Not to belabor the point, but this might be the worst MLB Draft class I’ve ever worked on, and certainly is the worst since the 2016 class, which I think was weaker because even at the time of the draft the top 10 wasn’t anywhere near as good (or at least as promising) as this year’s class.
This is my attempt, and you can underline and bold and italicize that ish all you want, at ranking the top-100 prospects in this class. I’ll update this a few times before the draft, as new names pop up, players pull out of the draft, guys get hurt, etc., but I don’t expect the names in the top 20-25 to change at all, with maybe some very slight reordering. At this point, I think we’ve got enough info on those guys, as well as players who might have been in the top 25 but have played their way out of it, to feel comfortable with that group.
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By the middle of the second round, which is around pick 55, the class has thinned out substantially, notably on the college side where the safety of the back-end starter or the quality utility infielder is largely absent. I also think this is a poor year to try to shave a few million with your first pick to go well over slot with several later selections, a strategy the Phillies tried in 2016 without success (Mickey Moniak, Kevin Gowdy, Cole Stobbe) while Atlanta fared somewhat better (Ian Anderson, Joey Wentz, Kyle Muller). There are some interesting high school arms, but I suspect a few will sneak into the back of the first round and most will be gone before the second, for reasons which I hope will be apparent as you peruse this list.
(Note: Tools are graded on a 20-80 or 2-8 scouting scale.)
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1
Charlie Condon
OF, 3B
Georgia
DOB:
04-14-2003
Height:
6-6
Weight:
216
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Condon is easily the top prospect in this year’s draft class, and would be challenging for the top spot in many years — perhaps not 2023, but I wouldn’t rule it out, given the unbelievable year he’s had and the growth potential he may still have ahead of him. If you know Condon’s name, it may be because he set the modern record for homers in a single season, with the most home runs of any player since the NCAA switched to BBCOR bats in 2012, reducing exit velocities for safety and, I think, to make the college game look a little more like real baseball.
Condon does have power, but he’s a more complete player than that one stat alone implies. He changed his hand position after the summer of 2023, starting them a little higher, and this small adjustment completely loosened him up at the plate. He has explosive bat speed and now gets the bat to the zone with more force behind it because he’s so direct to the ball once he loads his hands. It’s hard to imagine more power coming, but Condon’s a lean, wiry 6-foot-6 and could get quite a bit stronger in pro ball. He also doesn’t swing and miss often or chase excessively. Even the slider down and away, a weakness for most hitters when it’s against a same-side pitcher, isn’t a huge vulnerability.
He’s a 55 runner now and capable of handling centerfield for the moment, while he’s also impressed scouts with his work at third base this spring despite a lack of any experience at the hot corner. He’ll probably start out as a third baseman and then move to the outfield if that doesn’t work out, with above-average defense in right field probably the worst-case scenario. His foundation of bat speed, plate discipline, hard contact, and athleticism point to a frequent All-Star ceiling, and they’re more than enough to make him the No. 1 prospect in this year’s class.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
3B
2
Travis Bazzana
2B
Oregon State
DOB:
08-28-2002
Height:
6-0
Weight:
199
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Bazzana made his professional debut, of sorts, as a 15-year-old in the Australian Baseball League, the same circuit where many minor leaguers go in the winter to gain some extra at-bats or innings, and then played as an 18-year-old in the wood-bat West Coast League against college players, hitting .429/.471/.593. The Australian native has starred for Oregon State for the last three years, setting the career hits record for the Beavers before his junior season wrapped up, while also destroying the school’s single-season home run record, which was 21 homers before Bazzana crossed the Pacific to take the crown.
He starts with an exaggerated setup where he’s holding the bat behind his rear shoulder, pointing down, similar to Kevin Parada’s weird setup at Georgia Tech, but by the time Bazzana starts bringing his front leg down his hands are already in position, and he’s pretty short to the ball despite the odd start. His plate discipline might be the best in the class, as he rarely chases anything outside the zone and doesn’t whiff much in or out of the zone or on any single pitch type. He’s listed at 6-feet, 199, but is probably a bit shorter than that, and what you see is likely what you get — there’s no projection here, so you have to believe his present hit and power tools are good enough.
It’s second base only, which isn’t a favored demographic in the draft, although I would say in Bazzana’s case that’s really nitpicking because his bat is more than enough to give him All-Star upside if he’s just an average defender at the keystone. He’s a great story and a tremendous worker who seems both likely to and capable of making adjustments when he needs to do so, and may have the highest floor of the college bats in the class.
Photo:
USA Today
Position Player
4-Year College
2B
3
Nick Kurtz
1B
Wake Forest
DOB:
03-12-2003
Height:
6-6
Weight:
230
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Kurtz overcame a slow start to his junior year to set a career high in walks and approach his career high in homers (as of May 16), hitting more in line with his .353/.527/.784 sophom*ore year for the Deacons. Kurtz has an exceptional eye at the plate, with an overall chase rate around 16 percent and, more impressively, chase rates on breaking stuff at just 12 percent — that is, pitchers can’t just throw sliders or curveballs down and away when they’re ahead in the count and get him to expand the zone. He doesn’t swing much, but when he does, he shows excellent bat speed, and he hits the ball in the air the vast majority of the time, with several balls hit at 110 mph or harder this season.
The swing is a little Kyle Schwarber-ish, as he lets the ball travel a little and then unloads with that elite bat speed, looking for anything he can pull … and like Schwarber, he doesn’t offer much defensive value, as he’s first base-only and will at least need some work to get to average there. You’re buying a bat, and perhaps the best overall bat package of hit-patience-power in this draft. This profile is a tough one, though; Andrew Vaughn had a similar track record and skill set, even doing it in a less friendly home park at Cal, and he’s never come close to fulfilling his potential with the White Sox. Kurtz at least has better bat speed, with a similar foundation of patience and a touch more power, giving the hope that he can be the anchor bat Vaughn was supposed to become.
Photo:
USA Today
Position Player
4-Year College
1B
4
JJ Wetherholt
2B
West Virginia
DOB:
09-10-2002
Height:
5-10
Weight:
180
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Wetherholt came into the year on the short list of 1-1 candidates, but hurt his hamstring in Week 1 and missed enough time that he’s probably fallen out of that mix and could find himself in the back of the top 10. He can really, really hit though; it might be the best swing for contact in the class, and even when he was all but hitting on one leg he still got the bat to the ball consistently for line-drive contact. He’s very short and direct to the ball, and he doesn’t miss strikes — over the last two seasons, his whiff rate on pitches in the zone is around 6 percent, which looks like a typo. It’s just a simple, efficient swing, with one move back to load and then a rapid uncoiling at the ball that gets maximum impact from his upper and lower body.
What no one can tell you is whether he can stay healthy; this year’s hamstring injury was the second major one he’s suffered inside of 12 months, and it kept him off the field entirely for six weeks. Even in his return, we haven’t seen him run or field the way he could if he weren’t protecting the leg. He’s mostly played third and second for West Virginia but has only played shortstop this year when he’s played the field at all; I don’t know anyone who expects him to stay there in pro ball, but in all fairness to Wetherholt, no one has seen him play shortstop when healthy except for the very first weekend of the 2024 season. He’s also the smallest of the top college bats in the class, listed at 5-10 and perhaps, well, don’t we all exaggerate a little bit, who am I to judge?
You’re buying the hit tool here, and the hope that a full offseason of rest can get him out playing second base every day in 2025, with the upside of a 60 or better hit tool that makes him a very long time regular who makes a handful of All-Star teams.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
4-Year College
2B
5
Braden Montgomery
OF, RHP
Texas A&M
DOB:
04-26-2003
Height:
6-2
Weight:
220
Scouting Report
Bats: B, Throws: R
Montgomery made the somewhat surprising decision this offseason to transfer from Stanford to Texas A&M, but it has largely paid off as he improved his performance while facing better competition in the SEC. He was a first-round talent out of high school (No. 17 on my Big Board that year), but was strongly committed to college and also had to face the poor track record of high school position players from Mississippi.
Montgomery is a true switch-hitter, with better results hitting from the left side but plenty of bat speed from the right side as well. He uses the whole field better batting left-handed and his plate discipline is substantially better from that side. He’s got a cannon of an arm, and is technically a two-way player with two innings pitched this year, projecting as a solid-average defender in right. There’s some risk with the hit tool here, as his offspeed recognition isn’t great and he will expand the zone when behind in the count, but he has 30-homer upside as a switch-hitting right fielder if he makes enough contact for an average hit tool.
