As I write every year.
A quick note about these tiers. These tiers are just to show where I found a delineation in value or in terms of grouping. It shows when I think there are bigger and smaller gaps in the listing. For those who have never read my work before, I tend to be more conservative, leaning into safer player builds and using numerical molds that have proven successful in the past. This does not mean I don’t change and evolve, but it does mean that my boards can be predictable and more risk-averse. I also try when I have information on money, to make that part of the valuation. Let's face it, if two guys are of equal talent or nearly equal talent and one costs a million less, that is a huge deal and changes the overall amount of talent a team could land.
Ok, so two notes here at the top. The first is that this is all being done without an editor, being dyslexic, this whole writing without a net has been kind of terrifying for me, and is part of the reason my amount of writing has declined in general, as well as the time podcasting takes. Still, I enjoy talking about the draft and continue to grind just for fun with it. So I will be posting my thoughts here. There will just be one evolving and changing board. I am writing up players as I get a chance to watch, read reports, and chat with people. I will post those down here and move players around as I see more, and write more, so consider this a Big Board in pieces. Thank you to all who read and share, every eye helps. If you would like to run any part of this on your site, contact me as well.
Tier 1
None
Tier 2
Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
Jamie Arnold lacks the typical sizzle and splash of most guys who are at the top of a draft board. He just does everything and does it well. This might be the fault of the industry, or at least the old industry, where size and velocity were the knowns that people focused on. Now we look at swing and miss data, vertical break, and spin. The advanced data on Arnold a year ago was spectacular, and nothing has changed. When I took all the data available to me, and did bands based on player performance. There was one player who rated in the top 40 percent in all categories available, and that was Arnold. The fact that he stood out this way in 2024 is important, as he was facing older competition. Arnold is a safe player, with no health issues, a well-developed pitch mix, plus command and control. His sweeper looks to be his best secondary offering. His third pitch is a change, which is a work in progress, and the only thing that holds back the profile slightly. He should be a rock in a team's rotation soon.
2 Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
Kade Anderson has been one of the bigger breakout players this college season. A player who was not viewed as a top 100 type and now looks like a slam-dunk top ten player. He is a draft-eligible sophomore who had Tommy John surgery in high school. His fastball sits low to mid-90s and touches mid to high 90s. His slider is a high-spin pitch that I believe will be his best pitch as he develops. He has shown a changeup and a curveball as well, but neither looks plus and will likely be more tools used to get out specific hitters. I think his slider can be effective against righties and lefties. I would like to see more focus on the change than the cover, as the changeup is a more platoon-agnostic pitch. He works a lot in the zone, but was able to generate a high amount of zone whiffs, and his slider has helped him generate a high chase rate as well. He looks the part of a second or third starter down the road. He likely ends up in the top 10 picks as a solid lefty, with good numbers, good data, from a strong developmental program, who also has not pitched as much as some of the other college players. The risk for me comes from having not seen him pitch as much with a limited freshman year and no summer data, but this also means his arm has had less wear and tear than typical.
3 Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma
The fact that Kyson Witherspoon is a twin is the first thing that everyone writes about him. Both he and his brother started at Northwest Florida State before transferring to Oklahoma in 2024. For most of their lives, his brother Malachi was viewed as the better prospect, but now there is no doubt that it is Kyson. He started to gain more and more attention after an excellent summer split between TEAM USA and the Cape, and he did not slow down at all this college season. He has gone from a late first to a top ten talent. He is a young for the class junior who won’t turn 21 until August, so model-based teams will love him. He has been very successful as more of a two-pitch guy in college; this is the case for most pitchers. His fastball touches the upper 90s, and his slider might be his best pitch. His curveball and cutter both complement his other pitches and could end up as plus offerings as well. His natural athleticism and clean mechanics make him, along with everything else, the number two pitcher in this class to me. Athleticism is so underrated with pitchers; it helps them to stay healthy and allows for more growth in terms of pitch development. He has strong Zwhiff rates and low barrel rates. His chase rate is solid but not in the standout range. In a class full of regression, Witherspoon stands out for stepping up.
4 Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
Avia Arquette has stepped into the shoes left behind by Travis Bazzana a year ago without any issues or slowing down. He transferred from Washington State, and after a great Cape, has continued to perform well. There are some issues with his chase rate, and his zone whiff rate is not where I expected it to be for him. He is a large human at 6’5”, and while a lot of the talk around him is focused on his ability as a hitter, his power looks like the carrying tool for me. He hits the ball hard and barrels the ball consistently enough to make me believe he should be an above-average third baseman. I think his size likely causes him to move to the hot corner. The profile is not as clean as I expected. Arquette looks like a future bigger leaguer, but the potential for contact issues has moved him down from the top three positions he held on the board in the fall.
5 Tyler Bremner, RHP, UCSB
Tyler Bremener came into the year as a potential top overall pick after a big year at UC Santa Barbara, one of the quieter pitching factories in college baseball. It was a rough start for him, which is not ideal as a smaller school player; the toughest part of his season was in the early going. It took time, but Bremner was dealing by the end of the year, and should still be in the top ten discussion. Bremner has one of the better changeups in this class, for my money, it's the best one. He combines with a fastball that hits the upper 90s and an inconsistent slider. The lack of a strong third pitch is a common theme with all of the top arms this year. Bremner is a bit lower due to not having played against higher-level competition all year. I love that he bounced back, but it did happen against weak competition. He was also, at points, the victim of a porous defense, so I might not be valuing him enough in terms of performance. I think there is more risk here, but similar upside to the other top pitchers in this class. His changeup is one of the best pitches, which, when added to his athleticism and velocity, gives him the look of a potential 2. If his slider develops or he can add another pitch, a cutter or sinker, it could end up making Bremner one of the steals of this draft.
6 Andrew Fischer, 1B/3B, Tennessee
Andrew Fischer perfectly encapsulates the new way of college baseball. He is on his third program in three years, and each one has been successful. He started at Duke, went to Ole Miss, and then moved to Tennessee with Liam Doyle for his junior year. Fischer has performed well every year and shown improvement across the board and in terms of production. He just keeps getting better and better. His profile is one of the safest in the draft this year, with good, not great, advanced data in every area. Some areas are great, including his chase and barrel rates, which show why he is a safe hitter in the class. He has kept his exit velocity numbers nearly identical from a year ago while cutting his chase literally in half. He has improved across the board. Defensively, he has the arm for third or potentially in the outfield, but his fluidity tends to make me believe he will end up at first base long term.
7 Ethan Holliday, 3B, Stillwater HS (OK) Committed to Oklahoma State
I tend to be more conservative in my ratings, but I still expected to see Holliday higher in this class. He has bloodlines and a history of performance against competition. Yet when I dove into the data, it was good but not great. In fairness, his brother also did not have the physical traits that I often look for in high school performers as well, and he has turned out well so far. I think Jackson is a better athlete, though, and a better prospect overall. His power is his best trait, and I am not sure if I grade anything else as plus. Nothing is negative in the profile, but nothing jumps out a ton. He is a solid prospect with a good chance to be an above-average regular. There are some swing-and-miss concerns. If everything breaks right, he is above average on base skills with 30 home run power and solid defense at third. The issue is that the margins are thinner than with the typical high-ceiling, tooled-up top-end prep player in the class.
8 Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (OK) Committed to Oklahoma
Eli Willits reclassified this year, making him one of the younger players in the class. He is also one of the more polished players as well. He is the son of Reggie Willits, who is now a coach at Oklahoma, where Jaxon Eli’s older brother plays. He has the polish of the son of a coach who also carved out a career doing all the little things. He has his dad’s work ethic, switch-hitting, approach, and speed. That is likely a little unfair. He has all those tools and a bit more, which is why his dad was a backup and he projects as a starter. The profile will sound a lot like Kayson Cunningham, whom I wrote up before Eli, but will rank after him. The reason for Eli being higher is the fact that he is 18 months younger, bigger, and more likely to stick at short. The early shortstop class is interesting, as if everything works; Willets, Cunningham, and Carlson all project similarly. As good, not great offensive players with most of the value coming from hit over power. I give Willets the slight edge in the group. Being a switch-hitter, along with his youth, made him stand out from the group.
9 Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana
This is an aggressive ranking for Taylor. He plays in a lesser power five conference and plays left field, often judged as the least valuable position on the diamond. Yet the majority of balls hit in the air go to left field, and having a competent defender there brings more value than one might anticipate. Taylor was one of the best hitters in the Cape, facing the best of the best. A year ago, he was missing a bit in the zone and not barreling the ball enough; both have greatly improved in 25. His chase has also decreased significantly as well. The only issue is with the changes; his launch angle has gone from optimal to not. Indiana has slowly been turning into an MLB pipeline program with multiple players drafted each year. Taylor isn’t sexy; there might not be a plus trait athletically or physically for him. Yet he produces, and all the data is solid to great. There are no big offensive holes in his game. There isn’t an area of concern. His position is not a premium one, and there is a clear lack of ceiling. Yet every team in baseball could use more outfielders, and Taylor’s profile as a hitter looks clean and complete. He should be one of the safer hitters in the class and should be able to be a starter. While he might never be a six-win guy, there are a lot of reasons why you would believe he might net you three to four wins for six years or more once he reaches the majors.
