

Braves-Mariners. Partly because I think that would be a very fun series.

If you had to pick one of Elijah Green or Miguel Bleis to boom and become a star, who would you go with, and why? Thank you kindly!

I have to go with Bleis. If everything clicks with Green, he’s a star. He has 8 raw power. He has speed. He could be a 35+ HR guy with defensive value in the outfield. But that said, it’s really hard to find any examples of players who go from a 40+% strikeout rate in the low minors to future big league stardom. Bleis doesn’t have that potentially fatal flaw to his game to worry about as much.

Do you anticipate any MiLB franchises moving or losing their affiliations due to issues with meeting MLB’s facility standards? 

There definitely will be teams moving. We’re seeing a good bit of work on that right now. For instance Down East is likely to move to Spartanburg, S.C. if the stadium proposal there gets built. And a suburb of Wilmington has made a run at getting Hickory (or Down East) to move there. But to your bigger question, I’m fascinated to see what happens out West. I have yet to talk to anyone who expects all or most of the California League to meet the new facility standards. If that happens, we don’t know yet what happens. There are no logical options to step in and replace the non-compliant stadiums/cities. That’s worth paying attention to over the next two years.

Which of these AAA/recent MLB promotion guys will have the most offensive WAR over the next 3 yrs? JoeyOrtiz, VGrissom, JAranda, JHMalloy, DSchneider, ACanario

I’d have to go Aranda is you are talking purely about offense here, although I could see Canario maybe blossoming as well (just higher risk and more likelihood it doesn’t click). I think Ortiz is the best all-around player you listed, but a lot of his value is based on his glove.

How do we get MiLB to choose a non-Monday off day? I get the business side of why teams prefer it but I don’t think they are weighting my specific needs enough

I think that’s going to be tough for a number of reasons. For one, Monday is a brutal day for attendance, so it fits as an off day from that standpoint. For another, Sunday day games are way better than mid-week day games from a scheduling perspective. And Sunday day game into travel + off day is perfect for both team employees and players/staff.

I am still unable to view the statistics of any player. Am I doing something wrong or are we not able to view them?

You are not doing anything wrong. We’re working as hard as we can to have them back quickly. But they aren’t on those pages yet.

The Dodgers’ two DSL teams were dominant this year. To what extent should that be attributed to superior scouting vs. player development vs. dumb luck?

I don’t think you luck your way to the best record in a league with the best run differential while having another team that has one of the top four records/differentials in the league. From this past spring, Josh Norris for us was hearing about how loaded the Dodgers’ youngest teams were.

What are the chances for Bryce Eldridge to end up as a true two way player?

I think it’s unlikely. I’d love to be wrong on this, but we haven’t seen any US team figure out how to carry through on the initial desire to have a two-way player. Masyn Winn did it briefly, then focused on SS. Bubba Chandler’s two-way status was a brief, brief blip. I do think the struggles of Brendan McKay to stay healthy didn’t help the case for others, even if that was unrelated to playing both ways.

What are the chances we see another 30 minor league teams cut in the next few years? Teams would be content with just 3 full season affiliates?

The current PDL agreement between MLB and MiLB team owners is a 10-year agreement that runs through 2030. It guarantees that such a reduction cannot happen during the life of that agreement and that each MiLB PDL owner is assured a team as long as they remaining through that time as far as meeting their responsibilities as a PDL holder (facility standards, travel, stadium upkeep, etc.) On top of that, there’s now a collective bargaining agreement between MLB and MiLB players, which means player numbers cannot be cut by MLB unilaterally, it would have to be bargained with the players. As far as would teams be content? Some would. More would not. But I would say many MLB front offices wanted more than the current team/roster limits that went through. They and their MLB team owners may not always agree on that.

Thoughts on Kerry Carpenter’s realistic ceiling for 2024 if he can play a full season healthy?

I would say something like what he’s done this year with better counting stats because of more games. The key thing to watch is if Carpenter can put together better PAs against lefties. He didn’t struggle as much against them in the minors as he has in the majors, so that’s something I’ll be watching.

2025 CLASS

Kayson Cunningham, SS, Texas

You could build a case for Cunningham as the best pure hitter in the 2025 class. He’s 5-foot-9, 170 pounds with a compact lefthanded swing and can manipulate the barrel with ease to cover all quadrants of the strike zone. He has good hand-eye coordination and bat control, rarely swinging and missing. He didn’t swing-and-miss or strike out once at Area Codes, going 5-for-9 with two walks, a double, a triple and what was scored an inside-the-park home run on a shallow fly ball where the center fielder dove and couldn’t catch, after which Cunningham showed his plus speed by nearly lapping the runner on first base to the plate. He doubled the other way off a 92 mph fastball, with his best hit coming when he pulled his hands inside a 93 mph fastball on the inside corner for a triple into the right-center field gap. Cunningham is the No. 14 player in the 2025 class and a Texas Tech commit.

Seth Hernandez, RHP, California

Pitching at 8 a.m. in the first game of the event, Hernandez quickly showed why he’s the top pitcher in the 2025 class, striking out seven of the 11 batters he faced in three scoreless innings. Hernandez is an athletic 6-foot-4, 190 pounds and pitched heavily off a 92-95 mph fastball, getting eight swings and misses against the 35 fastballs he threw. Hernandez threw a 76-77 mph changeup that’s one of the best in the country, with one flashing plus for a swinging strikeout on a pitch to a lefty that had extremely heavy drop. Another time he threw his changeup to a lefty in a 1-2 count that started on the batter’s hip before running back over the plate, buckling the hitter for the called strikeout. Hernandez has the ability to spin a sharp curveball as well, though he only threw a couple of them here. Hernandez is a two-way player who has shown good contact skills from the right side and drives the ball well, but his upside as a potential high-end starting pitcher is the most exciting part of his skill set. He’s a Vanderbilt commit.

Marcos Paz, RHP, Texas

Paz is the No. 2 pitcher in the 2025 class and looked the part at Area Codes. He’s 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, throws without much effort and touched 93 mph here, with readings up to 95 earlier in the summer. It’s a big fastball for his age with more coming, but Paz stands out for the quality of his full arsenal. He didn’t allow a hit and he struck out five of the 11 batters he faced, using his low-80s slider to great effect. He threw 16 sliders, with hitters whiffing through them on six of their eight swings. It’s a high-spin slider (typically 2,600-2,800 rpm) that looks like a fastball out of his hand before snapping off late to miss bats against righties and lefties. Paz also showed feel for an 83-85 mph changeup that he used to get three swings and misses (including two in right-on-right matchups). He’s uncommitted for college.

Jack McKernan, LHP, Texas

Coming off a strong showing the week before at USA Baseball’s 16U/17U National Team Development Program where he drew a spot to the 18U National Team training camp, McKernan annihilated hitters with his slider at Area Codes. He’s 6-foot-1, 185 pounds with a strong fastball at 89-93 mph with heavy life to get ground balls. McKernan threw more sliders than fastballs here, and did so to great effect. Hitters swung at his slider 14 times and whiffed on 10 of them. It’s a power pitch at 83-86 mph with good action and sharp, late break that McKernan was able to execute down in the zone consistently to pile up whiffs from lefties and righties. McKernan has shown a good changeup in other outings this summer too, though he didn’t use it much here. He’s a Texas commit.

Justice de Jong, RHP/3B, New York

De Jong entered Area Codes as one of the most highly-regarded players in the country, ranking No. 31 in the 2025 class. He left showing better stuff than ever. De Jong, who just turned 16 last month, is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and retired all six batters he faced with three strikeouts. He filled the zone with both his fastball and curveball, throwing strikes at a 69% clip and pitching at 90-93 mph. De Jong was able to keep hitters guessing by frequently mixing in his sharp 74-78 mph curveball with spin between 2,400-2,700 rpm. De Jong threw a couple of changeups at 85-86 mph, with one getting a swinging strikeout against a lefthanded hitter. De Jong is also a righthanded-hitting third baseman who hit a pair of opposite-field doubles here, albeit with some swing-and-miss to his game, but it’s what he showed on the mound that was most exciting. De Jong is a Duke commit.

Omar Serna, C, Texas

Serna had an incredible start to Area Codes. On the first pitch he saw, he drove a 90 mph fastball for a pull-side home run with an exit velocity of 105 mph. His next at-bat—in fact, the next pitch he saw—he took a first-pitch slider in the lower third of the strike zone and hammered it the opposite way for a home run to right-center field. At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, Serna is a righthanded hitter with some of the best raw power in the 2025 class. He has huge arm strength behind the plate as well, a 60 arm with a chance to be a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. An LSU commit, Serna has similarities to Gary Sanchez, who signed with the Yankees for $3 million when he was 16.

Zion Theophilus, RHP, Ohio

Hitters looked completely overmatched against Theophilus, who didn’t allow a hit and struck out eight of the 12 batters he faced. He generated an incredible 14 swings and misses in his 48 pitches, including eight whiffs on 10 swings against his slider. Theophilus is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds with a fast arm, some effort to the operation in a high-intensity delivery and a fastball that was 88-91 mph here. Theophilus has touched 93 mph in other looks and should have mid-90s velocity coming. He threw a near-even mix of fastballs and sliders, showing the ability to manipulate shape on his 79-82 mph slider in the 2,000-2,300 rpm range to snap off with tight, late break or produce wider sweeping action. He’s committed to LSU.

Carson Brumbaugh, RHP/INF, Oklahoma

Brumbaugh pitched and played infield, but his work on the mound in one quick inning—he struck out three of the four batters he faced—is what separated him. An athletic 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Brumbaugh was the hardest thrower at the event, touching 96 mph, with every fastball in the 93-96 mph range. It was a fastball with good arm-side run from his low three-quarter slot. Brumbaugh also used his slider effectively on the outer third before breaking it off the plate to get two swings and misses on the five sliders he threw at 2,100-2,400 rpm. He’s uncommitted for college.

Jaden Fauske, C, Illinois

If there’s a position in the 2025 class that seems lighter relative to most years, it’s catching. After the way he played at Area Codes, Fauske made a case for himself as one of the top catchers in the nation. A lefthanded-hitting catcher at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Fauske went 3-for-7 with a walk, a double the opposite way off a lefty, a single to left field off a 90 mph fastball and used his compact swing to keep his hands inside a fastball on the inner third that he pulled for a home run. Behind the plate, the Louisville commit showed a strong arm and a quick exchange, throwing out two runners at second with pop times of 1.88 and 1.87 seconds, respectively.

Ethan Holliday, SS, Oklahoma

Holliday is the No. 1 player in the 2025 class, and while there was no one signature moment from him here, he was on base in four of his nine plate appearances, with three walks and a single. He’s 6-foot-4, 200 pounds with a calm, easy lefthanded swing and a knack for driving the ball to left-center. His ability to recognize pitches and discern balls from strikes sticks out, with a disciplined approach that should help him rack up plenty of walks and high OBPs to go with his power. He’s an Oklahoma State commit.

Brady Ebel, SS, California

Ebel is one of the youngest players in the class, turning 16 just before Area Codes, so he will still be 17 on draft day. He’s the No. 2 player in the country with impressive polish to his game, particularly at the plate, unsurprising as the son of Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel. A 6-foot-3, 185-pound lefthanded hitter, Ebel is a selective hitter (he drew five walks in 14 plate appearances) with an efficient swing that has good path through the hitting zone, enabling him to get on base at a high rate. He also picked up three hits and nearly had a fourth that would have been at least a double, but the right fielder made a leaping catch at the warning track. Ebel already flashed power here and should have a lot more coming, making him one of the more dangerous offensive threats for 2025. He’s uncommitted for college.

Brock Sell, OF, California

The No. 50 player in the 2025 class, Sell is an athletic center fielder and infielder who has shown a good sense of the strike zone and bat-to-ball skills from the left side this summer. That was evident at Area Codes, where he swung and missed only once, using a simple lower half load and a short, direct swing from the left side to line a single to center field off a 92 mph fastball. His biggest hit came off a fastball up and on the inner third of the plate, with Sell taking a tight barrel turn to pull the ball in the air to right-center field and then showing off his plus speed to turn it into a triple. Sell is a Stanford commit.

Lucas Franco, SS, Texas

The No. 5 player in the 2025 class, Franco is an advanced lefthanded hitter who swung and missed just once during the event. He delivered a pair of doubles, one an opposite-field knock off a 91 mph fastball, the other off a righthanded slider that he pulled to right-center. Franco already has a good foundation of contact skills and mature offensive approach for his age, with a ton of space left to fill out his 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame that should lead to more power coming. He’s a TCU commit.

Trent Grindlinger, C, California

Grindlinger this summer has positioned himself in the conversation with the top catching prospects in the 2025 class. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Grindlinger is on the bigger side for a catcher and showed off a big arm, throwing out four of four runners attempting to steal with a pop time of 1.95 seconds on his best throw. He has hit well throughout the summer, making hard contact with a knack for using the opposite field from the right side of the plate. He’s uncommitted for college.

Aiden Barrientes, RHP, Texas

Barrientes has been one of the bigger up-arrow players in the 2025 class this summer. A TCU commit, Barrientes just turned 16, so he’s one of the younger players in the class. He’s 6-foot-1, 185 pounds and touched 92 mph at Area Codes with more velocity that should come in the next few years. His sharp curveball at 75-79 mph had tight rotation, good shape and depth to get several empty swings.

Angel Cervantes, RHP, California

Cervantes—No. 28 in the 2025 class—struck out six of the 13 batters he faced, pounding the strike zone while showing a quality three-pitch mix. He’s 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and still 15 at Area Codes, so he’s one of the youngest players in his class. He threw 70% of his pitches for strikes, working off a fastball that he commanded well at 89-92 mph. Cervantes operated mostly off his fastball early, then later on showed the ability to manipulate a pair of offspeed pitches. He threw four changeups at 77-79 mph, getting swings and misses on two of them. The pitch had good separation off his fastball with lively sink and fade at its best. He also showed feel for a curveball he threw four times (one swing-and-miss) with spin in the 2,400-2,600 range. Cervantes is a UCLA commit.

Reagan Ricken, RHP, California

Ricken hasn’t done as many national events relative to some of the other top players in the country, but at Area Codes he showed why he’s one of the higher-end pitchers in the 2025 class. He’s 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and pitched off a fastball that reached 93 mph. Ricken also mixed in a power curveball at 78-82 mph that wasn’t an especially high-spin pitch (2,100-2,400 rpm) but had sharp action and good depth at its best to miss bats. He’s uncommitted for college.

Jack Lafflam, RHP, Arizona

Lafflam has a tall, extremely slender build at 6-foot-6, 170 pounds along the lines of Guardians righthander Triston McKenzie, with the ability to manipulate the baseball in unusual ways. He’s already up to 93 mph, throwing across his body and producing excellent cutting action on his fastball, an extremely high-spin pitch for a fastball at mostly 2,500-2,800 rpm. He showed feel to spin a 74-77 mph curveball in the 2,500-2,800 rpm range as well, with hitters whiffing through it on four of their five swings, including two strikeouts. Lafflam is an Arizona commit.

Ethan Clauss, SS, Nevada

In 10 trips to the plate, Clauss reached based seven times, going 2-for-5 with five walks. That’s representative of the way Clauss played all summer, using a patient approach and a line-drive stroke to get on base at a high rate. A 6-foot-2, 175-pound lefthanded hitter, Clauss has a simple, direct swing and room to project him to add to his present gap power as he fills out his lean, projectable build. The Texas A&M commit was one of the better defensive shortstops here, too. He showed smooth actions throughout the event and made a highlight play when he ranged to his right to field a ground ball on a backhand and made a throw from the back of the dirt to get the out at first base.

Minjae Seo, RHP, Texas

Seo is 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, a Vanderbilt commit ranked No. 36 in the 2025 class. He has a fast arm and touched 94 mph with his fastball, striking out five of the 12 batters he faced. Seo’s best secondary pitch here was a 79-81 mph changeup that had more than 10 mph of separation off his fastball, with a 73-75 mph curveball rounding out his repertoire.

Marcelo Harsch, RHP, New Jersey

Harsch showed plenty of promising projection indicators. He’s young for the class, having just turned 16 in June, and he has significant physical projection remaining as he fills out his 6-foot-4, 170-pound build. He struck out five of the nine batters he faced at Area Codes, pitching at 89-93 mph with a fastball that should have significantly more velocity coming once he adds more weight. Harsch has a good fastball, but he threw more sliders (23) than fastballs (14) here. It’s not an especially high-spin pitch at 2,000-2,200 rpm, but it was extremely effective, with hitters whiffing on seven of their 10 swings against his slider. He threw it with power, usually at 83-86 mph, with one at 87 mph, and consistently landed it for strikes. It plays well off his fastball, staying on the same plane before snapping off late with two-plane depth at times to miss bats against lefties or righties. A Wake Forest commit, Harsch flashed a few firm changeups at 86-88 mph as well.

Alec Blair, OF, California

Few players in the country have Blair’s tantalizing mix of size, physical projection, athleticism and tools. Blair is the No. 24 player in the 2025 class, a 6-foot-6, 185-pound center fielder and a high-level uncommitted recruit in both baseball and basketball. Like any long-limbed 16-year-old hitter, there’s length and swing-and-miss to Blair’s game, but when he connects, the ball flies off his bat with some of the better raw power in the class. He also showed some patience to go with that power by drawing four walks. On defense, Blair also showed off a plus arm from center field when he fielded a base hit and fired a strike in the air for the inning-ending assist at home plate to erase the runner trying to score from second base.

Dean Moss, OF, California

Another event, another opportunity for the lefthanded-hitting Moss to get on base at a high clip. Moss reached base in six of his 12 trips to the plate, drawing four walks and knocking two singles, one off a 91 mph fastball from a lefty. A California native at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., Moss has one of the more discerning batting eyes in the 2025 class, seldom expanding the strike zone. At 6 feet, 175 pounds, Moss has excellent bat speed as well that could eventually lead to plus power. He’s wrapping up an outstanding summer, including a big showing the week before Area Codes at the USA Baseball 16U/17U National Team Development Program, after which he earned an invite to the 18U National Team training camp. He’s the No. 7 player in the class and a Vanderbilt commit.

Cannon Goldin, OF, Georgia

Throughout the summer, Goldin showed a knack for making contact, getting on base and taking advantage of his plus speed both offensively and in center field. The No. 9 player in the 2025 class and a Mississippi commit, Goldin reached base in four of his 11 plate appearances at Area Codes, drawing a pair of walks and recording two hits, including an infield single to second base where he showcased his wheels.

Billy Carlson, SS/RHP, California

The No. 8 player in the 2025 class, Carlson stands out from the moment he takes ground balls. He’s one of the best defensive shortstops in the country, floating around shortstop with smooth, quick and crisp actions, moving his feet well with soft hands and a plus arm. At the plate, he’s a high-contact hitter, albeit with a lot of balls on the ground, but he doesn’t chase much and has one of the lower swing-and-miss rates among top 2025 players. He’s a Vanderbilt commit.

Vaughn Neckar, RHP, California

Neckar has a strong build (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) for 16 with a power fastball for his age, dialing it to 95 mph at Area Codes. He did lean heavily on that fastball, throwing it for 46 of his 54 pitches, so hitters were able to sit on that pitch with some success, but he threw it for strikes at a 70% clip and showed a hard, sharp curveball at 78-80 mph with spin at 2,300-2,500 rpm. Neckar is the No. 15 player in the 2025 class and an LSU commit.

Cooper Fulbright, RHP, Texas

A Texas A&M commit, Fulbright is just scratching the surface of his potential with some of the best stuff in the 2025 class. He’s an athletic 6 feet, 160 pounds with excellent arm speed to generate a fastball that was 91-95 mph at Area Codes. Fulbright threw fastballs on 31 of his 35 pitches, but when he did throw his 82-84 mph slider, he showed aptitude for being able to snap it off with tight rotation up to 3,100 rpm. The No. 29 pitcher in the class, Fulbright’s pitchability isn’t as advanced as some of the other pitchers ranked near him, but the upside is there for an athletic, potential upper-90s arm with swing-and-miss breaking stuff.

Everett Johnson, OF, North Carolina

Johnson is one of the most difficult outs in the class. He’s 5-foot-9, 165 pounds and uses his small strike zone to his advantage. He’s a selective hitter, patiently working the count to draw walks. When he does swing, he has the bat control to consistently put the ball in play with gap power. That was all on display at Area Codes, where he went 3-for-6, drew four walks, hit a double and got on base another time with a hit by pitch, swinging and missing only once during the week. A North Carolina State commit, Johnson’s plus speed is another asset on the basepaths and in center field, where he has advanced instincts and takes good routes.

Brett Crossland, RHP, Arizona

Crossland stands out quickly as a 6-foot-6, 245-pound righthander throwing 95 mph at 17. The No. 16 player for 2025, Crossland pitched heavily off a fastball that touched 95 multiple times. While control has been an issue at times for Crossland, he threw 24 of his 36 fastballs (67%) for strikes in this outing. He showed feel to spin a 73-76 mph curveball at 2,400-2,600 rpm and flashed a handful of mid-80s changeups. He’s uncommitted for college.

Jackson Roper, SS, Florida

A Florida commit, Roper is 5-foot-10, 180 pounds with a direct righthanded swing, showing the ability to inside-out the ball to right field on multiple occasions as he went 4-for-7 with a double, a triple and a walk. His quick, tight turn with his swing helped him square up 90-91 mph fastballs for base hits on three occasions, including a double that he knocked into the right-center field gap. Defensively he showed good actions and body control in the middle infield.

Jack Bauer, LHP, Illinois

There’s a lot to like with Bauer, starting with a loose, low-effort delivery and a projectable frame (6-foot-3, 175 pounds) that points toward mid-90s or better velocity coming. He’s not far from that territory now, pitching at Area Codes with a fastball that hit 93 mph, mostly attacking up in the zone with that pitch as he struck out three of the nine batters he faced. Bauer showed a high-spin slider as well, mostly in the 2,700-2,900 rpm range, a pitch that had a couple of the better lefthanded hitters in the country bailing on called strikes. Bauer is a Virginia commit.

Zach Strickland, RHP, California

A UCLA commit ranked No. 37 for 2025, Strickland struck out four of the 12 hitters he faced. He did it by throwing a heavy diet of fastballs—41 of his 48 pitchers were fastballs—and while he did allow four hits, he also got nine swings and misses on that pitch, which ranged from 87-94 mph. At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Strickland has more room to fill out and add a couple more ticks to that fastball. He mixed in a slow curveball at 69-73 mph that spun in the 2,400-2,600 rpm range as his main offspeed pitch, with a couple changeups at 79-81 mph.

Brody Walls, RHP, Texas

At 6 feet, 180 pounds, Walls generates easy velocity for his size, touching 92 mph from a simple, low-effort delivery. He attacked hitters up with his fastball with spin typically between 2,400-2,600 rpm, using that pitch for all four of his strikeouts (three swinging) against the 12 batters he faced. Walls showed feel for a 78-82 mph slider (2,400-2,700 rpm) as well, using it to get four swings and misses. He’s a Texas commit.

Tate Southisene, SS/OF, Nevada

Ty Southisene is a Tennessee commit and a top 100 player in the 2024 high school class. Tate, his younger brother, boosted his profile with a strong performance both offensively and defensively at Area Codes. Southisene is 5-foot-10, 160 pounds and went 4-for-10 with two doubles and a walk. Like his brother, Southisene is another high-contact hitter from the right side with similar hitting mannerisms, showing the ability to square up different pitch types with a line-drive single off a 92 mph fastball and a double that he pulled against a slider. A shortstop and outfielder committed to Southern California, Southisene made a pair of highlight catches in the outfield, running down a ball from left field into foul territory and in center field charging back on a ball hit over his head to make a leaping catch in front of the warning track.

Landon Hodge, C, California

A Stanford commit, Hodge is 6-foot-1, 172 pounds and used a short lefthanded swing to spray line drives around the field while going 5-for-10. He shot a 92 mph fastball for a single the opposite way and sent another fastball to left field for a triple. Behind the plate, he blocked well, moving to his right to deaden multiple breaking balls in the dirt in front of him.

Marshall Louque, RHP, Louisiana

Louque is 6-foot-3, 195 pounds and threw strikes at a high clip with all three of his pitches, striking out three of the 10 batters he faced. Louque operated off a fastball that was up to 91 mph, using it to attack hitters up in the zone. His best secondary pitch here was a 79-82 mph changeup, a pitch that induced swing-and-miss from both lefties and righties. He sells his changeup well off his fastball, allowing him to fool hitters out front for whiffs or weak ground balls, something he did twice to get a double play. An LSU commit, Louque was able to land his low-to-mid-70s curveball for strikes, though it was his fastball/changeup combination that was most impressive here.

Jordan Serrano, OF, New Jersey

A Wake Forest commit, Serrano went 4-for-10 at Area Codes with a pair of extra-base hits. He’s 6-foot-1, 185 pounds and transfers his weight well to generate power from the right side, something he showed when he slammed a 91 mph fastball for a home run to right-center field, and again when he pulled a 94 mph fastball for a double with a 99 mph exit velocity.

Caden Crowell, LHP, Indiana

Crowell showed a good mix of projection, stuff and results at Area Codes, where he struck out five of the nine batters he faced with one walk and one hit allowed. He’s 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and touched 90 mph, with his fastball likely to be sitting in the low 90s this time next year. Crowell’s feel for a changeup stood out, getting a lot of separation off his fastball at 73-76 mph. He executed his changeup well down in the zone, allowing the pitch to parachute at the plate with sink to miss bats and produce off-balance swings. Crowell got a couple of swings and misses on his 76-79 mph slider as well. He’s uncommitted for college.

