And so it begins…
The purpose of this mock is to be used as an exploratory framework for how things could go in July. War room meetings are taking place this week, and the MLB Draft Combine begins next week. Things will start to become clearer in a week or two. But for now, let’s discuss what we’re hearing.
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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.
1. Washington Nationals
Ethan Holliday, 3B — Stillwater HS
HOMETOWN: Stillwater, Oklahoma
HEIGHT: 6-4
WEIGHT: 210
BAT/THROW: L-R
Draft meetings inside team war rooms began this week, and there should be more clarity following the MLB Draft Combine with regards to what direction teams may go. For now, it’s still largely conjecture and hearsay. As of a week ago, the Nationals still legitimately had five players in contention for their No. 1 pick.
The next Holliday in a long line of decorated impact bats, Ethan follows in his older brother’s footsteps and could become the No. 1 pick this year. Several members of the Nationals’ scouting and front office brass are friends with the Holliday family. That familiarity and combination of tools is rare in this class.
While unconfirmed, it doesn’t sound like Jamie Arnold is as much in play at this spot anymore. The Nationals did work out Eli Willits in D.C. privately last week, but that can sometimes mean absolutely nothing. Teams try and workout as many players as they possibly can before the event arrives.
2. Los Angeles Angels
Kade Anderson, LHP — LSU
HOMETOWN: Madisonville, Louisiana
HEIGHT: 6-2
WEIGHT: 188
BAT/THROW: L-L
This sounded as though it was going to be Liam Doyle as recently as two weeks ago, but a couple of duds against Arkansas to finish the year and a late surge by Anderson may have shuffled the deck a bit.
The Angels like Doyle. A lot. But I’m not sure it’s a sure thing. It does sound as though a college arm is the priority at this spot, but some scouts in Southern California seem to believe Seth Hernandez is a real possibility here.
Given the state of the Angels’ 26-man roster and their farm system, combined with how many years are left on Perry Minasian’s contract, we still believe this will be a quick-to-the-bigs performer.
3. Seattle Mariners
JoJo Parker, SS/3B — Purvis (MS)
HOMETOWN: Purvis, Mississippi
HEIGHT: 6-2
WEIGHT: 193
BAT/THROW: L-R
The Seattle Mariners like JoJo Parker. That is inarguable. Whether he will be the pick remains to be seen. The team has done extensive work on Anderson and Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette down the stretch, but in this scenario, Anderson is off the board.
As for Arquette, I’m not entirely convinced the organization is in love with the profile and the projection on the hit tool. There’s an undercurrent in the industry that believes Parker has the best overall hit tool in this class, regardless of age.
Seattle could probably land him at the No. 3 pick for an under-slot deal as well.
4. Colorado Rockies
Aiva Arquette, SS — Oregon State
HOMETOWN: Honolulu, Hawaii
HEIGHT: 6-4
WEIGHT: 220
BAT/THROW: R-R
If Holliday is on the board here, he’ll likely be the pick. The Rockies like him so much that if Holliday is on the board at pick No. 3, they might overpay him to get him to No. 4. The family ties and familiarity are strong here.
Holliday is not available in this scenario, however. Colorado has done a good bit of work on Arquette, but I don’t think this is a slam dunk either. They like Doyle and Oklahoma RHP Kyson Witherspoon quite a bit, too, though neither ended the season on a high note.
All that said, the Rockies have always seemed to chase offensive upside in the Draft, and Arquette boasts a star ceiling if the hit tool takes a jump in pro ball.
5. St. Louis Cardinals
Seth Hernandez, RHP — Corona HS
HOMETOWN: Chino, California
HEIGHT: 6-4
WEIGHT: 195
BAT/THROW: R-R
Hernandez might not even be available this late in the Draft, but they would welcome another pitching prospect as they’ve found more and more success in developing that profile of late. The Cardinals do purportedly love Arquette here, too.
Chaim Bloom and Randy Flores have rarely gone for pitching in their respective positions over the years, but a value like Hernandez at this spot could tip the scales of intrigue.
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
Billy Carlson, SS — Corona
HOMETOWN: Corona, California
HEIGHT: 6-1
WEIGHT: 178
BAT/THROW: R-R
This feels like a nice landing spot for Carlson when you consider some of the pillars the Pirates have preyed on over the past few drafts (three cheers for alliteration). Carlson has big tools, a good frame, plays a premium position, and has plenty of untapped potential. His swing may require some work at the next level, but the Pirates’ brass saw the same intrigue in Konnor Griffin in 2024.