10 Joseph (JoJo) Parker, SS, Purvis HS (MS) Committed to Mississippi State
The first line of every write-up on Parker is obligated to mention that he has a twin brother who could also go on the first day of the draft. Parker has been one of the players who, over the last calendar year, has done the most to raise his profile and make himself a lot of money. This time a year ago, I think most people would have rated his brother higher than him. Parker excelled all summer and kept it up this spring. Now, one has to question if either brother has any chance to make it to Mississippi or if some team might try to get a group discount and draft both. Parker doesn’t have the raw power of his brother, but has made a ton of contact all year with an advanced approach. The hit tool is his carrying tool, but he does everything well and could end up with above-average to plus traits across the board. There is some debate whether he will stick at shortstop or move to second or third long term as he gets older and stronger. He is a good athlete but not elite, so I think he ends up at third, but do not rule out the idea that he can stick at shortstop. The hit tool will likely get him drafted in the top 10. He looks the part of a top-of-the-order hitter.
11 Slater De Brun, CF, Summit HS (OR) Committed to Vanderbilt
The comparisons here are rather straightforward to Slade Caldwell last year, and the guy everyone hopes smaller guys become, Corbin Caroll. When you look at De Brun, there are not a lot of holes or issues with his game outside of his size. He has plus speed, a strong arm, a good approach, and the ball explodes off his bat with good angles. He does everything. He is also young for the class. He isn’t maxed out like Caldwell was a year ago, but still has excellent exit velocity data. The only real concern is his size, as he is listed at 5’9” or 5’10” depending on the site. Here is an up-the-middle player with no real gaps or concerns. If De Brun were 6’2,” he would have a good chance at being the top player in this class. Size is not something to ignore, but sometimes it can also be overblown. In a class that lacks elite ceiling, here is a player with all the traits you want, even if he will never physically touch the ceiling of any room he is in. While most places have him with below-average power, his exit velocities also make me wonder if this is more due to size than actual production so far.
12 Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
Liam Doyle has been a revelation this year at Tennessee after coming in from Ole Miss. He was the center of a lot of the early-season discussion due to his dominance. His zone whiff rate is the best I have seen in recent years. Now he also works a lot out of the zone, and one can wonder how that approach will lose effectiveness as he faces better and better hitters. There is violence to the delivery, and this leads to relief and injury risk. At the same time, it is impossible to argue with the results and how effective he has been this year. He has been mostly a two-pitch guy this year; everyone knows his fastball is coming, and no one is hitting it. When they do hit the pitch, no one can barrel it, and no one hits him hard. In the SEC, he has looked a bit more mortal, but it is amazing to see him doing what he is doing with a lot of clear pathways to improvement. He needs a third pitch; hopefully, he will get his delivery cleaned up to make it easier to repeat while still maintaining what he has shown. The pathway is there for a front-of-the-rotation pitcher. There is a lot of risk, and taking a player in the top 10 who has a likely outcome of a reliever is not ideal, but in this class, he looks solidly the number two pitcher in a class where very few guys have stepped up. A year ago, I likely would have slotted as the third pitcher in that class just to give some comparison.
13 Gavin Kilen, SS, Tennessee
Gavin Kilen will go a lot higher than his father, who was drafted in the no longer existent 58th round back in 1993. He ended up playing for the University of Louisiana-Monroe after transferring from Milwaukee Area Technical College, before arm injuries ended his career early. For Gavin, it has been an easier road, though he did transfer as well, arriving at Tennessee this fall after playing the last two years at Louisville. Kilen has gotten better every single year. He has had some of the best control of the zone of any hitter in college baseball this year. He rarely misses in the zone, and he rarely chases outside of the zone. He also barrels the ball very well when he gets a hold of it. Two things are holding him back; while he has improved, his exit velocities are still on the lower side, and he has below-average power, more than likely. Second, he mostly played second this year, and some will wonder if his breakout was due in part to him playing a less demanding position this year. I think he can handle short, and while he might not be plus, he will be solid there with his batter profile; he has a chance to be a top of the lineup table setter for a team. If his power can develop more, he could end up being the best hitter from this class while playing a premium position.
14 Ike Irish, OF/C, Auburn
Ike Irish is not going to be a catcher, let’s get that out of the way. I think he could conceivably be a catcher, but his bat is too advanced to wait on his defense. Instead, he will likely move to the outfield, where he is a good enough athlete and has the arm to play. Irish has performed at a high level at Auburn and in the Cape. He has a lot of strong play against great competition. The issue is his swing. He has good exit velocity, but his launch angle does not allow him to access it. Some swing changes need to be made, but they also bring risks that his contact rates could be sacrificed with the swing change. A year ago, he didn’t miss in the zone, but chased this year he didn’t chase but missed more in the zone. His stats were strong, but he seemed to be a bit more passive this year overall. There are good tools here, and a smart team with great hitting instructors might end up getting a guy in the 20 to 40 range who could end up being one of the better players in the class. I personally just worry about making those adjustments for any hitter.
Tier 3
15 Riley Quick, RHP, Alabama
Riley Quick likely isn’t very quick. He is listed at 6’6” and 255 pounds, and while that's a good build for a pitcher, it does not lend one to a lot of foot speed. It does explain to a degree why he was a 94th-rated player by 247 Sports in the 2022 football class as an offensive tackle. His brother was also a big-time football recruit on the offensive line who attended Alabama. So he comes from a very athletic family. Riley Quick only had 25 innings leading into his junior year after a freshman year in the pen and a sophomore year where he needed Tommy John surgery after just one start. His command has been slower to come back, but that is typically for a player coming back from Tommy John. Quick is a bit of a work in progress, aren’t we all? What I mean in his case is in terms of finding what pitches work for him. He has an upper-90s fastball, a high-spin slider, and a solid change-up. Due to lost time, all need refinement. Quick has the size, pitcher traits, and pitch movement, along with general athleticism that teams crave in their starters. After the initial tier of Big 5 college arms, I think Quick is the next guy up. He has everything you need for a mid-rotation or better arm, while coming from a program that, while improving, has struggled to produce talent, which means, between the lost time and time in school, there is a lot of room for growth, more than in the typical college arm. If he goes in the top 20 would be just the second Alabama player in the top 20, joining Joe Vitiello, taken 7th by the Royals in 1991. (Top 5 Bama arms all time by bWAR: 1 Dave Roberston, 2 Tommy Hunter, 3 Spencer Turnbull, 4 Wade LeBlanc, 5 Greg Hibbard)
16 Billy Carlson, RHP/SS, Corona HS (CA) Committed to Tennessee
Billy Carlson is one of the best pure athletes in this class. He could be drafted as a pitcher as well as a shortstop. He will get drafted as a shortstop, though, because he looks the part of an elite defender who could win hardware there down the line. He has plus bat speed, and that should allow him to hit for average power even with a swing that is not geared for it. He is a bit of a tweener offensively. I am not sure he has a trait that flashes plus consistently. He does a lot of things well as a hitter, but there is some risk that he could be less than the some of his parts. The upside is that even if he ends up a below-average offensive player, he should still be incredibly valuable due to his speed and defense. There are so few guys who can defend like him that there is a pathway for success, virtually anyway it works out. If he can be an above-average hitter, then one is looking at an elite player at the position. I don’t love the swing; it has the wrong type of uppercut to it, but I think he can still end up being closer to a four-win player.
17 Josh Hammond, 3B, Wesleyan Christian (NC) Committed to Wake Forest
Josh Hammond is one of the best two-way players in this class. He can really spin his pitches and shows good velocity, but most view him as a hitter. Most importantly, that is what he views himself as going forward. He is not the biggest player at 6 '1, so I do wonder how much of the switch on his future was due to his size, along with his desire. He is another coach's son in this draft class, though he often doesn't get viewed as the typical scrappy grinder type. I think this is because he has plus athletic traits, and we aren’t allowed to use the word grinder with plus athletes. It might be legal in this one case due to him being undersized, but I have to check with the old school writers. Despite his size, he has above-average to plus power potential due to his combination of bat speed and strength. Hammond’s dad spent a decade in the minors after being a 25th-round pick as a useful utility type before becoming a coach and is the current coach for High Point University, most famous alumni being Cody Allen, after six years coaching at Wake Forest. The question is, will Josh go higher than 25th overall, and the answer seems to point to yes. His athleticism and power stand out, and he has looked good in every report and even all spring. He is an advanced player, the son of a successful college coach who has gotten noticeably better every year. There is some swing and miss, but I would bet on Hammond being in the top 20 or very close to it on draft day.
18 Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS (CA) Committed to Vanderbilt
I have to start with the obvious here, Hernandez is a player that I disagree with the field on. This is not due to the player but just due to my view on prep pitchers. I would seldom take a high school catcher or pitcher in the top 20 picks. One can always find interesting prep arms later in the draft, but due to the high amount of injury along with the higher failure rate, I would rather go with more safety early, as it is easier to find the ceiling than the floor. I say all of this because Hernandez is an excellent prospect despite the risk. He has three potential plus or better offerings. His fastball hits the upper 90s and might be the worst of the three, as his curveball has a ton of spin and his changeup is filthy. I think I like it the most in terms of pure stuff, and also in terms of how he can effectively use it. He is a strong athlete, which is very important to health as a pitcher. He has all the traits one looks at that normally point towards health and durability. I will understand why a team drafts him higher than my ranking. There is a profile for a future front-of-the-rotation pitcher, and if you're lucky, you won't lose any major league time to injury, but the more likely outcome is getting 4 years of team control instead of 6 due to the health risk inherent in a starter with extreme velocity.