Photo:
USA Today
Position Player
Pitcher
4-Year College
OF
RHP
6
Chase Burns
RHP
Wake Forest
DOB:
01-16-2003
Height:
6-3
Weight:
210
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Burns was 37th on my Big Board for the 2021 Draft, but ended up asking for more money than teams were willing to pay him, so he headed to Knoxville, where he starred his freshman year but was kicked out of the rotation his sophom*ore year. When the Vols wouldn’t guarantee him a starting spot for his junior year, he transferred to Wake Forest, where he’s been the best starting pitcher in Division 1, striking out over 40 percent of batters he’s faced with a devastating one-two punch of a fastball up to 100 and a grade-70 slider that hitters miss nearly 2/3 of the time they try to hit it. The slider has a late, tight break in both planes, making it effective against hitters on both sides of the plate, while he gets big induced vertical break on the four-seamer, which is how he has success throwing those two pitches about 80 percent of the time. He can spin an above-average curveball for a different look and has a straight changeup with some modest tumble, clearly his worst pitch of the four.
There’s effort in the delivery, with some head-snap and recoil at release, and the high three-quarters slot is deceptive but not ideal for long-term durability. The mechanical questions haven’t hurt his command or control, as he’s walked just 8 percent of batters (through May 13) and has shown he can pitch to the edges of the strike zone. I don’t think he’s far from being able to help a major-league club, especially after a dominant performance in one of the top two conferences in college baseball, with a No. 2 starter ceiling.
Photo:
Getty Images
Pitcher
4-Year College
RHP
7
Hagen Smith
LHP
Arkansas
DOB:
08-19-2003
Height:
6-3
Weight:
215
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Smith has improved every year at Arkansas, coming out very hot to start this year with a 17-strikeout performance against Oregon State in Week 2, after which he probably could have just taken the rest of the spring off and still gone in the top-10 picks. He’s 92-97 mph with a plus slider that he uses to left- and right-handed batters alike, with a changeup exclusively for right-handed batters. Because he starts on the extreme first-base side of the rubber, he doesn’t locate the fastball to his glove side and has to go to the slider to throw anything inside to righties, often trying to get a chase on a slider aimed at the hitter’s back foot, with the fastball and the changeup both going to the outer third of the zone.
It’s a funky delivery that he doesn’t hold together deep into his starts, and teams will be scrutinizing his mechanics even more closely because he’s already had one Tommy John surgery, back in high school. He takes a huge stride towards the plate to generate all that power, starting his arm late and then accelerating it very quickly, with a low three-quarters slot and arm path that have earned him some comparisons to Chris Sale. That’s a dream scenario, of course, as Sale improved the moment he got into the White Sox’s system and then threw about 1,000 innings before arm trouble began to hold him back. Smith has No. 2 starter upside if he can hold his stuff deeper into outings, and perhaps if he moves towards the middle of the rubber so he can work to both sides of the plate.
Photo:
USA Today
Pitcher
4-Year College
LHP
8
Bryce Rainer
SS
Harvard-Westlake HS (Studio City, CA)
DOB:
07-03-2005
Height:
6-3
Weight:
185
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Rainer put on a show at the National High School Invitational this year, buoyed by the absence of any other first-round prospects at the event, and in the process probably locked himself into a top-10 pick. He’s by far the best high school infielder in the class, a plus defender at short with a 70 arm who is 93-94 off the mound as well (but, I’m told, doesn’t want to be a two-way guy, to which I say hallelujah). He also shows incredible instincts and leadership on the field.
Rainer’s got power, with good loft in his swing to drive the ball to all fields, but it’s not great bat speed and he’s struggled when facing above-average velocity. Everybody throws hard these days, so he’s going to have to find a way to catch up to it as he enters pro ball. The plus defense/20-homer potential is enough to get someone to roll the dice on his bat in the top third of the first round.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
High School
SS
9
Konnor Griffin
OF, SS
Jackson Prep (Flowood, MS)
DOB:
04-24-2006
Height:
6-4
Weight:
210
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Griffin reclassified from the 2025 class to this one, a prescient decision given how weak this year’s high school crop has turned out to be, with Griffin likely to be the first or second prep position player selected. He’s a toolshed, with four 60s or better on the scouting report — it’s easy plus power, plus speed, a 70 arm (he also pitches), and plus defense in center, with the potential for plus defense at short, although that would require more work than just sending him out as a center fielder.
The question is how much he can hit; he did clean up his swing from the summer of 2023 to this spring and looked good in the first half of the year, but as the season went on he reverted to some old habits and his contact quality dipped. He has quick hands but his swing naturally gets long from his deep hand load, after which he generates power from his excellent hip rotation and strong balance through contact. He also hasn’t shown great command of the strike zone to date, and may need more time in the low minors to develop that aspect of his game, especially given where he’s from. The history of high school hitters signed out of Mississippi is very poor; Austin Riley is now the all-time WAR leader in that category at 19.0 WAR (as of mid-May), with a very high failure rate because the quality of competition in the state is so bad.
Griffin does have superstar upside — it’s 30/30 potential with plus defense somewhere up the middle — for a club that can develop his bat and has the patience to let him move at his own pace.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
High School
OF
SS
10
Jac Caglianone
1B, LHP
Florida
DOB:
02-09-2003
Height:
6-5
Weight:
245
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Caglianone has 80 power and has been up to 99 mph off the mound, so he might be the best-known player in this year’s draft class, but his pro prospects are a little different than the hype might indicate, as his future is in the batter’s box. As a hitter, it’s close to a dead-pull approach, more power than hit, and while the strikeout rate is way down from last year, he doesn’t have very good command of the strike zone, swinging nearly 40 percent of the time pitchers go outside of the zone, often chasing pitches way out of the zone, and he doesn’t cut it down with two strikes.
On the mound, he has arm strength, sitting mostly 93-97, and a decent changeup, but it’s a violent delivery where he comes way back across his body, a problem both for long-term arm health and for a pitcher’s ability to locate anything to his glove side. He’s already had one Tommy John surgery back in high school and had some kind of hiccup in the preseason this year before returning to the mound in Week 2. I think Caglianone is just a hitter and would be surprised if anyone tried to keep him a two-way guy, especially because he needs work on his approach and as a pitcher he’s a reliever at best. You’re betting on 40-homer upside here, and he has hit over 60 homers in his last two years for Florida, facing the best competition in the country.
Photo:
USA Today
Position Player
Pitcher
4-Year College
1B
LHP
11
Seaver King
OF, SS
Wake Forest
DOB:
04-25-2003
Height:
6-0
Weight:
195
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
King transferred from Division II Wingate University to Wake Forest this spring after an impressive summer for Team USA and on the Cape, hitting .424/.479/.542 in 71 plate appearances at the latter stop. He’s a very aggressive hitter who doesn’t take a lot of pitches and doesn’t whiff very often, showing plus bat speed, surprising power, and above-average speed on the bases.
King’s played four positions for the Deacs, with third base his most frequently played spot. He’s more than capable in center and I think you could send him out as a shortstop. He does tend to expand the zone too often, as he’s a good enough bad-ball hitter to get away with it now.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
SS
12
Slade Caldwell
OF
Valley View HS (Jonesboro, AR)
DOB:
06-18-2006
Height:
5-6
Weight:
175
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Caldwell won’t go this high in the draft because he’s 5-foot-5 1/2; if he were 6-1, he’d be a top-15 pick for sure, with three tools that are or project to plus. He’s got a short swing (ha ha) and makes a ton of contact, with fringy power, and he’s a plus runner who covers enough ground in center to project to stay there, even with a 45 arm. The impact with the bat is the question — if you think he’ll hit the ball hard enough to keep his batting average up, he projects as a strong regular. If you don’t think he will, you’ll probably just run, run away.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
High School
OF
13
Trey Yesavage
RHP
East Carolina
DOB:
07-28-2003
Height:
6-4
Weight:
225
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Yesavage has a super-short arm action but he makes it work, throwing a ton of strikes with his four-seamer and a nasty splitter that has both the typical heavy bottom of that pitch and some run that can make it look like a downward-breaking slider. He does throw an actual breaking ball but it’s a clear third pitch, with the splitter his go-to weapon for hitters on both sides of the plate. If you don’t mind or care about the short arm action, the question is whether he can be a successful major-league starter as a fastball/splitter guy. I think he can as long as he holds up.
