EDITOR’S NOTE: The following rankings and evaluations by FSS PLUS are based on subjective analysis and industry sources, and do not influence, are not influenced by or are affiliated with the opinions and reports of Future Stars Series scouting and development staff.
We’ve made it. Another year. Another Top 615 board. This year, 991 prospects were written up with full reports. Sadly, 376 of those reports will not see the light of day.
The 2025 Draft is here. It’s time for the Future Stars Series PLUS Top 615 prospect board final update. This board is built on three pillars — live looks, data evaluation, and intel/conversations provided from within the industry.
This is one of the stronger college pitching crops at the top in recent memory. It may not have the ace at the top of the board, but 2025 yields a smattering of very interesting college hurlers that seem destined for mid-rotation status as professionals. It’s also a deep year on the high school shortstop side of things. Those names will without question help build out top 100 prospects lists in the years to come.
131,000 words this year. Not bad. I’m coming for you, James Patterson. Fingertips have detereorated into leather.
The thing that immediately stands out about Hernandez at this stage is his mature pitch-ability and his natural talent to pound the strike zone. He’ll work into a lather and sit 93-96 as the innings build but Hernandez will touch 100 mph in the early goings. Hernandez has shown the arm strength to reach back into the high-90s toward the end of his outings too. It’s enormous extension down the mound with an operation that’s as loose and free as you could ever hope from a starting pitcher prospect.
It’s not the most dynamic fastball shape, but there’s generally some carry that allows the heater to work elevated. When left at the bottom of the zone or in the heart of the plate Hernandez doesn’t generate whiffs with same frequency despite his pure velocity.
His best weapon currently is a low-80s outlier changeup that he executes well by killing spin and creating depth off his fastball tunnel. Hernandez can dance the cambio generating considerable arm-side fading action to supplement its tumbling depth and velocity separation. It’s likely a ‘plus’ pitch when all is said and done and could end up a 70-grade weapon if he’s eventually able to extract more value out of his fastball.
There’s a mid-80s slider with solid depth and some sweep as well. It’s a breaker that’s improved this spring, however it’s not yet become his bread and butter. Most scouts see potential above-average projection on the pitch, though pitching development, specifically breaking ball development, has gotten so much better in professional baseball of late, don’t be surprised if he finds a way to turn that pitch into something more dynamic. There’s also a bigger mid-70s curveball that he’ll happily steal strikes with.
Outside of outlier fastball shape, Hernandez checks just about every box a scout could conceivably draw up for a high school pitcher. He’s got a chance to develop into a frontline starter at the next level with a bit of refinement. Hernandez is one of the top prep arms in this class and has an argument as one of the better high school arms to come along in several years.
Hernandez will be 19 years old on draft day.
Anderson exudes confidence on the bump with a low-90s fastball, up to 96 with significant carry and command of the top rail. Although he threw his heater close to 70 percent of the time as a freshman, he’s showing a full menu this year and relying less on that pitch. He pairs the fastball with an absolute hammer breaking ball that with huge downer shape. There’s seam-mirroring between the two pitches allowing the breaker to tunnel off the fastball very well and generates whiffs below the zone.
Anderson does have an upper-70s changeup that he’s thus far simply not had to show much. He’ll offer it to more advanced right-handed hitters and has shown feel for landing that pitch in and around the zone. It’s flashing above average traits and profiles a legitimate weapon at the next level. He added a mid-80s slider this season that misses bats and avoids barrels too featuring considerable sweeping life in its velocity band. There’s also been signs of a firm cutter to keep right-handers off his fastball up in the zone. It’s four or five pitches all of which live in their own movement bucket. Anderson is the prototype.
His entire arsenal is high-spin and Anderson strides the mound beautifully. His first-strike percentage is through the roof and Anderson’s misses are consistently safe and to the break-side. There’s polish on this arm. It’s all the components of a starting pitcher at the next level. He’s got a super-quick arm and lean strength in his frame. He should continue to throw harder as he matures. If he was a guy living in the mid-90s like some of his peers at this same stage he might be a lock to go inside of the top three picks. A whole lot of Jon Lester in this kid. A draft-eligible true sophomore, Anderson will barely by 21 years old for the Draft.