19 Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville HS (AL) Committed to Tennessee
Steele Hall is a player who has reclassified for this year’s class, making him one of the younger players in this class. He won’t turn 18 until a week or two after the draft. Hall is one of the better athletes in this class with double-plus speed. He looks the part of a no-doubt shortstop with the arm and twitch to stay there. The bat is a bit of a question, as of right now, there is not much power, and his swing could use some refinement. He has hit at every level and been a steady performer, mostly as an on-base and disruptor type. When I watched video, there was a mix of great swings and really ugly ones. The bat is lightning quick, and Hall has gotten a lot stronger this year. His best swings are just quick and efficient. When he tries to hit with more authority, the swing ends up being less successful. I think a team should work with him on a line drive approach, and end up with a player who is a menace at the top of the lineup while helping you in the field. The arrow is pointing up, and Hall, if you are a team that trusts your development, Hall could end up being one of the better players to come out of this draft. There is an outcome for him that is not dissimilar to Trea Turner.
20 Kayson Cunningham, SS, Johnson HS (TX) Committed to Texas
Kayson Cunningham had one of the best summers of any prep player in the country last year. Yet I always expected we would see him slide no matter what he did in the spring. The reason for this is his size. He is listed at 5'10”, and well, that is not the height teams are looking for in a high pick. He is also an older prep player who will be 19 on draft day. Cunningham is a clear plus athlete. Yet I think the most impressive thing about him is his ability as a hitter. He rarely whiffs or chases. He makes a lot of contact in the zone, and often strong contact. He is a hitter, with a chance for average power down the road based on exit velocities. His athleticism means if shortstop does not work out, I would try him in center, even though most focus on second base. There is a limit to his ceiling, and a general danger when it comes to a player who stands out due to his hit tool, as it is the one that is the hardest to correctly judge. Still, he’s a very athletic player with a clean profile who should play a premium position with multiple potential plus tools and nothing that looks worse than a 40. The risk primarily lies in the overall ceiling of the player and the level of confidence you have in the translation of hitting skills, as well as their future position.
21 Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas
Gage Wood had one of the defining moments of the College World Series with his no-hitter against Murray State. If you are wondering why you have not heard as much about him as other players this year, it comes down to health. He had a shoulder issue that caused him to miss two months. One can’t help but wonder if he had been healthy or if we would be talking about a potential top 10 pick. Wood spent his first two years working out of the pen, so the sample as a starter is tiny. Tiny is a word that might also be used to describe his height, as being listed at six feet even for a right-handed pitcher is another concern, which, combined with his injury, will have some teams concerned about durability. He has a fantastic upper-90s fastball, while also showing a curveball and slider. The fastball does most of his work and has been one of the better pitches down the stretch in college baseball. There is a lot of reliever risk due to the secondaries being a bit undercooked and still a work in progress, as well as the general health concerns. He did excel in the Cape, which is another point in his favor. The fastball will be what gets him drafted, and he generates a lot of swing and miss with a low walk rate. There is a high ceiling player here with a pathway to multiple plus offerings. The risk is higher than most of the college arms, but he could also end up the best arm of the bunch.
22 Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson
There was a time when I thought Cam Cannerella would be one of the candidates for the top overall player in this class. He was a premium player at a premium position. He looked like a guy who was going to be at plus at everything but power, and he should be at least average there. Instead, he hurt his labrum during his sophomore year, had surgery at the end of the year, and hasn’t been the same guy since his freshman year. He has improved his chase this year, but between low exit velocities and less than ideal launch angle. I worry if he will be able to hit enough to be more than a backup. The other side is that a team could be buying low on a potential top-of-the-lineup centerfielder who is not all the way back from an injured labrum. He should be a no-doubt center fielder who has performed well in a top conference, even with an injury, and while coming back from injury. I think Cannarella is a buy-low candidate for a team. If you can get him after the first round, he has hit enough to think that he is a low-floor major league talent with the potential to for much more.
23 Gavin Fien, 3B, Great Oak HS (CA) Committed to Texas
Gavin Fien is one of the handful of players who looked like top ten locks this time a year ago and then have tumbled off boards. I guess this shows the idea of a top ten lock is dumb, anything more than a day before the draft itself. Fien was great all summer, facing top competition, but then had points where he struggled against players this spring in the high school ranks. I am not sure how to explain it, outside of extra focus on him as well as added pressure, seems to have led to a disappointing season for everyone I saw who got to see him play this year. At his best, Fien uses his bat speed to generate line drives to all fields with power. His swing is different with his hands high and back, and while he has the bat speed to recover, it does allow him to hit the ball with authority. One wonders if it's not ideal for him as a hitter. I think it will hold him back a bit against velocity and also allow him to get worked inside more. Last summer, I'm sure he had some future 60 grades with his hit and power tools. If you trust what you saw over the summer, then he is a buy-low candidate. A player who is a top 10 prospect in this class who will likely be selected somewhere in the first round. For me, the swing, when it comes together, looks impressive, but I think it holds back Fien’s development long term.
24 Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest
Coming into the year, Houston was a player I was very low on. He was awesome in the Cape, plays a premium position well, and has the look of a plus hit tool. The issue was that he had the lowest exit velocities in the country among the player pool I had access to. College bats being metal means that low-end exit velocities are especially worrisome, as one can cut three to five miles off a player's exit velocity when they change to wood. He had the only sub-100 90th percentile exit velocity, and as much as I like everything else that isn’t playable. Is he all of a sudden a power threat this year? Heck no, but he is over 102 for his 90th percentile exit velocities, and that makes him a potential starter even with almost no power. I know he has 10 home runs this year, but Wake is a band box, that's not his game at all, or something I think he can replicate. The value here is defense first at shortstop, where he should be a solid defender. He doesn’t miss in the zone, but has gotten a little chase-heavy. I still think he is a sub-average bat. Yet the chance for above-average to plus defense at short with a near league-average bat should be enough to see him go in the top half of the first. My only concern is that there is some Kevin Newman in this profile for me. I don’t love to bring in comps, but this one jumped out to me.
25 Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville
I have talked a lot in these write-ups about the number of two-pitch players in college baseball this year. Forbes might be a one-pitch guy, but what a pitch. His fastball touches 100, sits mid-90s, and has a lot of spin, which makes the velocity appear even higher. I wish I had extension data, because if he does have high extension as well, that pitch might feel like it's coming in 105ish due to spin and extension. I think his extension is good, but it might also be just what I want to see. Forbes got more time as a hitter than a pitcher as a freshman and was solid as a hitter. He only pitched a combined 38.1 innings before this year, which was nearly matched by the 31 innings he had in two shorter stretches in the Cape. He has shown a cutter, change, and a slider this year, which gives him a chance to start. I am not sure if any will be a plus offering. His control has been a shade below average this year. His command looks below to average as well. There is some tweener to his profile, which might scare some teams. One should run him out as a starter, but with the knowledge that the velocity change between his cutter and fastball should give him a strong reliever floor. I just wanted to see better overall data or better walk rates before I put him up with the other top college arms in this year's class.
26 Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon HS (WA) Committed to Oregon State
One constant story of this draft has been the disappointment of some of the bigger hitters in the prep class. Neyens entered the spring as a constant in the top ten in every mock. He had an up-and-down summer, which led to some concerns and started a bit slow in the spring before picking things up. He doesn’t chase much, but still showed swing and miss by scouting reports. This tends to show me an overly passive hitter. The question becomes, is he too passive, or is he passive because he is facing lesser competition and pitchers struggling to command their stuff? The power is legit, with some of the best exit velocity among high school hitters. He has a swing that, combined with his exit velocity, should generate easy power. The swing can get long at points, which makes it easier for pitchers to work him inside. In the spring, I think most would have said he had 60 hit and 60 or 65 power. Now, most view him as a 50 hit with the power being constant, with some thinking he might be a right fielder long term. There are some concerns arising here, much like PJ Morlando a year ago, where when you are one of the top hitters in the class, the nitpicking might cause people to overlook the talent. One has to bet on his power, and that his hit tool will be good enough to allow him to tap into that big-time power he possesses.
27 JD Thompson, LHP, Vanderbilt
There is a lot that should work against JD Thompson. He is barely six feet. . He pitches at Vanderbilt, a program that gets all the talent but has produced just one a 3 bWAR pitcher since Sonny Gray (Walker Bueler). They have had 37 pitchers taken since then, with 7 taken in the top two rounds, and a lot of arms that didn’t seem to develop well. The last two years have seen a shift, hopefully, with Cunningham and Holton last year and Thompson this year. Thompson pitched well as a starter the last two years with a lot of strikeouts and lower walk rates. He was one of the better pitchers on the Cape as well last year. He is a crafty lefty who gets the most out of his extension and some deception to make his low 90s fastball play up. His changeup is up there with Tyler Bremner for one of the best in the class. It’s at least a plus offering, maybe double plus, and is a weapon he can use against righties or lefties. He has a curve and a slider, which are solid matchup pitches. At the midseason point, he had the highest chase rate of any pitcher in my data set. He also had a relatively high zone whiff and worked in the zone a lot. When players did make contact, they could hit it hard, but making contact was something a lot of hitters found hard to do. My own bias made me leery about Thompson, but the more I watched and dug, the more I liked him. I think he is a first-round talent in this class, with a very good chance to be a starter and a pitch mix that should allow him, barring injury, to be no worse than a very good reliever. I think he is a starter all the way. Between his control, pitch mix, and plus changeup, he should be able to turn over a lineup three times.