Photo:
Associated Press
Pitcher
4-Year College
RHP
14
James Tibbs III
OF
Florida State
DOB:
10-01-2002
Height:
6-0
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Tibbs was undrafted out of high school and I think largely ignored until this year, when (as of the end of the regular season) he’s had more homers than strikeouts. He makes great swing decisions and his contact quality is strong, getting up over 110 mph for his maximum EV this spring after topping out at 105 last summer with wood. He’s limited to an outfield corner, though, so he has to rake.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
15
Jurrangelo Cijntje
BHP
Mississippi State
DOB:
05-31-2003
Height:
5-11
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: B, Throws: B
We’ve had switch-pitchers before, but Cijntje is probably the best one to come along because he has good enough stuff throwing with either arm to at least create the potential for him to reach the majors as a true switch-pitcher. He is a better pitcher right-handed, and chooses to throw with that arm over 80 percent of the time, even if he doesn’t have the platoon advantage; the delivery is smoother and way more online to the plate, while he throws a bit harder right-handed and he has a more complete arsenal. Left-handed, which is his natural side, he comes across his body, loses about 2 mph off the fastball, and doesn’t show a changeup or curve, just going fastball-slider-cutter.
The Dutch native is extremely athletic and throws plenty of strikes with both arms. There’s an unusual added risk here, as that’s two UCLs to break, two labrums to tear, and so on, so regardless of his ultimate role he’ll likely develop primarily as a right-handed starter. He has No. 2 starter upside with a little longer to go than the typical college pitcher, as he’s been trying to develop as a switch-pitcher, while he’s just a sophom*ore who didn’t pitch that much last year.
Photo:
Associated Press
Pitcher
4-Year College
BHP
16
Theo Gillen
SS
Westlake HS (Austin, TX)
DOB:
09-12-2005
Height:
6-2
Weight:
195
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Gillen is a 70 runner with a great, direct left-handed swing that’s perfect for an all-fields, high-contact approach like he showed last summer and fall. He can show above-average raw power in BP, but in games he’s a hitter for contact and average, which could be an area for development as he learns when to try to drive the ball and when to shorten up and put it in play. He’s played mostly shortstop but had labrum surgery as a sophom*ore and his arm may push him to second base or more likely centerfield, where his speed could make him a plus defender. He’s one of the best high school bats in this generally thin class, and if a team agrees with my projection for him in center he should be a top 20 pick.
Position Player
High School
SS
17
Brody Brecht
RHP
Iowa
DOB:
09-27-2002
Height:
6-4
Weight:
225
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Brecht is a project as a pitcher with the upside to justify taking him in the first round despite his current flaws. He can hit 100 regularly as a starter and shows a plus slider that he throws more than the heater because he can land it more consistently and gets a ton of whiffs on it — 58 percent in the regular season, per data from Synergy Sports. He has a changeup but it’s both too straight and too firm right now. A former wide receiver, he’s extremely athletic and should be able to make some big adjustments, which he’ll need to do, starting with his loose but long arm action to get him a delivery he can repeat.
Photo:
Associated Press
Pitcher
4-Year College
RHP
18
Dakota Jordan
OF
Mississippi State
DOB:
05-09-2003
Height:
6-0
Weight:
220
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
For pure tools, Jordan rivals anyone in the class, high school or college. He’s a 70 runner with 80 raw power, 80 bat speed, and a 60 arm at worst. He misses in zone too often and will expand to chase breaking stuff down and away, while his speed and athleticism haven’t translated into even 55 outfield defense. He finished the regular season with 71 strikeouts and a 28 percent K rate.
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
19
Carson Benge
OF
Oklahoma State
DOB:
01-20-2003
Height:
6-1
Weight:
184
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Benge is also a tremendous athlete who has pitched a little in relief for the Cowboys, with his pro future in the batter’s box because he has great bat speed, makes excellent swing decisions, and produces hard contact. His swing is slappy, though, and he meets the ball out front too often, with relatively low launch angles as a result, making him a great target for a team that has had success helping guys who can really hit turn that into more line-drive contact.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
Pitcher
4-Year College
OF
20
Cam Smith
3B
Florida State
DOB:
02-22-2003
Height:
6-3
Weight:
225
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Smith reworked his swing and his body last offseason, bouncing back from a .258/.326/.517 line as a 20-year-old freshman at FSU to a .400/.484/.668 line entering the conference tournament, improving in every possible way as a hitter. He’s played third base in Tallahassee but scouts think he ends up at first or perhaps in an outfield corner.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
3B
21
Ryan Waldschmidt
OF
Kentucky
DOB:
10-07-2002
Height:
6-2
Weight:
205
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Waldschmidt has emerged as one of the better pure hitters in the college class this year, his second at Kentucky after transferring from Charleston Southern, hitting .370/.500/.653. I think there’s even more power to unlock here. He starts with a very wide base and no stride, limiting how much he can transfer his weight, yet he still rotates his hips well enough to drive the ball now with composite bats. He rarely misses fastballs (13 percent whiff rate during the regular season) and doesn’t chase much regardless of pitch type. He’s a solid athlete who should be an above-average defender in a corner, playing left for Kentucky this year. Even as-is he’s a first-rounder because of the feel to hit, with that opportunity for more power if he loosens up his stance and uses his lower half more.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
22
Tommy White
3B
LSU
DOB:
03-02-2003
Height:
6-1
Weight:
228
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Tommy Tanks had his worst year at the plate this spring, hitting for a little less power and average in a year when power numbers especially are up across Division I. That dip in power has come in large part because pitchers have learned he’ll expand the zone and pitched to him accordingly. It’s hard contact and 70 power, if you think you can get him to cut down on the chase. Defensively, he’s possibly at third base with first base more likely,
Photo:
USA Today
Position Player
4-Year College
3B
23
Peyton Stovall
2B
Arkansas
DOB:
02-14-2003
Height:
5-11
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Stovall finally got healthy a few weeks into this spring and had his best year at the plate since getting to Fayetteville, showing a solid approach at the plate with an outstanding swing and excellent pitch recognition. He could stand to walk more but doesn’t chase excessively. He’s a 45 defender at second, so this is a bet on the swing and hit tool.
Photo:
USA Today
Position Player
4-Year College
2B
24
Kellon Lindsey
SS, OF
Hardee HS (Wauchula, FL)
DOB:
09-21-2005
Height:
6-0
Weight:
175
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Nobody wants to miss on the next Trea Turner, and Lindsey looks the part — it’s a similar build, 80 speed, good hands, a good right-handed swing, etc. Turner had three years of success in the ACC, however, while Lindsey has faced some weak competition in central Florida and has had issues with breaking stuff. He’s a huge upside play with a ton of downside risk.
Position Player
High School
SS
OF
25
Walker Janek
C
Sam Houston State
DOB:
09-24-2002
Height:
6-0
Weight:
205
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Janek has emerged as the top catcher in the class, which may be damning with faint praise but also reflects the fact that he’s mashed and has shown he can stick behind the plate. He has the hands and the arm strength to catch, needing typical work on receiving and throwing mechanics, offering the upside of a 20-homer bat at a position where offense is scarce.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
C
26
Malcolm Moore
C
Stanford
DOB:
07-31-2003
Height:
6-2
Weight:
216
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Moore is going to end up with a team that values batted-ball data over performance — he’s had terrible luck at the plate this spring but he’s not punching out and his contact quality points to a higher average than he’s had on balls in play. He’s a below-average defender right now and scouts are mixed on whether he can stay at catcher; the arm is the worst tool here and his other deficiencies could improve with different coaching.
Photo:
USA Today
Position Player
4-Year College
C
27
Kaelen Culpepper
SS, 3B
Kansas State
DOB:
12-29-2002
Height:
6-0
Weight:
185
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Culpepper has one of the best swings in the class, and if he can just deploy it a little less often, he’s going to be a strong regular. He’s shown he can stay at shortstop, and can cut down on his swing enough with two strikes to keep his strikeout rate low even with too much chasing out of the zone earlier in the count. He projects to average power and is an average runner.
Photo:
USA Today
Position Player
4-Year College
SS
3B
28
Carter Johnson
SS
Oxford (AL) HS
DOB:
02-22-2006
Height:
6-2
Weight:
180
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Johnson has emerged as this year’s Colt Emerson, a high school infielder whose hit tool is his strongest attribute — and with Emerson’s tremendous start in pro ball, everyone’s looking for this year’s version. Johnson hit very well against better competition in the summer and fall but hasn’t been quite as good this spring in Alabama. He’s a shortstop now but more likely to end up at second or third.
Position Player
High School
SS
29
Cam Caminiti
LHP, OF
Saguaro HS (Scottsdale, AZ)
DOB:
08-08-2006
Height:
6-2
Weight:
205
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
The cousin of the late Padres star Ken Caminiti, Cam is the top high school pitcher on the board, having reclassified from 2025 into this year’s weaker overall class. He’s up to 97 with a curveball that’s gone from a 35 early in the spring to a 50 or 55 now, and he’s super athletic with a solid delivery that’s really online to the plate. As high school pitchers go, he’s got the best combination of present ability and future projection.