Luke Billings, OF/RHP, Texas

A two-way player committed to Tennessee, Billings showed a good balance of patience, bat-to-ball skills and power, going 3-for-7 with three walks and a home run. Billings homered at the Area Code Underclass event last year and went deep again this time, getting his arms extended on a fastball out over the plate that landed just fair inside the pole in left field. A righthanded hitter with a pull-heavy approach, Billings (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) also turned around good velocity when he lined a 94 mph fastball for a single to left field. On the mound, Billings battled through some control troubles as he walked three of the nine batters he faced over two outings, but he struck out two, pitching heavily off a fastball up to 91 mph with a low-to-mid-70s breaking ball and a firm changeup at 85-87 mph mixed in as well.

Chase Bentley, RHP, California

Bentley, who turned 16 in May and is on the younger side for the 2025 class, breezed through his outing, pounding the strike zone as he struck out five of the 12 batters he faced with no walks, one hit and a hit batsman. The Texas A&M commit has a strong build (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) and touched 90 mph with what should be higher velocity to come in the next few years. He commanded his fastball well to both sides of the plate, attacking hitters inside with his fastball more aggressively than most pitchers at this level. Bentley did a good job of executing his 78-82 mph slider down and underneath the zone, spinning around 2,400-2,600 rpm, along with a mid-70s curveball, though his slider was the bigger weapon. Bentley has a changeup, too, but faced almost all righthanded hitters, so he only threw it once here.

Sawyer Deering, RHP, Wisconsin

At 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Deering does’t have the size of some of the other top pitchers in the 2025 class, but he showed quality stuff to strike out two of the six batters he faced over two hitless innings. Deering touched 92 mph and avoided mistakes in the middle of the zone with his fastball. His most promising pitch was his curveball, which he threw with power at 78-82 mph and tight rotation with spin up to 2,900 rpm, showing the sharp break to miss bats. Deering is uncommitted for college.

Fleming Hall, RHP, Alabama

Hall filled the strike zone with three pitches, throwing 17 of his 29 pitches (72%) for strikes. He breezed through three innings, striking out three of the 10 batters he faced with no walks and only one hit allowed, a shallow flare that fell for a single in center field. Hall is 6 feet, 185 pounds, pitched from the stretch only with some effort to his delivery but threw plenty of strikes with a fastball that touched 92 mph. He mixed in an 80-84 mph slider (2,200-2,400 rpm) and a firm changeup in the mid 80s, with his slider the more advanced offspeed pitch. He’s an Auburn commit.

2026 CLASS

Trey Rangel, RHP, Texas

Rangel provided an electric look and made a case to be the premier pitcher in the 2026 class, striking out three of the seven batters he faced. He’s a lean 6-foot-1, 165 pounds with lots of room for continued strength gains and add to a fastball that he threw for strikes at a 75% clip and was already touching 94 mph here with good carry. That would already be impressive for 16, but his curveball has the makings of a wipeout pitch. The first three curveballs out of Rangel’s hand spun north of 3,200 rpm, a 78-81 mph breaking ball that has the sharp snap and components to develop into a plus or better pitch in time. He’s uncommitted for college.

Alex Harrington, SS, California

Harrington has positioned himself in the conversation as one of the premier players in the country for 2026. A Stanford commit, Harrington is a speedy, ultra-athletic 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, a dynamic player who produces as a high level offensively and is one of the better defensive shortstops in his class. He went 3-for-7 and drew three walks, showing the bat speed to catch up to good velocity and the ability to maneuver the barrel when he got the bat head on a tough 1-2 changeup breaking down and away from him that he singled in the air to center field.

Eli Willits, SS, Oklahoma

Even at 15, Willits was one of the most mature hitters at Area Codes, with opposing pitchers unable to find a way to get him out. The switch hitter went 5-for-7 and drew two walks as he barreled line drives around the field, with his best hit a triple that he pulled to right field while batting lefthanded. At 6-foot-1, 165 pounds, Willits looked loose, relaxed and comfortable from both sides of the plate with an adjustable swing and gap power that should continue to grow in the coming years. He’s committed to Oklahoma, where his father (former Angels outfielder Reggie Willits) is the associate head coach.

Quentin Young, 3B, California

Young is a physical 2026 third baseman (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) who clobbered the ball at Area Codes, going 4-for-9 with three doubles and two walks. He’s an aggressive righthanded hitter who tips the barrel toward the pitcher before unloading a swing with big bat speed and strength behind it to generate some of the best raw power in the class and an exit velocity up to 104 mph here. He doubled off a 90 mph fastball that he pulled into the left-center field gap, with his two other doubles coming on sliders that he drove to center and left-center. He’s uncommitted for college.

Rookie Shepard, SS/C, Nevada

Shepard is one of the best pure hitters in the 2026 class. He’s 5-foot-11, 170 pounds with a compact, adjustable lefthanded swing to barrel both fastballs and offspeed stuff throughout the strike zone. The result is a high contact rate and an approach that enables him to spread line drives to all fields with gap power. Shepard didn’t swing-and-miss once during Area Codes, going 4-for-8 with two of those singles off fastballs at 90 and 92 mph. He’s a Miami commit.

Dax Hardcastle, RHP/INF, California

Hardcastle threw one quick, impressive inning that lasted 15 pitches, enough to show why he’s one of the top 2026 pitchers in the country. He’s 6-foot-2, 210 pounds at 16 with an 89-92 mph fastball that he used to attack hitters at the top of the zone. He flashed a pair of 78-79 mph curveballs with spin in the 2,700-2,800 rpm range, including one for a called strikeout, while the one changeup he threw showed good fade to get a swing-and-miss against a lefty. Hardcastle is uncommitted for college.

Miles Young, SS, Texas

Young didn’t get many plate appearances, but the 2026 infielder made the most of his four trips to the batter’s box. Young went 3-for-4, launching a fastball for a home run with a 99 mph exit velocity. Young is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and while there is some length to his righthanded swing, it comes with big power for a player who is still 15. He singled off a 90 mph fastball in one of his other at-bats and drove another fastball for a single with a 105 mph exit velocity. Young is uncommitted for college.

Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP/1B, Oregon

Schoolcraft is 6-foot-7, 205 pounds, a legitimate two-way prospect and one of the best players in the 2026 class. Schoolcraft only got one plate appearance here as a hitter and didn’t use his full repertoire on the mound, but his talent still stuck out. He’s a 16-year-old lefty who touched 93 mph, producing eight whiffs on the 27 fastballs he threw. Schoolcraft didn’t use his breaking ball here, instead mixing in a splitter and changeup that both kill spin to induce weak contact. He’s uncommitted for college.

Dean Moss, OF, California

Moss was the star of the NTDP. Ranked No. 7 in the 2025 class, Moss had a huge summer while playing up a level against 2024s for the 17U Canes National Team, and he showed his offensive polish at the NTDP. Moss delivered five hits and two walks in 10 plate appearances, including a home run in a left-on-left matchup. He also doubled twice, once off a 93 mph fastball from righthander Seth Hernandez (the top pitcher in the class) and another off a lefty when he flicked his hands at a fastball on the outside corner to shoot a line drive into the left field corner. At 6 feet, 175 pounds, Moss isn’t a physically imposing slugger, but he’s able to generate outstanding bat speed that enables him to generate some of the better power in the class. More than just his power, Moss is a mature hitter, keeping his head locked in to help him recognize pitches early. He seldom expands the strike zone, makes frequent contact and uses the whole field, allowing him to both get on base at a high clip and hit for power. While Moss’ ability in the batter’s box has long been his calling card, he also impressed defensively in center field. With solid-average speed, Moss might still ultimately end up in a corner, but he showed good instincts and ran an efficient route on a diving catch in the right-center field gap. He’s a California native at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. and committed to Vanderbilt.

Joey Oakie, RHP, Iowa

At an event comprised almost entirely of 2025 and 2026 players, Oakie was a priority player for scouts to see as the No. 14 player in the 2024 high school class. Iowa plays high school baseball in the summer, so Oakie missed the PDP League at the end of June, with the NTDP his first outing of the summer circuit. The stuff Oakie showed was impressive. He’s 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, on the younger side of the class having turned 17 in May, and pitched off a 91-95 mph fastball that generated outstanding arm-side run from his low three-quarter slot. Oakie backed up his fastball with an 83-86 mph slider that had power and sharp sweep across the zone to miss bats against both righties and lefties. He flashed a firm changeup as well, but he mostly operated off his fastball/slider combination. Oakie did struggle with his control—he struck out five in 2.2 innings, but he also walked four, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits—but he has the potential for at least two plus pitches with one of the best fastball/slider combinations in the class. He’s an Iowa commit.

From Saturday, first look of the summer at 2024 Iowa HS RHP Joey Oakie, No. 14 player in the class.

6-3, 195 lbs, FB up to 95 mph with a ton of life, 83-86 mph slider with sharp bite to miss bats. pic.twitter.com/cSzIfshQzB

— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) August 1, 2023

Ethan Holliday, SS, Oklahoma

Holliday does everything with ease in the batter’s box. The brother of the No. 1 prospect in baseball (Orioles shortstop Jackson Holliday) and the son of former perennial all-star outfielder Matt Holliday, Ethan is the No. 1 player in the 2025 class. He’s 6-foot-4, 190 pounds and is able to process pitches quickly, discerning balls from strikes with good strike-zone discipline to be a high on-base threat. Holliday has good power for his age and should have at least plus raw power in his prime, but in games he doesn’t try to sell out for power either, staying through the ball well to use left-center field, something he showed when he drilled a changeup for a single into the left-center field gap. Holliday is already big for a shortstop and looks like he might ultimately end up at third base or possibly a corner outfield spot, with a potential middle-of-the-order bat that could profile anywhere on the field. He’s an Oklahoma State commit.

Brady Ebel, SS, California

Ebel is young for the class (he won’t turn 18 until after the 2025 draft) but his maturity and polish at the plate for his age stand out, no surprise as the son of Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel. The No. 2 player in the class, Ebel is 6-foot-3, 185 pounds with a compact lefthanded swing, setting up close to the plate (he was hit by a pitch twice) with a tight barrel turn and good strike-zone judgment. That helps him draw walks, make frequent contact and flash occasional power now with what should be significantly more coming given his physical projection. He’s big for a shortstop and could end up outgrowing the position to fit at third base, but he defended his position well at the NTDP, turning three double plays with good actions and a strong arm. He also made a nice play at third base ranging into the 6-5 hole with an efficient angle to the ball. He’s uncommitted for college.

Sean Gamble, OF/SS, Iowa

An Iowa native at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., Gamble is the No. 3 player in the 2025 class. He’s 6-foot-1, 185 pounds with an aggressive lefthanded swing, generating outstanding bat speed and big power for his age. Gamble went 2-for-8, drew three walks and slammed a pair of extra-base hits, one a triple into the left-center field gap in a left-on-left matchup, another a ground-rule double to deep center field that would have been another triple had it stayed in play. Gamble is a plus runner as well, making him a potential power/speed threat with time both in the infield and outfield. He’s uncommitted for college.

Seth Hernandez, RHP, California

The top pitcher in the 2024 class and No. 4 player overall, Hernandez showed all the components of why he’s so highly regarded. The Vanderbilt commit struck out four of the 11 batters he faced over three innings, walking two with one hit and two runs allowed. He pitched off a fastball that ranged from 90-93 mph here and has reached 96 mph previously, with more velocity coming as he fills out his projectable 6-foot-4, 190-pound build. His go-to secondary pitch is a changeup he threw at 76-79 mph with promising sink and fade to produce whiffs. Hernandez threw just three curveballs among his 51 pitches, but it has tight rotation and sharp action to give him another offspeed offering that can miss bats.

Coy James, SS, North Carolina

James is one of the best pure hitters in the 2025 class, with a mix of both contact and impact. Ranked No. 6 in the country, James is 6 feet, 180 pounds with an aggressive approach and a high-contact bat from a compact righthanded swing. The ball flies off his barrel with impressive carry in batting practice, with several landing over the fence to his pull side, and it translated into games as well. James went 5-for-11, including a triple to right field on a 94 mph fastball. James’ offensive game stands out the most, but he played steady defense at shortstop as well, turning a pair of clean double plays. James is committed to Mississippi.

Lucas Franco, SS, Texas

The No. 5 player in the 2025 class, Franco went 4-for-8 with two walks, one strikeout, a triple, a double and what would should have been another double on a ball smoked down the right field line that landed just fair but was called a foul ball. A TCU commit, Franco has grown to 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, with a long, lean frame with lots of strength projection remaining. He has a smooth lefthanded swing that’s compact with good path through the hitting zone. With his selective approach, he seldom swings at bad pitches and has an accurate barrel to make consistent contact when he does swing. He doubled on a breaking ball that he lined into the right field corner and smashed a triple to center field off a fastball from a lefty. More of those doubles should eventually turn into home runs as Franco continues to layer on more strength in the coming years. He also showed soft hands and fluid actions in the infield.

Mason Pike, SS/RHP, Washington

Pike will be one of the big risers in our next 2025 rankings update. He stood out offensively, defensively and on the mound. At 6 feet, 190 pounds, the Oregon State commit is a switch-hitter who went 3-for-9 with two walks and two strikeouts. He has a short swing, good bat-to-ball skills and controls the strike zone well for his age, barreling a 94 mph fastball for one of his hits.

In the field, Pike had several highlight plays, showing smooth actions, quick footwork and a strong arm. On a groundball up the middle, the pitcher stuck out his glove and the ball ricocheted toward the dirt halfway between second and first base. Pike raced over from shortstop, changing directions on the play to barehand the ball and get rid of it quickly for what should have been called an out at first, though the umpire called him safe. He made another good play at shortstop ranging toward third base on a ground ball, another at third base where he had to charge the ball and made a good throw on the run to get the out at first. He had another good defensive attempt at second base where he charged a slow roller and made a glove flip throw to first base but couldn’t get the speedy runner in Cannon Goldin going down the line.

It was a week of extreme heat at the NTDP, with several players leaving one game due to cramping. In another game with brutal heat and humidity, Pike came on to pitch the final inning, one frame after the previous pitcher exited after vomiting behind the mound. Even after playing the whole game in the field, Pike seemed unfazed by the conditions, running his fastball up to 94 mph in a quick, impressive look. He pitched a 1-2-3 inning, showing an athletic delivery and feel for a low-80s slider and mid-80s changeup with good tailing life. He threw another one-inning stint earlier in the week as well where he faced three hitters in quick, 10-pitch look where he also touched 94 mph.

Kayson Cunningham, SS, Texas

Cunningham, the No. 14 player in the 2025 class, is one of the premier pure hitters in the country and showed it at the NTDP, where he went 5-for-10 with a double into the opposite-field gap. At 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, Cunningham isn’t as tall as some of the other highest ranked players in the class, but there are few hitters his age who can match his ability to consistently barrel balls in games. He has a compact, adjustable swing from the left side, deftly manipulating the bat head for excellent plate coverage. He has one of the highest contact rates in the class, smacking line drives to all fields with gap power. Cunningham is a disciplined hitter, too, so he draws plenty of walks, profiling as a high on-base table setter at the top of the lineup with plus speed. Cunningham has good defensive actions and projects to play somewhere in the middle infield, where he has good hands and a strong arm. He’s a Texas Tech commit.

Billy Carlson, SS/RHP, California

Carlson has some of the sweetest infield actions in the 2025 class. Everything is quick, crisp and fluid for Carlson at shortstop, where he’s a lively, graceful defender with a plus arm, a quick release and smooth on both ends of the double play turn. At 6 feet, 165 pounds, Carlson has a lean, athletic frame with more room to add strength. Right now he’s mostly a line drive-oriented hitter with occasional doubles pop, making a lot of contact and usually staying within the strike zone. He was consistently on base throughout the NTDP, going 3-for-5 with three walks, with his hardest contact coming on a fly out to deep center field. A Vanderbilt commit, Carlson also could have a future on the mound. He pitched one scoreless inning at the NTDP, walking the first hitter before striking out two of the next three. He’s an athletic strike thrower who has been up to 93 mph, touching 91 at the NTDP with feel for both a 75-80 mph breaking ball and 83-84 mph changeup.

Cannon Goldin, OF, Georgia

Goldin is a Mississippi commit ranked No. 9 in the 2025 class thanks to his mix of hitting ability, speed and athleticism at a premium position. He’s 6 feet, 180 pounds, a quick-burst athlete who consistently puts together quality at-bats. Goldin is a lefty with a short, quick swing, squaring both fastballs and offspeed stuff with a good sense of the strike zone to get on base at a high rate with gap power. His plus speed is another weapon, something he showed beating out an infield single in 4.16 seconds. That speed, along with his defensive instincts and strong arm, plays well in center field.

Vaughn Neckar, RHP, California

The No. 15 player in the country, Neckar is a righthander and third baseman, with his future looking brightest on the mound. He has a strong, physically mature frame for 16 at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and has a power arm to match. pitching at 89-94 mph. Neckar struck out two in two innings, though he did run into some control troubles (often up and arm side) with three walks, so he operated heavily off his fastball, throwing it on 35 of his 40 pitches. The other five pitches were curveballs that he showed feel to spin in the 2,300-2,500 rpm range and had power at 78-80 mph. Neckar is an LSU commit.

Angel Cervantes, RHP, California

Cervantes has been a pitcher on the rise this year, ranking No. 28 in the 2025 class. He’s young for a 2025 prospect, only turning 16 later this month, but his stuff stacks up among the best in the country, with a starter look between his stuff and sound delivery. He’s 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and filled the strike zone with a fastball that ranged from 88-92 mph at the NTDP and has touched a tick higher in other outings. The UCLA commit showed feel to spin a both a curveball and slider at 2,400-2,600 rpm, using one curveball for a swinging strikeout, as well as a deceptive changeup that had good separation off his fastball.

Jack McKernan, LHP, Texas

McKernan had one of the most dominant performances of any pitcher at the NTDP, where he struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced with one walk in three innings. The Texas commit is 6-foot-1, 185 pounds and threw strikes with an 89-92 mph fastball. McKernan’s most effective pitch was his slider, which he was able to land for called strikes or use as a chase pitch, with hitters whiffing through it on four of the five times they swung at his slider. McKernan’s slider doesn’t have especially high spin rates (2,100-2,400), but it has late, sharp bite to dive underneath bats. He had trouble landing his changeup in the zone, but he showed feel for that pitch with tumbling action in the low 80s.

Sam Cozart, RHP, North Carolina

A Mississippi State commit, Cozart has long stood out from his peers for his size at a massive 6-foot-7, 235 pounds. Cozart didn’t have his best fastball here, sitting at 87-90 mph, but he still managed to breeze through his outing, striking out six of the nine batters he faced in three perfect innings. Cozart mixed in an occasional slider at 76-78 mph, but he mostly rolled through hitters with a lot of swing-and-miss on his fastball.

Evan Hankins, 1B/LHP, Virginia

Hankins has some of the best raw power in the 2025 class, not surprising given his 6-foot-5, 215-pound frame. He has the strength, bat speed and leverage in his swing to produce deep pull power in batting practice and he performed well in games, too, going 3-for-8 with three walks, two strikeouts and a double off a 94 mph fastball that he drove over the center fielder’s head. At first base, Hankins defended his position well. He ranged well to his right to dive into the 4-3 hole on a ground ball to steal a hit, then on another occasion picked a ball in the dirt to finish a double play. Hankins is primarily a position player, but he also pitched and showed promise on the mound, striking out three of the seven batters he faced with no walks or runs allowed. He pitched in the mid-to-upper 80s and up to 88 mph (he has been into the low 90s in other outings) and used his 75-79 mph slider effectively, throwing it nine times and getting three swinging strikes on four swings against the pitch. Hankins is the No. 35 player in the class and a Tennessee commit.

Xavier Neyens, 3B/OF/RHP, Washington

Neyens is 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, a strong, physical slugger with a lefthanded swing that’s geared to lift the ball. The No. 17 player in the 2025 class, Neyens showed big power in BP, and while that power comes with some swing and miss against live pitching, he hit well in games. He blasted a triple into the left-center field gap and lined a pair of singles to center field off two different lefties. Neyens showed a strong arm from third base and showed promise on the mound as well in an outing in which he struck out one with no walks in two scoreless innings, pitching at 88-92 mph and showing feel for an 83-84 mph slider. He’s an Oregon State commit.

Aiden Barrientes, RHP, Texas

Barrientes turned 16 right after the NTDP, so he’s one of the younger players in the 2025 class and one of the more promising arms for his year. The TCU commit struck out two with one walk and one hit allowed in two scoreless innings, pitching off an 88-91 mph fastball that should spike in the coming years once he adds more strength to his 6-foot-1, 185-pound build. Barrientes threw strikes with his fastball and showed feel to snap off a 75-79 mph curveball that can spin above 2,800 rpm at times with good shape and depth to miss bats at its best.

Jack Bauer, LHP, Illinois

Bauer has a fluid, easy delivery and lots of space to fill out his projectable 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame. He touched 92 mph at the NTDP and should have mid-90s or better velocity once he packs on more weight. A Virginia commit, Bauer showed feel for a slider from his low three-quarter slot at 2,700-2,900 rpm, using it for four of his six strikeouts over three innings. Bauer sprinkled in a handful of changeups, but his fastball and breaking ball were his primary pitches. Bauer did walk three and will need to tighten his control, but his delivery should be conducive to throwing strikes long term.

Zach Strickland, RHP, California

Strickland has a smooth, repeatable delivery that he used to throw strikes with 24 of 35 pitches (69%) over two innings. The UCLA commit and No. 37 player in the 2025 class attacked hitters up in the zone with a fastball that ranged from 87-92 mph and has been up to 94 in other outings. Strickland mixed in a 69-71 mph curveball with spin in the 2,400-2,600 rpm range and flashed some feel for a changeup at 83-85 mph.

Diego Velazquez, SS, California

Velazquez has a promising mix of size, bat speed and youth as one of the younger players in the 2025 class. The No. 38 player for 2025, Velazquez is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds and turns 16 later this month, so he will still be 17 on draft day. He’s a lefthanded hitter who can whip the barrel through the zone with some of the better bat speed in the class, giving him a chance to develop into a power-hitting infielder once he’s able to add more strength and consistently incorporate his lower half into his swing. The Southern California commit flashed some of that power at the NTDP when he stayed back on a curveball on the outer third, driving it the other way over the left fielder’s head for a double.

Omar Serna, C, Texas

Serna is big and strong at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds with a pair of tools that stack up among the best in the 2025 class. The LSU commit has perhaps the best raw arm strength among any 2025 catcher, grading out plus with a chance to be a 70 on the 20-80 scale. Serna’s strength and bat speed help him generate big raw power for his age as well. Serna didn’t show that power in games, but he consistently hit the ball and got on base, going 5-for-7 with five singles, a walk and a strikeout.

Landon Schaefer, SS, Arkansas

Schaefer has played up at the 17U level with 2024s for a significant part of the summer with the 3n2 Sticks/White Sox Scout team. His 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame stands out right away, and he showed the ability to drive the ball out of the park when he got his arms extended on a 90 mph fastball on the outer third that he pulled for a home run to left-center field. He’s an Arkansas commit.

Wade Shelley, OF, Alabama

Shelley raised his stock this summer with a strong season both offensively and defensively. He’s an athletic center fielder (6 feet, 190 pounds) who had multiple defensive highlights. Shelley took a clean, efficient route and showed good range running down a fly ball over his head and to his right at the warning track for an out. Then on a groundball single up the middle with a runner on second, Shelley showed off his arm, erasing the runner trying to score at home with a strong, accurate throw for the assist. At the plate, Shelley has a simple swing from the right side and picked up a pair of hits, including a line-drive single to right field against a 90 mph fastball. He’s an Auburn commit.

Luke Billings, OF/C/RHP

Billings is an intriguing player both as a hitter and a pitcher. He pitched twice, so he didn’t get as many plate appearances as some of the other top hitters at the event, but he has hit well throughout the summer and showed the strength in his righthanded swing to be able to drive the ball out of the park to his pull side. At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Billings made a pair of scoreless one-inning appearances on the mound, touching 93 mph and mixing in four pitches with a low-80s slider, mid-70s curveball and a firm changeup in the upper 80s. He’s a Tennessee commit.

Myles Upchurch, RHP, Maryland

At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Upchurch has a strong pitcher’s build and a power arm for his age. He has been up to 93 mph this summer, pitching at 87-91 mph during the NTDP. Upchurch threw a 79-83 mph slider with short break that he was able to land for strikes. His slider generated a couple of swings and misses, including one for a strikeout, and rounded out his repertoire with a low-80s changeup. He’s uncommitted for college.

Zion Theophilus, RHP, Ohio

Pitching from the stretch only, Theophilus is a high-intensity pitcher with an aggressive, up-tempo delivery and a power arm for his age. He pitched off a fastball at 90-93 mph and backed it up with a low-80s slider that has two-plane depth when it’s at its best. Theophilus is an LSU commit.

Griffin Enis, OF, Mississippi

Enis helped himself with a strong summer at the plate that continued at the NTDP, where he went 5-for-10 with a pair of extra-base hits. A 6-foot, 185-pound righthanded hitter, Enis hit a fastball for an opposite-field double into the right-center field gap, then pulled a fastball for a triple to left-center field. He’s committed to Mississippi.

Caden Crowell, LHP, Indiana

Crowell struck out three of the nine batters he faced over two scoreless innings using mostly his fastball. He’s 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with more projection to add to a fastball that reached 91 mph. Crowell, who’s uncommitted for college, threw his fastball for 33 of his 39 pitches, mixing in a half dozen sliders that he showed some feel for with a couple of empty swings against righthanded hitters. Crowell has shown feel for a changeup as well, though he didn’t throw one in this look.

William Hill, OF, Texas

A Texas commit, Hill is an athletic center fielder at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds with plus speed. A righthanded hitter with a line-drive stroke and gap power, Hill lined a single to center field and had his hardest contact of the NTDP on a triple that he pulled into the left-center field gap.