28 JB Middleton, RHP, Southern Miss
JB Middleton has been a steady riser this spring. He has a complete pitch mix and good command and control that have allowed him to be a steady riser from a guy who wasn’t really on the radar to a potential top 50 pick. He spent the previous two years as a reliever with just 3 starts in the first two years. His sophomore year, he was a closer with command and control issues, to a starter whose best stat this year was his control in the zone. He had some brief success in the Cape working as a reliever, though it was all of eight innings. He has a mid-90s fastball along with a slider that is his best pitch. The slider generated a lot of chase this year, as did his changeup. His changeup and slider are ahead of his fastball and look to be his best pitches going forward. He has a whip-quick arm and is an excellent athlete on the mound, which makes up for his lack of size. Some teams won’t consider drafting Middleton because he is just six feet tall and throws from the right side. He didn’t miss as many bats as I expected this year with his chase rate. There are a lot of reasons to think this is a player who has more growth left. He only logged 46 innings in his first two years and comes from a smaller program. He had a breakout this season, but I think there could be even more growth potential for Middleton, making him a sleeper for me in this class.
29 Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina
Caden Bodine is a very hard player to judge. He was one of the best, if not the best, defensive catchers in college baseball this year. He blocks, frames, and throws well and should be a plus player behind the plate defensively. He started on the Cape and was one of the most important players on one of the best teams in college baseball. He doesn’t miss pitches in the zone, and doesn’t chase either with one of the best eyes in college baseball. His hand and eye coordination, with his ability to never miss and catch, might be the best of any player in this class. Yet he is down towards the end of round one because I think his power is a 35/40 grade at best. He does not hit the ball hard, and his swing is geared to contact and putting the ball in play. It's a handful of games, but he struggled against great LSU pitching. I am not quite as worried because of how great he played on the Cape with wood facing the best of the best. The floor here is very clearly a solid backup, with the overall floor for the catcher position being so low, there is a very good chance he would be a strong starter just due to defense and being a potential average bat. My concern is that there is not enough juice in the bat to project him as a sure starter, and if that is the case, then you can’t draft a player like that in the first round.
30 Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest
There is no bigger what-if than Ethan Conrad in this year's class. He transferred to Wake Forest from Marist, then hurt his shoulder right as ACC conference play was beginning, requiring surgery. If he had been healthy, there is a chance Conrad is not just an upper-half of the first-round player but also could have been the first college bat off the board. In a small sample this year, he didn’t miss in the zone, had solid exit velocities, and had no data that was below average. While adjusting to the upper tiers of college baseball after playing at a much lower level previously. Also, when there is a cold-weather player, we often talk about more growth potential, which adds to Conrad’s value. While one might worry about numbers based on the weaker part of the schedule, that’s when his performance in the Cape Cod League last year makes him less of a risk. He faced the best of the best on the Cape and ended up one of the breakout stars. He showed an elite eye in the Cape, with excellent contact and skills. I wish we had seen more power, though I think he should have average power due to his exit velocity, as his launch angle is not an issue, it’s just below 15%. It’s a weird situation as everyone calls him a value pick due to injury, but can he be a value if everyone says it? I think there is a right amount of risk due to a lack of full-season data, as well as time missed due to injury, which likely sees him go somewhere in the 20s.
31 Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas
Wehiwa Aloy is one of the most talked-about names in college baseball this year due to his production at one of the top programs in the country. He has a chance to stay at shortstop and should at least be able to play second base with plus power. He has excellent exit velocities and barrels baseballs at a high rate, but his combination of missing in the zone and chasing makes him a player I have too many question marks on to list as a first-round talent. His strikeout percentage is just above 20 percent, which is logical when you know he chases and misses. It's a power over hit profile with a lot of swing and miss. It's a profile that won’t lead to a lot of consistency, more than likely, and it is why he is the type of player I let another organization draft. I should note his positive Cape performance as well as high BABIPs, which can be a sign of positive hit data. Yet when hitters fail, it is most likely due to swing and miss issues, and anyone with a strikeout percentage over 20 is not a first-rounder in my book. Swing decisions rarely change and evolve in significant ways.
32 Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS (GA) Committed to Georgia
Daniel Pierce is a player who has been a steady climber throughout the spring. He is the son of a coach and very much represents the typical coach's son in profile and acumen. He doesn’t have a standout tool, but looks like a no-doubt shortstop who is just kind of average across the board. His one carrying tool is his speed, and he runs extremely well. There is some danger in the profile even though it is clean, due to his needing to stay close to average across the board to find success going forward. The lack of a loud tool means he has to stay a player who does a bit of everything, so the sum of the parts ends up with a very good player. If everything breaks right, you have a plus defender at short who can hit leadoff, steal some bases, and project as a plus regular in every facet of the game. If the hit tool ends up being closer to a 45 than a 50 or 55, then Pierce is likely a backup. The issue, like a lot of the shortstops in this class, is when players rely on hit tool, and we know it is so hard to actually quantify it, making it a riskier player to draft. I do wonder if we start to see guys like Piece and Cunningham, who have a whole field approach, as not as important going forward, due to the expanding knowledge of what leads to success for hitters. Right now, I view Pierce as a relatively safe prep player with a chance to be a top 10 player at his position with his athleticism, approach, and defense.
33 Korbyn Dickerson, OF, Indiana
While Devin Taylor was a known player heading into the year, Dickerson grabbed a lot of attention early. Dickerson is not a big guy, but he had some of the best exit velocities in the country this year while playing a solid centerfield. His barrel rate was also elite. This was in his first real year of college baseball. Dickerson had been drafted late by the Twins in 2022. Then he didn’t get a chance to play at Louisville, so he transferred to Indiana after a strong Northwoods performance and was one of the early breakout players in 2025. He slowed down as the year went on, but also managed to cut back on his strikeout percentage, dropping it to 18 percent. He did swing and miss too much in the zone, as well as chase. Yet his data is on par with several bigger names this year, with lower strikeout percentages. Dickerson is a plus athlete, and halfway through the year, he had the second-best 90th percentile exit velocity among top 5 round draft prospects. He plays a premium position and has plus speed and power. He might never hit for average, but he should hit enough to potentially profile as a starter. He excelled this year in his first time playing regularly in three years. There is some swing and miss risk, but the tools and premium position make him a player I view as a late first-rounder.
34 Jaden Fauske, OF, Nazareth Academy HS (IL) Committed to LSU
Jaden Fauske has played all over the diamond in his high school career. A lot of people wanted to see him at the catcher position, but he did not play there this spring. The number one comment you will read about Fauske is about how pretty his swing is. He has an advanced approach and does a good job of not expanding the zone. He is a good athlete but not a great one. He is likely to end up in the corner outfield spot. Despite his size, he isn’t much of a power threat right now. He is a well-built kid, and the thought is that power will come with some development as a hitter. He is a hit over power player now, but if you are drafting him in the top 40, the thought is that he will end up with above average hit and plus power due to his size and bat speed. There is some risk as power isn’t as present yet, and a lot of his other tools are closer to average than plus, despite being a big kid who runs well.
35 Ryan Mitchell, 2B/OF, Houston HS (TN) Committed to Georgia Tech
Ryan Mitchell is one of the smoothest and choppiest players in this year's class. In the batter's box, he has a clean, fast swing that has enough lift to generate power down the road. I kept finding more videos to watch, as it was fun to watch. While he can use the whole field, the swing does allow him to pull the ball at a great rate, which often leads to better outcomes. In the field, it was not as clean, and I think moving to centerfield would be the best value for him, but second might be his home down the road. Twitchy is the word most often associated with Mitchell, a great athlete with quick reflexes and hands. He looks like a bat over defense player who, as he gets even stronger, should be 50s or 55s across the board. He looks like a future starter who could hit at the top of a lineup.
Tier 4
36 Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona
Brendan Summerhill reminds me of Gavin Cross back in 2021, as once again, I am very confused about what it is I am not seeing here. Summerhill has played in a very hitter-friendly environment, yet has shown almost no power there. I know he was an All-Star in the Cape, but he wasn’t a guy who stood out as a complete hitter. I think he can hit and will make a lot of content. He doesn’t chase or whiff in the zone, and both were near elite compared to other college players. The other side is poor exit velocities, bad launch angles, and lower barrel rates. The whole package seems like a borderline corner outfielder. Injuries ruined his chances to break out, but the low exit velocities and the overall track record of Arizona players make Summerhill a player where I might most disagree with the field. If you want elite contact rates, solid defense, and some speed, he is the guy. If you squint a lot, maybe you get lucky and find the next Steven Kwan, but I don’t like gambling on finding unicorns.
37 Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas
Zach Root transferred into Arkansas after the previous two years at ECU, so one might expect some dips in production moving from the American Athletic Conference to the SEC. He had roughly similar numbers this year. He did not get hard, but I am a little worried he didn't generate a lot of zone whiff this year despite a very strong pitch mix. His fastball is his weakest offering, so one hopes in the pros he would lean more on his curve and change. They both can be plus offerings. My biggest concern is that the delivery is atypical, and while it has worked so far and he repeats it without issue. Anything atypical makes me nervous. I used to shun such ideas, but after 16 years doing this thing, I came to see that while yes, some players can be successful, the best chance at successful outcomes is leaning into the norm. So when I see a successful player with a different delivery and a suboptimal fastball, I am going to be a bit lower than the field. There is a good chance at a back-end starter here, but a higher chance of a reliever based on history.
38 Mason Neville, OF, Oregon
Mason Neville ended up tied for the nation’s lead in home runs this year in the NCAA. This was quite an accomplishment for a player who struggled badly in the Cape. Neville was a priority prospect out of high school due to his physical tools and loud power, but had a hard commit to Arkansas and ended up not being drafted until the 18th round by the Reds. He did not make it on the field much for Arkansas and transferred to Oregon, which might have been the right decision, as he has had a lot of improvement over the last two years. When I look at my big sheet of data, there is no player with more green on it than Mason Neville. He didn‘t chase, didn’t miss in the zone, barrelled everything, and hit the ball hard. He is a good athlete who likely moves to a corner spot, but could potentially play some center once drafted, and has the arm for right field. I know that sounds like a top 10 pick, but here is the problem: despite not chasing and not missing in the zone, he still had a strikeout percentage of 23.6 percent that puts him in the likely to fail grouping. It also points to a very passive profile, which is a common theme I see with more and more college hitters. When I look at all the data, I think he has a 40 grade hit tool, maybe worse, but if he can stick in center, the chance for a low average high power player could be enough to be a major league starter. One is hoping for a true three-outcome player who will hit enough to tap into his power while also playing an above-average centerfield.