Pitcher
Position Player
High School
LHP
OF
30
William Schmidt
RHP
Catholic HS (Baton Rouge, LA)
DOB:
10-04-2005
Height:
6-4
Weight:
180
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Schmidt is committed to the local university, I forget the name of it, and I doubt it’ll be easy to pry him away, but he’s the top prep right-hander in the class and should get first-round money as a result. He’s got a 70 curveball and 60 changeup, with a fastball that’s hard but straight, offering projection and an athletic delivery that should indicate room for him to make some adjustments. If you think you can fix the fastball, he might end up with three grade-70 offerings, and there aren’t many of those players in any draft.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
31
Ryan Sloan
RHP
York Community HS (Elmhurst, IL)
DOB:
01-29-2006
Height:
6-4
Weight:
220
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Sloan has hit 100 mph this spring with a plus slider, with an athletic and strong 6-4 frame that should allow him to maintain plus velocity deep into games. It’s a powerful delivery where he’s on time and online to the plate, pitching better to his arm side than his glove side.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
32
Kash Mayfield
LHP
Elk City (OK) HS
DOB:
02-08-2005
Height:
6-4
Weight:
190
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Mayfield is 93-98 with an above-average slider and good feel for a changeup, with surprisingly low effort for that kind of arm strength. He also gets good ride on the four-seamer and repeats his delivery well enough to project future above-average command. If he were a college pitcher, he’d be a top-10 pick in this class.
Pitcher
High School
LHP
33
Kevin Bazzell
C, 3B
Texas Tech
DOB:
03-29-2003
Height:
6-1
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Bazzell is one of the best contact hitters in the draft, with just a 10 percent strikeout rate and 11 percent whiff rate going into the conference tournaments. He doesn’t walk and he has 45 power, so it’s sort of an empty batting average and he’s seen that dip a little this year to .312 (from .353 the last two years), although he had mono earlier in the spring and that could easily have impacted his performance. He’s played mostly catcher this year and is a work in progress, maybe a 45 defender now or a strong 40 but offering enough present skill that you can envision him getting to average. The bat plays a lot better back there than at third, of course.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
C
3B
33
Tyson Lewis
SS
Millard West HS (Omaha, NE)
DOB:
01-10-2006
Height:
6-2
Weight:
195
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Lewis has raced up boards this spring as one of the few true shortstops in the class, offering plus bat speed and a ton of athleticism, with tools over skills right now. He can show big power at times and is a plus runner, while his swing can get grooved and there’s some concern about his pitch recognition. He’s a true shortstop who has some real power/speed upside.
Position Player
High School
SS
34
Wyatt Sanford
SS
Independence HS (Frisco, TX)
DOB:
11-24-2005
Height:
6-1
Weight:
185
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Sanford seems like a real sleeper in this class, in part because his season ended early when his high school missed the playoffs. He’s a plus defender at short with plus speed, while at the plate he rarely misses fastballs and shows good strike zone awareness. He has plenty of bat speed and gets the bat to the zone on time, with a modest hand load back and slightly up so that he can lift the ball a little in his finish. He needs to add a lot of strength and appears to have room for it on his 6-1 frame. There are so few shortstops in this class that he seems like someone who could even sneak into the first round.
Position Player
High School
SS
36
PJ Morlando
OF
Summerville (SC) HS
DOB:
05-16-2005
Height:
6-3
Weight:
190
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Morlando has raw power, but hits with the widest stance at the plate that you have ever seen, with no stride or toe-tap or anything to get his lower half moving, so he isn’t showing the same power in games and it’s hard to see him profiling in left field, where he’s limited by a 40 arm. He’s the most obvious swing-change candidate in the draft; if someone signs him away from his commitment to South Carolina, the first thing they’ll do is unglue his feet from where they are in the batter’s box.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
High School
OF
37
Christian Moore
2B
Tennessee
DOB:
10-21-2002
Height:
6-1
Weight:
210
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Moore has led a loaded Tennessee squad that could see four to six players drafted on Day 1, with five hitters clubbing 16 or more homers by the end of the regular season. Moore went on a huge tear to finish the regular season, with six homers in his last seven games, and has shown power against pretty much all pitch types. It’s not a pretty swing with a super-wide setup and no stride, which makes me question whether the power will hold up with a wood bat, and in my in-person looks he struggled to pick up offspeed stuff. He’s a fringy defender at best at second and could end up in left field. The performance is going to push him into the first round.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
2B
38
Owen Hall
RHP
Edmond (OK) North HS
DOB:
11-14-2005
Height:
6-3
Weight:
185
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Hall has a great delivery and projectable body, sitting 90-94 now and touching 97 with a plus slider. He’s young for the class, turning 18 in November, with a lot of room to fill out his 6-3 frame, and already has good feel to spin two breaking balls, with the slider sharper and likely to end up close to 90 mph when he’s at his peak. He comes from a three-quarters slot and is mostly online to the plate with an occasional habit of landing early to cut himself off, albeit not on every pitch. He’s very much the classic high school projection arm, the sort of teenaged pitcher teams used to take regularly and develop over four-to-five years before everybody threw 98.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
39
Dasan Hill
LHP
Grapevine (TX) HS
DOB:
12-25-2005
Height:
6-5
Weight:
185
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: L
Hill is a 6-5, projectable lefty who shows average velocity now but should easily get to the mid-90s in time, with feel to spin two different breaking balls, excellent tumble to his changeup, and a delivery he should repeat enough for strikes. He’s committed to Dallas Baptist but should be one of the first high school lefties off the board.
Pitcher
High School
LHP
40
Vance Honeycutt
OF
North Carolina
DOB:
05-17-2003
Height:
6-3
Weight:
205
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Honeycutt is a 70 defender with 70 power, but even with a midseason swing change to raise his hands he’s still striking out too often — even whiffing in-zone — to be a first-rounder for me. He’s a project for player development who has huge upside because of those two plus tools.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
41
David Shields
LHP
Mt. Lebanon HS (Pittsburgh, PA)
DOB:
09-09-2006
Height:
6-2
Weight:
210
Scouting Report
Bats: B, Throws: L
Shields is another reclassifier from 2025 — I guess agents saw the ’24 class was weak and encouraged their older high school clients to jump forward a year — and may benefit from the industry panic over UCL tears because he’s got a very easy delivery and is more of a command/projection guy than a now-stuff guy. (That’s not to say the panic over UCL tears is wrong; more like, what took you so long?) He’s a former quarterback and a Miami commit who has a very easy arm action, working low-90s with projection left and feel to spin a curveball already. He cuts himself off when he lands and doesn’t get the extension he should from his 6-2 frame, something I would expect a pro team to try to address, and that would help his stuff play up. He missed some time earlier this spring due to mono but bounced back quickly when he returned to the mound.
Pitcher
High School
LHP
42
Caleb Lomavita
C
California
DOB:
11-18-2003
Height:
5-11
Weight:
205
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Lomavita can catch and throw well enough that he’s going to remain behind the plate, with solid contact skills despite an unusual approach. I think he has the lowest walk rate of anyone on this ranking, however, at 4.5 percent, and while we aren’t selling jeans here, that’s an alarming figure that lines up with his chase rate of 38 percent. If you can’t tell a ball from a strike, we have some problems.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
C
43
Blake Burke
1B
Tennessee
DOB:
06-11-2003
Height:
6-3
Weight:
240
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Burke’s got great feel for the barrel with power to all fields. He has a pretty and direct swing that produces hard contact, and he does have an idea at the plate that you might not sense from his walk rate (8.7 percent). He goes after a lot of pitches just off the zone, but not pitches well out of the zone, so his overall chase rate — which treats those two things as equal — is misleading. Of greater concern is that he’s probably a DH, or at least someone who will need a lot of attention from coaches to improve his defense. The bat will profile at either spot but he’ll have a harder time being more than a regular if he’s DHing.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
4-Year College
1B
44
Payton Tolle
LHP
TCU
DOB:
11-01-2002
Height:
6-6
Weight:
250
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Tolle transferred to TCU from Wichita State this year and ranks in the top 10 in Division I in strikeouts as of the end of the regular season, working with an above-average fastball that can touch 96 and that plays up due to the huge extension in his delivery. He’s 6-7 and finishes way out over his front side, so left-handers must think the ball is coming from behind their right ears. The delivery is a little cross-body, and he doesn’t have a plus pitch, throwing the fastball three-fourths of the time and letting the deception do its thing. You can send him out as a starter but he has to develop a viable second pitch to stay there.