Brody Walls, RHP, Texas

Walls spent time as an infielder and pitcher, showing the most promise on the mound as he threw two scoreless innings. At 6 feet, 180 pounds, Walls has a medium build with the ability to generate a fastball that touched 91 mph from a loose, low-effort delivery with easy arm action. Walls mixed in a short slider with spin at 2,400-2,600 rpm and threw one changeup that had solid sink. He’s committed to Texas.

2026 CLASS

Rookie Shepard, SS/C, Nevada

Shepard does everything smooth and easy both at the plate and in the infield. He’s 5-foot-11, 175 pounds with a simple lefthanded swing. It’s a short, efficient and adjustable swing that enables him to square up all types of pitches throughout the strike zone with some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the 2026 class. His defensive actions are polished for his age, too, moving his feet well in the infield with soft hands and a good internal clock. Shepard also spent time behind the plate, where his aptitude for the game would translate well, though for now he’s a more advanced defender at shortstop. Shepard is a Miami commit.

Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP/1B, Oregon

With Giants first-round pick Bryce Eldridge, we had a 6-foot-7 two-way player with a power arm on the mound and a power bat at first base in the 2023 draft. It will only be a few more years until we have another one in Schoolcraft. While Eldridge is a righthanded pitcher, Schoolcraft is a lefty at 6-foot-7, 205 pounds with a fastball that was up to 92 mph at the NTDP and should be in the mid 90s or better come draft time. Schoolcraft has a slider, though he didn’t throw it here, attacking hitters with his fastball, sinker, changeup and splitter with late tumble that he used for a swinging strikeout. For such a long-limbed hitter, Schoolcraft’s swing works well and he has some of the best raw power in the 2026 class, making him a premium player to follow on both sides of the ball. He’s uncommitted for college.

Quentin Young, 3B, California

At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Young is an extremely strong, physical player for a 2026 player. He’s an aggressive righthanded hitter who tips his barrel toward the pitcher before generating a lot of torque with his swing to punish baseballs with some of the best raw power in the class. Young went 3-for-8 with a walk at the NTDP, hitting a 92 mph fastball for an opposite-field double over the right fielder’s head, driving another fastball for a double to the right-center field gap and pulling a curveball for a single. He’s uncommitted for college.

Jacob Lombard, SS, Florida

Scouts poured into Gulliver Prep games in Miami this year to track shortstop George Lombard Jr., who the Yankees drafted in the first round. While watching Lombard Jr., they were able to see his younger brother, Jacob, one of the most talented players in the 2026 class. He’s 6-foot-2, 185 pounds with good plate discipline and contact skills from the right side of the plate with gap power. He’s an athletic shortstop who made a terrific defensive play at second base, running back on a pop up to shallow right field and leaping with his left arm outstretched to make the catch with his back to the plate. He’s uncommitted for college.

Brady Murrietta, C, California

Pitchers love throwing to Murrietta, a soft, quiet receiver who already frames pitches well and has a strong arm, something he showed on a pair of caught stealings with pop times of 1.88 and 1.87 seconds. A 5-foot-11, 190-pound righthanded hitter, Murrietta also performed well offensively, going 5-for-10, looking like one of the top catchers in the 2026 class. He’s a Texas commit.

Andrew Costello, C, Pennsylvania

Costello is one of the best catchers in the 2026 class. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound righthanded hitter has huge raw power for his age, something he showed during one round of BP when he took four swings and blasted three balls over the fence. He’s been able to tap into that power in games, too, thanks to his ability to recognize pitches and quick, compact swing. A Wake Forest commit, Costello’s catch-and-throw skills are advanced for his age, something he showed with a 1.83-second pop time on a throw that beat the runner to the bag, though the second baseman couldn’t get the tag down in time.

Chandler Hart, LHP, Texas

Hart stands out immediately for his size at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds and arm strength with a fastball that touched 90 mph from his low three-quarter slot at the NTDP. He showed feel for a 75-79 mph slider with spin at 2,300-2,500 rpm, sweeping away from lefties to get swing-and-miss when it was at its best. Hart flashed a couple of changeups at 82-83 mph as well, but he leaned mostly on his fastball and slider, looking like one of the top pitchers to follow in the 2026 class. He’s uncommitted for college.

Dillon Moss, C, California

Moss is the younger brother of Dean Moss, who was also at the NTDP and is one of the elite players in the 2025 class. At 6 feet, 165 pounds, Moss is a Stanford commit also at IMG Academy in Florida and an intriguing prospect in his own right. Facing righthander Joey Oakie, one of the top pitchers in the 2024 class, the righthanded-hitting Moss got a 92 mph fastball on the outer third that he drilled for a triple to center field. He recorded another extra-base hit when he pulled a slider to left field for a double. He shows the tools to be able to stick behind the plate as well, with a strong arm for his age.

1. A’s — Nick Kurtz, 1B, Wake Forest

Kurtz was the best overall hitter on one of the best teams in the country this past spring with Wake Forest. He’s likely the most well-rounded hitter in the class at this point and pairs a savvy batting eye with a clean lefthanded swing and plenty of raw power from his 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame. Kurtz slashed .353/.527/.784 with 24 home runs and 10 doubles, and has walked more than he’s struck out in both seasons with the Demon Deacons. He’s a terrific defender at first base and scouts think he might be athletic enough to play the corner outfield. 

Nick Kurtz hello! He absolutely MELTS this baseball way out to right to give the Deacs a 2-0 lead! Really like how Kurtz drops the back knee here. pic.twitter.com/gXvnRAPlgn

— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) June 11, 2023

2. Royals — Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State

Bazzana is an Australian native who has developed a strong reputation as a pure hitter by performing at a high level wherever he’s played: with Australia’s 18U National Team, with Oregon State in his first two seasons, in the West Coast League and once again this summer on the Cape. He’s coming off a .374/.500/.622 season where he hit 11 home runs, 20 doubles and stole 36 bags in 39 tries (92.3%). He stays within the strike zone consistently and makes a ton of contact, with an 85% contact rate this spring with the Beavers. 

Travis Bazzana (@BeaverBaseball x @FalCommodores) is the most impressive hitter I’ve seen on the Cape to this point. Hit his first HR tonight and punishes the baseball to all fields. In complete control of the box. Elite athlete with ++ bat speed. 1:1 upside in ‘24.#BACape23 pic.twitter.com/s8Fxoaa1zB

— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) July 7, 2023

3. Rockies — Vance Honeycutt, OF, North Carolina

Honeycutt’s raw tools, athleticism and all-around profile should make him the 1-1 favorite, but he has consistently struggled with strikeouts and took a step backward in 2023 after a sensational freshman season in 2022 when he hit 25 home runs and stole 29 bases while displaying acrobatic defensive highlights in center field. Honeycutt hit just .257/.418/.492 with a home run/fly ball ratio that was essentially cut in half compared to his freshman season, though he did cut his strikeout rate from around 30% to 20% and also walked more often. He has speed, power and a no-doubt center field profile, but there are still questions looming about exactly what sort of hitter he’ll be. 

VANCE HONEYCUTT pic.twitter.com/OnnEB8YNg8

— Pat James (@patjames24) March 18, 2023

4. Nationals — Brody Brecht, RHP, Iowa

Brecht has elite arm talent on the mound and averaged 97.5 mph this spring with his fastball while pitching in a starting role for Iowa. He posted a 3.74 ERA in 77 innings despite an unsustainable 18% walk rate and outperformed his peripherals thanks in part to stranding runners on base at an 84.5% clip after they reached. Brecht has a whippy fast arm and has eclipsed 100 mph many times, and he also has a slider that could be a 70-grade pitch and generated whiffs at a 53% rate this spring. He throws the fastball and slider equally and the breaking ball has terrific tilt and diving action in the upper 80s. As his walk rate suggests, there’s plenty of reliever risk here. 

104 MPH@B1Gbaseball fans, @UIBaseball's @brody_brecht can throw some 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁. pic.twitter.com/53S0gvMsFv

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 31, 2023

5. White Sox — JJ Wetherholt, 2B, West Virginia

You could use a single hand to count the hitters who performed better than Wetherholt this spring, and there’s a case to be made that you wouldn’t need to lift a finger. He led the country in hitting and slashed .449/.517/.782 with 16 home runs, 23 doubles and 35 stolen bases. Wetherholt is just 5-foot-10, but he’s physical with plenty of strength in his hands and forearms and the ball jumps off his bat. He had a 93 mph average exit velocity this spring and while he might be a second baseman, he should offer power, speed and strong pure hitting ability at the position. He was also one of the most impressive hitters with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team.  

West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt hit a monster home run this morning. The audio speaks for itself. pic.twitter.com/CSMkTgCaeL

— Josh Norris (@jnorris427) June 26, 2023

6. Cardinals — Tommy White, 3B, Louisiana State

One of the most notorious sluggers in college baseball, White had a sensational freshman season at North Carolina State in 2022 before he transferred to LSU and helped power the Tigers to the 2023 national championship. White has 51 home runs in his first two seasons and pairs physicality and big power with impressive feel for the barrel. He also loves to swing and will regularly expand the strike zone, with a 40% chase rate in 2023 that will need to be improved in pro ball. White might be a first baseman, but he has more than enough power to profile at the position if he moves off the hot corner. 

After sending LSU to the CWS Finals with a walkoff, 2-run HR just two days ago, Tommy White comes through in the clutch again with a game-tying HR in the 8th! pic.twitter.com/NQG2x6x0OM

— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) June 25, 2023

7. Tigers — Konnor Griffin, SS/OF/RHP, Jackson Prep, Flowood, Miss.

Originally a member of the 2025 class, Griffin is an exceptional athlete who reclassified for 2024 after his freshman season. He’s already led his Jackson Prep team to two state championships, and he pairs impressive athleticism with loud tools, including plus speed, double-plus arm strength and plus raw power. He’s probably a hitter first, but he would be a real pro prospect as a pitcher as well, and throws a fastball in the low 90s already.

Konnor Griffin makes the throw and closes out the top of the inning for Team Gray! pic.twitter.com/UoaBt3QYxM

— MLB/USA Baseball PDP (@BaseballPDP) June 27, 2023

8. Pirates — Jac Caglianone, LHP/1B, Florida

Caglianone was a Golden Spikes semifinalist for the Gators in 2023 after a season where he led the nation with 33 home runs and also started 18 games as a lefthander and posted a 4.34 ERA. Power, not polish, is the defining characteristic of Caglianone as both a hitter and a pitcher. He has incredible raw power as a lefthanded hitter and had one of the best 90th percentile exit velocities in the country in 2023, but he also chased out of the zone at a 44% rate and struck out at an 18.2% rate compared to just a 5.3% walk rate. On the mound, Caglianone averaged 95 mph from the left side, but he was erratic and walked batters at a 16.1% clip. 

JAC CAGLIANONE WITH THE SECOND HOME RUN OF THE INNING

435 ft…but who's counting? pic.twitter.com/KyJBjM3qzI

— USA Baseball CNT (@USABaseballCNT) July 3, 2023

9. Mets — Derek Curiel, OF, Orange (Calif.) Lutheran HS

Curiel is a well-known prepster who has shown a smooth lefty swing and advanced hitting ability since his freshman season with SoCal powerhouse Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High. It wasn’t uncommon for scouts to see both him and Red Sox first-rounder Mikey Romero in 2022 and leave the park thinking Curiel had the better swing and pure hitting ability. He’s lean with a 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame and has some future impact questions, though he should stick in center field as a plus runner with good defensive instincts and arm strength. 

Defense? Defense! Here's OF Derek Curiel—an LSU commit and the No. 4-ranked HS player in the 2024 class—making a very nice catch. pic.twitter.com/YtSd2ixCMW

— Josh Norris (@jnorris427) June 16, 2023

10. Cubs — Chase Burns, RHP, No School

Burns was throwing 100 mph before he reached campus at Tennessee and in the two seasons he’s spent with the Volunteers, he has struck out 217 batters and walked just 47 in 152.1 innings—good for a 34.6% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate. He moved into a piggy-back reliever role with Chase Dollander during the 2023 season and after the year entered the transfer portal. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound righty averaged 96 mph on his fastball and has been up to 102, and he has a nasty, upper-80s slider with high spin rates and hard biting action that generated a 61% miss rate this spring. Following the season, Burns entered the transfer portal, but he has not yet announced his home for the 2024 season.

M7 | BIG ONE BURNS!!!!

Chase comes on and immediately gets a big strikeout to strand the tying run at second! Vols hold on to a 7-6 lead!#GBO // #OTH // #BeatState pic.twitter.com/H9k7eNisUU

— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) April 28, 2023

1. Pirates

Pick: Paul Skenes
School: LSU
Position: RHP

Instant Analysis: There’s a debate about the No. 1 player in the class. There’s little disagreement about who the best pitcher is in the draft. Skenes helped lead LSU to a national championship as one of the best college pitching prospects we have seen in years, with extraordinary results and the high-octane stuff to match. With a fastball that regularly reaches triple digits, a wipeout slider, a changeup that flashes plus and as an excellent athlete who fills the strike zone, Skenes has a chance to be a No. 1 starter and pitch in the big leagues next season. To draft Skenes, the Pirates passed on the No. 1 player available, LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, as well as Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford and two elite high school outfielders in Max Clark and Walker Jenkins. There’s always added injury and attrition risk with pitching, but if everything clicks for Skenes, he could be an ace.

Scouting Report: Skenes put together one of the best seasons that Air Force had ever seen in 2021 as a freshman, when he hit .410/.486/.697 with 11 home runs and also posted a 2.70 ERA in 26.2 innings out of the bullpen. He followed that up with another excellent 2022 season on both sides of the ball, and announced a transfer to Louisiana State for the 2023 season, where he went from a no-doubt first round talent as a two-way player to the best college starter since Stephen Strasburg in 2009. Skenes dropped hitting and focused on pitching in Baton Rouge, while working with former Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson. In one of the most offensive college baseball environments in history, Skenes routinely shut the door on opposing offenses and was a Golden Spikes Award semi-finalist. He posted a 1.69 ERA over 19 starts and 122.2 innings, with a 45.1% strikeout rate and 4.3% walk rate. He broke LSU and the SEC’s single season strikeout record and led the nation with 209 strikeouts—51 more than the No. 2 pitcher in the country. Along with center fielder Dylan Crews, Skenes helped push LSU to a College World Series championship. After sitting 93-94 mph with his fastball in 2022, Skenes averaged more than 98 mph in 2023 and has touched 103 mph at peak velocity. He also changed the shape of his mid-80s slider, going from a short-breaking pitch to one with sweeper action with 11 inches of horizontal movement. Both pitches are 70-grade offerings, with a 31% miss rate on the fastball and a 65% miss rate on the slider. Skenes hasn’t thrown it much, but his upper-80s changeup also has plus potential. He’s an efficient mover on the mound and has a clean, easy delivery with plus control and a workhorse, 6-foot-6, 247-pound frame that allows him to hold upper-90s velocity deep into starts. Skenes has legitimate front-of-the-rotation, ace upside and is also one of the most big league-ready prospects in the class. He has a chance to go first overall.

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2. Nationals

Pick: Dylan Crews
School: LSU
Position: OF

​​Instant Analysis: Crews withdrew his name from the 2020 draft coming out of high school to attend LSU. It paid off tonight with Crews going second overall to the Nationals, who got Baseball America’s No. 1 player in the draft. He checks just about every box you could ask for in a college hitter, with the mix of hitting ability and power that should allow him to fly through the system, ultimately hit in the middle of a lineup and develop into a franchise player.

Scouting Report: Crews was a highly-regarded prospect coming out of Lake Mary (Fla.) High, though he ultimately withdrew from the 2020 draft and made his way to Louisiana State, where he immediately became one of the best players in college baseball. He set an LSU record with 18 home runs as a freshman, then moved from right field to center field during his sophomore season and clubbed 22 more home runs and was named a Golden Spikes semifinalist. He won the award a year later and was one of the best hitters in the country in 2023, when he hit .426/.567/.713 with 18 home runs, 16 doubles, a 13.4% strikeout rate and a 20.6% walk rate, while being the focal point of an offense that won a College World Series championship against Florida. He either got a hit or drew a walk in every game of the season. Crews has a powerfully-built 6-foot, 205-pound frame and above-average or better tools across the board. He has electric, double-plus bat speed that allows him to drive the ball to all fields with authority, catch up to velocity and make late swing decisions, with great balance and strength in his lower half. After chasing a bit too much in high school, Crews has developed an advanced approach in college, with a solid eye and just a 17% chase rate in 2023. He also hits the ball harder than most players in the class, with a 96 mph average exit velocity and a 110 mph 90th percentile mark. A plus runner now, Crews should be at least above-average in the future if he slows down, and he’s a good center field defender with advanced route-running ability and instincts. He profiles as a plus defender in an outfield corner if he needs to move, with easy plus arm strength. He entered the year as the No. 1 player in the class and is the favorite to be selected first overall, with perennial all-star upside potential.

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3. Tigers

Pick: Max Clark
School: Franklin (Ind.) Community HS
Position: OF

Instant Analysis: I love this pick for the Tigers. There were other good options here as well, so the Tigers were in a good position here at No. 3, but Clark checks so many boxes we look for in an elite position prospect. It’s a sweet lefthanded swing, great bat control, good strike-zone discipline and an excellent track record of offensive performance. He’s also an elite athlete with plus-plus speed, an arm to match with strong defensive instincts at a premium position in center field. The question some have with Clark—his power—is a tool that could be at least average as well and should show up more in games as he gets into his prime. The production we’re seeing this year from D-backs outfielder Corbin Carroll is what we could eventually see from Clark, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he followed in Carroll’s footsteps as a top-five prospect in baseball one day.

Scouting Report: A high school hitter from Indiana has never been selected among the top 10 picks in the draft, but Clark is well-positioned to become the first thanks to his combination of pure hitting ability, athleticism and big-time supplemental tools. Clark has long been considered one of the best pure hitters in the 2023 class, thanks to a smooth, balanced swing that’s quick, compact and through the hitting zone with a good bat path. On top of a clean mechanical swing, Clark has advanced strike-zone discipline and hand-eye coordination, with an ability to manipulate his swing based on the situation and location of the pitch. He rarely swings and misses and over a 765-pitch sample with Synergy from 2020-2022, Clark missed at just a 13% rate. In general, Clark has a line drive, hit-first approach at the plate, but he lowered his handset this spring in an attempt to drive the ball for more power, and could grow into solid or better power in the future thanks to a well-proportioned and muscular, 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame. While his future impact potential is perhaps the biggest question of his profile, there’s no doubting Clark’s supplemental tools. He has routinely turned in 70-grade run times, both in workout environments and in games, with excellent quickness out of the box and the ability to turn infield ground balls into singles and liners to the gap into doubles. His speed plays well on the bases and in center field, where he should be a plus defender with standout athleticism and solid defensive instincts. He has one of the best throwing arms in the prep class, a 70-grade tool that has been into the mid 90s on the mound. Clark is committed to Vanderbilt, but is expected to be a top-five pick thanks to all-star upside via a well-rounded tool set and no-doubt center field profile.

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4. Rangers

Pick: Wyatt Langford
School: Florida
Position: OF

Instant Analysis: If Dylan Crews weren’t in this draft, perhaps Langford would be more of a household name as the clear top college hitter available. Langford hit .373/.498/.784 with more walks (56) and more extra-base hits (52) than strikeouts (44) this spring at Florida. Prep outfielder Walker Jenkins is a tough player to pass on here, but the Rangers get one of the premier hitters in college baseball in Langford, and someone who should be in the big leagues within a year or two.

Scouting Report: Langford wasn’t a high-profile prospect out of Trenton (Fla.) High. A few scouts were intrigued with his hitting ability at the time, but ultimately he made his way to campus at Florida. He only pinch-hit in four games in 2021, but stormed onto the college baseball scene in 2022, when he tied a Gators program record with 26 home runs and led the team in most offensive categories. During his 2023 draft year, Langford hit .373/.498/.784 with 21 home runs, 28 doubles, a 14.5% strikeout rate and an 18.5% walk rate and helped push Florida to the College World Series finals. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound outfielder’s game is centered on his power and hitting ability. Scouts have given him 70-grade raw power evaluations, and his all-fields home run production and gaudy exit velocities back that up. Langford has a simple and direct swing from the right side, with few moving parts and a low handset and slight leg kick to get started. He has more than enough bat speed to handle velocity—he produced a 1.725 OPS vs. 92-plus mph pitches in a 238-pitch sample—and generally stays within the strike zone, though he occasionally shows a tendency to leak with his lower half out on outer third breaking balls. Langford started showing improved run times during the 2022 fall, and has flashed 70-grade speed, though he more consistently performs as an above-average or plus runner. He’s played left field at Florida, with Jud Fabian handling center field in 2022 and Michael Robertson playing the position in 2023, but it would be unsurprising for the team who drafts him to start him in center field in pro ball. Langford was a catcher in high school and also served as Team USA’s emergency catcher in 2022. One of the most accomplished offensive players in the class, Langford should go off the board among the first five picks.

5. Twins

Pick: Walker Jenkins
School: South Brunswick HS, Southport, N.C.
Position: OF

Instant Analysis: In a lot of years, Jenkins would be a legitimate No. 1 overall pick. So the Twins have to be ecstatic to be able to get a player of his caliber picking fifth overall. Jenkins is a physical athlete with a beautiful lefthanded swing, big bat speed and outstanding raw power. His offensive game looks like it could translate into a plus hitter with 30-plus home run power. A center fielder now, he has the defensive tools and instincts to become a plus defender if he moves to right field, which seems his most likely defensive home.

Scouting Report: Jenkins entered the 2023 draft cycle as one of the most exciting players in the nation after proving his hitting chops as an underclassman and earning a spot on USA Baseball’s 18U National Team in 2021. He didn’t get to showcase his talents throughout the entire 2022 summer after a hamate injury, but scouts still viewed him as one of the top high school prospects in the nation given his lefthanded swing and power potential. Jenkins has an ideal slugger’s frame at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds with plenty of strength and a picturesque lefthanded swing. Jenkins stands in the box with great posture, balance and rhythm and gets on plane easily and consistently with plus bat speed and excellent timing. It’s an uphill path that’s leveraged for power, and his pure bat-to-ball skills and zone recognition should allow him to be both a plus hitter and potential 30-home run masher who hits in the middle of a lineup and can use the entire field with authority. Jenkins has a ready-made right field profile with plus arm strength, but he has impressed scouts with both his improved running ability and defensive play in center field this spring. He’s turned in plus run times and covers plenty of ground in the outfield with graceful, loping strides and also has solid instincts and route-running ability. He now has a chance to at least begin his pro career in center field, though he’s still more likely an above-average right fielder in the long run. Jenkins has earned comparisons to former Pirates first-rounder Austin Meadows, but there are North Carolina area scouts who say they’ve not seen a player like Jenkins since 1999 No.1 overall pick Josh Hamilton. Jenkins is committed to North Carolina, but he’s the top high school player in the class and should go off the board within the first five picks.

6. Athletics

Pick: Jacob Wilson
School: Grand Canyon
Position: SS

Instant Analysis: It’s a tough year to be drafting sixth overall given the top five players on the board. With those players gone, the A’s grab a shortstop with elite contact skills in Wilson, who has exceptional plate coverage and rarely strikes out. Wilson flashed power last summer with wood bats, but his modest exit velocity numbers this year have given some teams pause about how much damage he will do in pro ball. If Wilson can turn into a 15-20 home run hitter, his bat-to-ball skills and ability to play a premium position would make him a valuable player who could hit toward the top of a lineup.

Scouting Report: Wilson is the son of 12-year MLB shortstop and all-star Jack Wilson, who joined Grand Canyon’s coaching staff as an assistant prior to the 2023 season. Wilson, like his father, is a talented shortstop who was named to the All-WAC first team in each of his three seasons with GCU and also played with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team in 2022. Elite contact ability is the headlining trait for Wilson, who has hit .361/.419/.558 with a 4.4% strikeout rate in 155 collegiate games. During the 2023 season, Wilson made contact at a 94% overall rate. Against fastballs and on pitches inside the strike zone, that contact rate was up to 97%. Wilson’s elite bat-to-ball skills means he is able to get away with chasing pitches out of the zone at times, and at the next level he might need to become more selective, as he doesn’t have the sort of power to get away with expanding his strike zone. A 6-foot-3, 190-pound hitter, Wilson has below-average raw power, and after hitting 12 home runs during the 2022 season, was down to just six homers in 2023. He has flashed surprising pull-side pop at times, including with a wood bat with USA Baseball, but his lean frame and underlying exit velocities don’t suggest anything more than a 40-grade power hitter in pro ball, even with future strength gains. Wilson is just an average runner and has never been much of a basestealer, but is praised for his sure-handedness and defensive actions at shortstop. He’s an above-average defender at the position with above-average arm strength, which should help alleviate any concerns about his power potential. Wilson will get critiqued for his lack of power, but his outlier contact ability with a safe shortstop profile should get him selected among the top 15 picks.

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7. Reds

Pick: Rhett Lowder
School: Wake Forest
Position: RHP

Instant Analysis: The Reds get a pitcher with a great mix of stuff and polish in Lowder, who dominated this season for Wake Forest. It’s a true starter look, with a three-pitch mix that includes swing-and-miss secondaries and a fastball up to 97 mph and good command of his entire arsenal. Lowder should spend little time in the lower levels of the minors and could be pitching big league innings by next year if the Reds want to be aggressive with him.