39 Sean Gamble, OF, IMG Academy (FL) Committed to Vanderbilt
Of course, I am going to make a joke about how a team will have to gamble on Gamble. Sean Gamble is one of the toolsier high school kids in this class with 70 grade speed and 60 raw power. I am a little worried by the fact that he spent four years at IMG. An Iowa kid who chose to go down there and work with better coaches in a more year-round environment should be a positive. Yet Gamble still feels more raw than the typical high school kid. While IMG did produce James Woods, who is great but the second highest bWAR is Paolo Espino, who was taken in 2006 by the Cleveland Indians. They have had 42 players drafted, and only 3 had a positive bWARand only eight have made the big leagues. It gets worse, the first three rounders, Brady Aiken, Brennan Malone, and Elijah Green, have 0 games at the AA level or higher. Gamble has a positive debate about whether he can stick at short or play centerfield. I lean towards centerfield for him. I like his swing, which is geared for power, and with his bat speeds and exit velocity, I feel like he should get to average to plus power down the road. It's a longer developmental road, but the tools and traits could make Gamble one of the better places in this class. There is also a very good chance he struggles to make it to the majors. How much you trust your developmental team is how happy you should be if Gamble is added to your roster.
40 Charles Davalan, OF, Arkansas
Charles Davalan is likely most well-known for his play against LSU in the College World Series, but one has to acknowledge that Arkansas doesn’t make it to the semifinals without his production this year. He started the year with a solid performance on the Cape and then became one of the most consistent hitters for Arkansas this year, jumping right into the SEC with no problems after playing at Florida Gulf Coast University the year before. He is a draft-eligible sophomore, which is a bit unusual as most Canadians tend to be younger, not older, for their class. Davalan is from Montreal, though he finished up his high school career at TNXL in Florida. Davalan is smaller for a hitter at 5 '9”, and does not generate power or likely ever will. He has a very low launch angle, and his 90th percentile exit velocity are both among the bottom 15% from the data sample I have. He doesn’t miss in the zone, rarely chases, and never strikes out. He runs well but is not plus. He is likely a corner outfielder, but I think, due to his profile, you have to try him in centerfield. Davalan is a low-floor player. He is a polished hitter who has all the traits that scream future big league player. He kind of reminds me of Ernie Clement when he was at Virginia. I prefer safety with players, so I have him ranked above some of the guys with much higher ceilings. He might not even be a full-time player in the future, but I do think he is a future major league player, maybe as a starter, maybe as a platoon bat, maybe as a backup. There is value in getting a player who has traits that should allow him to move quickly and help a team sooner rather than later.
41 Dax Kilby, 2B, Newman HS (GA) Committed to Clemson
Dax Kilby is a name that has been coming up more and more over the last few weeks. He is a shortstop from the state of Georgia who reminded me a bit of James Triantos from his draft year. Both are shortstops who likely move to second and seem to hit everything that comes their way. Kilby has a quick bat and makes a ton of contact. He could play third or potentially the outfield as he does run well. He has a strong eye for the zone and a gap approach that one hopes will grow into average power as he gets bigger. Even when he has faced elite competition, he stays the same patient, not passive, hitter. He doesn’t expand and waits for a mistake, and doesn’t miss. How early a team takes him is a bet on his hit tool, as he gets bigger, he likely will have closer to average speed. So his hit tool is the only above-average trait. I feel more comfortable with him than others, due to the amount of public data out there defining what he does well and knowing how important that is. Guys who make good swing decisions tend to always make good swing decisions.
42 Tate Southisene, SS, Basic HS (NV) Committed to USC
Just last year, his older brother Ty went in the fourth round but was paid like a second-round pick. Tate should go in the second round this year and should end up with a higher payday than his older brother. He is a bit bigger than his brother, and it's kind of amazing how much more comfortable two inches make a team. Tate is listed at 5’11” and has better tools than Ty. I was a big fan of Ty’s approach and ability as a hitter, and that also sticks out for Tate. Tate has more pop than his older brother, and hit with more power than I expected at the draft combine. He has a launch angle that allows him to tap into natural power that should only improve as he gets older and stronger. He won’t be a power hitter, but it shows a pathway for him to have average hit and power while playing on the infield. I think he has a chance to stay at shortstop, but he could profile at third or second or potentially center field. There are not a lot of plus traits here, but more a sum of all of his parts, along with a high baseball IQ. At the end of the day, he will either join his brother Ty in the pros or go to USC to play with his other brother, Tee.
43 Brandon Compton, OF, Arizona State
If you follow the draft even a little you are now familiar with Compton who raised his profile a ton by hitting the crap out of everything at the combine. His average exit velocity was 110.1, which was higher than the majority of attendees' max exit velocity. This was no surprise, as the book on Compton has always been that he hits for power and not much else. He is a hard player for me because he did not perform this past year, even in one of the most hitter-friendly environments in the country. He is another player north of the 20% mark in terms of strikeout percentage, which is interesting because he had a good chase rate and didn’t miss in the zone often. The data on him mid-year had his average launch angle at 11 percent, which is poor. At the combine, it was up to 27.2, which is a massive change and allows him to tap into the very obvious power. He is a red-shirt sophomore who was one of the best hitters in the Cape before a disappointing second year. He has very easy left-handed power and is already clearly working on trying to tap into it more often. One is drafting Compton, putting him in left field and hoping he hits enough to tap into his power without too much in terms of swing and miss. He is a solid outfielder, nothing special. It's all about power, and Compton showed he has as much as anyone in this class.
44 Alex Lodise, SS, FSU
Both Lodise cousins are interesting prospects, and I think a lot closer in rating than most. Alex has the power, but also a higher rate of swing and miss. So there is a lot more risk in the profile. He is also literally at the 20% line for strikeout rate, which makes him borderline, but due to his power and positional value, I give him a bit of an edge, much like Mason Neville earlier. While also acknowledging that the bigger risk is why he is a second-round talent. The higher ceiling, as well as the better chance to play shortstop, is why I placed him over his also second-round worthy cousin. The great thing about his power is it's a combination of barrelling baseball, high exit velocity, and a solid launch angle. He is going to miss, and his chase rate is a big concern. He missed both in the zone and outside the zone, which combines to make him a player that, while he limited his strikes to a degree in college, will likely so the strikeout numbers increase significantly. He had the sixth-worst chase rate midseason and the 10th-worst zone miss. There is some room to compare him and Korbyn Dickerson, though Dickerson missed more in the zone and chased less. It's a similar profile of power potential at a premium position. Dickerson had high EV and more athleticism as well as a lower strikeout rate, which put him higher on this list. It's a big risk and reward profile. Zwhiff can be worked on, but chase rate and swing decisions in general are very hard to change.
45 Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M
If you follow my work at all, you noticed last year when people were talking up Jace LaViolette as the top overall pick, I was leery. His high strikeout percentage is one of those things that drops hitters. It is the first barrier a guy has to clear to make it as a top 30 prospect. Hitters most often fail due to contact issues, and if you are having issues in college, it doesn’t get better. Removing the expectations, the easy comparison here is with big power outfielders in recent years, like Jud Fabian and Vance Honeycutt. Big time power, but big swing and miss rates and struggles with velocity. Jace has 70 raw power and is a plus athlete, so I understand why someone will gamble with him sooner rather than later in the class this year. He didn’t chase much during his sophomore year, which does make him different from the players mentioned above. One has to trust your organizational approach to coaching; the payoff could be huge, but the risk is just as big.
46 Anthony Eyanson, RHP, LSU
Yet another transfer in this year's draft is Anthony Eyanson, who transferred from UC San Diego to LSU and helped LSU win the College World Series this year. Eyanson is one of the youngest players in the junior class; he won’t turn 21 until October of this year. He jumped from the Big West to the SEC with minimal trouble and had one of the best strikeout rates in the conference while pitching nearly as many innings as he had thrown the previous two years combined. He has a plus slider that helped him rack up the strikeouts and encouraged hitters to chase. His fastball is closer to an average pitch, but he has seen some velocity gains with it. He doesn’t hold the velocity sitting low to mid-90s, but he can touch 97. His curveball is another weapon for him that should be at least average with a chance at plus. He also throws a change, but it is behind the other three pitches. On top of his chase data being strong, he also did well in zone whiff, showing the ability to miss bats. Due to coming from a smaller school as well as his youth, Eyanson might have more growth potential than is typical for a college arm. Right now, he looks like a solid back-end type with clean mechanics and a solid pitch mix. A team that drafts him on day one is likely looking at his growth potential and hoping for a mid-rotation starter as he matures.
47 Taitan Gray, C/OF, Dallas Center Grimes HS (IA) Committed to Oregon
More like Titan Gray, Taitan Gray is a physical specimen who likely goes higher than expected on draft day for a multitude of reasons. The 6’4” inch switch hitter was one of the most talked-about players at the combine. He had the third-best max exit velocity and did it with a more sustainable launch angle than the other high schoolers around him. He had the fifth-best average exit velocity at the event in general. So you might assume he is a big, hulking power hitter. He also runs decently well, and if catcher does not work should have no problem shifting to right field. He would be a big catcher, so I would bet on him playing in the outfield. His approach is pull-heavy, which is another positive for a player with his power. He is also one of the younger players in the class, not turning 18 until August. Here is a young, power-hitting cold-weather bat who could be a fixture in a team's middle of the lineup.