While Jackson Holliday was the prize in the 2022 MLB Draft, scouts got a first-hand look at his brother in their trips to Stillwater. The second-born of Matt Holliday‘s children, Ethan is far more physical than his older brother with huge raw power and a similarly beautiful left-handed stroke. Still extremely young, Holliday already tops the scales at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds with broad shoulders and plenty of projection to go. There’s no question the raw power carries heavy value here and he should generate even more raw power as his frame matures.
Holliday is one of the top high school bats at this stage despite a streaky summer where he struggled to show his impact in games. There was more swing and miss than scouts were accustomed to seeing, especially when exposed to velocity. Holliday has a steeper move into the hitting zone and works underneath the baseball and works hard to catch it out in front. The result last summer was whiffs on elevated velocity and mis-hits if he’s late. He’ll need some swing adjustments at the next level if he’s to reach his ceiling of what some believe is a high-average, slugging middle-of-the-order bat.
It’s been a much more fruitful spring for Holliday as he’s shown some adjustments with the swing. His load is a bit quieter and while his timing at the plate has been streaky, he’s shown more of an ability to adjust in-game. He’s hit north of .600 this season with enormous power output. Holliday needed to show without a shadow of a doubt that he’s an improved hitter this spring to dispel the concerns from last summer and many believe he’s done just that.
It’s a swing not too dissimilar from Bryce Rainer a year ago. You’d be hard-pressed to find many scouts who aren’t bullish on Holliday developing into significant impact at the next level even if it’s a 40-grade hit tool. Holliday still posts minuscule chase rates and hit the ball in the air nearly 60 percent of the time across a big summer sample. He can get the ball in the air, but catching the fat part of the bat has been a struggle against better arms. You buy the tools here and trust in the development. Remember, his brother Jackson had a sluggish summer in 2021 too before blossoming into the top prospect in the sport.
Holliday is the starting shortstop at Stillwater High School, however he’s played mostly third base on the tournament circuit. Because of his size and physical projection most scouts believe he’ll end up at the hot corner long term. He’s a fringe-average runner and doesn’t project to grow into much more speed as a pro. It’s special arm talent with some slapping 70-grade arm strength grades on the player. The hands are solid, if not above average. He should develop into at least an above-average defender at third base.
In a class seemingly lacking star upside at the top, Holliday bucks that narrative. Size, handedness, bloodlines, top-shelf raw power and the ability to play on the dirt. There are a number of outcomes for a player like Holliday when all is said and done. If the tools and talent come together he could end up as productive as a player like Matt Carpenter or Eric Chavez. If the swing-and-miss persists, a Ryan McMahon trajectory may be more fitting.
Doyle was a steady member of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers rotation in 2023, and continued to get better as the year went on. He transferred to Ole Miss in 2024 but only stayed at the school for one year before heading to Tennessee. The stuff exploded on Rocky Top.
Doyle has been up to 99 and will sit 93-96 from the third inning on with considerable carry and arm-side run. It’s a devastating fastball and coming from the left side makes it all that much more impressive. The fastball is without question a ‘plus’ offering and it’ll flash 70-grade traits early in outings with plenty of fuzz up in the zone. Doyle lives on the top rail and is extremely effective because of it. While the velocity and shapes are both exquisite, Doyle is just an average athlete on the mound and only generates moderate extension down the bump. It’s possible professional hitters will pick up the fastball out of his hand better than current competition, however that won’t dilute the fact it’s at least a plus pitch.
All of that being said, Doyle seems to lose a good bit of steam on his stuff once he reaches the 40- or 50-pitch threshold in each start. His shapes and velocity both suffer as he works his way into a lineup for the second time. He’s shown average command for the fastball too. He’s usually around the zone and walks haven’t been much of an issue, but putting the pitch where he wants is fringy.
The secondaries are more of a work in progress, but they’ve shown enough to project effectiveness to the next level. His splitter and cutter/slider are both effective, the splitter especially. The splitter has a chance to become a plus pitch if shapes alone are any indication of future projection. They’re not, but if Doyle can rein in commanding that pitch it’s got quite a ceiling. The cutter is short with firm, slippery tilt. It’s extremely effective getting hitters off the fastball and Doyle has shown the ability to keep it under right-handers’ hands and back-door it as well. There’s also a bigger slider with considerable tilt and sweeping action. Doyle struggles to command his bag of pitches but the stuff is so big he generates whiffs in bunches.