Willits is the obvious secondary fit. Carlson probably tops the Oklahoma blue chip from a ceiling perspective.
Pitching isn’t talked about much in this spot elsehwhere, but the Pirates do like Hernandez a good bit. Should he see a fall, six could be the landing spot.
7. Miami Marlins
Ike Irish, C — Auburn
HOMETOWN: Hudsonville, Michigan
HEIGHT: 6-2
WEIGHT: 203
BAT/THROW: L-R
The buzz on the Marlins continues to circle around Parker and Willits. However, Parker is gone in this scenario, and, for the sake of intrigue, we’re going to mix things up a bit in this spot. Keep an eye on Ike Irish. His market seems to start here, and there’s been a mad dash from scouts to get in and see him one or two more times before the Tigers’ season ended. Miami was one of those teams that rushed in.
Willits would be hard to walk away from in this spot, but the next team on this list seems to have high school shortstops circled, too.
8. Toronto Blue Jays
Eli Willits, SS — Fort Cobb-Broxton HS
HOMETOWN: Fort Cobb, Oklahoma
HEIGHT: 6-1
WEIGHT: 175
BAT/THROW: B-R
The Blue Jays have done enormous work on this high school shortstop class, and Willits seems to be at or near the top of their shopping list. They like Carlson, too.
The difficult thing to project here is what Toronto will do, given names like Jamie Arnold and Liam Doyle are still on the board. Regardless of their availability, it seems from this chair as though a prep infielder is the priority.
9. Cincinnati Reds
Liam Doyle, LHP — Tennessee
HOMETOWN: Derby, New Hampshire
HEIGHT: 6-2
WEIGHT: 200
BAT/THROW: L-L
Arnold or Doyle here? Coin toss. Could it be Irish instead? What about Carlson? The Reds are a tough code to crack. In years past, they’ve gone for more physical starting pitchers with bigger stuff and better fastballs. For that reason, we’ll stick Doyle in the 9-hole.
10. Chicago White Sox
Jamie Arnold, LHP — Florida State
HOMETOWN: Tampa, Florida
HEIGHT: 6-1
WEIGHT: 195
BAT/THROW: L-L
Chicago lies in wait, pondering who will fall into their lap. The team does seem to like Carlson, but with Arnold ending up available, it muddles the water a bit. To save Arnold from slipping much further, we’ll slap him in the ten spot; however, there isn’t much conviction that this is the route Chicago would go.
Should things go a bit more chalk ahead of this, Carlson does seem to be well-liked in the organization.
11. The Athletics
Brendan Summerhill, OF — Arizona
HOMETOWN: Chicago, Illinois
HEIGHT: 6-3
WEIGHT: 205
BAT/THROW: L-R
The three names I continue to hear in this spot are Summerhill, Tyler Bremner, and Marek Houston. The Athletics have kicked the tires on the high school shortstop class; however, it wouldn’t be in their DNA to draft a longer-term project, at least not with how they’ve attacked the draft of late.
Summerhill has all the same traits that some of their last few draft picks have owned. He could move quickly and wouldn’t be blocked by Jacob Wilson like Marek Houston might be.
12. Texas Rangers
Kayson Cunningham, SS — Johnson
HOMETOWN: San Antonio, Texas
HEIGHT: 5-10
WEIGHT: 178
BAT/THROW: L-R
The Rangers seem to be circling high school bats in this class, and there should be a bevy of interesting names still hovering around pick No. 12. They’ve done a good deal of work on Cunningham, but we’re not at a point where his name should be considered the favorite or anything.
Mount Vernon SS Xavier Neyens, Sunset LHP Kruz Schoolcraft, and a few lower-board surprise names all could be in play at this spot. The Rangers haven’t been afraid to go way under-slot early in an effort to draft more talent down to their lower picks. 2025 might be another opportunity for them to do so.
13. San Francisco Giants
Marek Houston, SS — Wake Forest
HOMETOWN: Nokomis, Florida
HEIGHT: 6-3
WEIGHT: 205
BAT/THROW: R-R
I think the Giants would prefer one of the ultra-talented, toosly high school bats get down to their spot in the Draft, but Houston is a solid consolation prize. He’s one of the safer bets in the class to develop into a full-time player at the big league level thanks to his hitterish tools and ability to stay at the shortstop position.