48 AJ Russell, RHP, Tennessee
AJ Russell is one of the biggest gambles in this year's class, with the focus on big. He is a 6’6” right-handed pitcher weighing 223 pounds. He has pitched all three years at Tennessee but only has 70 total innings due to starting as a reliever and then needing Tommy John surgery partway through his sophomore year. He has one of the best fastballs in the class and then a potential plus slider to pair with it. The overall package of pitches looks like a first-rounder, but health has held back his development and ability to prove himself. This means in the second or third a team could potentially land one of the best pitchers in the class. He has a solid delivery, two-plus pitches, and when he was a reliever, his command and control looked average. The question really comes down to how much you trust the short opportunities to scout Russell. His combination of size and stuff screams top 15 pick. He will not go there, but some team could land a future front-of-the-rotation starter later. I also think, as long as he is healthy, there is a low relief floor for Russell.
49 Aaron Watson, RHP, Trinity Christian HS (FL) Committed to Virginia
It is funny, I decided to write up Aaron Watson and Landon Harmon back to back, and while they are both 6’5” right-handed pitchers from the south, they are the antithesis of each other. While Harmon is all about traits and sexy velocity and spin, Watson is just a capital P pitcher. He broke out at the National High School Invitational and stayed a steady arm all year. He has been a low 90s arm with his sinker being his primary pitch, which he pairs with a 4-seam, slider, and split-change. He doesn’t have the biggest stuff in this class and is unlikely to be a big strikeout pitcher ever with his mix. He repeats his delivery well, works the zone, and uses his pitches to keep hitters off balance, hoping to induce weak contact. Even though on paper it feels like he isn’t as exciting as the other pitchers in the prep class, everyone who sees him comes back impressed, and he has been a steady riser all spring. It is a bet on a prep arm who looks safer than most with the stuff, size, and athleticism to potentially find a new gear down the line.
50 Kyle Lodise, 2B, Georgia Tech
I wrote up the Lodise cousins back to back, and they are interesting from the perspective that if you could combine their strengths into a super Lodise, I think that would be the top player in this class. Alex has excellent power, and Kyle doesn’t expand the zone of miss in the zone. They are both top 6 in terms of barrels and have solid launch angles, though Kyle’s is better. Alex doesn’t have the arm of his cousin, so I think a move to short is in the future. Kyle stood out for barrelling when I got data earlier this year; he had the third-best rate in the country. Kyle was doing this after stepping up to the Division I ranks after spending the last two years at Augusta, a Division II program. The last player drafted from Augusta was Shannon Wilkerson in 2009, being an 8th rounder, he was also the highest pick from there. If my quick research is right, he has a chance to be the first major leaguer to play there. He runs well, and my exit velocity data might be out of date for him as he started to homer more in conference play, which is not what we typically see. The profile is a safe second baseman who should be a net positive with the glove, bat, and arm. He might not have anything more than below-average power, but the rest of the profile is so good, I feel like he is being slept on a bit.
51 Dean Curley, 3B, Tennessee
There was a point where I thought Dean Curley would be one of four Tennessee players in my top twenty. The development there has been so strong, and they are aggressive in the transfer portal. Curley, after a so-so freshman season, broke out in non-conference play. Curley ended up one of the most maddening players to watch this season. He has above-average power and does a good job in the strike zone in general. He would miss in the zone, and he had no home. Tennessee trusted him defensively because his inconsistencies were as defensive as offensive. Curley had the double negative with his data of missing in the zone paired with one of the worst launch angles in college baseball. He didn’t chase a ton, and hit the ball with authority. The profile screams passive, and with doubts about where he will play as well as some changes that need to come with his swing, I am way down on Curley. He has had one of the bigger drops for me since April. Exit velocity and barrel rates don’t matter when you're hitting the ball into the dirt.
Tier 5
52 Michael Lombardi, SP, Tulane
Michael Lombardi is one of the more interesting upside college players in this year's draft. The Tulane Wave spent more time as a hitter than a pitcher throughout his college years, even though there is no doubt that his future is on the mound. He played center, first, and shortstop primarily over his college years. This was to the detriment of his pitching development. He just didn’t get enough reps and started just 11 games over three years. He wasn’t bad as a hitter, but it is not his future. Lombardi is an excellent athlete, which can be seen by the positions he played for Tulane. He sits mid 90s with a fastball that has movement and looks like a potential plus offering. His best pitch is a nasty curve that has a ton of break on it and pairs well with the fastball. It gives him two potential plus offerings, and his change-up is more of a show-me third pitch at this point. His command and control are both below average as well. The upside is tantalizing. He is a college pitcher who has thrown fewer innings in his career than Kade Anderson threw this year. He comes from Tulane, whose most successful Major League player is Aaron Loup, followed by Micah Owings, Jake Rogers, and Ian Gibaut. There are several reasons to bet on ceiling and think that he is closer to a high school arm in terms of development than a college one. He saved his best for last with a dominant performance in the American Athletic Conference tournament. If he were a starter all year, we might be talking about a first-rounder instead of a second-round pick, making him a nice high-ceiling gamble for a team.
53 Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP/1B, Sunset HS (OR) Committed to Tennessee
Kruz Schoolcraft is a bit of a nightmare scenario for me. I am not a fan of taking a high school pitcher before the second round without elite traits. I also don’t like baseball players who are bigger than 6’6”. Yes, there are great players with seize, but the majority can struggle with larger strike zones or keeping their mechanics together. Schoolcraft is a legit two-way player, and someone I would tend to let someone else draft due to these concerns. He has a high spin slider and a fastball that touches upper 90s, but a lack of consistency in the spring has scared some off and caused a bit of a slide from a sure first-rounder. In general, high school pitchers slide more than any other demographic. When things are clicking, Cruz is a huge lefty with a plus fastball and slider and a full pitch mix to help him turn over lineups. He looks the part of a good two or three pitcher. His extension is something special and will make everything play up, but the risk that comes with it, as well as just the general high school risk, makes him more of a second-rounder than a first-rounder to me, despite the upside.
54 Luke Stevenson, C, UNC
I started this write-up thinking for sure Luke Stevenson should be in the top 20 on my board. I looked at this advanced data, and he doesn’t chase. He has solid exit velocity, and he barrels the ball well. These are three central tenets for me when I am looking at what will lead to player success. He is undoubtedly a catcher who should be at least average at the position, which is incredibly valuable. The issue here is that Stevenson strikes out a lot. He is above the 20% line, which is a cut-off for me for considering a player in the first round. His zone whiff isn’t ideal either, so what that reflects is high amounts of passivity and waiting to ambush pitches, which works very well in college and the low minors, but that profile, barring elite traits, often leads to struggles in the upper minors. Stevenson’s data is good but not elite. He has a chance just due to the catcher position in general, but the general history of guys with 25% strikeout percentages in the pros is very poor.
55 Quentin Young, OF, Oaks Christian HS (CA) Committed to LSU
I really hope whoever drafts Young that, they please let him stay at shortstop for a while. He is not awful there, but it's more how many 6’6” shortstops have you ever seen? Young is the nephew of Dimitri and Delmon and a player who is a ton of fun. He has massive power from the right side. At the combine, everything he did was geared to show his power. His launch angle was a bit extreme and something I hope a team can tone down, but still allow him to have success. With his size and strength, a 33-degree launch angle will do more harm than help in terms of outcomes when hitting. There is some swing and miss in his game, and I wonder if there could be some refinement of his swing and to help improve his contact rates. The power is what will get him drafted, but refinement as a hitter and cutting back on his swing and miss is what will make him a special hitter. He is a reclassified hitter, though not as young as that typically means for a hitter. He is one of the best power hitters in this class, but without some swing work, I am not sure he makes it to the bigs. I don’t know him, so a lot comes down to how much he is receptive and how able he is to adjust. When I watched the tape, it was not that he swung at everything, so there is a chance to land a high-ceiling player later if a team can coach him up.
56 Joseph Dzierwa, LHP, Michigan State
Joseph Dzierwa has come along well at Michigan State, though he nearly transferred to Vanderbilt before withdrawing from the portal a year ago. He is a typical crafty lefty outside of his size. He is listed at 6’8” and all of 200 pounds. He is the typical command, control, sneaky lefty. His size allows for a lot of deception, which helps play up his low 90s fastball. His best pitch is his changeup, and he commands it well in and out of the zone. He has repeated his delivery cleanly throughout college without issue, making his size less of a concern and more of a bonus. He has used a slider and a curve, but both are well below average pitches. If he can develop a solid third pitch, then it's a pretty easy backend starter with control, extension, and deception. If he doesn’t, then it's a high-floor play as a lefty with a plus change that will allow him to get out right-handers and lefties. His velocity improved this year, so with his size and being a cold-weather high school and college player, there is hope that there could be more growth potential in terms of pitch velocity. Just no more in height, the dude is big enough.