Scouting Report: While Wake Forest has become a pitching factory in recent years, Lowder became the first player in program history to be named ACC pitcher of the year after a 2022 season where he posted a 3.08 ERA in 99.1 innings, with a 25.1% strikeout rate. He followed that up with a dominant showing for Team USA’s Collegiate National Team during the summer, and then in 2023 was among the most consistent pitchers in the country as the Friday night starter for one of the best Wake Forest teams in program history—again winning ACC pitcher of the year honors. Lowder posted a 1.87 ERA through 19 starts and 120.1 innings, with a career-high 30.4% strikeout rate, career-low 5.1% walk rate. He threw at least six innings in 15 of his 19 starts.. He’s large and physical with a 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame, an up-tempo windup and a lower, three-quarter slot. There are pitchers with “louder” pure stuff, but it would be hard to find a pitcher with better feel for a legitimate three-pitch mix. He throws a fastball that sits 93-94 mph and has been up to 97 with tons of running life and has pounded the zone at a 70% or better rate in each of the last two seasons. He also has great feel to land a mid-80s, sweepy slider and a mid-80s changeup. Both are consistent swing-and-miss offerings and seem to play off of each other nicely—whether that’s due to Lowder tunneling the trio well or because he simply commands them at will and throws each around a third of the time. Lowder might be nitpicked by some teams because of his running fastball, his relative lack of projection and an extreme-open toe, crossfire landing. Still, he’s posted, has above-average stuff across the board and is one of the safest starting profiles you’ll find in the class.

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8. Royals

Pick: Blake Mitchell
School: Sinton (Texas) HS
Position: C

Instant Analysis: Mitchell is the No. 1 high school catcher in our rankings, ranked No. 15 overall, with the tools to be an excellent defender behind the plate. At the same time, the track record of high school catching shows it’s extremely risky, so the Royals are making an aggressive bet here on Mitchell with what’s likely an under-slot deal, meaning the Royals should be able to spend more later in the draft.

Scouting Report: The top high school catcher in the class, Mitchell is also a talented pitcher who has been into the mid 90s on the mound and was used in a two-way role for Team USA’s 18U gold medal-winning national team in 2022. Despite his talent on the mound, his upside is higher as a catching prospect, with big-time lefthanded power and double-plus arm strength. Mitchell is physically mature at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, with well-developed lower and upper halves that provide an excellent foundation of strength and power. He has solid rhythm in the batter’s box, and a generally strong understanding of the strike zone, though his pure bat-to-ball skills need work. It’s not surprising for Mitchell to swing-and-miss against all pitch types and he’ll need to do a better job making contact in order to tap into his plus raw power. While his pure hit tool remains a bit raw, he’s a polished and instinctual defender behind the plate. He received well and did a nice job handling the best arms in the class in 2022—including a few high-octane, poor control pitchers with Team USA—with solid agility and flexibility that should allow him to be a consistently strong blocker. His carrying defensive tool is his 70-grade arm strength, which allows him to produce in-game pop times in the 1.8-1.9-second range and should allow him to keep the running game in check, especially with improved accuracy and footwork. Mitchell is a well below-average runner committed to Louisiana State but has a chance to be a top-15 selection.

9. Rockies

Pick: Chase Dollander
School: Tennessee
Position: RHP

Instant Analysis: We often talk about up-arrow prospects, but that isn’t the case with Dollander. So It speaks to Dollander’s stuff, upside and pre-2023 performance that a pitcher with a 4.75 ERA who didn’t look as sharp this season as he did a year ago just went in the top 10 overall picks. The 2022 version of Dollander looked like a potential frontline starter, so the Rockies have to be banking on a belief that they can get him back to that form.

Scouting Report: An under-the-radar prospect out of high school, Dollander began his college career at Georgia Southern, but transferred to Tennessee in 2022 where he took a huge step forward with his control, became the Friday night starter and performed as one of the best arms in the country. Dollander posted a 2.39 ERA over 79 innings with a sparkling 108-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio, won the SEC pitcher of the year award and entered the 2023 season as the consensus top pitcher in the 2023 class. Dollander hasn’t been quite as electric in his draft year, however, as his walk rate jumped from 4.2% to 7.8% and he posted a 4.75 ERA over 17 starts and 89 innings. The shape on both his fastball and slider backed up a bit compared to the 2022 version, but in terms of pure stuff and velocity, Dollander hasn’t changed much. He still averaged 95-96 mph with his fastball and has been up to 98 and throws his slider in the mid 80s—both in line with his 2022 velocities—with great spin rates. He has less carry on his fastball and the slider has also lacked the consistent hard and late bite that fooled so many hitters a year ago, though at the end of the season the whiff rate on the slider had only gone from 36% in 2022 to 34% in 2023. Both pitches still flash plus, but Dollander has been noticeably less pinpoint with his command after putting his fastball in Dixie Cups each outing in 2022. Some scouts think his struggles are simply due to very slight mechanical changes, like not staying stacked on his back leg as efficiently as a year ago. On top of the fastball and slider, Dollander throws a mid-to-upper-80s changeup and a mid-70s curveball with top-down shape and 2,700 rpm spin rates. Dollander has a great pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds with a clean, fluid delivery and fast arm from a three-quarter slot. Even with his comparative struggles, Dollander is one of the most talented arms in the class and should be a top-15 selection.

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10. Marlins

Pick: Noble Meyer
School: Jesuit HS, Portland, Ore.
Position: RHP

Instant Analysis: High school pitching certainly carries its risks. But if you’re going to draft a high school pitcher in the first round, it’s hard to find a pitcher who checks more boxes than Meyer, the top prep pitcher in the class. It’s an easy delivery, a lot of strikes, a fastball that reaches the upper 90s and a 70 slider on the 20-80 scale that should continue to pile up whiffs in pro ball. Given Miami’s track record with developing pitching, it seems like a great fit for Meyer as well.

Scouting Report: Meyer established himself as the top prep pitching prospect during the 2022 summer showcase circuit, as he continued improving his fastball velocity and also showed one of the better breaking balls in the class. After pitching in the upper 80s and touching low 90s in 2021, Meyer now sits with a fastball in the low 90s and has touched as high as 98 mph. A tall and lean, 6-foot-5, 200-pound righthander, Meyer has a similar frame to fellow Northwest prep righthander Mick Abel at the same time. He works with a clean and athletic delivery, and while his arm action is a bit long in his takeback, he showed solid ability to repeat a lower, three-quarter arm slot and lacks much violence in his finish. His delivery and excellent athleticism have allowed him to consistently showcase advanced touch and feel for a prep arm, particularly one with Meyer’s size and stuff. He primarily works with a fastball/slider combination and used that combo to dominate hitters over the summer. At his best, like his brief outing at Perfect Game’s National showcase where he struck out six in two innings, he flashes a pair of 70-grade pitches with good control. The fastball sat in the mid 90s with powerful running life that on multiple occasions ripped his catcher’s glove off and his mid-80s slider features tons of horizontal, sweeping life and has wipeout potential with spin rates that get into the 3,000 rpm range. Meyer has infrequently used a firm, upper-80s changeup that has diving life but needs to add more feel for the pitch. Meyer combines the pure stuff of Abel with the advanced control that Phillies first-rounder Andrew Painter showed at the same age. Meyer is committed to Oregon but is a top-15-caliber talent with mid-rotation upside.

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11. Angels

Pick: Nolan Schanuel
School: Florida Atlantic
Position: 1B

Instant Analysis: Zach Neto was an elite college performer at Campbell with some unorthodox components to his swing when the Angels drafted him in the first round last year. Schanuel doesn’t bring Neto’s defensive ability, but he’s another hitter who doesn’t have the most picture perfect swing but dominated for Florida Atlantic. He makes good swing decisions and has an extremely accurate barrel, rarely missing a fastball when he swings. It’s likely an under-slot deal here that will allow the Angels to go over-slot later in the draft.

Scouting Report: Schanuel developed a reputation as a standout pure hitter in high school in Florida, but went undrafted and made it to campus at Florida Atlantic. He has only solidified his hitting chops after three tremendous seasons, where he has posted an OPS north of 1.000 each year. He was one of the best overall hitters in college baseball in 2023, with a .444/.612/.864 slash line and a 219 wRC+ mark that led Division I. Schanuel is a tall, 6-foot-3, 195-pound first baseman who hits with a unique setup in the lefthanded batter’s box. He has an extremely high handset, reminiscent of Craig Counsell, but has done a nice job getting his hands into the hitting zone with good timing, with long levers and an uphill path. While the swing itself is odd, Schanuel has shown some of the best pure contact skills in the class, with a career 7% strikeout rate and a 2023 overall contact rate of 89%. He rarely misses in-zone (94%), rarely misses a fastball (97%) and also makes life difficult on pitchers by mostly staying within the strike zone on his swing decisions. Schanuel has solid power, but he’s a pure hitter first, who will hit for average, get on base, minimize his strikeouts and let his home runs come naturally. Schanuel is limited to a corner profile, but he’s a deft defender at first base and a below-average runner. He’s the top first base prospect in the class and should go in the back of the first round or shortly thereafter.

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12. Diamondbacks

Pick: Tommy Troy
School: Stanford
Position: 2B/3B

Instant Analysis: Troy pushed his way up draft boards with his performance, batting .392/.476/.696 in 293 plate appearances this season. He’s been a strong performer the last two years, including a strong summer with wood bats on the Cape last summer. There’s no one big carrying tool with Troy that grades out as a 70 or even a 60 on the 20-80 scale, but the D-backs are betting on his offensive ability to play somewhere in the dirt.

Scouting Report: Troy projected to be a fourth- or fifth-round pick out of Los Gatos (Calif.) High, but the shortened 2020 draft and his strong commitment to Stanford led him to reach campus. He started all three years in Stanford’s infield, starred in the Cape Cod League and led the Cardinal to three consecutive College World Series in his decorated career, which he capped by batting .392/.476/.696 with a career-high 17 home runs this spring. Troy isn’t particularly big at 5-foot-10, 197 pounds, but he’s a polished, steady performer who keeps improving. He has a compact, tight righthanded swing geared for line drives and makes consistent hard contact up the middle. He has quick hands, solid bat speed and rarely misses a fastball. Troy does have some swing-and-miss tendencies against secondary pitches, but he’s a disciplined hitter who knows the strike zone and stays within himself. He has surprising power for his size and will flash plus power to his pull side, but his approach and swing are more geared for contact. Troy is an above-average runner and a good athlete who has capably played second base, shortstop and third base for Stanford. He projects to be an average second baseman with average arm strength who can fill in at shortstop as needed. Troy is an exceptionally hard worker with advanced instincts and makes a lot of heads-up plays. He projects to be an everyday infielder who hits near the top of a lineup and should be selected in the first round.

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13. Cubs

Pick: Matt Shaw
School: Maryland
Position: SS

Instant Analysis: With the 13th pick in the draft, the Cubs take the No. 13 player on our board. Three strong seasons of performance at Maryland coupled with a .360/.432/.574 line in 155 plate appearances last summer in the Cape Cod League have helped Shaw rise up draft boards. He doesn’t have one loud standout tool and he’s probably moving off shortstop—second base could be a fit—but it’s the bat the Cubs are banking on here.

Scouting Report: A highly-competitive middle infielder, Shaw started his career as the everyday second baseman for Maryland as a freshman in 2021, before assuming the starting shortstop role in his sophomore year. Shaw has been a powerful hitter throughout his collegiate career and broke Maryland’s program home run record in 2023, while also blitzing through the Cape Cod League in 2022, where he ranked as the No. 1 prospect. He is listed at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, but has significantly more strength than you’d expect from that frame thanks to snap-quick hands and immense wrist and forearm strength. He hit .344/.447/.695 in 61 games in 2023, with 23 home runs and 20 doubles, a 13.8% walk rate and 13.5% strikeout rate. Shaw has a closed stance and large leg kick but his bat speed and strength allow him to drive the ball to all fields with authority and he wore out the right-center gap with home run power as a junior, with a 90th percentile exit velocity around 107 mph. After struggling with contact against secondaries as a freshman and sophomore, Shaw improved significantly in that area in 2023, though he does still expand the strike zone a bit too much. He’s an above-average runner with standout baserunning instincts and went 18-for-19 (94.7%) on the bases in 2023. Shaw should have the defensive ability to stick on the infield, but there’s skepticism that shortstop is his long-term home. He should be fine as a serviceable second baseman with fringe-average arm strength.

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14. Red Sox

Pick: Kyle Teel
School: Virginia
Position: C

Instant Analysis: The Red Sox land the top catching prospect in the draft with Teel, who ranks No. 10 overall on our board, hit .407/.475/.655 this season and projects to stick behind the plate. There are some big movements to his swing that some scouts think could get him into trouble against better pitching, but his offensive performance, athleticism and ability to play a premium position are all appealing.

Scouting Report: Teel was a standout high school prospect who would have ranked among the top 100 players in the class had he not withdrawn from the draft at the time. Teel split time as a catcher and outfielder with Virginia in 2021, but moved into an everyday catching role in 2022 and 2023 and also served as Team USA’s catcher during the 2022 summer. Teel was named ACC player of the year in 2023 and he hit .407/.475/.655, with 13 home runs and 25 doubles. A 6-foot-1, 190-pound lefthanded hitter, Teel has plenty of bat speed and takes extremely aggressive, violent hacks with plenty of moving parts in his setup. He has a large leg kick with a significant hand hitch in his load, but has also developed a solid track record of both contact and on-base skills. Teel has homered to all fields in college, but he has more fringe-average power projections in pro ball. Teel’s standout athleticism should give him every opportunity to stick behind the plate, and he has easy plus arm strength that should be an asset at the position as well. He’s thrown out 33.3% of basestealers for his career and turns in pop times around 1.90 seconds at his best, though his footwork and accuracy could be improved. He folds up well behind the plate and is a quick lateral mover on dirt balls, and he’s improved significantly as a receiver since his freshman year. He’s a good runner for a catcher and is the consensus top college catcher in the class.

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15. White Sox

Pick: Jacob Gonzalez
School: Mississippi
Position: SS

Instant Analysis: Gonzalez has been one of the better pure hitters in college baseball since his freshman year at Ole Miss, albeit without the purest swing. He’s a .319/.427/.561 career hitter with more walks (123) than strikeouts (94) for his career and in each of his three college seasons. There are still questions that scouts have with Gonzalez on the swing itself and where he fits best defensively—but the White Sox land one of the top college performers still on the board.

Scouting Report: Gonzalez was a top-300 prospect out of Glendora (Calif.) High in 2020 who stood out for his multi-sport athleticism and powerful lefthanded swing. He went unselected and made his way to campus at Mississippi, where he’s been the starting shortstop since he stepped on campus, helped lead the team to a 2022 College World Series championship and was also selected to Team USA’s Collegiate National Team in back-to-back years. A strong and physical, 6-foot-2, 200-pound lefthanded hitter, Gonzalez has hit .319/.427/.561 through 186 games in his Ole Miss career, with 40 home runs and standout zone control skills. He is a patient and selective hitter who pairs a keen eye with solid pure bat-to-ball skills, evidenced by his 14.3% career walk rate, 10.9% career strikeout rate and an 84% contact rate in 2023. Gonzalez has above-average power potential, though his swing is a bit unorthodox and he’s been a pull-heavy hitter throughout his career. Gonzalez has a coiled upper half with his shoulders pointed toward first base, but he has an open stance with his lower half and doesn’t always get fully back to an even position at contact. In college he’s had no trouble extending his hands on the outer third and yanking balls to the pull side, though scouts wonder how he’ll handle both quality velocity and offspeed pitches on the outer rail in pro ball. Gonzalez is a 30-grade runner who takes a long time to get up to speed and because of that—and his size—scouts wonder if he’ll slide over to third base. He does have a lengthy track record as a reliable defender at shortstop, with good hands and above-average arm strength. If a team thinks he can stick at shortstop, Gonzalez offers an intriguing blend of impact, contact ability and on-base skill at a premium position with a low-pulse demeanor that should excel in a pro environment.

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16. Giants

Pick: Bryce Eldridge
School: Madison HS, Vienna, Va. 
Position: 1B/RHP

Instant Analysis: Going into last summer, I thought Eldridge was one of the best high school pitchers in the class. By the end of the year, scouts were coming back saying he’s one of the best position prospects in the country. He’s a legit two-way talent who I hope gets the chance to continue to develop both as a hitter (where he has huge lefthanded power) and as a pitcher, where he’s been up to 96 mph with likely more in the tank.

Scouting Report: Entering the 2022 summer, Eldridge was viewed as a high-upside pitching prospect who also happened to have intriguing raw power as a hitter. After going ballistic with Team USA’s gold-medal winning 18U national team and winning MVP of the World Cup, Eldridge is one of the top two-way prospects in the class with a similar profile to a righthanded-throwing Spencer Jones. Eldridge is an imposing figure on the mound with a 6-foot-7, 233-pound frame and works with a solid delivery and three-quarter slot. He’s added velocity as he’s added strength to his frame, and sits in the low 90s while touching as high as 96. He throws with a downhill plane thanks to his height, inducing plenty of ground balls with his fastball, slider and changeup. The slider and curveball will occasionally blend together in the low 80s, and his mid-80s changeup was infrequently thrown and needs more feel. Eldridge repeats his delivery well and throws quality strikes thanks to excellent athleticism and body control. As a hitter, Eldridge has massive raw power that is near the best in the prep class. He’s shown the ability to access that power in games to all fields, and while there’s a bit of swing-and-miss he is viewed as a legitimate first round bat given his power upside despite profiling as a first baseman with well below-average speed. He can play fine defense at first with a large target. Eldridge dealt with an ankle injury this spring, and is committed to Alabama.

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17. Orioles

Pick: Enrique Bradfield
School: Vanderbilt
Position: OF

Instant Analysis: Once he signs, Bradfield immediately becomes one of the best defensive center fielders in professional baseball. He’s an 80 runner, gets great reads off the bat and takes crisp routes to the ball with terrific range. How much offensive impact Bradfield will ever have is the question. He hit .279/.410/.429 in 299 plate appearances this season, showing good strike-zone discipline and bat control with more walks than strikeouts in each of his three seasons at Vanderbilt, albeit without much power.

Scouting Report: Bradfield has tormented batteries with his blazing speed since his prep days with American Heritage High in Plantation, Fla., where he ranked as the No. 66 player in the 2020 class. Since getting to campus at Vanderbilt, he’s lived up to his reputation as a dynamic, disruptive speedster and lockdown center fielder who has hit .313/.427/.450 in 190 games with 130 stolen bases at a 90.9% success rate. Bradfield is a lean and skinny, 6-foot-1, 170-pound lefthanded hitter who has a level bat path that’s conducive to line drives and ground balls. He has a strong understanding of the strike zone and has walked at a 14.7% rate, struck out at a 13.5% rate and in 2023 made contact at an 87% rate. Brafield projects as a 30-grade power hitter in pro ball, but has sneaky exit velocities—an 87 mph average exit velocity in 2023—considering his size and overall home run production. Bradfield is an 80-grade runner who should pepper ground balls, line drives and drop bunts for infield singles, with consistently high BABIP numbers and elite baserunning. His speed translates to center field, where he’s also a top-of-the-scale defender who covers massive swaths of ground, with great instincts albeit a below-average arm. Bradfield has a polarizing profile and has much less power than the average first round college outfielder, but he’s also a potential Gold Glove winner and stolen base champion who earns Juan Pierre comps.

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18. Brewers

Pick: Brock Wilken
School: Wake Forest
Position: 3B

Instant Analysis: No surprise to see the Brewers continue to go the college route with their top pick. Wilken has some of the biggest raw power in the draft. Wake Forest is a favorable park for hitters, but Wilken’s power is big enough to hit the ball out to any part of any ballpark. It is a power-over-hit profile, though he cut down on his swing-and-miss against offspeed stuff in 2023, alleviating some concerns about his pure hitting ability. There’s risk he ends up at first base too, so what Wilken does in the batter’s box is what will ultimately drive his value.

Scouting Report: Wilken ranked as the No. 354 prospect in the 2020 class out of high school, when scouts saw him as a power-hitting righthander who had a chance to develop 70-grade power in the future. Those evaluations were prescient, and Wilken made it to Wake Forest where he has become a massive 6-foot-4, 225-pound slugger and one of the preeminent home run hitters in college baseball. Wilken has amassed 71 home runs over three seasons, with a .299/.419/.679 career slash line over 173 games. During his 2023 draft season, he hit over .300 for the first time in his career, set Wake Forest’s single-season home run record with 31, became the career home run leader for the program and finished No. 2 in the country for total home runs. Wilken has 70-grade raw power. He can launch a baseball out of any park, from foul pole to foul pole, and in 2023 he posted a 94.6 mph average exit velocity and 108.1 mph 90th percentile exit velocity. That power does come with questions about his pure hitting ability, though Wilken in 2023 attempted to answer those questions by hitting for the highest average of his career, nearly doubling his walk rate from 2022 and significantly improving his contact vs. sliders—which he previously whiffed on at an alarming rate. Wilken has some tools that could play nicely at third base, including fine hands and a 60-grade throwing arm, but his lateral mobility is a question, he struggles to stay low to the ground at times and he’s also a well-below average runner. There’s plenty of first base-only risk here, though he has more than enough power for that slide down the defensive spectrum.

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19. Rays

Pick: Brayden Taylor
School: TCU
Position: 3B

Instant Analysis: Taylor has posted big OBPs for TCU since his freshman year. It’s a loose, easy lefthanded swing with good strike-zone discipline, and while his power was in question coming into the year, he hit 23 home runs this year, nearly as many as he hit the previous two seasons combined. Other than potentially his hitting ability, there isn’t another plus tool with Taylor, but if he can be a high OBP hitter with a bag of 50 tools across the board, this could be good value for the Rays landing him in the back half of the first round.

Scouting Report: Taylor possesses one of the most keen batting eyes in the 2023 draft class, and is a savvy hitter with plenty of contact ability and on-base skill. He’s been one of the most productive hitters in the Big 12 throughout his three-year career with Texas Christian and after a slow start in 2023, finished hot offensively and slashed .308/.430/.631 with a career-best 23 home runs in his junior draft season. The carrying tool with Taylor is his approach and swing decisions. He has a career 18.6% walk rate and 16.4% strikeout rate, and in 2023 chased out of the zone just 20% of the time, but he’s also not just a passive hitter who’s looking to draw walks. Taylor knows which pitches he can do damage on, knows the strike zone better than most umpires and he’s comfortable hitting behind in the count—which allows him to be selective and also optimize the power he has. Taylor is a skinny third baseman with a 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame and he has just solid-average raw power and modest exit velocities, but he creates excellent angles off the bat, consistently backspins the ball and has plenty of pull-side pop. Taylor has just average secondary tools, and should be a fine defender at either third base or second base at the next level, with reliable hands and average arm strength. He’s a solid runner but has plus baserunning instincts with a 97.4% (38-for-39) stolen base success rate.

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20. Blue Jays

Pick: Arjun Nimmala
School: Strawberry Crest HS, Dover, Fla.
Position: SS

Instant Analysis: Nimmala has big, big upside. He has a long, rangy frame with a high waist and is already able to drive the ball with startling impact from right-center over to his pull side. He’s also extremely young; he could easily fit as a 2024 prospect. There might be 30-plus home run upside here, but that power also comes with swing-and-miss risk. If he can keep that in check, Nimmala has a chance to develop into an impact, power-hitting shortstop, but the approach and contact will be the keys to watch in pro ball.

Scouting Report: Nimmala is one of the youngest players in the 2023 class and will still be 17 on draft day. He stood out as an underclassman for his impressive defensive aptitude in the middle infield, but as he’s added strength to his wiry frame, his tools have taken a jump and so has his draft stock. A 6-foot-1, 170-pound shortstop, Nimmala has plus bat speed and takes aggressive swings. He showed shockingly good raw power throughout the summer in batting practice for a player of his current size and physicality, with quick-twitch hands and a whippy bat that allow him to make impressive impact now, with plus raw power a possibility as he fills out. He generates impressive power with a quick turn, but his approach and contact ability need continued refinement. He expands the zone too frequently, and while he’s capable of driving both fastballs and breaking balls, he’ll also get too steep with his bat path and swing under pitches, as well as wave over them below the zone. He should stick at shortstop in pro ball, where he has the requisite actions and arm strength for the position. He’s a bouncy athlete who moves well to both sides and has solid hands, though he’s more of an average runner and often is slow to get out of the box and down the first base line. Some scouts who like him have placed Alfonso Soriano comps on Nimmala, as a power-hitting infielder. He’s committed to Florida State.

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21. Cardinals

Pick: Chase Davis
School: Arizona
Position: OF

Instant Analysis: If the progress Davis made this spring carries over into pro ball, the Cardinals getting him at No. 21 overall could end up being an excellent pick. Davis has long stood out for his raw power, but swing-and-miss issues hampered him through last year. That wasn’t the case this year with Davis, who had a huge year for Arizona with one of the better mixes of contact, selectivity and power. He’s a corner outfielder, so there’s less positional value than with some of the college hitters who went ahead of him, but Davis might have a greater chance to develop into a middle-of-the-lineup hitter.

Scouting Report: Davis was a toolshed prospect coming out of high school who boasted standout physicality and athleticism as well as plus arm strength and raw power potential. He was one of the highest-ranked players to make it to campus, but didn’t play everyday with Arizona until 2022, when he slashed .289/.414/.583 with 18 home runs. That led to a Team USA trials roster invitation following the season. Davis is a chiseled, 6-foot-1, 216-pound outfielder who has big-time raw power thanks to impressive bat speed and strength. Prior to the 2023 season, that power came with real swing-and-miss questions. He had just a 68% contact rate in the first two seasons of his career, but course-corrected in a sensational 2023 season where he hit .362/.489/.742 with 21 home runs, a career-low 14.4% strikeout rate and an overall contact rate that surged to 80%. Davis didn’t sacrifice any power to get there either, with all-fields power and the same loud exit velocities he normally produces. Davis’ increased contact ability has amplified his offensive profile, which already started with a strong feel for the zone and plus raw power. Davis has mostly played left field for Arizona, and he’s an above-average runner who should be a solid defender in a corner. He has one of the better throwing arms in the class, a 70-grade cannon capable of halting runners in their tracks, and profiles nicely in right field in pro ball. Davis remains a divisive prospect, perhaps given his history of contact questions, but at the high end he’s viewed as a mid-first round talent.