Photo:
Associated Press
Pitcher
4-Year College
LHP
45
Kyle DeBarge
SS
Louisiana-Lafayette
DOB:
07-15-2003
Height:
5-9
Weight:
175
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
DeBarge has exploded at the plate this year, hitting 20 homers for the Cajuns after hitting 10 total in his first two years there, although with the wood bat he’s likely to be more of a hitter for a high average with a lot of doubles. He’s got the hands for shortstop but his arm is a little short for the left side of the infield and he probably profiles best at second base. The potential is here for a 60 hit tool. I like it.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
SS
46
Jonathan Santucci
LHP
Duke
DOB:
12-28-2002
Height:
6-2
Weight:
205
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Santucci has first-round stuff, but he missed the last half of the 2023 spring with a fractured elbow and has had control issues throughout his time at Duke, including a 14 percent walk rate this spring. He throws 92-95 and typically shows a plus slider and above-average changeup, although he barely uses the latter pitch. When I caught him against Wake Forest in March, he didn’t have any feel for the slider. His draft status is probably more a function of what teams see in his medical reports than what the scouts and analysts say.
Photo:
Associated Press
Pitcher
4-Year College
LHP
47
Boston Bateman
LHP
Camarillo (CA) HS
DOB:
09-20-2005
Height:
6-7
Weight:
250
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: L
An LSU commit, Bateman can hold 93-95 deep into starts and flashes a 60 slider with hard, sharp tilt to the pitch. He comes from a high three-quarters slot but his lower half isn’t always synced up with his upper half, so he’s inconsistent with his fastball command and can end up pitching more east-west than someone with that delivery should. He has starter ingredients if he improves the command and develops his changeup.
Pitcher
High School
LHP
48
D'Marion Terrell
OF
Thompson High School (Alabaster, AL)
DOB:
02-10-2006
Height:
6-3
Weight:
206
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Terrell did very little last summer as his family was moving, so he’s been a pop-up guy this spring. His plus-plus power has had scouts racing into Alabama to see him. He has excellent bat speed and loose hands, with some ability to adjust to change speeds, although he’s definitely hunting for fastballs to demolish. He’s a fringy runner with an average arm who probably ends up in left field.
Position Player
High School
OF
49
Dylan Dreiling
OF
Tennessee
DOB:
04-17-2003
Height:
5-11
Weight:
197
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Dreiling makes excellent swing decisions and hits the ball hard enough for 55 power and what should be strong averages on contact, making up for his lack of speed or bigger power. He’s got a big stride to get more power from his lower half, so there could be an adjustment coming, as he’ll show power to almost all fields, but his hands can lag a little so his swing may not be as efficient as it could be. He’s a disciplined hitter who led the Vols in walks in the regular season. He’s a corner outfielder, probably staying in right.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
50
Ethan Anderson
C,1B
Virginia
DOB:
09-21-2003
Height:
6-2
Weight:
215
Scouting Report
Bats: B, Throws: R
Anderson was a catcher in just eight games over his first two seasons in Charlottesville, all of those in 2022, but he caught about half of UVA’s games in the regular season this year. He’s shown above-average power in the past, but the Cavaliers’ hitting malaise this year seems to have infected him, as he’s made a lot of weaker contact and put the ball on the ground too often. He’s a 40 defender behind the plate now and lost his job to fifth-year player Jacob Ference, who transferred in from Division III Salisbury.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
C
1B
51
Caleb Bonemer
SS, 3B
Okemos (MI) HS
DOB:
10-05-2005
Height:
6-0
Weight:
195
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Bonemer has probably hit (or not hit) his way out of the first round, with a rough showing in a spring break trip to Florida and enough questions about his ever-changing swing that could result in him even ending up at UVA. He does have plus power when he gets to it and is an above-average runner who definitely stays on the dirt.
Position Player
High School
SS
3B
52
Jared Jones
1B
LSU
DOB:
08-01-2003
Height:
6-5
Weight:
253
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Jones has enormous raw power, perhaps the best in the college group after Jac Caglianone, so he could still end up going in the top 60-70 picks even as a straight first baseman whose strikeout rate is up at 25 percent. He’s just barely eligible for the draft by age as he turns 21 on Aug. 1.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
1B
53
Kavares Tears
OF
Tennessee
DOB:
08-25-2002
Height:
6-0
Weight:
205
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
That Volunteers lineup is just loaded, with Tears being one of five Vols bats likely to be drafted in the top three rounds. He might be the least disciplined hitter of the bunch, which could easily be a function of his inexperience (he had just 66 PA last year), but he makes up for it with plus raw power when he gets the ball in the air. He’s mostly played right field for Tennessee and is an average to tick-above runner who should at least get a shot in center, with right field the more likely long-term spot.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
54
Ben Hess
RHP
Alabama
DOB:
09-03-2002
Height:
6-5
Weight:
250
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Hess might be a starter at the next level, with the delivery and arsenal to do so, if he can hold his stuff deeper into games. The Tide only had him get more than 16 outs twice during the regular season, in his last two starts, when he did actually hold his velocity extremely well, still hitting 94-95 later in the outings. He’s mostly fastball-slider-curve, with an occasional changeup to lefties, and he’s added a two-seamer to the mix after going heavy four-seam earlier in the season. You can easily dream on him as a mid-rotation, workhorse starter, if you can get past the limited track record.
Photo:
Associated Press
Pitcher
4-Year College
RHP
55
Billy Amick
3B
Tennessee
DOB:
11-04-2002
Height:
6-1
Weight:
220
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Amick has had a huge year for Tennessee but he’s more power than hit, with poor offspeed recognition and a huge tendency to chase stuff out of the zone, especially with two strikes. Amick transferred to Knoxville from Clemson and has played third base for the Vols, where he’s a fringy defender.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
3B
56
Luke Dickerson
2B,OF
Morris Knolls HS (Denville, NJ)
DOB:
08-09-2005
Height:
6-0
Weight:
190
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Dickerson has come on later this spring in a draft that is still very light on high school hitters up the middle, showing a strong right-handed swing with nascent power. He has a chance to stay somewhere up the middle, more likely at second than in center. He’s committed to Virginia.
Position Player
High School
2B
OF
57
Braylon Doughty
RHP
Chaparral HS (Temecula, CA)
DOB:
12-07-2025
Height:
6-0
Weight:
196
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Doughty is a 6-foot right-hander with a solid delivery and an above-average 12/6 curveball with high spin that could end up a real out-pitch for him. The Oklahoma State commit takes a long stride towards the plate and has a compact but not overly short arm swing, getting good two-seam tail on his low to mid-90s fastball. If he were 6-4 and had more of a changeup for a fourth pitch, he’d get more consideration in the back of the first round.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
58
Connor Gatwood
RHP
Baker HS (Mobile, AL)
DOB:
10-14-2005
Height:
6-5
Weight:
195
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Gatwood has been up to 98 in the last year, with the jump in velocity showing up last August at East Coast Pro Showcase, but he’s missed much of this spring with a lat strain and a broken hand. His breaking ball and changeup are both works in progress, so his value is in his size, arm strength, and loose delivery.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
59
Jacob Cozart
C
NC State
DOB:
01-09-2003
Height:
6-3
Weight:
222
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
Cozart is a power-hitting catcher with enough swing-and-miss against offspeed stuff to project as a low-OBP, 20-homer type who could still end up a regular behind the plate. He does have power the other way but tries to pull the ball and his swing gets long as a result.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
C
60
Luke Holman
RHP
LSU
DOB:
01-26-2003
Height:
6-4
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Holman has struck out a third of the batters he’s faced this year despite less than overpowering stuff. He’s 91-94 with a 55 slider and 55ish curveball, seeing his stuff play up because he has a deceptive delivery with an extremely short arm action. He had a longer arm stroke last spring at Alabama, and threw nearly 2 mph harder, so there’s some thought that whoever takes him could try to restore the old delivery and get a free velocity bump without the loss of any other stuff. It would also probably help him throw more strikes and stay healthy, too.
Photo:
Associated Press
Pitcher
4-Year College
RHP
61
Gage Jump
LHP
LSU
DOB:
04-12-2003
Height:
6-0
Weight:
197
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Jump’s stats and pitch data make him look like a first-rounder, but the delivery is really rough and the odds of him sticking as a starter are low. He’s a 6-foot-nothin’ lefty with a very, very short arm action and abrupt movements within the delivery that make it hard for him to repeat it and look like they put more stress on his arm. He already had Tommy John surgery after his freshman year at UCLA, transferring to LSU in the interim, where he’s had an excellent season in the Tigers’ rotation, including just 19 walks in 66 2/3 innings (7 percent BB%). There are teams willing to ignore delivery questions to take a guy with strong pitch characteristics in the first round or close to it; I think those questions are enough to make Jump a second-rounder.