57 Nick Becker, SS, Don Bosco Prep (NJ) Committed to Virginia
Nick Becker is a big shortstop with some fun bloodlines. One might remember him from his time in the 2019 Little League World Series. His dad was a 46th-round pick by the then-Cleveland Indians, spending two years in their minors. His brother is a current Virginia baseball player. It will be interesting to see if Nick or Eric end up being drafted higher.. He is a player who has risen all spring, as teams see a plus athletic profile. He is 6 '4 " and as he gets stronger, I would expect him to grow in average to above average power, potentially plus. He hits the ball well, but the swing is more for contact than power, so a team will have to work with him to maximize his swing to not lose his excellent contact ability while tapping into the power that should become a bigger part of his game. Despite his size, there is a good chance for him to stay at shortstop with third base as a solid fallback. The growth potential in the large form of Becker makes him an interesting player in the prep shortstop group.
58 Landon Harmon, RHP, East Union HS (MS) Committed to Mississippi State
Landon Harmon is a big kid with a big fastball, who, a few years ago, might have gone higher just due to that. He is 6’5” and hits 99 on the radar gun. He is a plus athlete as well, which will help him develop as well as protect him from injury. His fastball jumps out, while he can touch 99, he sits more low to mid-90s. It has a ton of spin on it that just plays up the speed, though, making it feel like he sits mid to high 90s. His sweeper is his best secondary pitch with some nice break on it. It is easy to see a potential 70 grade fastball to go with a 60 grade slider. His change is there, but it's going to need some work. He has been able to succeed as a two-pitch player so far. Harmon is a bet on ceiling, he has size, he has velocity, his pitches have spin and movement. If you develop him, the sky is the limit. He is raw, but the traits are some of the best of any prep arm in this class.
59 Mitch Voit, 2B/OF, Michigan
Mitch Voit is one of the youngest juniors in this class, not turning 21 until the end of September. The speedy second baseman had a breakout this year and has steadily improved every year at Michigan. He doesn’t miss in the zone, doesn’t strike out, and has an excellent launch angle. There aren’t a lot of negatives to his game. He does everything well but nothing excellent. He has played all over for Michigan and was a two-way guy his first two years. His best tools are his arm and his speed. The profile looks a little passive statistically. The draw here is a player who can play multiple positions, run well, control the zone, and have average or better tools across the board. I could see him as a top of the lineup hitter while playing multiple positions well, depending on a team's needs. He gave up pitching after having an internal brace procedure, and it ended up being great for his future. Focusing on hitting this year has really done wonders for his performance and, in turn, his draft position.
60 Cade Obermueller, LHP, Iowa
Cade Obermueller shows just how important a pitching coach and pitching staff can be for a young arm. Obermueller, along with Marcus Morgan and Brody Brecht, all saw their draft stocks tumble after a 2024 season to forget. Obermueller was a draft-eligible sophomore and was able to go back to school. Iowa highered Sean Kenney, who had coached at Houston and Georgia, and with a better approach, Obermueller had a fantastic year. He has one of the better pitches in the class, a sweeper that has a ton of spin and helped him have some of the best chase data in this class. His fastball is a low to mid-90s pitch that should be average to above. His third pitch is a change, and it's not much right now. Obermueler dropped his walk per nine from 6.18 to 3.46, while increasing his strikeout per nine. I also have to mention that his dad, Wes, was a big league pitcher with the Brewers. So, after all of these positives, why is Cade not higher? There is a lot of reliever risk, I think reliever is the most likely outcome for him moving forward. He is on the smaller side, along with being a two-pitch guy. His control and command have improved, but are likely 40/45, not 50 traits. I tend to be lower on relievers, and I just don’t think he has a chance to start. He still needs to develop his change, though, as it is a platoon-agnostic pitch and could allow him to be a closer moving forward. There is a lot of value in a lefty reliever who could work at the end of games and has the stuff to get out lefties and righties.
61 Angel Cervantes, RHP, Warren HS (CA) Committed to UCLA
If you are a team that likes models, then Cervantes is the pitcher for you. Then again, any team should like Cervantes, who might not have big present stuff but shines when you look at everything he has. Cervantes is one of the younger players in this class and won’t turn 18 until near the end of August. The 6’3” right-hander sits low 90s right now, he has also shown a curve and a slider as well. The change is his money maker. It's a plus pitch that generates a lot of swing and miss from both sides of the plate. He is a good athlete, which helps with ceiling as well as staying healthy. He is a pitcher and does a good job of filling up the zone in general. The changeup is what gets your attention, but when you look at where his growth potential is, along with a clean profile, it is easy to see why Cervantes has stayed a rather consistent second-round arm for me this year. There is always risk with prep arms, but his profile mitigates many of those, and while also profiling as a starter.
62 Cameron Appenzeller, LHP, Glenwood HS (IL) Committed to Tennessee
It feels a bit like Cameron Appenzeller has fallen on boards from the number two prep arm on most boards in the fall. The problem with the fall is that it feels like teams missed chances to see him, and he didn’t pitch as much in the spring due to other sports commitments. Appenzeller is an excellent athlete, and his season started late due to him playing basketball. Appenzeller is a big, 6’6”, lefty, where you are betting on traits over current stuff. He was in the low 90s over the summer when he moved up boards. But after his late start in the spring, he was down in the upper 80s. I am less concerned about this, as we know he can hit higher velocities. He has a typical pitch mix with a fastball, slider, and changeup. As mentioned above, he is a great athlete with size. He repeats his delivery well. It's a clean delivery, which combined with his other traits and the lack of reps on his arm has the arrow strongly pointing up in terms of future growth. I can see a pathway to him having a plus fastball and slider down the road. He showed good command of his pitches and also got high marks for baseball intelligence. Appenzeller is a pitcher where the future looks very bright; he has all the traits teams look for. While the current stuff lags behind every other pitcher on my board, the building blocks are there for him to be a solid mid-rotation starter.
63 Jordan Yost, SS, Sickles HS (FL) Committed to Florida
Here, I believe, is the only pop-up player on my list: Jordan Yost. Yost is a smaller shortstop who relies on contact and speed. He controls the zone with extremely high contact rates. Then, once on the bases, is a pain for the opposing team since he is a plus speed guy. He profiles as a shortstop, but his arm is closer to average, so there is a chance that centerfield or second could end up his long-term home. He gets marks for his high IQ and baseball skills as well. There are also bloodlines, as he is slated to join his brother at Florida if he doesn't get drafted. At the draft combine, he showed a good launch angle with his swing, but the power wasn't there at all. It's batting practice, the easiest environment to hit in, and he had some of the lowest data. The profile is speed, contact, and defense, and even with low power, that still looks like a second-round selection due mostly to his contact rate and chance to play a premium position.
64 Jack Bauer, LHP, Lincoln-Way East (IL) committed to Mississippi State
I never watched the show 24, so I have not understood many of the jokes people use when they ask about Jack Bauer. No, sadly, I don’t see any way the Tigers take him at 24, either better chance at 124 than 24. He is a relatively young kid for his class and a cold-weather arm who has the best velocity in the entire class. He was hitting 102 in an end-of-the-season game this year. He has had a big velocity jump, which is terrifying in terms of pitcher health. Yet if we are honest, a team drafting a pitcher if they develop him well, are hoping for 5 good years before FA. I don’t think you can count on any pitcher to stay consistently healthy anymore, so maybe the velocity jump isn’t too scary. (It is for me.) His slider should be a weapon as it has a ton of spin and movement, meaning it could be a potential plus pitch. His fastball conceivably could add velocity as the kid is a rail and needs to get thicker and stronger. The positives are glowing, especially for a big lefty. Yet he is kind of a mess, control and command are not there, his slider while the ceiling is plus he doesn’t seem able to control. If you want cathedral ceilings and molten core floors, Bauer is your guy. Even if his change doesn't come, if he can approach average command and control and continue to develop, he will be an elite backend arm. If you told me he struggled to get out of A ball, I also would not be shocked. Bauer is why I say you can always find ceiling later, even if the risk is higher, one can always find a very interesting arm at any point in the draft.
65 Dominick Reid, RHP, Abilene Christian
Dominick Reid was more of a data darling early in the draft process. He started his career at Oklahoma State, but could not get chances and transferred to Abilene, where he hammered the zone and rarely got hit hard. He showed a solid pitch mix with a change that shined at the draft combine due to its horizontal break and spin data. Everything moved for him at the combine, and while his velocity is not big, it is enough to be a potential starter. Here is an arm that barely pitched until this year and played at a small school program. He has done a lot of work to maximize what he could do, but with more coaching, there is no reason to think that he could not be developed fully. He is a good athlete with a plus change and three other pitches that need some development. It's an interesting profile that a good team in terms of development might look at and see a chance to find a diamond in the rough.
66 Brady Ebel, 3B, Corona HS (CA) Committed to LSU
Brady Ebel is the third member of four players from Corona High School who could hear their name called in the top 5 rounds. This guarantees nothing, though, as even with Seth Hernandez on the mound, Corona last in the state semifinals and was unable to repeat as champs. For those who are curious, St. John Bosco beat them and then won the whole thing. Ebel was raised in the game by his dad, Dino Ebel, current Dodgers third base coach and long-time Angels third base coach. He gets plus marks for his baseball IQ and strong arm. He has a disciplined approach and hasn’t been overpowered by velocity in high school. The one constant negative is that he doesn’t have great physical traits. He has a slow bat and below-average foot speed. At the combine, he had a low max exit velocity and the 12th lowest max projected distance. One has to bet that his smarts and skills are enough for him to be an above-average hitter, and that as he thickens and gets stronger, more power will come. Drafting Ebel is one knowing he has the mental ability and refined game, and that his physical maturity is what will make him a major league player. He is 6’3” and 195 pounds, and for the chance of physical growth, he is there. As much as I love the plus makeup and the very polished game, I tend to try to isolate some plus physical traits to carry anyone forward as a top prospect. I am not saying he won’t be successful, just saying it's hard to quantify.