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22. Mariners

Pick: Colt Emerson
School: Glenn HS, New Concord, Ohio
Position: SS

Instant Analysis: Emerson has long stood out as one of the better lefthanded hitters in the 2023 class. It’s a sound, compact swing, an accurate barrel and a mature approach, especially for one of the younger players in the class. There’s a good chance he ultimately ends up moving off shortstop to somewhere else in the infield, but there are some similarities here to the Mariners’ first-round pick last year, Cole Young.

Scouting Report: Emerson pushed up draft boards during the fall after a strong summer showcase season. He excelled in Perfect Game’s Jupiter tournament and also was the third-best hitter on USA Baseball’s gold medal-winning 18U team, where he played third base, slashed .360/.515/.520 and walked more than he struck out. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound infielder is a pure hitter, with a smooth and compact lefthanded swing that stays in the zone a long time. Scouts rave about the repeatability and balance of his swing, as Emerson maintains a consistent posture throughout his operation, with a steady head and few unnecessary movements. His barrel manipulation is apparent, and he has a savvy ability to square up the baseball in different quadrants of the strike zone, with good timing vs. all pitch types. On top of his hand-eye coordination, Emerson’s understanding of the strike zone is also advanced. In a 214-pitch sample with Synergy, he missed at just a 16% rate and chased out of the zone at a 15% rate. While he’s much more of a hit-over-power profile currently, he did put on plenty of good weight in the offseason, and started hitting the ball harder and further in the spring. Emerson has turned in above-average run times, but is more of an average runner who has a chance to stick at shortstop with solid arm strength or slide over to either second or third base. He’s on the younger side of the class, will be 17 on draft day and is committed to Auburn.

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23. Guardians

Pick: Ralphy Velazquez
School: Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS
Position: C

Instant Analysis: The Guardians get one of the top offensive threats in the high school class with Velazquez, who offers an enticing mix of hitting ability and power. He has a tight, powerful lefthanded stroke, doesn’t chase much and keeps his barrel through the hitting zone a long time, which, along with his approach and power, helps him drive the ball with impact both to the pull side and the opposite way. Will he stay behind the plate? Maybe, though even in what seems like the more likely scenario that he doesn’t, he could have the type of offensive game that would fit at first base, too.

Scouting Report: Velazquez has stood out from a young age with a fluid lefthanded swing that is quick, compact and powerful. He led Huntington Beach (Calif.) High to a National High School Invitational title this spring and finished his decorated prep tenure with 23 career home runs while playing some of the best competition in the country. Velazquez has a physical 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame and generates above-average power with his natural strength and solid bat speed. He has a good feel for picking out pitches to drive and sends towering drives over the right field fence with impressive ease. Velazquez doesn’t have to sell out to get to his power and consistently takes good swings against good pitching. He’s a mature, patient hitter who rarely expands the strike zone and has the hand-eye coordination, balance and pitch recognition to be at least an average hitter. Velazquez is one of the best prep hitters in the draft class, but his defense raises questions. He’s a well below-average runner whose lateral mobility, blocking and overall athleticism behind the plate are all below-average and need improvement. He sets up well and has the hand strength to stick pitches in the strike zone, providing some optimism he can stay behind the plate and avoid a move to first base. He has plus arm strength and a strong work ethic. Velazquez is committed to Arizona State but is signable. He projects to be selected in the top two rounds on the strength of his bat.

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24. Braves

Pick: Hurston Waldrep
School: Florida
Position: RHP

Instant Analysis: Waldrep has some of the filthiest stuff in the draft. It’s a potential frontline starter repertoire with a diverse array of pitches that could be 60s or 70s on the 20-80 scouting scale. Yet Waldrep was an up-and-down performer in 2023, and he issued 5.0 BB/9 this spring. It’s not a mystery why Waldrep was still available this late into the first round, but whether it’s pitch selection, a mechanical adjustment or another change that the Braves can help Waldrep make to unlock his potential, the upside here is obvious as well.

Scouting Report: Waldrep drew some interest from Georgia area scouts out of high school in 2020, but he made it to campus at Southern Mississippi, and struck out 140 batters in just 90 innings in 2022—the eighth-most strikeouts of any Division I arm. Following the season, Waldrep pitched with Team USA and transferred to Florida, where in 2023 he posted a 4.16 ERA over 101.2 innings, with a 34.7% strikeout rate and 12.7% walk rate. Waldrep is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound righthander who attacks hitters with electric arm speed and some of the best pure stuff in the class. However, his delivery also features plenty of violence and movement, with a drop-and-drive lower half, a deep and long arm stroke that turns into an artificial, over-the-top slot thanks to a significant tilt, with plenty of head whack and recoil in his finish. That delivery and Waldrep’s track record as a below-average strike thrower add considerable reliever risk to his profile, but his pitch mix counters that with tantalizing upside potential. His fastball sits 95-96 mph and has been up to 99 mph and he has a trio of secondaries that are all now swing-and-miss offerings. His upper-80s split-changeup is a vicious pitch that completely falls off the table as it approaches the plate with 1,200 rpm spin and around 14 inches of IVB separation from his fastball. He also throws a downer, 12-to-6 curveball in the low 80s and a hard, mid-80s slider. He flashes four plus offerings, but he sprays his fastball consistently and will need to throw the ball over the plate more frequently in pro ball to stick as a starter.

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25. Padres

Pick: Dillon Head
School: Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Flossmoor, Ill.
Position: OF

Instant Analysis: Athleticism, premium position, strong bat-to-ball skills from the left side . . . there are a lot of attributes to like with Head. There’s some occasional surprising power that Head will show to his pull side, but it’s more of a hit-over-power offensive game with added value that comes from his plus-plus speed that enables him to cover a lot of ground in center field.

Scouting Report: About 28 miles south of Chicago, Homewood-Flossmoor High has produced its fair share of professional athletes. Head looks to join that list in July. Blessed with a lot of natural athletic ability, the 6-foot, 180-pound outfielder brings a variety of tools to the table that can be menacing to any opponent. Head has made some adjustments in his setup from a year ago that has served him well this spring. Supporting a high leg kick as his timing device last summer, Head has cut it down substantially, and now takes a minimal stride forward. By doing this, his timing and balance have improved, and he is now in a better position at front foot strike to let his hands work. Scouts marvel at Head’s ability to spray the ball around the field and admire his “hit it where it’s pitched” approach. He projects to be a line drive/gap bat at the next level, though he does possess strength to the pull side, and can leave the yard when he gets extended. He does operate with a bit of a bat wrap in his swing, but enough bat speed is there to overcome it right now. A 70-grade runner, Head gets out of the box quickly and should be a stolen base threat and high-BABIP player. He covers plenty of ground in center field and has above-average or plus arm strength with good accuracy as well. Head is committed to Clemson but is generating top-two round draft attention.

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26. Yankees

Pick: George Lombard Jr.
School: Gulliver Prep HS, Miami
Position: SS

Instant Analysis: Lombard just seems to get better in every aspect going back to his junior season of high school. Up until that point, he was a solid prospect but didn’t look like a future first-round pick. Since then he has grown taller, gotten stronger, faster, added more power, improved his swing and become a more crisp defender at shortstop. He’s long had a high baseball IQ—no surprise given his father—but the continued, consistent upward trend of his game both offensively and defensively is an encouraging sign and vaulted him into the first round.

Scouting Report: Lombard Jr. is the son of George Lombard, a second-round pick in 1994 who played six seasons in the big leagues as an outfielder and now is the bench coach for the Tigers. Unsurprisingly given his background, Lombard Jr. is a savvy, fundamentally sound player with strong all-around instincts for the game. He’s also one of the younger players in the class and only turned 18 in early June. Lombard Jr. showed more strength last summer than he had in the past, which translated to more power and better run times during the showcase circuit, where he hit .365/.435/.554 with a pair of home runs and eight doubles in 29 logged games. He slows the game down on both sides of the ball and at the plate and has a controlled and balanced but powerful swing that starts with a slow leg kick. There’s a bit of swing and miss in his game, but Lombard has done a nice job handling velocity, handling spin and doesn’t have any obvious holes at the plate. Previously a fringy runner, Lombard now turns in above-average and plus run times, and is a solid 55-grade runner with a fringy first step but good speed underway. He has solid actions in the middle infield and should have a chance to stick at shortstop with average arm strength, but as he fills out a 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame perhaps he fits better at third base. Lombard Jr. is committed to Vanderbilt.

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27. Phillies

Pick: Aidan Miller
School: Mitchell HS, New Port Richey, Fla.
Position: 3B

Instant Analysis: If Miller stayed healthy this spring, there’s a good chance he’s not available for the Phillies with this pick. Miller has long stood out as one of the most accomplished hitters in the 2023 prep class, with outstanding bat speed and big power from the right side. The injury creates more risk here—there’s just going to be less certainty in your forecast with a player where most of the evaluation is coming from last summer—but it speaks to how well Miller played back then that he’s still going in the first round.

Scouting Report: One of the most decorated high school players in the class, Miller has represented Team USA on its 12U, 15U and 18U national teams. He won gold with both the 15U and 18U teams and led the 2022 18U team in hitting (.478). He is one of the best pure hitters in the high school class and has thunderous bat speed, a sound approach, advanced understanding of the strike zone and plus raw power projections—making him a fairly complete offensive player. Miller’s swing is a bit unique, featuring a sizable leg kick and a significant hitch and barrel tip in his load, but his hand speed and natural timing are more than enough to make it work. He is consistently on time at contact, with excellent balance and a steady head throughout the swing—with some of the most impressive track record of performance you’ll find in the class. Miller wasn’t able to add much to that resume this spring, as he dealt with a hamate injury and missed a significant amount of game time. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound third baseman has average defensive ability at the hot corner, with a plus arm that could be an asset at the position. He’s played the outfield corners at times and could profile there given his offensive upside if the game speeds up on him too much at the next level. Miller is old for the class and will be 19 on draft day, as well as an eligible-sophomore in 2025 if he makes it to campus at Arkansas.

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28. Astros

Pick: Brice Matthews
School: SS
Position: Nebraska

Instant Analysis: The Astros make what’s probably going to be one of the more polarizing picks in the first round. Some scouts preferred Matthews in the third round, some even later than that, and he’s No. 57 on the Baseball America board. He also had a big year for Nebraska, batting .359/.481/.723 in 54 games, should play somewhere in the middle of the field and produced impressive exit velocities with good plate coverage.

Scouting Report: During the 2023 season Matthews became the first player in Nebraska history to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases. He had a solid season in 2022, when he hit .261/.379/.476 with seven home runs, but made impressive adjustments during his draft year while drawing heavy scouting attention. Scouts marvel at the athleticism and tool set he brings, which can impact a game in multiple ways. A righthanded hitter with a 6-foot, 190-pound frame, Matthews destroyed pitches in almost every quadrant of the strike zone, and his loose, lightning-quick set of hands generated exit velocities up to 113 mph. Most of his heavy damage is to the pull side, but he has shown the ability to drive the ball the other way on pitches out and over the plate. Defensively, Matthews has the ability to stay at shortstop long term. He has the range, quickness and requisite arm strength for the position. He did commit 21 fielding errors this season and had a .900 fielding percentage, so if he’s not able to improve his consistency at the next level, scouts have considered him as a potential center fielder, where his above-average speed, arm, instincts and range could all translate nicely. With an up-the-middle profile and power/speed combination, he’s put himself into top-three rounds consideration.

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29. Mariners

Pick: Jonny Farmelo
School: Westfield HS, Chantilly, Va.
Position: OF

Instant Analysis: There’s a lot to like with Farmelo. There’s lefthanded hittability, fast bat speed, more physical projection remaining and quick-twitch athleticism from a plus-plus runner who should be able to handle center field. He’s a different type of player than shortstop Colt Emerson, whom the Mariners drafted seven picks earlier, but that’s two athletic, advanced lefthanded hitters who should stay in the middle of the field from the 2023 prep ranks to start their draft.

Scouting Report: Farmelo is a well-rounded, lefthanded-hitting outfielder who continued to grow on scouts throughout the summer and fall thanks to his hitting ability and solid set of tools. Listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Farmelo is well-built with a lean and athletic frame and has a smooth and slightly uphill lefthanded swing that starts with a quick toe-tap. He manages his at-bats well, makes plenty of contact and tracks the ball well out of the pitcher’s hand with strong balance and minimal movement in his load. His pitch recognition, ability to handle velocity, bat speed and pure contact ability indicate potential above-average hitting ability and he should have solid power as well, even if he’s more of a gap hitter than a true slugger. His swing currently seems optimized for hard hit line drives and ground balls, but he’ll occasionally showcase solid raw power in batting practice and seems to consistently put the barrel on the ball in games. He’s a plus-plus runner who clocked a 6.36-second 60-yard dash in 2022 at the East Coast Pro, and he gets out of the box in a flash, with consistent 70-grade home-to-first times. Farmelo has all the tools to be an above-average defender in center field, with great range and above-average arm strength as well. He has taken balls at shortstop this spring with Westfield High, but his actions in the dirt make it clear his future is in the grass. He could be a tough sign out of a Virginia commitment, but is getting top-50 pick buzz.

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Technically, the Mets at No. 32 and the Dodgers at No. 36 are not first-round picks. However, since neither club has a first-round pick, these are the first selections for those teams, so our analysis and scouting reports on those players are below to cover the top draft picks for all 30 organizations.

32. Mets

Pick: Colin Houck
School: Parkview HS, Lilburn, Ga.
Position: SS

Instant Analysis: Houck was No. 21 on our rankings and it would not have been a surprise if he had gone in the top half of the first round. You could make a case that Houck is a better prospect than 2022 high school shortstop Jett Williams was going into that draft when the Mets picked him at 14th overall, and the Mets were able to get Houck just outside the first round. He’s consistently performed well at the plate with a good balance of hitting ability and power while standing out as one of the better athletes in the class.

Scouting Report: Houck had one of the most impressive summers of any player in the high school class, and showed impact ability as a hitter, runner and defender on the left side of the infield. In addition to his baseball skill, Houck is a three-star quarterback for Parkview High and during his senior season threw for over 2,100 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has a simple rigthhanded swing with a small leg kick and otherwise minimal movement in the box, with impressive bat speed and a clean path through the zone. He had a tremendous East Coast Pro showing, where he hammered mid-90s fastball velocity to both gaps and also showed an ability to sit back and drive breaking stuff and offspeed pitches. He’s a polished hitter who only proved his hitting chops over the showcase circuit and hit .487/.589/.981 this spring with eight home runs. While most of Houck’s in-game power has been gap oriented and mostly of the doubles and triples variety, he does show the ability to turn on pitches and homer to the pull side, with average or better power potential in the future as he fills out his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame. Houck has impact potential as a defender. He moves well laterally and has turned in plus run times, with the quick-twitch athleticism and reflexes to make highlight-reel plays to go with above-average arm strength. He should be a solid defensive shortstop or potential plus defender at third base if he fills out and needs to slide to the corner. He’s committed to Mississippi State, but is a first-round talent now.

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36. Dodgers

Pick: Kendall George
School: Atascocita HS, Humble, Tex.
Position: OF

Instant Analysis: George is the No. 114 prospect on Baseball America’s rankings. He’s not an unknown hideout player either, as he was seen fairly extensively over the last two years. George is a true 80 runner, a small but explosive player who can turn routine grounders into infield singles or stretch singles into doubles. He makes a lot of contact and doesn’t chase much, though his power is limited and it doesn’t seem like that will ever be a big part of his game. George is a good prospect, but seeing the Dodgers draft him here is surprising.

Scouting Report: George is a small and skinny, 5-foot-11, 165-pound outfielder, but what he lacks in size and power, he makes up for with quickness, explosiveness and some of the best pure speed in the 2023 draft class. He could hang in a foot race with almost anyone in the class and routinely turns in 80-grade run times in the 3.9-4.0-second range from home to first, and it’s not uncommon to see him post lower run times than that on jailbroken swings. While George won’t threaten to hit many balls over the fence, he’s a pesky and difficult hitter to get out, with a contact-oriented stroke from the left side and both a strong batting eye and bat-to-ball skills. He’s always a threat to lay down a bunt and is proficient in that area, and can slap the ball around to all fields effectively. The center fielder for Team USA’s gold medal-winning 18U National Team, George was second on the team with a .364 average, went 5-for-5 in stolen bases and also walked six times to just one strikeout. His elite speed gives him easy plus range in center field where he should be an impactful defender with below-average arm strength. While they have different body types, George could compare reasonably to 2023 classmate Enrique Bradfield Jr., an outfielder at Vanderbilt who shares a similar all-around profile, though George has a bit more strength and a bit less defensive polish compared to Bradfield at the same age.

In this edition of the mock draft, I’ve included a section for “Dart Throw Later Picks.” You’ll notice that some teams’ remain empty. That’s by design, and they’ll have names added throughout the weekend.

Last year, Baseball America correctly predicted eight of the first 40 picks (8.5 if we get credit for Owen Murphy going to the Braves but with the wrong pick, but who’s counting?), which is good for a .200 average that can’t even be passed off as a good number among baseball folks. 

Still, I’d be lying if I told you I wouldn’t be happy hitting .200 again this year. Enough rambling, let’s get into the mock. Here’s what I’ve been hearing:

1. Pirates — Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida

Slot Value: $9,721,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $16,185,700

Three days out from the draft and I still don’t have a ton of confidence in which direction the Pirates are going. The one consistent rumor that seems to be swirling for the Pirates in the last 48 hours or so is that Dylan Crews is not the pick here. So, for the first time, we’re going with a different name. I initially had Wyatt Langford in this spot, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear his name called, but there’s a compelling case for the Pirates to take Skenes, and there’s been enough buzz with the righthander that he’s my best bet at the moment despite the difficulty of picking between the two. We’ve continued to hear Max Clark’s name floated here, and some in the industry think the Pirates could still go toward the prep route, which presumably means Walker Jenkins—whom the Pirates scouted heavily all spring—could also be in play. The college names feel more likely, though I would be lying if I told you I had more confidence in this pick today than I did a month ago. The opposite is probably true.

Update: Two days ago Paul Skenes was the name being talked about. Yesterday it was Wyatt Langford. I think Pittsburgh will call each of their actual targets just before the draft today and see who is willing to sign for their number. If that’s true, it’s impossible to truly rule out any of the top five players in this class. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: LHP Alexander Clemmey

2. Nationals — Paul Skenes, RHP, Louisiana State

Slot Value: $8,998,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $14,502,400

We’ve continued to hear that the Nationals are highly interested in Paul Skenes, and if the Pirates don’t take the massive righthander 1-1 I still expect him to be the pick here. In this scenario he’s not available, and I think the Nationals would probably still be happy to take the No. 1 player on the BA draft board in Crews. If neither of the LSU teammates is selected with the first pick I would probably still lean Skenes over Crews, though it seems like the Nationals do like both players quite a bit. The top high school players don’t come up all that often here.

Update: This is the one pick the industry seems to have any confidence in. If Skenes is available, it sounds like he’s the name. If he goes No. 1, it sounds like Dylan Crews. With the flip to Langford at No. 1 in the final mock, Skenes is available.

Dart Throw Later Picks: 3B Trent Caraway; OF Jake Cunningham

3. Tigers — Dylan Crews, OF, Louisiana State

Slot Value: $8,341,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $15,747,200

It’s been difficult to get a read on Detroit’s draft room, though it should be positioned nicely to take whichever elite college player is available. It sounds like Crews doesn’t fall past No. 3 if he doesn’t go in either of the first two spots, and with $15.7 million in pool money, the Tigers can outspend anyone in this draft outside of Pittsburgh—and they have quite a bit more pool money to spend than the Rangers, who pick right behind them.

Update: I’m going with Crews here with Wyatt Langford and Paul Skenes going 1-2. It does seem like the top high school bats are in consideration for this pick as well, which makes sense, but I hadn’t heard much specifically until last night. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP Jonathan Rogers

4. Rangers — Max Clark, OF, Franklin (Ind.) Community HS

Slot Value: $7,698,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $9,925,300

A number of sources in the industry  expect the Rangers to choose Walker Jenkins if he makes it to this pick, and that feels like the safe pick for Texas here, though there’s some thought that Max Clark could actually be the prep outfielder here as well. However, Texas does have just the 16th largest bonus pool despite picking No. 4 overall, and just a year ago it showed everyone that you should never feel comfortable about the direction it is headed. It would be impossible to fully discount an underslot option if the Rangers want to try to spread their money around a bit more. It sounds like Arjun Nimmala and Enrique Bradfield are two players further down the board they like, and both players are ranked higher than Kumar Rocker was at this time a year ago.

Update: It’s extremely difficult to pick between the two high school outfielders here, particularly after hearing the Walker Jenkins link all spring. Lately it’s been more Max Clark, so I’ll default to the newer info.

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP Jonathan Rogers; OF Devin Saltiban

5. Twins — Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick HS, Southport, N.C.

Slot Value: $7,139,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $14,345,600

The Twins have been tied to a variety of players with this pick and could take the draft in a number of different directions. Will the 2023 class be similar to 2019, where the top-tier talents all go inside the top five (six, in 2019) or will Minnesota go with someone else? There are a lot of college names tied to Minnesota, including Jacob Gonzalez, Jacob Wilson and Brayden Taylor, as well as Rhett Lowder, who’s the running favorite to be the first pitcher selected after Skenes. It’s entirely possible that the Twins simply sit here and take Max Clark (or Walker Jenkins, if he’s available), but I’ll go with Lowder for now. I wouldn’t entirely rule out the top prep righty in Noble Meyer but he also doesn’t feel like the most likely option.

Update: I previously had Rhett Lowder here, but I’m going back to one of the top five players in the class with this pick. There’s a decent amount of thought that Clark and Jenkins will go right after one another and that neither is likely to make it to No. 7, which I had previously mocked—I don’t have high confidence in which order the prep outfielders will go. I also have less confidence that Lowder is definitely the second college arm selected. Maybe going from 75% to around 50% if I had to try and quantify it. If the Twins do opt to pass on one of the top five, Jacob Wilson and Jacob Gonzalez feel like the most likely names. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Eric Bitonti; OF Grant Gray; SS Tai Peete; RHP Cole Schoenwetter

6. A’s — Brayden Taylor, 3B, Texas Christian

Slot Value: $6,634,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $14,255,600

It seems like Taylor has a significant number of landing spots from around this range and into the middle of the first round. Oakland gets tied to Max Clark, Rhett Lowder and Kyle Teel a  considerable amount, and Jacob Wilson could make sense as well. It’s mostly college names, plus Clark—though I don’t have any strong conviction about who leads this group of players. Scarcity at the position could make Lowder a decent option, but he’s gone in this scenario. 

Update: Sticking with Taylor here. It’s a link that continues to come up. Decision makers with the organization scouted him pretty heavily down the stretch, apparently.

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Luke Keaschall; RHP Laif Palmer

7. Reds — Kyle Teel, C, Virginia

Slot Value: $6,275,200 

Total Bonus Pool: $13,785,200

Clark gets rumored to more under or overslot deals than any player at the top of the first round. In this scenario it’s an overslot deal to the Reds, who have not been hesitant to pay up for a player who gets to a pick they probably shouldn’t. The Reds signed Cam Collier to a $5 million deal at pick 18 in 2022, which was a $1.34 million overslot deal. In 2021 they signed Matt McLain to a $4.63 million deal at pick 17, which was about $1 million over slot. In an era when it seems like most teams are hunting underslot deals, Cincinnati is clearly OK paying up to get a guy it likes. This is also the reason why many expect that No. 7 could be a landing spot for one of the big five to fall, rather than No. 6 to the A’s. If not Clark, many of the college players mentioned in front of this pick make sense, including Rhett Lowder and Kyle Teel. In a scenario where Walker Jenkins makes it here I feel like the Reds might do backflips to get him. 

Update: After going back to the top five players going inside the top five picks, I have the Reds taking the top catcher in the class here in Kyle Teel. It sounds like there’s some serious interest in Jacob Gonzalez here as well, though, and I also heard a Chase Dollander rumor on an under-slot deal. If the Reds do want a pitcher they have their choice of the non-Skenes arms in the class and given how the team has operated in trade deadline discussions that could be a priority for them in this draft and potentially with this pick. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: LHP Adler Cecil; OF Jake Cunningham

8. Royals — Blake Mitchell, C, Sinton (Texas) HS

Slot Value: $5,980,100 

Total Bonus Pool: $12,313,500

There are a lot of underslot rumors for the Royals here at No. 8. Whether that’s a function of draft philosophy or simply where they’ve found themselves on the board is a tougher question. Think back to 202,  when Kansas City pulled a surprise and took lefthander Frank Mozzicato at pick No. 7 and signed him to a $3.55 million deal for almost $2 million in savings. Texas catcher Blake Mitchell is the name that could make sense, though Mitchell is more highly regarded than Mozzicato at the time and I’m not sure how much savings that deal would net. He’s more of a split-camp sort of player given some teams’ aversion to prep catchers, but those who like Mitchell think he could be a star. Florida shortstop Adrian Santana could be another player they like, for this pick or a later one, and they are also linked with Noble Meyer, Rhett Lowder, Chase Dollander and the college hitting trio of Brayden Taylor, Jacob Wilson and Kyle Teel. There’s no shortage of options here and this could also be the high-water mark for Matt Shaw.