Photo:
Getty Images
Pitcher
4-Year College
LHP
62
Bryce Cunningham
RHP
Vanderbilt
DOB:
12-20-2002
Height:
6-5
Weight:
230
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Vanderbilt seems to find a guy like this in their own bullpen every year, converting a reliever back to the rotation and ending up with a top draft prospect. This year it’s Cunningham, a tall right-hander who made four starts and 14 relief appearances in 2023 and has emerged as the Commodores’ best starter this season. He’s 94-97 with the four-seamer, and he has a plus changeup that has excellent fading life when he gets on top of it, along with a fringy slider in the mid-80s that doesn’t have a ton of break or sharpness. He has a starter’s look and delivery but may need to try a two-seamer, as his four-seamer has led to too much hard contact (including nine of the 14 homers he’s allowed in the regular season), and could use a better breaking ball.
Photo:
Getty Images
Pitcher
4-Year College
RHP
63
Griff O'Ferrall
SS
Virginia
DOB:
02-02-2002
Height:
6-1
Weight:
185
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
O’Ferrall might have ended up in the first round if he’d stuck with his swing and approach from 2023, when he hit .396/.453/.495 for the Hoos while playing strong defense at short. Instead, he’s tried to get all launch angle-happy and pull the ball for more power, instead of using the whole field, losing 87 points off his OBP for the sake of three extra home runs (in a year when homers are up all over the place). He can still play above-average defense and at least still makes contact at a high rate, so there’s at a minimum some floor here for a team that takes him and tries to restore his old swing.
Photo:
USA Today
Position Player
4-Year College
SS
64
Carson DeMartini
3B
Virginia Tech
DOB:
12-27-2002
Height:
6-0
Weight:
175
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: R
DeMartini has power and can stay somewhere on the dirt, although his arm hasn’t come all the way back from an offseason shoulder injury. He’s power-over-hit, with too much swing-and-miss in the zone to project to an average hit tool, although he does have better ball-strike recognition than pitch recognition.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
3B
65
Dax Whitney
RHP
Blackfoot (ID) HS
DOB:
01-17-2006
Height:
6-5
Weight:
195
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Whitney is indeed from Idaho, a state that has produced only three major leaguers who were drafted out of its high schools (Josh Phelps, Matt Brown and Mike Garman) and that has no Division I baseball programs. Whitney, an Oregon State commit, is an extremely projectable 6-5 right-hander who works in the low 90s, coming from a high slot, with a 12/6 curveball and a straight changeup. Scouts have noted his advanced control for his age, although the arm slot will make it hard for him to work east-west. It’s projection, feel, and strikes, with a good enough mix to start.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
66
Josh Hartle
LHP
Wake Forest
DOB:
03-24-2003
Height:
6-5
Weight:
210
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Hartle came into the spring as a near-certain first-rounder, but he stumbled to a 5.58 ERA through the regular season with 13 homers allowed in 69 1/3 innings. He’s a finesse lefty who works with five pitches, with his changeup his best offering and his cutter suddenly his most-used one. The cutter has become less effective the more he’s used it, unfortunately, and while his slider and curveball can both miss bats, neither is that effective in the zone, often catching too much of the heart of the zone. He’s a buy-low candidate after he struck out a third of the batters he faced as a sophom*ore with a lower walk rate than he had this year. It may be a matter of adjusting his pitch mix rather than anything major.
Photo:
USA Today
Pitcher
4-Year College
LHP
67
Mike Sirota
OF
Northeastern
DOB:
06-16-2003
Height:
6-3
Weight:
188
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Sirota’s spring was a disaster, as he didn’t hit at all in the first half of the season and has looked like a completely different player than the dynamic hitter and centerfielder scouts saw in the summer and fall. He did finish the regular season very strongly, hitting .355/.542/.711 over the season’s final five weeks (21 games), which is an arbitrary endpoint other than it’s after I saw him play absolutely awfully at Towson. Maybe he was dealing with a minor injury or some other obstacle, as before he’d shown excellent bat speed, good feel for the strike zone, plus run, and the ability to play center, enough to predict him going in the top half of the first round before the year began. I imagine the strong finish will get him into the second round as someone hopes they’re actually drafting the 2023 version.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
68
Tegan Kuhns
RHP
Gettysburg (PA) Area HS
DOB:
05-25-2005
Height:
6-3
Weight:
168
Scouting Report
Bats: B, Throws: R
Kuhns came into the year in the top group of high school arms in the class, but his stuff tapered off late in the spring and he is probably out of consideration that high in the draft. He’s a four-pitch guy who has been up to 95-96, with plenty of projection in the body, but he was more 90-92 at the end of the season. His split-change has big fading action to it and he gets some sharp two-plane break on the curveball. There’s effort to the delivery including a head-whack at release. He’s committed to Tennessee, and if he ends up there he’ll be a strong bet to see the first round in 2027 if he stays healthy.
Photo:
Getty Images
Pitcher
High School
RHP
69
Dante Nori
OF
Northville (MI) HS
DOB:
10-07-2004
Height:
5-11
Weight:
188
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Nori will turn 20 in October, so he’s very old for a high school prospect and would be draft-eligible again in 2026 if he ends up at Mississippi State. He’s an 80 runner with some feel to hit and plus defense already in center, maybe trending towards 70. He has bat speed and the strength to get to average power, although models are going to downgrade his production because of his age and the weak competition he’s facing in Michigan.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
High School
OF
70
Jalin Flores
SS
Texas
DOB:
07-31-2003
Height:
6-2
Weight:
210
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Flores is a draft-eligible sophom*ore who turns 21 in late July. He’s exploded for 17 homers in the regular season for the Longhorns after hitting just four in about half a season of playing time last year. He’s a true shortstop who should stay there and be at least an average defender, so he doesn’t have to hit a ton to be a regular. He chases way too often, leading to a low walk rate and a strikeout rate that’s three times higher, so he projects as a sub-.300 OBP guy unless he starts to lay off pitches, especially breaking stuff, out of the zone.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
SS
71
JD Dix
SS
Whitefish Bay (WI) HS
DOB:
10-12-2005
Height:
6-2
Weight:
180
Scouting Report
Bats: B, Throws: R
Dix had surgery on the labrum in his throwing shoulder in the fall, so he started this spring out as a DH and hasn’t regained all of his arm strength, but that might spell an opportunity for a team to nab a polished switch-hitting shortstop prospect at a lower spot than expected. Dix has a balanced swing with good bat speed, more fluid from the left side, and he projects to average power. As long as his arm bounces back enough, he’ll stick at shortstop and should be at least an above-average defender there. Had he been healthy all spring, the narrative around him might have been a lot different and he could have been in the Tyson Lewis/Wyatt Sanford group as high school shortstops with some upside with the bat.
Position Player
High School
SS
72
Griffin Burkholder
OF
Freedom HS (South Riding, VA)
DOB:
08-30-2005
Height:
6-2
Weight:
195
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Burkholder has a great rotational swing that should generate plus power when he finally fills out, although he hasn’t shown much of it yet and had some trouble with non-fastballs at showcases last summer. He’s a 70 runner who can definitely stay in center, so even just boosting his contact rate will give him significant value. He hurt a calf muscle late in his spring and missed several games just as the weather was (sort of) turning nice, however, so it’s possible some teams didn’t get him cross-checked or otherwise seen enough to take him where the WVU commit would need to go.
Position Player
High School
OF
73
Drew Rerick
RHP
Fargo (ND) Davies HS
DOB:
04-13-2006
Height:
6-5
Weight:
240
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
This year could see players drafted from high schools in North Dakota, Idaho, and even Alaska (Coen Niclai, a catcher committed to a junior college), which I think indicates both that there is talent everywhere and that this year we’re looking under a lot more rocks than usual to find it. Rerick’s father was a 22nd-round pick by the Cardinals in 1998 out of North Dakota State, but didn’t play. Drew is committed to Texas A&M but could get interest in the second or third rounds.
He’s been up to 99 and consistently is 93-95 with power to his slider and depth on the curveball. He’s really well-built to start at 6-5, 240, and has shown solid-average control in the past, but this year someone had him speed up his delivery and he’s been wilder than before. The fastball gets in on hitters quickly and he has the size and potential out pitch to go out right now in pro ball, with mid-rotation upside.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
74
Carter Holton
LHP
Vanderbilt
DOB:
09-04-2002
Height:
5-11
Weight:
195
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Holton has missed plenty of bats this year, posting the best strikeout rate of his career (32.3 percent through the regular season), but everything else trended south, as he gave up more hard contact and saw his ERA soar over 5. His changeup is his best pitch and led him to a significant reverse platoon split, although he has two breaking balls and misses plenty of left-handers’ bats with them. His final regular-season outing lasted just 1/3 of an inning and he struggled to get over 90 mph after he’d been 92-94 for the rest of the season, even the week prior. Assuming there’s nothing serious here, he’s a potential back-end starter with his pitch mix and prior history of success.