Doyle does have a deeper arm action and there’s some effort with his delivery leading to the aforementioned command shakiness. When you combine the struggle to hold velocity into the middle innings, the fastball-heavy usage rates, the shaky secondaries and unconventionally long arm action, it’s fair to question whether or not Doyle will end up in a high-leverage relief role as a pro. There’s a lot to like with this arm, even if it ends up being a weapon at the end of games rather than a workhorse at the beginning of them.
Arquette made his way from the island of Hawaii and became something of a star at the University of Washington. He transferred to Oregon State for his draft-eligible 2025 campaign after UW’s Head Coach Jason Kelly left for Texas A&M following the 2024 season.
Arquette is long and projectable on the dirt and may ultimately shift to third base if he adds more physicality. As things stand he’s a reasonably rangy infielder considering his size. He’s looked steady and, at times, exceptional at the shortstop position in 2025 for the Beavers. It was his first full-time look at the ‘6’ after not getting that opportunity on Montlake. Those bullish of the defensive profile point toward his strong athletic testing as reason to believe he won’t lose the twitch and first step necessary to stay up the middle. Arquette showcases a strong internal clock with soft hands and balance on the infield. Skeptics have long looked at his size as reason to believe he’s destined for the outfield. He’s continuously proved those doubters wrong.
Arquette’s bat took mammoth strides during his sophomore year and it now has a chance to be one of the more complete offensive profiles in the country. There’s slightly above average bat-to-ball skills and huge exit velocities, topping out at 113 mph this season. The bat speed translates into wood bats too, shown off on the Cape with consistent loud batted-ball events. Arquette has a steady approach and a willingness to use right field, a rare trait for players his size. It’s raw power that plays into right-center field with backspinning batted balls that cut through thick, wet Pacific Northwest air. Arquette has proven susceptible to the slider this season, something he’ll need to clean up or risk being exposed in pro ball. If there’s one nitpicking trait scouts would like to see Arquette improve as the Draft nears it would be his patience at the plate. More specifically late in counts.
Off the field, Arquette is the epitome of an island boy. He lives life at a slow tempo and is easy going. He’ll turn on that competitive fire between the lines, but it’s a slower heartbeat and an even keel personality elsewhere. The 95th percentile outcome on a player like Arquette is something of a Troy Tulowitzki. A floor-outcome could be someone like Mike Morse. He’ll need to further prove he’s a shortstop through and through should he hope to land those lofty comparisons when July rolls around.
HOMETOWN: Fort Cobb, Oklahoma
HEIGHT: 6-1
WEIGHT: 175
BAT/THROW: B-R
A re-class from 2026, Eli Willits is a true switch-hitter in every sense of the word. Some guys fake it hitting from both sides and struggle from one side or the other. That’s not the case here. From the left side Willits features a tight, compact swing with quick hands and twitchy hips. He uses the whole field and has an adjustability with the barrel that few can match. There’s some moving parts in the load and some late barrel tilt that could test his ability to handle higher velocity arms, but to this point he’s impressed in tournament settings and has had little issue squaring up fastballs in premium settings. Right now it’s fringy raw power with ringing gap power. That said, Willits has a lean frame with the hands and projection you look for in a guy that could ultimately get to average or better raw power. From the right side it’s a bit more bat speed with louder results and a bit more impact to all fields. The hit tool projects better from the left side, but he’s far from a liability as a right-handed hitter. He clearly projects to be able to hit from both sides of the plate going forward. Interesting offensive tools from both sides of the plate.
Willits looks every bit the part of a future shortstop, centerfielder or up-the-middle defender too. He’s a rangy defender who has demonstrated the ability to get to any ball. As a shortstop he excels when coming in on the grass and making the play on slow-rollers in front of him. He can get his body into the athletic positions necessary to make just about every throw. He’s also an above average runner with long strides and a smooth gait that really projects to hold deep into professional ball. He’s also shown plenty capable of playing a strong centerfield if teams want to give him run at the ‘8’. He takes some of the stronger routes in the class out there and demonstrates solid spacial awareness around the wall and warning track.