Update: No real update here, I’m sticking with Blake Mitchell because he’s so heavily associated with the club for this pick. If he doesn’t go here he could potentially slip down into the back of the first. All of the top arms could make sense here, too.

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Adrian Santana; RHP TJ Nichols

9. Rockies — Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest

Slot Value: $5,716,900 

Total Bonus Pool: $11,909,800

There’s a lot of buzz with college pitchers for the Rockies. Chase Dollander would represent a great value based on his preseason reputation and based on the simple fact that he might be the second most talented pitcher in the class. He didn’t post in the same way that Skenes and Lowder did, but many in the industry still believe he’ll quickly get back to the 2022 version of himself, who entered the year as the consensus top pitching prospect in the class. It doesn’t seem like Rhett Lowder would get much further than this pick if he’s on the board, and it seems like Lowder is a better bet to go among the top 10 than Dollander—though in this scenario three college arms go inside the top 10. There’s also some buzz here with Brayden Taylor and Enrique Bradfield.

Update: Now that I don’t have Lowder going at No. 5, I have him as the pick for the Rockies, though I do think there’s more of a chance that he could slip outside the top 10 today than I did two days ago. I’ve also been told that this could be Chase Dollander’s floor, but it now seems more likely that both pitchers could be available at this spot and I’m not sure which they would take given the option.

Dart Throw Later Picks:

10. Marlins — Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Mississippi

Slot Value: $5,475,300 

Total Bonus Pool: $12,829,600

Gonzalez could be off the board as high as No. 5, and there’s a chance he goes in the 5-10 range, but the Marlins are linked to him—as well as a number of college hitters and a few high school bats—here at 10. Miami has also beared down on Brayden Taylor and Matt Shaw, and they could be in play here as well. For the high school side, Arjun Nimmala could make sense, and lately there’s been some Colt Emerson chatter as well—both players seemingly get tied to the same teams, presumably for model-related factors like their extreme youth. 

Update: Colin Houck is another name that is mentioned with Miami that I didn’t mention in the previous edition. I think the previous blurb remains the case with the Marlins. It feels like a hitter and one of the most likely early landing spots for a prep shortstop if it’s not Gonzalez or Shaw here. There’s been some late buzz that Tommy Troy could try to get inside the top 10 on an under-slot deal, but I don’t have that happening in this mock. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Adrian Santana

11. Angels — Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee

Slot Value: $5,253,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $8,328,900

I’ve been hearing potential fast-moving college names with the Angels mostly, and there are more bats than pitchers mentioned, though presumably that’s more because of the supply than the demand. If Chase Dollander makes it this far he could make sense, and Hurston Waldrep also seems to fit what the Angels have done in recent years. There’s also been some thought that Waldrep could push up into the top 12. For hitters, Shaw is mentioned here and both Jacob Gonzalez and Enrique Bradfield might be options as well. Bryce Eldridge is one of the few high school players linked to the Angels, and this might be the higher range for him.

Update: With Lowder now the pick for the Rockies, I have Dollander getting to this spot with the Angels, though I’m not super confident that he makes it here or that the Angels would prefer to get an arm compared to a fast moving bat with the way the board has played out in this scenario. Matt Shaw continues to garner plenty of buzz here.

Dart Throw Later Picks:

12. D-backs — Colin Houck, SS, Parkview HS, Lilburn, Ga.

Slot Value: $5,043,800 

Total Bonus Pool: $11,084,300

As we mentioned in our previous mock, Arizona is consistently linked with Colin Houck,  though it also gets tied to Teel, who is the best catcher in the class. Teel’s realistic range of outcomes feels higher than Houck’s at this point—there’s a real chance he goes inside the top 10—but there will almost undoubtedly be more high school shortstops available for Arizona with its second pick at No. 48 than viable catchers. Colt Emerson could be a fit here, or any of the college infielders who are already off the board in this mock if they make it to this point. 

Update: This adjustment is tied to the Reds pick at No. 7. Previously I didn’t have Cincinnati passing on Kyle Teel, but now that he’s the pick there, I think it’s safer to go back to the red hot Colin Houck/D-Backs rumors for this pick—making Houck the first prep shortstop of an extremely deep group. I’ll also note Tommy Troy as a name to keep in mind here.

Dart Throw Later Picks: OF Devin Saltiban; 

13. Cubs — Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon

Slot Value: $4,848,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $8,962,000

The Cubs are tied to all sorts of demographics here, though it’s more often hitters than pitchers—presumably given the greater number of offensive options available. High schoolers Aidan Miller, Arjun Nimmala, Bryce Eldridge and Blake Mitchell could fit here, as could Brayden Taylor and Matt Shaw. I think the Cubs could entertain Noble Meyer or Thomas White here, but with Wilson here he’s the pick. It’s hard to top his bat-to-ball skills in this class.

Update: I’m now thinking the Cubs are more likely to go for a hitter at this pick, and that’s the strength of the board here anyway. It also sounds like they are hunting value and could explore under-slot options. A number of college or high school hitters could make sense in that scenario and create a wide range of options for Chicago. Tommy Troy could make sense considering that, as could Enrique Bradfield, Nolan Schanuel, Chase Davis or any of the top college third basemen available, though I have not specifically heard Yohandy Morales or Brock Wilken mentioned this high. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS/3B Eric Bitonti; OF Duce Robinson

14. Red Sox — Matt Shaw, SS, Maryland

Slot Value: $4,663,100 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,295,100

Boston has taken high school hitters with each of its last four picks in the first round: Mikey Romero, Marcelo Mayer, Nick Yorke and Triston Casas. There’s no obvious California prep shortstop for them in this spot this year, but I’m still hearing mostly bats for the Red Sox and talk of an underslot deal as well. 

Update: I’m still torn between whether Aidan Miller or Matt Shaw is the better option here for Boston. Their draft history indicates the prep player, but I’ve also heard that this could be the floor for Shaw. Maybe the college bat who has performed at a high level is the safest option, unless the Red Sox really are just trying to save money here. Shaw’s floor seems higher than Miller’s. Tommy Troy is also a name that gets brought up. I’ve not heard any pitchers mentioned here.

Dart Throw Later Picks: OF Caden Sorrell; C Michael Carico; SS Roman Martin; SS/3B Eric Bitonti

15. White Sox — Tommy Troy, 3B, Stanford

Slot Value: $4,488,600 

Total Bonus Pool: $9,072,800

It’s been college and hitter heavy for the White Sox for a while now in my conversations, and they should be right in the middle of a solid wave of college hitters. In this scenario Troy, Enrique Bradfield, Nolan Schanuel and Chase Davis seem to be the best of the bunch. Chicago gets linked more to the college third base duo of Yohandy Morales and Brock Wilken than others around it as well, and I think they are real options here as well. It’s very hard to see players like Brayden Taylor and Jacob Gonzalez getting much further down the board than this if they are somehow still available with all of the potential landing spots in front. 

Update: I feel like Brayden Taylor and Jacob Gonzalez could be the top targets for this spot, but they aren’t getting here in how I’ve played out the first round. Don’t count out a prep pitcher with the White Sox, which means Noble Meyer or Thomas White could potentially be options. That’s notable when many teams in the top 20 are notoriously not linked to the prep pitchers.

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Adrian Santana

16. Giants — Enrique Bradfield, OF, Vanderbilt

Slot Value: $4,326,600 

Total Bonus Pool: $9,916,900

It sounds like Bradfield could go anywhere from the back of the top 10 throughout the middle of the first round. He’s more difficult to place than some hitters who don’t have the same impact questions, but Bradfield’s speed and defensive tools are also far and away the best of the draft class. San Francisco sounds like one of the teams who could be in on him. Walker Martin is frequently mentioned here as well, and Nolan Schanuel could also be a fit. I’m curious if the Giants would take a pitcher here—in this scenario Noble Meyer, Hurston Waldrep and Thomas White are all available—but I am mostly hearing bats. Tommy Troy, Matt Shaw and Aidan Miller might be a fit here.

Update: Unlike the White Sox right in front, this is one of the teams in the first where I would be surprised with a high school pitcher. It feels like a hitter, though I’m not sure whether they would be in or out on Waldrep with him available here. I’m curious to see how San Francisco’s draft process unfolds this year and whether it’s a shift from how it’s previously operated.

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Adrian Santana; 2B Quinn McDaniel 

17. Orioles — Arjun Nimmala, SS, Strawberry Crest HS, Dover, Fla.

Slot Value: $4,169,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,534,800

Many of the players who are dubbed “model favorites” get tied to the Orioles, including Nimmala, Nolan Schanuel and Chase Davis. There are arms that fit nicely on talent here if Baltimore is inclined to diversify a farm system that is overflowing with talented hitters, and it could also be interested in high school players—potentially on underslot deals—including Dillon Head, George Lombard Jr. and Bryce Eldridge. 

Update: I’m still hearing the same names linked with the Orioles. I’ll stick with Nimmala, though, because I have no real reason to come off of him in this scenario. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP Kiefer Lord; OF Carson Roccaforte

18. Brewers — Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida

Slot Value: $4,021,400 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,950,600

Milwaukee is one of the few teams in the 10-25 range which gets tied to pitchers often, and this board would provide it access to some pretty elite arm talent. Noble Meyer is available, but if he falls this far would the Brewers have the bonus pool money to keep him from getting to, say, Seattle? The same could be true for Thomas White if he’s available. Waldrep does get linked to the Brewers, and he has some of the best pure stuff in the class. If it’s not an arm, then Nolan Schanuel could make a lot of sense, or perhaps even a late-rising college arm like Joe Whitman or Ty Floyd. 

Update: Similar to the pick in front, I’m sticking with the Waldrep pick here with the Brewers. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS/3B Eric Bitonti; SS AJ Gracia; LHP Adler Cecil; SS Jay Harry

19. Rays — Aidan Miller, 3B, Mitchell HS, New Port Richey, Fla.

Slot Value: $3,880,100 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,872,100

It’s always tough to get a read on the Rays. I have them going with one of the top players available in Colin Houck here, though I haven’t heard that specific player/team link. A few names who are mentioned with Tampa Bay include Hurston Waldrep (who is not available), Enrique Bradfield (also not available) and high schoolers Sammy Stafura, Alex Clemmey and Tai Peete—all of whom could make more sense with its next pick at No. 31. 

Update: Houck’s not available now after reverting back to the D-Backs/Houck connection at pick No. 12, so instead I’ll have the Rays taking Aidan Miller, who is a fantastic hit/power threat who seems to have a fairly wide range of outcomes on draft day. I get split feedback on whether Miller is a real option for the Rays here, but unfortunately this is one of those picks where I just might have to make it without any real confidence. The Rays sound like one of the teams high on Tai Peete. I expect Kyle Teel to be long gone by now but the Rays might pop him if he gets here. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Tai Peete

20. Blue Jays — Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Florida Atlantic

Slot Value: $3,746,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $6,529,700

Schanuel is linked to nearly all of the teams who are picking in the 17-23 range, so I’m expecting he goes off the board somewhere there unless he goes on some sort of underslot deal beforehand. Other model players like Chase Davis and Arjun Nimmala are frequently mentioned, and I think the Blue Jays could be in on Dillon Head and Kevin McGonigle as well, and they might be one of the earliest possible landing spots for Charlee Soto.

Update: The late noise is a lot of college players and specifically college hitters with the Blue Jays. There are still a number of good ones on the board, including Schanuel, Chase Davis, Yohandy Morales and Brock Wilken. Could Noble Meyer or Thomas White be options here since I have them available? They just took Brandon Barriera in this range last year, and certainly Meyer is a tier up from Barriera’s talent at the same time. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: OF Grant Gray, RHP Laif Palmer; OF Devin Saltiban; SS Myles Naylor

21. Cardinals — Chase Davis, OF, Arizona

Slot Value: $3,618,200 

Total Bonus Pool: $6,375,100

There are enough landing spots for Chase Davis in this range that I feel like he goes up here. The Cardinals are one team that has been strongly associated with him recently. If players like Arjun Nimmala, Hurston Waldrep or Tommy Troy are still available they could be a fit as well. 

Update: I’ve not heard anything to pull me off the Chase Davis pick, though I do think St. Louis could be a team that would be interested in all of the top high school pitchers. If Kyle Teel is somehow available here I think he could come off the board here as well.

Dart Throw Later Picks: 3B Mike Boeve, 3B Gino Groover

22. Mariners — Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit HS, Portland, Ore.

Slot Value: $3,496,600 

Total Bonus Pool: $13,170,900

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s surprising to see Meyer’s name this far down the draft board. He’s the No. 7-ranked player on our board, after all, and seen as the consensus top high school player in the draft. However, there’s an extremely talented crop of hitters, on both the college and high school sides, and the old draft adage is that the hitters rise and the high school pitchers fall. Potentially that is the case here. There should be someone who falls to the Mariners with this pick because it seems to happen year after year. Kevin Parada in 2022 to the Mets. Cam Collier in 2022 to the Reds. Kahlil Watson in 2021 to the Marlins. Brady Singer in 2018 to the Royals. There’s always a player who falls just a bit further than we expect, and they find a pretty good home with a team with multiple picks and lots of bonus pool money to throw around. This year that team is the Mariners. Getting a Pacific Northwest high school pitcher with uber upside could be a really fun combination. There are more organizations who are simply out entirely on high school pitchers in the first round compared to hitters, so perhaps there’s a chance the prep pitchers slide. 

Update: The Mariners have been more averse to high school pitching, but this is an elite talent falling to this pick and Meyer seems to have some of the traits that Seattle covets in pitchers. Having three picks inside the top 30 should presumably allow teams to take more risks. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: LHP Alexander Clemmey; RHP Steven Echavarria; SS Tai Peete; SS Adrian Santana

23. Guardians — Colt Emerson, SS, Glenn HS, New Concord, Ohio

Slot Value: $3,380,900 

Total Bonus Pool: $8,736,700

Emerson continues to get linked to Cleveland, and he makes sense as an ultra-young prepster with solid contact skills. This feels like the lower end of outcomes for Nolan Schanuel, and if he’s on the board I could see the Guardians pouncing. I’d assume the same is true if Arjun Nimmala somehow makes it this far—for the same reasons they are tied to Emerson. Eric Bitonti could be an interesting underslot option here as well for a team that has employed that strategy in the past. LSU righty Ty Floyd has been gaining late helium and is sounding like a potential first-rounder, and Cleveland has historically valued pitchers with his fastball metrics. Chase Davis and Bryce Eldridge are two players who fit on talent in this range, but who might not be fits for Cleveland.

Update: Everything mentioned previously still tracks for the Guardians at this point. I’d be surprised if they have an over-slot deal here unless they find some absurd player value slipping.

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP Jason DeCaro; SS Jarren Purify; SS Eric Bitonti; RHP Tanner Hall

24. Braves — George Lombard Jr., SS, Gulliver Prep HS, Miami

Slot Value: $3,270,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $8,341,700

Lombard Jr.’s range seems to be from 21-28, though it would also not shock me if he goes to the Orioles at No. 17. He’s available in this version of the mock, and he has consistently been linked with the Braves. In lieu of an option that I feel more comfortable with at this stage, he’s the pick. Bryce Eldridge is also a name that gets mentioned here reasonably consistently. I expect the Braves will look for an underslot deal at 24 given how Alex Anthopoulos has operated in the past. Atlanta could be hoping for a college bat to slide, but there are numerous landing spots for all those profiles among the top 20 picks, so it feels more likely that a high school hitter is the best option. Walker Martin could be another name to keep in mind.

Update: Both George Lombard Jr. and Walker Martin are getting serious buzz at picks 24 and 25. Given the consistent Lombard Jr. connection with Atlanta I will stick with it here. The Braves like exit velocity, so power-hitting college third basemen like Yohandy Morales and Brock Wilken are intriguing options here and are the best college bats available if the Braves want to go that route. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP Jonathan Rogers, RHP Laif Palmer

25. Padres — Walker Martin, SS, Eaton (Colo.) HS 

Slot Value: $3,165,400 

Total Bonus Pool: $5,416,000

I previously mocked Chase Davis to the Padres and I think they would be interested if he were available. In this scenario, he goes off a few picks in front, leaving the Padres with a number of high school players. Walker Martin is a name that is tied to San Diego and I get the sense it would be less worried about his age than more model-heavy teams might be. Dillon Head is a name who’s been tied to San Diego as well and could make sense here, as could Bryce Eldridge and Trent Caraway.

Update: I hadn’t heard Lombard Jr.’s name tied to San Diego much previously, but that has come up lately. They scouted him heavily this spring, but the Padres scout everyone heavily compared to the industry, so that could simply be a sign of their detailed and exhaustive amateur scouting process.

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Eric Bitonti; 3B Trent Caraway

26. Yankees — Sammy Stafura, SS, Walter Panas HS, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.

Slot Value: $3,065,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $5,299,400

Considering the Yankees just drafted Spencer Jones a year ago, it would make sense for them to be another team intrigued by Bryce Eldridge—who is pretty close to the high school version of Jones. However, with Sammy Stafura on the board here it’s hard to not put him with the Yankees considering how much the team has been tied to him. Many people in the industry simply think he’s their guy at this point. It feels a lot like last year with Spencer Jones in that regard. It’s interesting to wonder if the Yankees would still take Stafura if they were picking between him and an arm talent like Thomas White, who many considered a potential top-10 pick at times this spring but is slipping in this mock. It’s much tougher to actually pull the trigger on White in this mock, though, considering the buzz connecting New York and Stafura, especially when you remember the organization hasn’t taken a prep pitcher in the first round since Ian Clarkin in 2013.

Update: No change here, though I am starting to sweat more about the Yankees staring down Thomas White on the board here. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Tai Peete

27. Phillies — Thomas White, LHP, Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.

Slot Value: $2,968,800 

Total Bonus Pool: $5,185,500

This could be around the floor for Chase Davis if he still finds himself on the board, though there are enough teams on him that I don’t expect that to happen. The Phillies are commonly associated with high school pitchers because they have taken Andrew Painter and Mick Abel in recent years. Both those picks seem to be working out well. I think the Phillies are just going to take the best player available here, whether that’s an arm like White or one of the high school shortstops who could be around. I don’t know if they are in on Walker Martin, but if they were that would make a lot of sense.

Update: I don’t have Davis getting this far once again, but people continue to think this is his floor if he is available. I’m sticking with White, though it could make some sense for him to slide down a few more picks and take an over-slot deal in the supplemental first at this point—which could make him a trickier sign for the Phillies. Perhaps if not White the Phillies could go for a fast-moving college player. But those profiles seem to be long gone already. 

Dart Throw Later Picks:

28. Astros — Ty Floyd, RHP, Louisiana State

Slot Value: $2,880,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $6,747,900

This would give Louisiana State three first-round picks and put it in fairly exclusive company. It sounds like the Astros really like Floyd’s riding four-seam fastball, which averaged around 19 inches of induced vertical break from a lower release point this spring. He generated a 29% miss rate with the pitch this year and also ended the season on a high note with 17 strikeouts in eight innings in the College World Series against Florida. College pitching falls off in a big way once Hurston Waldrep is off the board and Floyd has a decent chance to be the next player selected from that demographic. If the Yankees pass on Stafura he could be a fit in this spot. Walker Martin, Bryce Eldridge and Ralphy Velazquez could be other names that fit. 

Update: No real change here. It’ll be interesting to see how Dana Brown does things in his first year running the show with Houston. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Avery Ortiz; RHP Jackson Baumeister

29. Mariners — Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest

Slot Value: $2,800,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $13,170,900

Wilken is more of a talent that makes sense here for the Mariners than a specific link I have for them at this range. He could go throughout the 20s, but both he and Yohandy Morales simply don’t get as much buzz as the middle infielders. Don’t be surprised if one of them surprises us and goes a lot sooner.

Update: No change. More of a value pick here than a specific team link. 

30. Mariners — Jonny Farmelo, OF, Westfield HS, Chantilly, Va.

Slot Value: $2,732,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $13,170,900

Unlike Wilken, I have heard that the Mariners are on Farmelo and he makes sense here on talent, I think. It’s a well-rounded profile with good pure hitting ability, speed and defense. Seattle has enough bonus pool money to sign him out of Virginia.

Update: I continue to hear Farmelo’s name associated with the Mariners. Sticking with that link. Charlee Soto could also make some sense with any of the Mariners picks. 

31. Rays — Dillon Head, OF, Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Flossmoor, Ill.

Slot Value: $2,670,600 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,872,100

I don’t know that Tai Peete is viewed as a consensus top-40-type player, but I have heard that a few teams are really excited about him. The Rays and the Yankees both fit that description. He’s a twitchy athlete and is a legitimate prospect as a pitcher as well as a hitter. 

Update: I still think the Rays like Peete, but I am instead pivoting to Dillon Head here, who I also think the Rays like and seems to be more of a fit here based on the consensus view of talent. The Rays pick again at No. 55 and could presumably take Peete there, though given how often his name has been mentioned leading up to the draft maybe that’s a naive thought from me. 

32. Mets — Yohandy Morales, 3B, Miami

Slot Value: $2,607,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $8,440,400

Like I mentioned with Wilken, I think it’s possible that Morales goes well before this, but I’ve heard the Mets could be interested if he’s available. He’s not the pure hitter type that the organization has targeted recently. If the Mets want to go that direction, perhaps Kevin McGonigle could be a fit. 

Update: No update here. 

33. Brewers — Joe Whitman, LHP, Kent State

Slot Value: $2,543,800 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,950,600

California prep bats like Caraway, Eric Bitonti and Ralphy Velazquez start to get mentioned a bit more in the supplemental range, and lately Caraway has drawn the most attention of the group. 

Update: I feel foolish mentioning Whitman with the Brewers in the previous mock draft but not simply making him the pick here at No. 33 where he makes a ton of sense on talent. So that’s the change, though I still think the club is interested in Trent Caraway. 

34. Twins — Eric Bitonti, SS/3B, Aquinas HS, San Bernardino, Calif.

Slot Value: $2,481,400 

Total Bonus Pool: $14,345,600

Whitman is probably the favorite to be the first college lefthander picked this year and there’s a chance he goes in the first round. If he doesn’t I don’t expect it’ll take too much longer once teams start looking around at other college pitching options. 

Update: The Twins seem like one of the heaviest teams on Bitonti, who is exceptionally young for the class and should be stuffed on draft boards for many model-driven teams. 

35. Marlins — Charlee Soto, RHP, Reborn Christian Academy HS, Kissimmee, Fla.

Slot Value: $2,420,900 

Total Bonus Pool: 

McGonigle doesn’t get the same amount of buzz as other top prep shortstops like Arjun Nimmala, Colin Houck, Walker Martin, Adrian Santana or Colt Emerson. Perhaps I’m just missing those conversations. It also sounds like signability has become a bigger question with him in recent days, though whether that’s posturing or real is impossible to say. It feels odd that the industry would let arguably the best pure hitter in the high school class get to Auburn … right? 

Update: Kevin McGonigle makes plenty of sense on talent still, but Charlee Soto is a name who has been linked to Miami and with it taking a college hitter at pick No. 10 I have it now playing to its developmental strengths with a hyper-talented prep arm here in the supplemental round. 

36. Dodgers — Kevin McGonigle, SS, Monsignor Bonner HS, Drexel Hill, Penn.

Slot Value: $2,362,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $7,274,600

While Kevin McGonigle has some signability questions, it seems like Soto has teams questioning the shape and metrics on his fastball—sort of along the same lines as Ty Madden’s fastball in 2021. I feel confident Soto does pretty much everything else well enough that it’ll end up being a minor nitpick for a team rather than a real deal-breaker. He throws hard, has one of the best sliders and changeups in the prep class and is also an impressive athlete with physicality and youth on his side. That’s a lot of checked boxes. 

Update: I think if Jonny Farmelo is available he makes plenty of sense here, though the Dodgers have seemingly scouted McGonigle pretty heavily this spring. This would be a fantastic value. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP TJ Nichols

37. Tigers — Bryce Eldridge, RHP/1B, Madison HS, Vienna, Va.

Slot Value: $2,309,500

Total Bonus Pool: $12,829,600

I have heard the Tigers are one of the teams interested in Eldridge. Perhaps Detroit is able to get him here on an overslot deal. 

Update: Nothing new here.

38. Reds — Travis Sykora, RHP, Round Rock (Texas) HS

Slot Value: $2,255,100 

Total Bonus Pool: $13,785,200

In this mock I don’t have the Reds taking Kyle Teel at No. 7, but they could potentially swing back around in the supplemental round and get one of the big three catchers in the class with Velazquez. 

Update: I think it’s less likely for the Reds to double up on catchers, so I have them taking one of the best players available here at No. 38 instead of Ralphy Velazquez now that I flipped to Teel at No. 7. I do think the Reds like Sykora quite a bit. His name hasn’t been mentioned a ton, but he has supreme arm talent and the Reds scouted him hard this spring. 

39. A’s — Ralphy Velazquez, C, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS

Slot Value: $2,202,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $14,255,600

I mainly wanted to get Head into this mock draft. He’s one of the players I just couldn’t find a home for in this version, but who has a decent chance to go inside the first round. It’s great speed and defense in center field with solid contact skills at the plate. 

Update: I previously had Dillon Head here, but now he’s off the board and I also feel better about a player/team connection with Velazquez, who mostly gets mentioned in the supplemental first and early second. The Reds are another team that could make sense for him. 

Geoff Pontes, Kyle Glaser and Peter Flaherty contributed to the reporting.

1. Pirates — Paul Skenes, RHP, Louisiana State

Slot Value: $9,721,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $16,185,700

Three days out from the draft and I still don’t have a ton of confidence in which direction the Pirates are going. The one consistent rumor that seems to be swirling for the Pirates in the last 48 hours or so is that Dylan Crews is not the pick here. So, for the first time, we’re going with a different name. I initially had Wyatt Langford in this spot, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear his name called, but there’s a compelling case for the Pirates to take Skenes, and there’s been enough buzz with the righthander that he’s my best bet at the moment despite the difficulty of picking between the two. We’ve continued to hear Max Clark’s name floated here, and some in the industry think the Pirates could still go toward the prep route, which presumably means Walker Jenkins—whom the Pirates scouted heavily all spring—could also be in play. The college names feel more likely, though I would be lying if I told you I had more confidence in this pick today than I did a month ago. The opposite is probably true.