Photo:
Associated Press
Pitcher
4-Year College
LHP
75
Bryce Meccage
RHP
The Pennington School (Pennington, NJ)
DOB:
03-21-2006
Height:
6-4
Weight:
210
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Meccage is 92-97 with a high-effort delivery and can really spin two breaking balls, overpowering New Jersey prep hitters with his stuff. In the outing I saw, he went four innings and didn’t allow a ball in play. It’s 40 command right now because he’s amping up to throw as hard as he can, hiding his athleticism and the potential that he could be more of a pitcher than a thrower if he works more at 92-94 and uses the breaking stuff more. He’s committed to Virginia but should never set foot on campus except as a tourist.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
76
Drew Beam
RHP
Tennessee
DOB:
02-14-2003
Height:
6-4
Weight:
205
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Beam is a four-pitch command right-hander with nothing plus but who throws a ton of strikes and can be effective as long as he has all of his pitches. I saw him struggle against Georgia because his changeup was much too firm that night. He’s 92-95 with his four-seamer and pounds the zone with it, and because it rides up it plays off the changeup and vice versa. He’s got an average curveball and a 55 cutter that may end up his best pitch in the long run. He’s also got a little more room to fill out and could find another gear of velocity on the four-seamer and the cutter. He’s a back-end starter type with a modest chance for something more.
Photo:
USA Today
Pitcher
4-Year College
RHP
77
Ryan Johnson
RHP
Dallas Baptist
DOB:
08-05-2002
Height:
6-6
Weight:
215
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Johnson is a huge strike-thrower, literally, as he’s 6-6 and has walked just 12 batters this year (3.3 percent), even improving on his above-average walk rate from last year of 6 percent, while finishing the regular season ranking third in Division I in strikeouts behind only Chase Burns and Hagen Smith. He does it with breaking stuff, throwing his slider nearly half of the time and his 92-95 mph fastball for only 30 percent of his pitches, with the slider and cutter missing a ton of bats. The delivery is insane, though, as he doesn’t even pause after bringing his glove over his head and just flings the ball at the plate — it’s so hard to reconcile what you see from watching him pitch with what you see on the stat sheet. It’s a low three-quarters slot and almost everything he throws breaks to his glove side, so left-handed hitters do give him some trouble and he only seems to pitch east-west. The results might get him into Day 1, even with the clear reliever risk from his delivery.
Photo:
Associated Press
Pitcher
4-Year College
RHP
78
Braylon Payne
OF
Fort Bend Elkins HS (Missouri City, TX)
DOB:
08-14-2006
Height:
6-2
Weight:
186
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Payne doesn’t turn 18 until mid-August, so he’ll be a darling of analytical models — if you wanted to take a random stab at a player Cleveland could target for an over-slot deal with their second or third pick, he’d be a good guess — and does offer plus-plus speed. He’s underdeveloped physically and his swing is geared towards contact, putting the ball on the ground most of the time, which can work with his speed as long as he can at least show some ability to drive the ball to the gaps. He’s committed to Houston and could end up a first-rounder if he goes there and packs on some strength.
Position Player
High School
OF
79
Chase Mobley
RHP
Durant (FL) HS
DOB:
06-05-2006
Height:
6-5
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Mobley was up to 99 early in the spring and can flash that velocity but not hold it, with plenty of projection left to foresee him working consistently in the mid- to upper-90s when he’s older and more filled out. He’s 6-6 but has a low three-quarters slot, kind of Eury Pérez-ish, so he pitches very east-west with his fastball and struggles to command his curveball, since that’s a slider slot. He’s a project with real arm strength and a great body for a starter.
Photo:
Getty Images
Pitcher
High School
RHP
80
Jared Thomas
OF,1B
Texas
DOB:
07-01-2003
Height:
6-2
Weight:
190
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Thomas is draft-eligible as a sophom*ore, as he’ll turn 21 two weeks before the draft. He took a big step forward this year by starting his hands a little lower so he’s able to square the ball up way more consistently. He went from a 48 percent groundball rate as a freshman to a 35 percent groundball rate this spring, but the tradeoff is that he’s swinging and missing more in and out of the zone. He’s an above-average runner who’s played center, left, and first base for the Horns, probably starting out up the middle.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
1B
81
Joey Oakie
RHP
Ankey (IA) Centennial HS
DOB:
05-09-2006
Height:
6-3
Weight:
195
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Oakie is just getting started as the Iowa high school season runs over the summer rather than in the spring, so his spot on the board is more volatile than those of most of the other players here. The Iowa commit is a 6-foot right-hander who’s 92-95 with a plus slider, coming from a low three-quarters slot that puts some sink on the fastball and more horizontal movement to the breaker. It’s not a great delivery and he has to show he can turn over a changeup from down there or find another pitch for lefties.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
82
Blake Larson
LHP
IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)
DOB:
02-17-2006
Height:
6-3
Weight:
180
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Larson is a loose-armed, projectable lefty who transferred to IMG this year from a high school in Iowa. He works 92-94 with a very sharp slider that plays up from his low three-quarters slot. He’s online to the plate but his front foot lands askew and he can spin off that front heel, inhibiting his command especially to his glove side. He’s committed to TCU.
Pitcher
High School
LHP
83
Duncan Marsten
RHP
Harvard-Westlake HS (Studio City, CA)
DOB:
05-30-2005
Height:
6-3
Weight:
215
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Marsten is a sinker/slider guy who missed the 2021 and 2022 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he’s now 19 so he’d be draft-eligible in 2026 if he goes to Wake Forest. He’s 91-94 with good sink and an above-average slider, projecting more as a groundball pitcher with control than a power pitcher who’ll miss a ton of bats.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
84
Harrison Didawick
OF
Virginia
DOB:
06-24-2003
Height:
6-4
Weight:
215
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Didawick led the Cavaliers with 22 homers and was second only to fifth-year catcher Jacob Ference in slugging at .679. Didawick’s power was unsurprising as he’s one of the top exit-velocity guys in Division I, regularly topping 105 mph. It’s all-fields power and he is willing to go the other way, but he’s vulnerable to offspeed stuff, especially changeups down and/or away, leading to a 27 percent strikeout rate in conference play. He’s primarily played left for the Hoos, so he has to hit and hit for power. He’ll be a nice third-round pick for a team that considers batted-ball data very heavily in its model.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
85
Nick McLain
OF
Arizona State
DOB:
12-16-2002
Height:
5-10
Weight:
190
Scouting Report
Bats: B, Throws: L
The younger brother of Reds infielder Matt McLain, Nick wasn’t anywhere near the same kind of prospect coming out of high school (when Matt was a first-rounder), but he’s exploded this year to hit .346/.462/.676 with more walks than strikeouts as the Sun Devils’ primary right fielder. He redshirted his freshman year and missed the first half of his sophom*ore year with a hand injury, so this is the first time we’ve seen him fully healthy since at least high school. He hasn’t seen much high-end velocity and he does expand a little to chase breaking stuff, performing against what he saw in the Pac 12. He’s probably an extra outfielder but plays very hard and with a ton of confidence, so he’ll likely get the most out of his tools.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
4-Year College
OF
86
Grant Shepardson
RHP
Mountain Vista HS (Highlands Ranch, CO)
DOB:
10-04-2005
Height:
6-1
Weight:
195
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Shepardson is one of two Colorado high school pitchers we could see drafted in the first three-to-five rounds. He works 92-95 with a 55 slider in the low 80s, throwing both pitches for strikes. He’s 6-1 and only slightly projectable, but he repeats his delivery very well and should be able to start. He’s committed to the University of San Francisco, where his brother, Blake, is a junior reliever who throws 95-100.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
87
Anthony Silva
SS
TCU
DOB:
07-17-2003
Height:
6-2
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Silva had some first-round buzz coming into the spring, but he hit just .261/.364/.386 during the regular season and saw his strikeout rate jump because he took far more called strikes this year than in 2023. He’s a true shortstop who was more of a 55 defender last spring and closer to average this year, although there’s no physical reason here why he can’t be an above-average defender again. There is some good news buried in here — he didn’t chase or whiff excessively, and his contact quality is still good enough to see him hitting for average with doubles power. He’s sophom*ore-eligible and offers a utility infielder floor if he’s willing to sign.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
SS
88
Garrett Shull
OF
Enid (OK) HS
DOB:
07-14-2005
Height:
6-1
Weight:
205
Scouting Report
Bats: B, Throws: R
Shull is a switch-hitting corner outfielder and Oklahoma State commit who has excellent bat speed batting left-handed, projecting to hit for average and power, with a slower and slightly more mechanical-looking swing right-handed. He’s an average runner and probably just goes right to a corner outfield spot in pro ball. He’ll also turn 19 the day of the draft, which will hurt him with teams that weigh age heavily in their draft models. He makes pretty hard contact, though, which could make him an over-slot target even though he’s going to end up in left or right field.