Perhaps the one nitpick analysts and some evaluators have on the entire profile is a general lack of explosive, twitchy athleticism. Willits doesn’t stand out when it comes to force-plate testing or 30-/60-yard dash workouts. Skeptics of those results will point to a low ceiling from an impact perspective. Those bullish of his profile will point to his extraordinarily young age as means to reason a jump in explosiveness and strength on the horizon.
Willits has a chance to be one of the first players off the board if he adds a bit more impact at the plate. He’s one of the best “ballplayers” in the class (if that’s something of measurable value). There’s something of a Erick Aybar allure to his game. As noted, he will be extremely young for the draft, just 17.7 years old when he’s selected.
Jamie Arnold is a metric freak. His ability to create velocity and angles from a 55-inch release height is reasonably unprecedented. Arnold has an extremely, outlier-esque flat approach angle with a fastball that absolutely feasts at the top of the zone. He’s been up to 97 but more impressively holds 92-95 into the deepest innings of his starts. While all the metrics point toward this being a plus pitch, Arnold has struggled to miss bats with the heater like he did in 2024. It’s still effective, but it’s lacking the dominance you’d expect with the metrics it generates. It’s still very much an above-average pitch, and chances are greater than not he’ll get it back to plus in pro ball.
The fastball is really just the start of a complete arsenal. Arnold’s sweeper is just as impressive featuring huge depth and big lateral action to get left-handed hitters looking foolish on the regular. He’ll back-foot the breaking ball to right-handed hitters too. He commands the pitch well and his misses are competitive. It’s every bit than of a 60-grade pitch and if it performs at this level in professional baseball, it’s a breaking ball with 70-grade upside.
Arnold went to Driveline prior to the 2025 season to work on his pitch shapes, particularly his changeup. What was once inconsistent in terms of execution and consistency is now flashing way more impact potential. Arnold is generating enormous depth on the changeup and killing spin in ways few can. While it’s still largely average in terms of command, landing that pitch anywhere in or near that zone makes for an offspeed pitch that’ll consistently flash plus. It’s an outlier, unicorn offspeed weapon that professional hitters have never seen.
As Arnold has matured into his craft, gotten stronger and has continued to better understand how his body works, his athleticism has continued to tick higher and higher. He’s added nearly four inches of extension down the bump over the course of the last twelve months and it’s allowing his entire arsenal to play even better than before. He’s now generates well-above average extension compared to his Major League counterparts.
Arnold is a strike-thrower with a simple delivery, a loose arm and athleticism in his operation. He isn’t necessarily a fast-mover and he doesn’t possess a big, prototype frame either. Scouts are skeptical there’s much more in the tank to be developed. Still, he’s precisely what a top-of-the-rotation starter looks like. Scouts are looking for *different* when it comes to pitching prospects. Arnold is very different and will undoubtedly garner Chris Sale comparisons as the Draft approaches.
There are scouts in this class who believe “JoJo” has the best pure hit tool in this class. 70s have been thrown around on the scouting scale. Evaluators truly believe he’s one of the best bets in the class to hit as a pro. And his 2024 summer performance backs that up. Parker ran a 3 percent in-zone whiff rate across 70 plate appearance and chased just 14 percent of pitches outside of the strike zone. His 30 percent line drive and 38 percent fly ball rates speak toward his contact quality. The metrics results in a batting average north of .400 and an OPS north of 1.200. Parker has a simple swing with a quiet forward move and a consistent attack angle that does well generating hard contact, backspinning the baseball to all fields. The kid is going to hit and he’s proven as such across his high school career. Raw power probably isn’t Parker’s biggest selling point but it’s not a wart on his report either. It’s solid-average raw power. He’s unlikely to ever blossom into a 30-homer hitter, but he’s got a shot to poke 20-24 out of the yard on an annual basis.
Parker’s hit tool does most of the heavy lifting on his profile. He’s an average runner with an athletic gait potentially capable of adding a bit more speed as a pro, but chances are more likely he’ll buoy at this level with added strength. It’s not a long, projectable frame, but rather one with well-distributed strength and physical maturity baked in. Parker has solid-average lateral range on the dirt. He receives the ball deeper than where a shortstop normally would with hands that show softness and loose actions. It’s average arm strength with varying shapes across the diamond. Parker will likely get pushed to second or third base as a pro by a more dynamic athlete and defender on the dirt, but he’ll likely handle the position up to Double-A until he’s forced to his left or right. It’s possible he ends up in left field too.