67 Matthew Fisher, RHP, Memorial HS (IN) Committed to Indiana
Matthew Fisher has been one of the big risers this spring. There are two things that will always get brought up with him. First, he is an older player turning 19 in March of this year, making him older than some of the freshmen in college baseball this year. The second being that he was also a very good high school quarterback. Now, the history of quarterbacks to pitchers is rough; the hit rate has been extremely poor over the years. It has gone from a net positive to something that makes me leery. Fisher, being an older prospect, is also a concern for me. The third concern is that the history of Indiana prep prospects has been very rough over the last decade. I know people will bring up Max Clark, but let's not forget Ashe Russell, Nolan Watson, Nick Schnell, Colson Montgomery, and more. He is a plus athlete who has good spin data on all his pitches. He has shown four pitches this year. But the bottom line is, if you are taking him, it's an upside bet on a potential 2 or 3 type. One is betting on his size, athleticism, and spin data with the hope that he can be a guy near the top of the rotation. I do wonder if he had not gotten hurt a year ago playing football, if he might have tried to reclassify to last year's class, which we are seeing more of with players with his birthdate. I am so conflicted on Fisher, as on pure talent, he is a borderline first-round arm, but the negatives show a lot of risk on top of the natural risk of him being a prep arm. I also have to say that the fact that the football injury was an elbow fracture, even if by all reports it is fine, still adds to the concern.
68 Kane Kepley, OF, UNC
There are very few players in this class as limited as Kane Kepley. Yet he is also the surest bet to be a major league player in the future of anyone in this class. He went from Liberty to North Carolina without an issue. He had a great year in the Cape, showing he could handle wood bats. While he might be just 5’8”, he gets every ounce out of his skills. He could teach a masterclass in strikezone judgement. He doesn’t miss in the zone, he doesn’t chase, and he doesn’t strike out. He has no power, but he still barrels the ball at a strong rate, getting the most out of his size and getting the ball into gaps. He runs well and makes quick reads in center field. He might have to move to left field, but I would not give up on him in center. His bat is quick, so there is hope maybe he could grow into 30 power, but that's not what matters. What does matter is that Kepley will be obnoxious to face with high pitch counts, walks, steals, and a lot of two-strike hits. Maybe he ends up just a fourth outfielder, maybe he’s a platoon bat. I would not rule out him starting, though, as Kepley has had to spend his entire career proving everyone wrong.
69 Justin Lamkin, LHP, Texas A&M
Here is a player I feel like I am higher than the field on, Justin Lamkin. The big lefty for Texas A&M does not have blow-you-away velocity or a super nasty pitch to make him stand out. He just throws strikes, gets players to chase, and has a very low barrel rate. He was a starter all three years and got better every year. He can be home run prone, but that shows he is also more of a flyball than groundball pitcher, which for some organizations is a positive. He is also a young junior, just having turned 21 in June. His fastball is a low-90s pitch. His slider stands out among his pitch mix. His changeup needs work. It's not an ideal pitch mix for a lefty with the slider being the best pitch, and especially when the player projects as a back-end starter. He has some deception in the profile that helps and could explain why guys struggled to barrel him early in the year. His control is a plus trait and should help him be a back-end starter down the road if his changeup can develop into a weapon vs righties.
70 Cooper Flemming, 3B, Aliso Niguel HS (CA) Committed to Vanderbilt
Cooper Flemming is a big infielder with a quick bat that is made for high contact rates. He is a good athlete who found success as a pitcher and a hitter, but his future is in the batter's box. He is a rail-thin kid, and with his 6’3” size, it is easy to see him growing out of shortstop where he currently plays and over to third as he gets bigger and stronger and adds power. He has a clean profile with a direct pathway to being an above-average player. There aren’t gaps or holes, and while he doesn’t have the ceiling that others have, he should be a solid addition to any team. Right now he is hit over power, but I would hope as he fills out, he is power over hit and a plus defender at third.
71 Ethan Petry, 1B, South Carolina
Ethan Petry is a very famous name when it comes to college baseball fans. He has hit for a lot of power until this year. He hit 23 home runs as a freshman, 21 as a sophomore, then 10 this year. He made a concentrated effort to drop his strikeout percentage, and he was successful, going from 25 to 17 percent, but it ended up costing him what made him a standout player. The big change for him was to cut his zone whiff nearly in half for the first half of the year. He also cut down on his launch angle, making it less ideal. I don’t know if he can find a balanced approach that will lead to success. It's 70 grade raw power. He excelled on the Cape as well, so he has that in his favor, too. Yet, a first base only, right-handed hitter, with high chase rates, just seems like a player who is destined to disappoint.
72 Dean Moss, OF, IMG Academy (FL) Committed to LSU
Dean Moss is a California kid who moved to IMG to improve his draft profile. I feel like he has taken a bit of a tumble on draft boards since the fall. He is an older player for his class, having turned 19 in April, which also affects how model-based teams view him. He has a strong approach at the plate, but a lot of moving pieces in his swing that concerned me. His hit tool is graded as his best tool, and he does have excellent bat speed, so maybe he can be successful despite the movement. He isn’t the biggest kid, and the hope would be that he can stay in centerfield, work counts, and get on base at a high rate while he gets stronger and grows into average power. I also worry that there is some passivity in the profile. While my concerns are stated, I still see a pathway with above-average or better tools and a strong eye at the plate for him to be an average regular down the road at a premium position, potentially, and even if he moves to the corner, he should be able to be successful there.
73 Henry Ford, OF/1B, Virginia
Henry Ford popped as a freshman at Virginia but then seemed to change his approach as a sophomore, trying for more contact and fewer strikeouts. Depending on how you view him, this was either a mistake or a great success. Ford is a large human at 6’5” and 220 pounds. He runs pretty well despite his size, and I think any team drafting him has to give him a long look in the outfield. One issue with his swing has been a consistent one with Virginia hitters over the last decades: not using his lower half enough to tap into his power. I think it speaks volumes that Ernie Clement is about to pass Mark Reynolds as the third most successful Virginia hitter in program history. It is an understatement to say they didn’t develop hitters well. Ford reminds me in his approach of Jac from a year ago, where he doesn’t strike out a lot, but expands and chases at a high rate. It's a profile that often does not lead to success. He also needs to rework his swing to get more loft and launch. Virginia hitters disappointing in their draft year is a common theme. Ford has talent, tools, and size. He just really needs coaching and to start with a new swing. He needs more development than most college players, and the draft-eligible sophomore is going to be drafted more on traits than anything else.
74 Josh Owens, OF, Providence HS (TN) Committed to Georgia Southern
Josh Owens is a player who has been gaining steam all spring. He is not a pop-up despite his late rise and his smaller college commitment, but has been known for a while. His dad, Jeremy Owens, played from 1998 until 2016 in the minors or independent baseball. His dad was known for his speed, and like father, like son. Josh has 70 grade speed, a true double-plus skill. When it comes to Owens, one is betting on projection. Not often do you see a top 100 draft prospect committed to a small program. It's because Owens has taken a bit longer to develop and is still developing his skills. He has a solid swing and is a big kid with some bat speed, so you are hoping for a 50 hit and power, maybe 55 if you are a believer. When one adds that to his size, speed, and defensive potential at a valuable position like center, it is easy to see why Owens has risen. The physical traits and what more he could add make him one of the more interesting players I tracked late in the spring.
75 Henry Godbout, 2B, Virginia
Henry Godbout had a bit of a down year at Virginia, which was a common theme with multiple Virginia hitters this year. He had a solid Cape, leading to some first-round talk, but then saw his numbers across the board drop this year. His calling card is his ability to control the zone, not expand, and not miss in the zone. He is a contact king, and that is his primary skill. He is average across the board outside of power. There is a chance for a starter there as he does kind of resemble Ernie Clement, another Virginia player. The profile seems to be more that of a utility player, but with his strong approach at the plate and solid traits, he could maximize his profile enough to be a second division starter.
76 Max Belyeu, OF, Texas
It was a rough year for Max Belyeu, starting with struggles in the Cape, then injuries and ineffectiveness for Texas. I am not sure if the finger injury caused him to change his swing, but his launch angle went from solid to awful. His exit velocity was down, and he started to miss more in the zone. He has always been a guy who chased a lot out of the zone, but this year, with the in-zone miss, his strikeout percentage ballooned to 25 percent from 17 percent the year before. A team might think they are getting a potential first-rounder in round two if the swing changes were due to the finger injury. He has power and can run a bit. He has played centerfield but likely ends up in a corner outfield spot. I am lower than the field on him, as the chase rate is a concern, and the performance this year has been down. Even if healthy, he would have still had the chase concerns as well as struggles in the Cape. He did have success in a lesser wood bat league the year before, so the issue could be with the level of competition.
77 Alec Blair, OF, De La Salle (HS) Committed to Oklahoma
Alec Blair is one of the best multi-sport athletes in this class. He is a four-star, small forward recruit as well as a top 100 prospect in this year's class. He is a big kid at 6’6” with tons of ceiling and potential. He missed part of the spring due to an ankle injury from basketball season. So, a player who was viewed as less developed got less time to develop. He has a lot of swing and miss, and just a raw game in general. His size and athleticism make him an intriguing high-upside bet. He could be a centerfielder with plus power and run. It is all projection, though. Blair needs to get stronger and get more reps and experience. I believe he is only focusing on baseball going forward, which should help his game. If you are looking for a player who could end up being a special player, it could be Blair. The gap between his ceiling and floor is the highest of any hitter in the class this year. He might never make it to AA, or he could potentially make multiple All-Star teams.
Comments
Post a Comment