Dart Throw Later Picks: LHP Alexander Clemmey

2. Nationals — Dylan Crews, OF, Louisiana State

Slot Value: $8,998,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $14,502,400

We’ve continued to hear that the Nationals are highly interested in Paul Skenes, and if the Pirates don’t take the massive righthander 1-1 I still expect him to be the pick here. In this scenario he’s not available, and I think the Nationals would probably still be happy to take the No. 1 player on the BA draft board in Crews. If neither of the LSU teammates is selected with the first pick I would probably still lean Skenes over Crews, though it seems like the Nationals do like both players quite a bit. The top high school players don’t come up all that often here.

Dart Throw Later Picks: 3B Trent Caraway; OF Jake Cunningham

3. Tigers — Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida

Slot Value: $8,341,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $15,747,200

It’s been difficult to get a read on Detroit’s draft room, though it should be positioned nicely to take whichever elite college player is available. It sounds like Crews doesn’t fall past No. 3 if he doesn’t go in either of the first two spots, and with $15.7 million in pool money, the Tigers can outspend anyone in this draft outside of Pittsburgh—and they have quite a bit more pool money to spend than the Rangers, who pick right behind them.

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP Jonathan Rogers

4. Rangers — Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick HS, Southport, N.C.

Slot Value: $7,698,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $9,925,300

A number of sources in the industry  expect the Rangers to choose Walker Jenkins if he makes it to this pick, and that feels like the safe pick for Texas here, though there’s some thought that Max Clark could actually be the prep outfielder here as well. However, Texas does have just the 16th largest bonus pool despite picking No. 4 overall, and just a year ago it showed everyone that you should never feel comfortable about the direction it is headed. It would be impossible to fully discount an underslot option if the Rangers want to try to spread their money around a bit more. It sounds like Arjun Nimmala and Enrique Bradfield are two players further down the board they like, and both players are ranked higher than Kumar Rocker was at this time a year ago.

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP Jonathan Rogers; OF Devin Saltiban

5. Twins — Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest

Slot Value: $7,139,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $14,345,600

The Twins have been tied to a variety of players with this pick and could take the draft in a number of different directions. Will the 2023 class be similar to 2019, where the top-tier talents all go inside the top five (six, in 2019) or will Minnesota go with someone else? There are a lot of college names tied to Minnesota, including Jacob Gonzalez, Jacob Wilson and Brayden Taylor, as well as Rhett Lowder, who’s the running favorite to be the first pitcher selected after Skenes. It’s entirely possible that the Twins simply sit here and take Max Clark (or Walker Jenkins, if he’s available), but I’ll go with Lowder for now. I wouldn’t entirely rule out the top prep righty in Noble Meyer but he also doesn’t feel like the most likely option.

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Eric Bitonti; OF Grant Gray

6. A’s — Brayden Taylor, 3B, Texas Christian

Slot Value: $6,634,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $14,255,600

It seems like Taylor has a significant number of landing spots from around this range and into the middle of the first round. Oakland gets tied to Max Clark, Rhett Lowder and Kyle Teel a  considerable amount, and Jacob Wilson could make sense as well. It’s mostly college names, plus Clark—though I don’t have any strong conviction about who leads this group of players. Scarcity at the position could make Lowder a decent option, but he’s gone in this scenario. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP Laif Palmer

7. Reds — Max Clark, OF, Franklin (Ind.) Community HS

Slot Value: $6,275,200 

Total Bonus Pool: $13,785,200

Clark gets rumored to more under or overslot deals than any player at the top of the first round. In this scenario it’s an overslot deal to the Reds, who have not been hesitant to pay up for a player who gets to a pick they probably shouldn’t. The Reds signed Cam Collier to a $5 million deal at pick 18 in 2022, which was a $1.34 million overslot deal. In 2021 they signed Matt McLain to a $4.63 million deal at pick 17, which was about $1 million over slot. In an era when it seems like most teams are hunting underslot deals, Cincinnati is clearly OK paying up to get a guy it likes. This is also the reason why many expect that No. 7 could be a landing spot for one of the big five to fall, rather than No. 6 to the A’s. If not Clark, many of the college players mentioned in front of this pick make sense, including Rhett Lowder and Kyle Teel. In a scenario where Walker Jenkins makes it here I feel like the Reds might do backflips to get him. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: LHP Adler Cecil; OF Jake Cunningham

8. Royals — Blake Mitchell, C, Sinton (Texas) HS

Slot Value: $5,980,100 

Total Bonus Pool: $12,313,500

There are a lot of underslot rumors for the Royals here at No. 8. Whether that’s a function of draft philosophy or simply where they’ve found themselves on the board is a tougher question. Think back to 202,  when Kansas City pulled a surprise and took lefthander Frank Mozzicato at pick No. 7 and signed him to a $3.55 million deal for almost $2 million in savings. Texas catcher Blake Mitchell is the name that could make sense, though Mitchell is more highly regarded than Mozzicato at the time and I’m not sure how much savings that deal would net. He’s more of a split-camp sort of player given some teams’ aversion to prep catchers, but those who like Mitchell think he could be a star. Florida shortstop Adrian Santana could be another player they like, for this pick or a later one, and they are also linked with Noble Meyer, Rhett Lowder, Chase Dollander and the college hitting trio of Brayden Taylor, Jacob Wilson and Kyle Teel. There’s no shortage of options here and this could also be the high-water mark for Matt Shaw.

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Adrian Santana; RHP TJ Nichols

9. Rockies — Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee

Slot Value: $5,716,900 

Total Bonus Pool: $11,909,800

There’s a lot of buzz with college pitchers for the Rockies. Chase Dollander would represent a great value based on his preseason reputation and based on the simple fact that he might be the second most talented pitcher in the class. He didn’t post in the same way that Skenes and Lowder did, but many in the industry still believe he’ll quickly get back to the 2022 version of himself, who entered the year as the consensus top pitching prospect in the class. It doesn’t seem like Rhett Lowder would get much further than this pick if he’s on the board, and it seems like Lowder is a better bet to go among the top 10 than Dollander—though in this scenario three college arms go inside the top 10. There’s also some buzz here with Brayden Taylor and Enrique Bradfield.

Dart Throw Later Picks:

10. Marlins — Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Mississippi

Slot Value: $5,475,300 

Total Bonus Pool: $12,829,600

Gonzalez could be off the board as high as No. 5, and there’s a chance he goes in the 5-10 range, but the Marlins are linked to him—as well as a number of college hitters and a few high school bats—here at 10. Miami has also beared down on Brayden Taylor and Matt Shaw, and they could be in play here as well. For the high school side, Arjun Nimmala could make sense, and lately there’s been some Colt Emerson chatter as well—both players seemingly get tied to the same teams, presumably for model-related factors like their extreme youth. 

Dart Throw Later Picks:

11. Angels — Matt Shaw, SS, Maryland 

Slot Value: $5,253,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $8,328,900

I’ve been hearing potential fast-moving college names with the Angels mostly, and there are more bats than pitchers mentioned, though presumably that’s more because of the supply than the demand. If Chase Dollander makes it this far he could make sense, and Hurston Waldrep also seems to fit what the Angels have done in recent years. There’s also been some thought that Waldrep could push up into the top 12. For hitters, Shaw is mentioned here and both Jacob Gonzalez and Enrique Bradfield might be options as well. Bryce Eldridge is one of the few high school players linked to the Angels, and this might be the higher range for him.

Dart Throw Later Picks:

12. D-backs — Kyle Teel, C, Virginia

Slot Value: $5,043,800 

Total Bonus Pool: $11,084,300

As we mentioned in our previous mock, Arizona is consistently linked with Colin Houck,  though it also gets tied to Teel, who is the best catcher in the class. Teel’s realistic range of outcomes feels higher than Houck’s at this point—there’s a real chance he goes inside the top 10—but there will almost undoubtedly be more high school shortstops available for Arizona with its second pick at No. 48 than viable catchers. Colt Emerson could be a fit here, or any of the college infielders who are already off the board in this mock if they make it to this point. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: OF Devin Saltiban; 

13. Cubs — Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon

Slot Value: $4,848,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $8,962,000

The Cubs are tied to all sorts of demographics here, though it’s more often hitters than pitchers—presumably given the greater number of offensive options available. High schoolers Aidan Miller, Arjun Nimmala, Bryce Eldridge and Blake Mitchell could fit here, as could Brayden Taylor and Matt Shaw. I think the Cubs could entertain Noble Meyer or Thomas White here, but with Wilson here he’s the pick. It’s hard to top his bat-to-ball skills in this class.

Dart Throw Later Picks: OF Duce Robinson

14. Red Sox — Aidan Miller, 3B, Mitchell HS, New Port Richey, Fla.

Slot Value: $4,663,100 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,295,100

Boston has taken high school hitters with each of its last four picks in the first round: Mikey Romero, Marcelo Mayer, Nick Yorke and Triston Casas. There’s no obvious California prep shortstop for them in this spot this year, but I’m still hearing mostly bats for the Red Sox and talk of an underslot deal as well. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: OF Caden Sorrell; C Michael Carico; SS Roman Martin

15. White Sox — Tommy Troy, 3B, Stanford

Slot Value: $4,488,600 

Total Bonus Pool: $9,072,800

It’s been college and hitter heavy for the White Sox for a while now in my conversations, and they should be right in the middle of a solid wave of college hitters. In this scenario Troy, Enrique Bradfield, Nolan Schanuel and Chase Davis seem to be the best of the bunch. Chicago gets linked more to the college third base duo of Yohandy Morales and Brock Wilken than others around it as well, and I think they are real options here as well. It’s very hard to see players like Brayden Taylor and Jacob Gonzalez getting much further down the board than this if they are somehow still available with all of the potential landing spots in front. 

Dart Throw Later Picks:

16. Giants — Enrique Bradfield, OF, Vanderbilt

Slot Value: $4,326,600 

Total Bonus Pool: $9,916,900

It sounds like Bradfield could go anywhere from the back of the top 10 throughout the middle of the first round. He’s more difficult to place than some hitters who don’t have the same impact questions, but Bradfield’s speed and defensive tools are also far and away the best of the draft class. San Francisco sounds like one of the teams who could be in on him. Walker Martin is frequently mentioned here as well, and Nolan Schanuel could also be a fit. I’m curious if the Giants would take a pitcher here—in this scenario Noble Meyer, Hurston Waldrep and Thomas White are all available—but I am mostly hearing bats. Tommy Troy, Matt Shaw and Aidan Miller might be a fit here.

Dart Throw Later Picks: 2B Quinn McDaniel 

17. Orioles — Arjun Nimmala, SS, Strawberry Crest HS, Dover, Fla.

Slot Value: $4,169,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,534,800

Many of the players who are dubbed “model favorites” get tied to the Orioles, including Nimmala, Nolan Schanuel and Chase Davis. There are arms that fit nicely on talent here if Baltimore is inclined to diversify a farm system that is overflowing with talented hitters, and it could also be interested in high school players—potentially on underslot deals—including Dillon Head, George Lombard Jr. and Bryce Eldridge. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP Kiefer Lord; OF Carson Roccaforte

18. Brewers — Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida

Slot Value: $4,021,400 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,950,600

Milwaukee is one of the few teams in the 10-25 range which gets tied to pitchers often, and this board would provide it access to some pretty elite arm talent. Noble Meyer is available, but if he falls this far would the Brewers have the bonus pool money to keep him from getting to, say, Seattle? The same could be true for Thomas White if he’s available. Waldrep does get linked to the Brewers, and he has some of the best pure stuff in the class. If it’s not an arm, then Nolan Schanuel could make a lot of sense, or perhaps even a late-rising college arm like Joe Whitman or Ty Floyd. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Eric Bitonti; SS AJ Gracia; LHP Adler Cecil; SS Jay Harry

19. Rays — Colin Houck, SS, Parkview HS, Lilburn, Ga.

Slot Value: $3,880,100 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,872,100

It’s always tough to get a read on the Rays. I have them going with one of the top players available in Colin Houck here, though I haven’t heard that specific player/team link. A few names who are mentioned with Tampa Bay include Hurston Waldrep (who is not available), Enrique Bradfield (also not available) and high schoolers Sammy Stafura, Alex Clemmey and Tai Peete—all of whom could make more sense with its next pick at No. 31. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Tai Peete

20. Blue Jays — Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Florida Atlantic

Slot Value: $3,746,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $6,529,700

Schanuel is linked to nearly all of the teams who are picking in the 17-23 range, so I’m expecting he goes off the board somewhere there unless he goes on some sort of underslot deal beforehand. Other model players like Chase Davis and Arjun Nimmala are frequently mentioned, and I think the Blue Jays could be in on Dillon Head and Kevin McGonigle as well, and they might be one of the earliest possible landing spots for Charlee Soto.

Dart Throw Later Picks: OF Grant Gray, RHP Laif Palmer; OF Devin Saltiban; SS Myles Naylor

21. Cardinals — Chase Davis, OF, Arizona

Slot Value: $3,618,200 

Total Bonus Pool: $6,375,100

There are enough landing spots for Chase Davis in this range that I feel like he goes up here. The Cardinals are one team that has been strongly associated with him recently. If players like Arjun Nimmala, Hurston Waldrep or Tommy Troy are still available they could be a fit as well. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: 3B Mike Boeve

22. Mariners — Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit HS, Portland, Ore.

Slot Value: $3,496,600 

Total Bonus Pool: $13,170,900

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s surprising to see Meyer’s name this far down the draft board. He’s the No. 7-ranked player on our board, after all, and seen as the consensus top high school player in the draft. However, there’s an extremely talented crop of hitters, on both the college and high school sides, and the old draft adage is that the hitters rise and the high school pitchers fall. Potentially that is the case here. There should be someone who falls to the Mariners with this pick because it seems to happen year after year. Kevin Parada in 2022 to the Mets. Cam Collier in 2022 to the Reds. Kahlil Watson in 2021 to the Marlins. Brady Singer in 2018 to the Royals. There’s always a player who falls just a bit further than we expect, and they find a pretty good home with a team with multiple picks and lots of bonus pool money to throw around. This year that team is the Mariners. Getting a Pacific Northwest high school pitcher with uber upside could be a really fun combination. There are more organizations who are simply out entirely on high school pitchers in the first round compared to hitters, so perhaps there’s a chance the prep pitchers slide. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: LHP Alexander Clemmey; RHP Steven Echavarria

23. Guardians — Colt Emerson, SS, Glenn HS, New Concord, Ohio

Slot Value: $3,380,900 

Total Bonus Pool: $8,736,700

Emerson continues to get linked to Cleveland, and he makes sense as an ultra-young prepster with solid contact skills. This feels like the lower end of outcomes for Nolan Schanuel, and if he’s on the board I could see the Guardians pouncing. I’d assume the same is true if Arjun Nimmala somehow makes it this far—for the same reasons they are tied to Emerson. Eric Bitonti could be an interesting underslot option here as well for a team that has employed that strategy in the past. LSU righty Ty Floyd has been gaining late helium and is sounding like a potential first-rounder, and Cleveland has historically valued pitchers with his fastball metrics. Chase Davis and Bryce Eldridge are two players who fit on talent in this range, but who might not be fits for Cleveland.

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP Jason DeCaro; SS Jarren Purify; SS Eric Bitonti; RHP Tanner Hall

24. Braves — George Lombard Jr., SS, Gulliver Prep HS, Miami

Slot Value: $3,270,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $8,341,700

Lombard Jr.’s range seems to be from 21-28, though it would also not shock me if he goes to the Orioles at No. 17. He’s available in this version of the mock, and he has consistently been linked with the Braves. In lieu of an option that I feel more comfortable with at this stage, he’s the pick. Bryce Eldridge is also a name that gets mentioned here reasonably consistently. I expect the Braves will look for an underslot deal at 24 given how Alex Anthopoulos has operated in the past. Atlanta could be hoping for a college bat to slide, but there are numerous landing spots for all those profiles among the top 20 picks, so it feels more likely that a high school hitter is the best option. Walker Martin could be another name to keep in mind.

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP Jonathan Rogers, RHP Laif Palmer

25. Padres — Walker Martin, SS, Eaton (Colo.) HS 

Slot Value: $3,165,400 

Total Bonus Pool: $5,416,000

I previously mocked Chase Davis to the Padres and I think they would be interested if he were available. In this scenario, he goes off a few picks in front, leaving the Padres with a number of high school players. Walker Martin is a name that is tied to San Diego and I get the sense it would be less worried about his age than more model-heavy teams might be. Dillon Head is a name who’s been tied to San Diego as well and could make sense here, as could Bryce Eldridge and Trent Caraway.

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Eric Bitonti; 3B Trent Caraway

26. Yankees — Sammy Stafura, SS, Walter Panas HS, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.

Slot Value: $3,065,000 

Total Bonus Pool: $5,299,400

Considering the Yankees just drafted Spencer Jones a year ago, it would make sense for them to be another team intrigued by Bryce Eldridge—who is pretty close to the high school version of Jones. However, with Sammy Stafura on the board here it’s hard to not put him with the Yankees considering how much the team has been tied to him. Many people in the industry simply think he’s their guy at this point. It feels a lot like last year with Spencer Jones in that regard. It’s interesting to wonder if the Yankees would still take Stafura if they were picking between him and an arm talent like Thomas White, who many considered a potential top-10 pick at times this spring but is slipping in this mock. It’s much tougher to actually pull the trigger on White in this mock, though, considering the buzz connecting New York and Stafura, especially when you remember the organization hasn’t taken a prep pitcher in the first round since Ian Clarkin in 2013.

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Tai Peete

27. Phillies — Thomas White, LHP, Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.

Slot Value: $2,968,800 

Total Bonus Pool: $5,185,500

This could be around the floor for Chase Davis if he still finds himself on the board, though there are enough teams on him that I don’t expect that to happen. The Phillies are commonly associated with high school pitchers because they have taken Andrew Painter and Mick Abel in recent years. Both those picks seem to be working out well. I think the Phillies are just going to take the best player available here, whether that’s an arm like White or one of the high school shortstops who could be around. I don’t know if they are in on Walker Martin, but if they were that would make a lot of sense.

Dart Throw Later Picks:

28. Astros — Ty Floyd, RHP, Louisiana State

Slot Value: $2,880,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $6,747,900

This would give Louisiana State three first-round picks and put it in fairly exclusive company. It sounds like the Astros really like Floyd’s riding four-seam fastball, which averaged around 19 inches of induced vertical break from a lower release point this spring. He generated a 29% miss rate with the pitch this year and also ended the season on a high note with 17 strikeouts in eight innings in the College World Series against Florida. College pitching falls off in a big way once Hurston Waldrep is off the board and Floyd has a decent chance to be the next player selected from that demographic. If the Yankees pass on Stafura he could be a fit in this spot. Walker Martin, Bryce Eldridge and Ralphy Velazquez could be other names that fit. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Avery Ortiz

29. Mariners — Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest

Slot Value: $2,800,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $13,170,900

Wilken is more of a talent that makes sense here for the Mariners than a specific link I have for them at this range. He could go throughout the 20s, but both he and Yohandy Morales simply don’t get as much buzz as the middle infielders. Don’t be surprised if one of them surprises us and goes a lot sooner.

30. Mariners — Jonny Farmelo, OF, Westfield HS, Chantilly, Va.

Slot Value: $2,732,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $13,170,900

Unlike Wilken, I have heard that the Mariners are on Farmelo and he makes sense here on talent, I think. It’s a well-rounded profile with good pure hitting ability, speed and defense. Seattle has enough bonus pool money to sign him out of Virginia.

31. Rays — Tai Peete, SS, Trinity Christian HS, Sharpsburg, Ga.

Slot Value: $2,670,600 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,872,100

I don’t know that Tai Peete is viewed as a consensus top-40-type player, but I have heard that a few teams are really excited about him. The Rays and the Yankees both fit that description. He’s a twitchy athlete and is a legitimate prospect as a pitcher as well as a hitter. 

32. Mets — Yohandy Morales, 3B, Miami

Slot Value: $2,607,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $8,440,400

Like I mentioned with Wilken, I think it’s possible that Morales goes well before this, but I’ve heard the Mets could be interested if he’s available. He’s not the pure hitter type that the organization has targeted recently. If the Mets want to go that direction, perhaps Kevin McGonigle could be a fit. 

33. Brewers — Trent Caraway, 3B, JSerra Catholic HS, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Slot Value: $2,543,800 

Total Bonus Pool: $10,950,600

California prep bats like Caraway, Eric Bitonti and Ralphy Velazquez start to get mentioned a bit more in the supplemental range, and lately Caraway has drawn the most attention of the group. 

34. Twins — Joe Whitman, LHP, Kent State

Slot Value: $2,481,400 

Total Bonus Pool: $14,345,600

Whitman is probably the favorite to be the first college lefthander picked this year and there’s a chance he goes in the first round. If he doesn’t I don’t expect it’ll take too much longer once teams start looking around at other college pitching options. 

35. Marlins — Kevin McGonigle, SS, Monsignor Bonner HS, Drexel Hill, Penn.

Slot Value: $2,420,900 

Total Bonus Pool: 

McGonigle doesn’t get the same amount of buzz as other top prep shortstops like Arjun Nimmala, Colin Houck, Walker Martin, Adrian Santana or Colt Emerson. Perhaps I’m just missing those conversations. It also sounds like signability has become a bigger question with him in recent days, though whether that’s posturing or real is impossible to say. It feels odd that the industry would let arguably the best pure hitter in the high school class get to Auburn … right? 

36. Dodgers — Charlee Soto, RHP, Reborn Christian Academy HS, Kissimmee, Fla.

Slot Value: $2,362,700 

Total Bonus Pool: $7,274,600

While Kevin McGonigle has some signability questions, it seems like Soto has teams questioning the shape and metrics on his fastball—sort of along the same lines as Ty Madden’s fastball in 2021. I feel confident Soto does pretty much everything else well enough that it’ll end up being a minor nitpick for a team rather than a real deal-breaker. He throws hard, has one of the best sliders and changeups in the prep class and is also an impressive athlete with physicality and youth on his side. That’s a lot of checked boxes. 

Dart Throw Later Picks: RHP TJ Nichols

37. Tigers — Bryce Eldridge, RHP/1B, Madison HS, Vienna, Va.

Slot Value: $2,309,500

Total Bonus Pool: $12,829,600

I have heard the Tigers are one of the teams interested in Eldridge. Perhaps Detroit is able to get him here on an overslot deal. 

38. Reds — Ralphy Velazquez, C, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS

Slot Value: $2,255,100 

Total Bonus Pool: $13,785,200

In this mock I don’t have the Reds taking Kyle Teel at No. 7, but they could potentially swing back around in the supplemental round and get one of the big three catchers in the class with Velazquez. 

39. A’s — Dillon Head, OF, Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Flossmoor, Ill.

Slot Value: $2,202,500 

Total Bonus Pool: $14,255,600

I mainly wanted to get Head into this mock draft. He’s one of the players I just couldn’t find a home for in this version, but who has a decent chance to go inside the first round. It’s great speed and defense in center field with solid contact skills at the plate. 

Summer circuit is here. Day 1 at the NPI, first look this summer at SS Ethan Holliday, Baseball America’s No. 1 player for 2025 pic.twitter.com/RnuF5VGB3y

— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) June 8, 2023

1. Ethan Holliday, SS, Stillwater (Okla.) HS
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 195
Age At Draft: 18.4
Committed: Oklahoma St
Report: Scouts poured into Stllwater High in Oklahoma in 2022 to watch shortstop Jackson Holliday, who the Orioles ended up drafting with the No. 1 overall pick. While they were scouting Jackson, they also got eyes on his freshman brother, Ethan, who is already bigger and built more along the lines of his father, Matt Holliday, a seven-time all-star. Like the Upton brothers when B.J. was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 draft and Justin went No. 1 overall in 2005, the Holliday brothers could both become elite draft picks. At 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, Ethan has the physicality and strength projection that’s evident immediately, but it’s his hitterish tendencies and ease of operation at the plate that’s most exciting. He has a high contact rate with a smooth, compact swing from the left side. He can pull the ball out of the park and could have plus power once he fills out, but he’s also adept at staying through the middle of the field and driving the ball for extra-base damage the opposite way. Holliday is an offensive-oriented infielder who could fit at third base in pro ball, though his offensive game might be good enough to profile anywhere on the field.

2. Brady Ebel, SS, Etiwanda HS, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 185
Age At Draft: 18.0
Committed: Uncommitted
Report: The son of Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, Brady won a gold medal in 2022 at the U-15 World Cup, where he led the tournament in OBP and walks. Ebel is one of the youngest players in the 2025 class and has a clean, polished swing for his age. He has good rhythm and balance in the box, with a tight turn of the barrel and good path through the hitting zone. He’s an advanced hitter with the strength projection for more power to come as he fills out.

3. Sean Gamble, SS/OF, IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 185
Age At Draft: 19.0
Committed: Uncommitted
Report: A mix of high-end tools, athleticism and ability to hit at a high level in games makes Gamble one of the premier players in the 2025 class. An Iowa native who attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. and led the team in home runs in a big sophomore season, Gamble has a fast, aggressive swing, transferring his weight explosively throughout his swing to generate big power that translates in games with a lot of extra-base damage to his pull side. He’s a good athlete in the middle of the field with a quick first step and plus speed.

4. Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 190
Age At Draft: 19.1
Committed: Vanderbilt
Report: Hernandez has separated himself as the top pitcher in the 2025 class. At 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, he has a great pitcher’s frame with the strength projection remaining to add to an already explosive fastball that sits at 90-93 mph and can reach 96 with good extension. He shows feel to spin a hard curveball in the upper 70s that he can spin above 2,700 rpm with sharp bite. His low-80s changeup is an excellent pitch that flashes plus. It has good separation off his fastball with sinking action and a ton of fade to help him miss bats. Hernandez has good control with a sound delivery, leading to consistently dominant game performance. His size, stuff and pitchability all point to a starter, with the upside and projection arrows pointing toward a potential high-end starting pitcher.

5. Lucas Franco, SS, Cinco Ranch HS, Katy, Tex.
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 170
Age At Draft: 18.2
Committed: TCU
Report: At 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, Franco has a lean, high-waist frame with a lot of room left to fill out and he already exudes polish at the plate. He’s a patient hitter who makes good swing decisions with a knack for barreling balls in games and strong on-base skills. He’s calm and balanced in the box, tracks pitches well and has a fluid, compact swing with good sequencing and path through the hitting zone. Franco engages his lower half well in his swing and drives the ball well in the air. Now that he’s starting to get stronger, he’s showing more game power as well, with considerable strength projection left for more power coming.

6. Coy James, SS, Davie County HS, Mocksville, N.C.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 180
Age At Draft: 18.4
Committed: Mississippi
Report: James made a loud statement in September 2022 when he won the MVP award of the U-15 World Cup in Mexico as he led the USA 15U National Team to a gold medal. He’s a difficult hitter to strike out, he controls the strike zone well for his age and has the hand-eye coordination to put the bat to the ball even when he doesn’t get off his best swing. In 2023, James is showing more power to go with his pure hitting ability as well, coming off a big sophomore season in which he hit .457/.560/.814 in 100 plate appearances. It all adds up to a well-rounded skill set for a middle infielder with a chance to stick at shortstop.

7. Dean Moss, OF, IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 175
Age At Draft: 19.3
Committed: Vanderbilt
Report: Moss is one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the 2025 class with his mix of hitting ability, plate discipline and power. He has an advanced approach for his age with a keen eye for the strike zone and a compact lefthanded swing with good bat-to-ball skills and an impressive track record of getting on base at a high clip. Moss isn’t big and bulky like other top power hitters for 2025, but he has some of the best bat speed in the class, which helps him drive the ball for some of the best power in the country, and it’s power that translates in games. He’s an offensive-minded player who plays center field at IMG Academy and has improved his speed to become a solid-average runner, though in pro ball likely projects as a corner outfielder. He’s advanced enough as a hitter that he’s playing up a level this summer for the 17U Canes National Team with some of the top 2024 players in the country.

8. Billy Carlson, SS/RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 165
Age At Draft: 19.0
Committed: Vanderbilt
Report: Carlson is one of the most talented players in the country both as a shortstop and a pitcher. He has a lean, athletic build and jumps out right away at shortstop, where his actions are both explosive and fluid. An average runner, Carlson has quick feet, a good first step and body control, along with a plus arm that could develop into a plus-plus tool. When he’s at his best, Carlson shows a good sense for the strike zone and good bat-to-ball skills from the right side with gap power. Carlson’s arm strength and athleticism translate well on the mound, too. He can reach the low 90s with the arm speed and space to fill out to where he should be in the mid 90s or better eventually. His best pitch might be his curveball, a high-spin breaker with the sharp bite to rack up a lot of whiffs.

9. Cannon Goldin, OF, Buford (Ga.) HS
B-T: L-L | Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 180
Age At Draft: 19.2
Committed: Mississippi
Report: Goldin has stood out from an early age for his athleticism and hitting ability. He has continued to trend up with the potential to hit toward the top of the lineup and play in the middle of the field. He has a strong, lean build and manages his at-bats well with good swing decisions. He’s a lefty whose swing is quick and direct with little wasted movement, taking a tight turn of the barrel with a high contact rate. He makes hard contact to all parts of the field with occasional home run power to his pull side. Goldin is a plus runner with a strong arm, projecting to stick in center field.

10. Ty Thompson, SS, Rock Bridge HS, Columbia, Mo.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 150
Age At Draft: 19.1
Committed: Tennessee
Report: Already a highly regarded player coming into the year, Thompson has taken another step forward in 2023. He has a lean, athletic frame and compact, adjustable swing that gets on plane early. It helps him make contact at a high clip with the ability to barrel good velocity. It’s a hit-over-power offensive profile and that likely will continue into pro ball, with the strength projection for more of his doubles to start turning into home runs in the coming years. He’s a plus runner with a strong arm from shortstop.

11. Jacob Kendall, OF, Bartram Trail HS, St. Johns, Fla.
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 175
Age At Draft: 18.9
Committed: Florida
Report: Kendall has been a high-level offensive performer on the summer circuit, both in terms of getting on base and hitting for power. He has a knack for hitting with a smooth, compact lefthanded stroke that has good bat speed and the swing path conducive to driving the ball in the air for power. He makes hard contact now, with the physical projection and swing that should lead to more power in the next few years. Kendall has infield experience and is now in the outfield, projecting best as a corner outfielder in pro ball.

12. Marcos Paz, RHP, Hebron HS, Carrollton, Tex.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 195
Age At Draft: 18.7
Committed: Uncommitted
Report: Paz offers starter traits with his low-effort delivery and feel for three pitches. He has a long arm swing in the back and delivers a fastball up to 94 mph with projection for more velocity coming. He has two secondary pitches to miss bats. One is a low-80s slider he throws with power that looks like a fastball out of his hand and has good depth. The other is a changeup that is advanced for his age at 76-79 mph with good sink and fade, a swing-and-miss weapon that he will throw to both lefties and righties.

13. Tyler Baird, RHP, William Amos Hough HS, Cornelius, N.C.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 195
Age At Draft: 18.9
Committed: Uncommitted
Report: With long arms and legs on his projectable frame, Baird has already reached 93 mph on his fastball that has good arm-side life and angle. Baird has added strength with plenty of space to add more weight and velocity in the years ahead, which could lead to him developing an elite fastball. He has feel for a changeup that he has a lot of confidence in, throwing it often in right-on-right matchups and in some outings more than his curveball.

14. Kayson Cunningham, SS, Johnson HS, San Antonio, Tex.
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 5-9 Wt.: 170
Age At Draft: 19.1
Committed: Texas Tech
Report: At 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, Cunningham doesn’t have the size of some of the other players near the top of the list, but there are few hitters who can match his hitting ability and track record of offensive production. He has a quick, direct and adjustable swing with good rhythm and timing. He tracks pitches well, uses the whole field and is able to square up both fastballs and offspeed stuff at a high contact rate using a swing geared for line drives with gap power. Cunningham is a good athlete and a plus runner with the arm strength for shortstop, where he has good defensive instincts.

15. Vaughn Neckar, RHP/3B, Vista Murrieta (Calif.) HS
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 215
Age At Draft: 18.6
Committed: LSU
Report: Neckar was the youngest player on the team and one of only two 2025 players on the USA 18U National Team that won a gold medal at the U-18 World Cup Americas Qualifier in Mexico in November 2022. He has a big, physical frame (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) with a strong lower half and was already hitting 93 mph at 15 with good life on his fastball from a compact arm stroke. He throws a sharp, mid-to-upper-70s curveball with good shape and depth to miss bats, along with an occasional changeup.

16. Brett Crossland, RHP, Mountain Pointe HS, Phoenix, Ariz.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-6 Wt.: 245
Age At Draft: 19.0
Committed: Uncommitted
Report: Crossland has an extra-large frame (6-foot-6, 245 pounds) with some of the best raw stuff in the country, headlined by a power fastball that has already reached 96 mph. He backs it up with a mid-70s curveball that has good rotation and depth, along with an occasional changeup that he shows some feel for as well. Crossland will need to repeat his delivery more consistently to throw more strikes, but the high-octane stuff he has is obvious to see.

17. Xavier Neyens, 3B/RHP, Mount Vernon (Wash.) HS
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 200
Age At Draft: 18.7
Committed: Oregon St
Report: A two-way talent, Neyens has an intriguing mix of strength and considerable physical projection remaining. At the plate, he can drive the ball for extra-base damage, with a power-over-hit offensive profile. That strength is evident on the mound as well with a fastball that has been up to 92 mph and should eventually reach the mid-90s or better, along with a solid slider up to the low-80s.

18. Nicolas Partridge, 3B, Lakeland (Fla.) HS
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 160
Age At Draft: 18.6
Committed: Florida
Report: Partridge has a lean, athletic build for a young third baseman and a mature offensive approach for his age. He tracks pitches well with good balance and timing from the left side of the plate with the strength projection for his doubles power to turn into more home run juice as he fills out.

19. Bryden Bull, OF, Las Vegas (Nev.) HS
B-T: L-L | Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 190
Age At Draft: 19.4
Committed: Uncommitted
Report: Bull immediately draws attention for his size, a well-proportioned 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame with broad shoulders and lots of space to add more weight and strength. Bull is already able to generate big power and does so from a smooth lefthanded swing. For a young, long-limbed hitter, Bull does a good job of keeping his swing relatively compact with a knack for barreling the ball with loft in games and a strong offensive track record. Bull moves well for his size with average speed underway, projecting best as a corner outfielder in pro ball.

20. Josh Hammond, RHP, Westchester Country Day HS, High Point, N.C.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 205
Age At Draft: 18.8
Committed: Wake Forest
Report: With a strong lower half on a physically mature frame for his age, Hammond is able to generate high-end velocity for his age. He has fast arm speed, gets deep into his legs in his delivery and reaches 94 mph with a lively fastball. The pitch has good carry up in the zone, helping him miss bats when he elevates. His low-80s slider has tight spin and flashes sharp break, giving him a potential out pitch as he refines its shape. Hammond has power stuff, but he also has flashed feel for a changeup with good fading action as well. Hammond will need to tighten his control, but the three-pitch mix is there for a starter’s repertoire to make him one of the top arms in the country.

21. Ryan Mitchell, SS, Houston HS, Germantown, Tenn.
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 175
Age At Draft: 18.5
Committed: Georgia Tech
Report: Mitchell, who won a gold medal with USA Baseball at the U-15 World Cup in 2022, has a lively, athletic frame and good bat-to-ball skills from the left side. He has a high hand setup, a quick swing and good hand-eye coordination, shooting hard line drives from gap to gap. His athleticism translates well at shortstop, where he moves around well and is adept at making the play on the run.

22. Jayden Stroman, SS/RHP, The Stony Brook (N.Y.) School
B-T: B-R | Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 195
Age At Draft: 18.2
Committed: Duke
Report: Cubs righthander Marcus Stroman was a Blue Jays first-round pick in 2012 out of Duke, and younger brother Jayden is set to follow in his footsteps as a Blue Devils commit. Stroman is young for the class but already stands out for his tools as an above-average runner with a strong arm from shortstop, where his hands and feet work well. His strength and bat speed lead impressive power for his age as well. When he’s on the mound, he can reach the low-90s with feel for a breaking ball.

23. Jackson Miller, OF, The Benjamin HS, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 180
Age At Draft: 19.7
Committed: Mississippi
Report: Miller blends athleticism, high-end tools and feel for the barrel at a premium position. Coming off a sophomore year in which he hit .457/.556/.814 in 99 plate appearances, Miller has fast hands from the right side of the plate, snapping the bat head through the zone with good bat-to-ball skills. As he’s gotten stronger he has added power as well, with the potential to develop into a 20-plus home run threat. Miller has the tools for center field, with speed that grades out at least plus and a strong arm.

24. Alec Blair, OF, De La Salle HS, Concord, Calif.
B-T: L-L | Ht.: 6-6 Wt.: 185
Age At Draft: 18.7
Committed: Uncommitted
Report: Blair has drawn interest from colleges in multiple sports as a high-end recruit in both basketball and baseball. He’s an excellent athlete with a tall, rangy frame (6-foot-6, 185 pounds) that has a ton of space to fill out. There are a lot of moving parts to Blair’s swing, but when he’s synced up he makes hard contact with potential plus power. He’s an above-average runner with long, athletic strides in center field.

25. Eli Pitts, SS, North Gwinnett HS, Suwanee, Ga.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 180
Age At Draft: 18.7
Committed: South Carolina
Report: Pitts has been an early standout in the 2025 class, committing to South Carolina when he was 13. He’s a premium athlete and one of the fastest players in the class with plus-plus speed. His explosiveness is evident in his bat speed as well, with a slasher stroke and hard contact when he connects.

26. Sebastian Norman, 3B, Glendale HS, Springfield, Mo.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 225
Age At Draft: 18.4
Committed: Oklahoma St
Report: A gold medalist with USA Baseball at the U-15 World Cup in Mexico in September 2022, Norman has a jarring mix of power and speed. He looks the part of a physical slugger, built like a defensive end at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds with an extremely strong lower half. The ball can fly off his bat with some of the best raw power in the class. It’s potential plus to plus-plus power, with a chance to unlock more game power if he’s able to add more loft to his swing. Norman has startling speed for his size, with plus-plus run times underway. He has a strong arm at third base and has touched 92 mph on the mound.

27. Dylan Dubovik, OF/3B/RHP, St. Andrew’s School, Boca Raton, Fla.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 200
Age At Draft: 18.2
Committed: Miami
Report: Dubovik offers promise both as a position player and a pitcher. He has more strength projection remaining to fill out his high-waist frame and a good track record of hitting in games with a lot of doubles that should turn into home runs as he gets stronger, with signs of that power already trending up. Dubovik has a big arm for his age that’s an asset in the outfield, from the left side of the infield and on the mound, where he has reached 91 mph and mixes in a low-70s curveball.

28. Angel Cervantes, RHP, Warren HS, Downey, Calif.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 190
Age At Draft: 17.9
Committed: UCLA
Report: Cervantes is young for the class and will still be 17 on draft day. He already has excellent arm speed to produce one of the better fastballs in the class, reaching 93 mph with the projection to be throwing in the mid 90s in the near future. He has tight rotation and sharp action on his curveball, giving him multiple high-end pitches for his age.

29. Cooper Fulbright, RHP, Strake Jesuit HS, Houston, Tex.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 160
Age At Draft: 18.7
Committed: Texas A&M
Report: Fulbright has promising projection indicators. He’s an athletic pitcher who has been up to 91 mph with the room to fill out and grow into mid-90s velocity. What separates Fulbright is his innate feel to spin his breaking stuff. His low-70s curveball is one of the best breaking balls in the country, with excellent rotation, shape and depth to help him miss plenty of bats, and it should only get better with more power behind it as he gets stronger. That feel to spin is also evident on his upper-70s slider and he mixes in a changeup more than most his age as well.

30. Samuel Cozart, RHP, Wesleyan Christian Academy, High Point, N.C.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-7 Wt.: 235
Age At Draft: 19.0
Committed: Mississippi St
Report: Cozart has towered over his peers from a young age at 6-foot-7, 235 pounds. His strength has helped him reach 93 mph already, he attacks hitters up in the zone with his fastball and it plays up because of the deception in his delivery. While Cozart’s size and velocity have stood out early on, he also has an impressive track record of throwing strikes. Cozart’s fastball is his best pitch, but he will mix in his offspeed stuff liberally, with a low-70s curveball, a mid-to-upper-70s slider and a tailing changeup that could end up becoming his best secondary weapon.

31. Justice De Jong, RHP/3B, Poly Prep Country Day HS, Brooklyn, N.Y.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 210
Age At Draft: 18.0
Committed: Duke
Report: One of the younger players in the 2025 class, De Jong has two-way talent as a pitcher and third baseman. He throws strikes at a high clip with a fastball that’s up to 90 mph and should have more on the way. His pitchability and three-pitch mix that includes feel for both a low-70s curveball with good depth and his changeup make for promising building blocks for a young starter. At the plate, De Jong has good bat speed and strength from a short swing to drive the ball with impact for his age.

32. Josh Gibbs, SS, Forsyth Central HS, Cumming, Ga.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 5-11 Wt.: 170
Age At Draft: 18.7
Committed: Georgia
Report: Gibbs has been an up-arrow player in 2023 and seems to hit wherever he goes. In the midst of a strong summer, Gibbs has shown a high-contact bat and drives the ball with surprising power from his lean 5-foot-11 frame, piling up extra-base hits with the bat speed to drive the ball out of the park to his pull side. He’s a tick above-average runner with a strong arm from shortstop.

33. Jack McKernan, LHP, Ridge Point HS, Missouri City, Tex.
B-T: L-L | Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 185
Age At Draft: 18.4
Committed: Texas
Report: McKernan won a gold medal in 2022 with USA Baseball’s 15U National Team at the U-15 World Cup, where he started against Cuba and pitched three scoreless innings in the semifinal game. His stuff has ticked up since then, with McKernan pitching off a fastball up to 93 mph with heavy life from his three-quarter slot. He kills spin on a changeup that has developed into an excellent pitch for his age with plus potential. It mirrors his fastball out of his hand, then has good separation off his heater at 78-81 mph before diving at the plate to miss bats. McKernan’s slider isn’t an especially high-spin pitch, but it’s a solid offering with good action to miss bats when it’s at its best.

34. Joshua Woodworth, RHP, Ventura (Calif.) HS
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 210
Age At Draft: 18.5
Committed: Uncommitted
Report: Woodworth was a gold medalist for the USA 15U National Team at the U-15 World Cup in 2022. He’s an athletic righthander with an excellent pitcher’s frame, sound mechanics and an efficient arm action to deliver a fastball that has been up to 91 mph and should eventually reach the mid 90s or better. He backs it up with a harder slider up to the low 80s that when it’s on looks like a fastball out of his hand before diving underneath barrels.

35. Evan Hankins, 1B/OF, John S. Battle HS, Bristol, Va.
B-T: L-L | Ht.: 6-5 Wt.: 215
Age At Draft: 19.4
Committed: Tennessee
Report: Hankins has raw power that stacks up among the best in the 2025 class. He has impressive strength, leverage and bat speed to project for at least plus raw power. His long levers means he will have to keep his swing-and-miss in check, but he has a fluid lefthanded stroke. At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, first base is his most likely landing spot, though he could play the corner outfield as well.

36. Minjae Seo, RHP, Hebron HS, Carrollton, Tex.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 165
Age At Draft: 19.1
Committed: Vanderbilt
Report: Seo’s older brother, M.J. Seo, is a 2023 shortstop/righthander committed to LSU. Minjae is a Vanderbilt commit who has established himself as one of the top pitchers for 2025. He has good arm speed on a fastball that has been up to 93 mph, getting into his legs well to generate velocity and get good angle on his fastball. His 78-81 mph changeup is advanced for his age with good deception and separation off his fastball, with a low-to-mid-70s curveball rounding his repertoire.

37. Zach Strickland, RHP, Marantha HS, Pasadena, Calif.
B-T: B-R | Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 180
Age At Draft: 19.1
Committed: UCLA
Report: Strickland offers a starter look with his sound, low-effort delivery, ability to throw strikes and mix three pitches. He has good control of a fastball that has been up to 93 mph and shows feel for a solid curveball in the low-to-mid 70s.

38. Diego Velazquez, SS, Crespi HS, Los Angeles
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 175
Age At Draft: 17.9
Committed: USC
Report: Velazquez has started to generate more attention coming off a strong sophomore season in 2023. He’s able to generate impressive bat speed from a smooth lefthanded swing, already flashing over-the-fence power to the pull side with the combination of bat speed and physical projection remaining for more of his doubles to start turning into home runs in the next few years. He will still be 17 on draft day, so he’s one of the younger players in the class.

39. Gustavo Melendez, SS, Colegio La Merced HS, Cayey, P.R.
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 5-8 Wt.: 150
Age At Draft: 17.7
Committed: Wake Forest
Report: Melendez already has played in multiple World Cups, first playing for the USA in the U-12 World Cup in 2019, then for Puerto Rico in the U-15 World Cup in 2022. Melendez is also one of the youngest players in the 2025 class. He won’t turn 17 until October after his draft year, so he fits in with 2026 players, but his feel for the game is well beyond his years. He’s not that big (5-foot-8, 150 pounds), but he takes advantage of his smaller strike zone with a patient, disciplined approach and puts the ball in play at a high clip with a line drive stroke and gap power from the left side of the plate. He moves his feet well at shortstop, where he’s a smooth defender with a strong arm that should tick up more in the coming years.

40. Landon Harmon, RHP, East Union Attendance Center HS, Blue Springs, Miss.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-5 Wt.: 180
Age At Draft: 18.9
Committed: Mississippi St
Report: Harmon has an extremely projectable frame with room to add another 40-plus pounds and grow a fastball that has been up to 91 mph from his three-quarter slot with downhill plane. More than just his potential to throw in the mid 90s or better, Harmon stands out for his smooth, controlled delivery with good balance and a sound arm action, making him a solid strike-thrower for his age. He has also shown some feel for a low-to-mid-70s slider.

41. Grant Wren, RHP, Melbourne (Ark.) HS
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-5 Wt.: 190
Age At Draft: 18.9
Committed: Arkansas
Report: With a fastball up to 93 mph, Wren already has a strong fastball for his age. Given the room he has on his 6-foot-5, 190-pound frame to fill out, there could be a lot more velocity still to come. He attacks hitters with downhill angle from his high three-quarter slot and has the life on his fastball that should help him get swing-and-miss when he elevates. Wren’s fastball is his best pitch currently, with his mid-70s curveball showing the most promise among his secondaries.

42. Micah Matthews, OF, Turner Ashby HS, Bridgewater, Va.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 200
Age At Draft: 19.0
Committed: South Carolina
Report: Matthews stood out early on for his size and athleticism, committing to South Carolina for baseball when he was in eighth grade, though he has been a standout football player as well. Matthews has gotten bigger, faster and stronger. He’s now up to 6-foot-3, 200 pounds and is running better than he did even a year ago, with plus-plus speed underway now. It’s a power-over-hit offensive profile with a chance to be a power/speed threat in center field if everything clicks.

43. Richie Swain, RHP, Timberland HS, Wentzville, Mo.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 190
Age At Draft: 18.7
Committed: Uncommitted
Report: Swain has a good mix of present stuff and physical projection. He has significant room to add weight to his 6-foot-4, 190-pound build, which should help him add to a fastball that’s already up to 92 mph. Swain’s fastball generates ample swing-and-miss from a low release height that gives hitters a difficult angle, with a head whack at the end of his delivery. He shows feel to spin a mid-70s curveball as well.

44. Everett Johnson, OF, Wayne Country Day HS, Goldsboro, N.C.
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 5-9 Wt.: 165
Age At Draft: 19.3
Committed: NC State
Report: Johnson has an outstanding baseball IQ that is evident in everything he does on the field. He has a shorter frame that he uses to his advantage, with a small strike zone that he doesn’t expand much with his patient approach. He will bar his arm at times but is a high contact hitter who can get on base at a high clip with a line drive approach and gap power. He’s a plus runner with strong defensive instincts, reading the ball well off the bat with efficient routes and good range.

45. Boston Kellner, SS, Pine Creek HS, Colorado Springs, Col.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 195
Age At Draft: 19.1
Committed: Louisville
Report: Kellner has posted monster numbers in two seasons of high school. He’s a physical slugger with plenty of strength behind his swing. It’s a power-over-hit profile with the raw power and lift in his swing to drive balls deep out of the park to his pull side. Kellner moves well for his size as a tick above-average runner underway and has a strong arm. He has spent time at third base this summer, with third base or an outfield corner potential fits in pro ball.

46. Omar Serna, C/RHP, Dobie HS, Houston, Tex.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 225
Age At Draft: 18.5
Committed: LSU
Report: At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, Serna has a large, strong build and two of the bigger tools in the class between his power and arm strength. His righthanded power ranks among the best in the 2025 class, with the strength to launch balls out of the park deep to his pull side. It’s a power-over-hit profile with what should be at least plus raw power. Serna also has perhaps the best arm in the country for a 2025 catcher. While it’s possible he might outgrow the position, he has a plus arm from behind the plate and has been up to 94 mph on the mound.

47. Blake Ilitch, RHP, Brother Rice HS, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-4 Wt.: 200
Age At Draft: 19.3
Committed: Duke
Report: Ilitch has a good mix of size and stuff. He has a strong frame and pitches off a fastball that has ticked up to 93 mph from his high three-quarter slot with projection for more velocity. Ilitch throws an upper-70s curveball with good depth and a hard slider at 81-84 mph. His changeup is a pitch that could become a bigger weapon for him with more experience, as it’s a pitch he has shown feel for with good fading action at times.

48. Miguel Sime Jr, RHP, Poly Prep Country Day HS, Brooklyn, N.Y.
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 220
Age At Draft: 18.2
Committed: LSU
Report: Sime Jr. is on the younger end of the 2025 class with a big, physical build and an outstanding fastball for his age. He can run it up to 94 mph with good life and carry up in the zone. His fastball is his predominant pitch, ahead of his mid-70s breaking ball, and while he will need to tighten his control, he has the look of a potential upper-90s arm.

49. Cooper Rummel, RHP, Dripping Springs (Tex.) HS
B-T: R-R | Ht.: 6-3 Wt.: 210
Age At Draft: 19.2
Committed: Texas
Report: Rummel has a strong frame (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) and the look of a potential power arm with a fastball that has been up to 93 mph with more coming. With a cross-body delivery, Rummel will need to sharpen his control, but he has one of the better fastballs in the class and throws a curveball with good depth.

50. Brock Sell, OF, Tokay HS, Lodi, Calif.
B-T: L-R | Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 170
Age At Draft: 18.7
Committed: Stanford
Report: Sell provides a good blend of hitting ability and athleticism. An aggressive hitter with a compact lefthanded swing, Sell is able to consistently barrel fastballs and high-end velocity for his age, with plus speed that’s an asset on both sides of the ball.