Any high schooler being labeled a future 70-grade hitter will get distinction and consideration at the top of a draft. Parker is on the older side for this class and will turn 19 just after the event. His brother, Jacob, is a well-regarded outfield prospect.
Carlson is polished beyond his years at the plate with supreme pitch recognition and boasts strong bat-to-ball numbers against advanced velocity and tough breaking balls. Passivity early in counts has gotten him into too many pitchers’ counts in the past, and strikeout numbers have been streaky because of it, but most scouts believe he has fallen victim to poor umpiring more than anything at times throughout his amateur career. Folks who have paid close attention to his game have never doubted the plan at the plate. He hits the ball on the ground a touch more than scouts would like to see, but it’s something evaluators expect to improve with continued maturation and strength. He’s always hit the ball with authority, especially for his size. A lean, wiry frame, Carlson projects to add weight and impact as he develops and could eventually blossom into above-average raw power, though he’s made it an emphasis to stay athletic and twitchy at this stage in his career.
Carlson has a very strong arm that rivals some of the better high school shortstops of the last decade. It’s comfortably plus and will play at the next level. Coupled with a soft glove and clean actions, Carlson has a chance at developing into at least an above average defensive shortstop as a pro. It’s a shortstop frame with rangy actions and quick hands around the bag. That said, Carlson will on occasion post average run times but will also have weekends where he’s more of a 40 runner. He’s got the best actions of any infielder in the class and is the best bet you’ll find to play shortstop in the big leagues in this draft class if the foot speed does inhibit his ability to play the spot.
Carlson also pitches and features a high-spin breaking ball with big lateral action. He’s been up to 97 mph. Most believe his future is on the dirt. Carlson will be 19 years old on draft day.
Carlson’s biggest vice may be how tough he can be on himself when he’s struggling. He can get down on himself and it comes out in his body language at times. It’s a part of his game and his mental fortitude has improved over the last twelve months, but being the competitor he is it may always be a small part of how he ticks.
Shortstops hailing from Southern California are always a hot commodity in every draft and Carlson fits right up there with most from the last half-decade. He’s even a bit twitchier than some of those that preceded him. He’ll be a hot name in July and could come off the board inside the top 10 picks.
A highly-recruited prepster out of Michigan in 2022, Irish was one of the premier high school catching prospects available in that draft. Since arriving to Auburn, he’s shown off double-plus raw power and a willingness to pull the ball with authority, hitting high-level SEC pitching consistently and catching a staff of good arms. Irish is getting into more and more of his raw power with every season. This spring he posted an average exit velocity near 95 mph. That ranked inside the 98th percentile of all college bats. He peaked at 114 mph. It’s legitimate big-league ready bat speed. His bat-to-ball skills have been streaky. He was very good in a more limited role with the Tigers in 2024, but regressed a bit on the Cape with whiffs. He’s over-anxious at times and will chase at the plate more than scouts would like to see, but not to a level that is an outright red flag.
Irish’s selectivity took a step forward in 2025 and saw his overall whiff rate drop. He seems to have come into his own in his draft-eligible junior year. Irish is one of the most adjustable hitters in the country and runs elite contact rates on pitches he offers at outside of the zone. He battles, extends at-bats and takes good cuts at pitchers’ pitches. Irish is a tough out and he’s got the traits that point toward a distinguished hitter as a professional. If one were to nitpick a bit, Irish does run higher-than-normal ground ball rates that can stymie his power production in games. If he works to get his launch angles up a bit in pro ball, the impact could soar.
Irish has an above average arm and is a physical specimen behind the plate, giving up the body to block balls in the dirt and keep runners at bay. He’s still polishing up his framing, but scouts buy his chances of catching in a platoon role at a minimum at the next level. If the pitch-framing never takes shape, Irish has the tools to be an average corner outfielder who should provide some value with his arm talent. This is an impact bat with enough defensive chops to survive in the pros.
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