Position Player
High School
OF
89
Sam Stuhr
RHP
University of Portland
DOB:
08-08-2002
Height:
6-1
Weight:
197
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
The University of Portland could see two pitchers drafted in the top-10 rounds between Stuhr and redshirt junior Nick Brink, who finished the regular season with the seventh-most strikeouts in Division I. Stuhr is the better pro prospect, as he’s a year younger and has better stuff, working 94-96 with a short but effective slider in the upper 80s with more horizontal break. He has four pitches but barely uses his changeup, and it showed in his platoon split, as he allowed a .431 OBP to lefties this year. It’s a circle-change that he throws with conviction but doesn’t land it enough for strikes or throw it enough to get hitters to lay off the fastball. He’s a strong 6-1 kid who could be a fourth starter if he develops that last pitch.
Pitcher
4-Year College
RHP
90
Michael Massey
RHP
Wake Forest
DOB:
04-05-2003
Height:
6-5
Weight:
230
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Massey hasn’t pitched since April 28 due to a bulging disc in his back, prior to which he’d made 10 starts for the Deacons but averaged just over three innings per outing and never threw more than 78 pitches in a game. He’s got an extremely short arm action and works up to 95 with a hard, downward-breaking slider, with a changeup he barely uses and some of the expected platoon split. He was pitching fairly well until mid-April, with three starts where he was ineffective — eight innings total, 10 walks, nine strikeouts, 10 runs allowed — before he hit the injured list. Someone will try to start him but this looks relieverish to me.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
RHP
91
Trey Gregory-Alford
RHP
Coronado HS (Colorado Springs, CO)
DOB:
05-04-2006
Height:
6-5
Weight:
235
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Gregory-Alford is a UVA commit who pitches his home games at 6,000 feet above sea level, which I have always thought said something about a young pitcher — if you can pitch in that kind of forbidding environment, where no pitches break as much as they would anywhere else and every pop-up is a potential homer, you probably have something worth capturing, whether you call it toughness, confidence, feel, whatever. He’s been up to 97 and does have a pretty sharp 12/6 curveball, with good extension out front to help all his stuff play up, although his pitching arm can lag behind his plant foot. He's already 6-5, 235, so the Virginia commit doesn’t have a ton of projection ahead of him, instead needing to work on command and developing a changeup or splitter.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
92
Chris Levonas
RHP
Christian Brothers Academy (Middletown, NJ)
DOB:
02-11-2006
Height:
6-2
Weight:
170
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Levonas is committed to Wake Forest and has pumped it up to 97 this spring, sitting more 92-95, with good feel for an upper-80s changeup that has some late tumble and two breaking balls that blend together but both have tight rotation and sharp break. He has a big, exaggerated leg kick, and comes from a three-quarters slot but has to lean way over to get up to it, which makes it look like a lower three-quarters slot might be more natural for him.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
93
Matt Ager
RHP
UC-Santa Barbara
DOB:
05-21-2003
Height:
6-5
Weight:
210
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Ager had an oblique strain in the fall and didn’t seem to be 100 percent this spring, losing his rotation job in mid-April when his ERA got up near 6, but he has been more effective in the bullpen, where he’s allowed just one run in 19 innings. He’s been up to 95 this spring but pitches more 90-92 with a short mid-80s slider that’s more vertical than horizontal, showing an occasional curveball that’s almost 12/6. It’s a good delivery and he throws strikes, which makes him seem like a good buy-low candidate for someone to take and return to the rotation.
Pitcher
4-Year College
RHP
94
Christian Chatterton
RHP
Brooks HS (Killen, AL)
DOB:
06-14-2005
Height:
6-0
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Chatterton is an Auburn commit who was excellent last summer in shorter bursts, working 92-95 with run, feel to spin both breaking balls, and a changeup with very hard fading action, but everything backed up a bit this spring, 90-92 on the fastball and comparable drops on the other pitches. He’s a short right-hander with some effort to the delivery and may end up in college instead of signing.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
95
Gage Miller
3B
Alabama
DOB:
03-01-2003
Height:
6-0
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Teams that rely on analytical models will probably love Miller, as the junior college transfer doesn’t strike out and has shown he can lift and drive the ball even without elite exit velocities, hitting 18 homers this year through the regular season with just 23 strikeouts and a whiff rate of 18 percent. He’s a below-average defender at third and may have to move to second or left field.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
3B
96
Payton Green
SS
Georgia Tech
DOB:
01-17-2003
Height:
6-3
Weight:
192
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Green transferred to the Ramblin’ Wreck from NC State and started out very strongly in non-conference games, slumped midyear when ACC play began, but rallied to finish with a respectable .317/.390/.548 line within the conference, with average defense at shortstop. He’s probably a utility infielder in the end but if a move back to second base (where he played about 40 percent of the time in 2023) sees his defensive value jump, he could end up a regular.
Photo:
Associated Press
Position Player
4-Year College
SS
97
Cade Arrambide
C
Tomball (TX) HS
DOB:
10-14-2005
Height:
6-3
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Arrambide is very strong and offers future plus power that would make him a regular if he stays behind the plate. He’s got a very wide stance with no stride or even a toe-tap, so his timing isn’t great and he swings and misses way more often than he should, while behind the plate he’s got a cannon but gets mixed reviews on his receiving. He’s committed to LSU and as the spring progressed some scouts got the sense he’d prefer college to pro ball right now.
Photo:
Getty Images
Position Player
High School
C
98
Henry Brummel
RHP
Pontiac Township (IL) HS
DOB:
03-10-2006
Height:
6-4
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Brummel’s a projection guy at 6-4 who’s 90-94 right now with room to grow. He has a big-breaking curveball with tight spin and enough of a changeup to project him as a starter. He’s got a high arm slot that gives depth to the curve and has him really driving the fastball down when he finishes out front — which he doesn’t always do. He’s committed to Indiana.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
99
Dylan Volantis
LHP
Westlake HS (Thousand Oaks, CA)
DOB:
10-07-2005
Height:
6-6
Weight:
200
Scouting Report
Bats: L, Throws: L
Volantis got much stronger this offseason and has gained 2-3 mph on his fastball, now working 90-92 with good command and a big-breaking 12/6 curveball. He comes from a very high slot, so he’s very north-south with everything, including a splitter he almost never used in high school. He reminds me of Tyler Skaggs at that same age, similarly projectable, with Volantis two inches taller than the late Skaggs was at the time of the draft. He’s committed to USC.
Pitcher
High School
LHP
100
Levi Sterling
RHP
Notre Dame HS (Los Angeles)
DOB:
09-02-2006
Height:
6-4
Weight:
195
Scouting Report
Bats: R, Throws: R
Sterling’s stuff backed up a little this spring, as he’s sitting 89-90 and touching 92 when he was touching 94 and averaging closer to 92 before, with his changeup a plus pitch but his breaking balls are nothing special. His lower half needs to get a lot stronger and he has to use it more to generate some power to all of his pitches, which might be easier once he’s no longer playing shortstop regularly as well. He’s committed to Texas and could blossom there by focusing just on pitching and building some muscle.
Pitcher
High School
RHP
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GO DEEPERMLB Mock Draft 2024: Why Guardians could go Travis Bazzana over Charlie CondonGO DEEPERWake Forest baseball loaded with MLB Draft prospects but focused on return to OmahaGO DEEPERRanking the top 50 prospects for the 2024 MLB Draft: Why Keith Law has Charlie Condon at No. 1GO DEEPERCharlie Condon's incredible journey from unwanted recruit to college baseball's premier sluggerGO DEEPERMLB Draft 2024: Keith Law's top 30 prospects rankings to start the season(Photo illustration by John Bradford / The Athletic; From left to right: JJ Wetherholt, Charlie Condon, Nick Kurtz: Photos by Justin Berl and David J. Griffin / Icon Sportswire and Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images)
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Keith Law is a senior baseball writer for The Athletic. He has covered the sport since 2006 and prior to that was a special assistant to the general manager for the Toronto Blue Jays. He's the author of "Smart Baseball" (2017) and "The Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves" (2020), both from William Morrow. Follow Keith on Twitter @keithlaw