14. Tampa Bay Rays
Gavin Kilen, SS — Tennessee
HOMETOWN: Milton, Wisconsin
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 180
BAT/THROW: L-R
Word on the street is Kilen is unlikely to get out of the top 15 picks in the Draft. Teams above this, like the Athletics and White Sox, shouldn’t be discounted. The Rays have always seemed to prefer position players, and specifically position players with versatility and well-balanced tools. Kilen could move quickly and has the chops to play a number of positions.
15. Boston Red Sox
Xavier Neyens, 3B — Mount Vernon HS
HOMETOWN: Mount Vernon, Washington
HEIGHT: 6-4
WEIGHT: 208
BAT/THROW: L-R
Neyens could come off the board a few picks earlier than this, and some believe he could be paid down to the Competitive Balance A rounds. He’s got suitors just outside of the top ten and a handful of picks lower than this as well.
Boston is a team that has chased tools on the high school side in recent drafts, and Neyens has a bucket of them that can compete with any of his peers.
16. Minnesota Twins
Gavin Fien, SS — Huntington Beach
HOMETOWN: Temecula, California
HEIGHT: 6-3
WEIGHT: 200
BAT/THROW: R-R
The Twins have done a lot of work on Fien and seem to have his name in lights at pick 16. He fits above this pick in a number of spots, but he fits in this range.
17. Chicago Cubs
Steele Hall, SS — Hewitt-Trussville (Al.)
HOMETOWN: Trussville, Alabama
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 182
BAT/THROW: R-R
The Cubs love tools and they love athletes and in this case, they get arguably the most exciting player in the Draft. An 80-grade runner with an ever-evolving bat, Hall has a chance to turn into something resembling Trea Turner as he continues to mature. Pierce is also well-liked in this spot, as is prep shortstop Ryan Mitchell.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks
Tyler Bremner, RHP — UC Santa Barbara
HOMETOWN: San Diego, California
HEIGHT: 6-2
WEIGHT: 190
BAT/THROW: R-R
I don’t believe Bremner is the primary target here, but he’s also not expected to fall much further than this spot. The DBacks have been connected to Coastal Carolina catcher Caden Bodine, high school centerfielders Sean Gamble and Slater de Brun, as well as high school shortstop Ryan Mitchell. With another pick at no. 29, Arizona can get creative if they so choose.
Playoff Teams
19. Baltimore Orioles
Jace LaViolette, OF — Texas A&M
20. Milwaukee Brewers
Zach Root, LHP — Arkansas
21. Houston Astros
Wehiwa Aloy, SS — Arkansas
I think the preference in this spot would be one of the high school infielders in this class, but Aloy falling to pick 21 would make it tough for Houston to walk away from those tools.
22. Atlanta Braves
Kyson Witherspoon, RHP — Oklahoma
The Braves have been tied to Root, Tennessee right-handed pitcher Marcus Phillips, and Witherspoon. The latter being available at this pick would be a surprise, but alas.
23. Kansas City Royals
Luke Stevenson, C — North Carolina
24. Detroit Tigers
Daniel Pierce, SS — Mill Creek
Detroit has been scouring just about every corner of this draft, but lately they’ve seemed to focus on the high school bats.
25. San Diego Padres
Sean Gamble, OF — IMG Academy
26. Philadelphia Phillies
Slater de Brun, OF — Summit
27. Cleveland Guardians
Josh Hammond, SS — Westchester Country Day
28. Kansas City Royals (PPI, Bobby Witt Jr.)
Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP — Sunset
The Royals have done a lot of work on Schoolcraft, but this is also one of the spots where Neyens is well-liked and could be yanked down to if he slips into the 20s.
29. Arizona Diamondbacks
Caden Bodine, C — Coastal Carolina
30. Baltimore Orioles (Compensation for losing Anthony Santander)
Ethan Conrad, OF — Wake Forest
31. Baltimore Orioles (Compensation for losing Corbin Burnes)
Jaden Fauske, C/OF — Nazareth
32. Milwaukee Brewers
Andrew Fischer, 1B/3B — Tennessee
COMPETITIVE BALANCE ‘A’ ROUND
33. Boston Red Sox
AJ Russell, RHP — Tennessee
34. Detroit Tigers
Alex Lodise, SS — Florida State
35. Seattle Mariners
Jordan Yost, SS — Sickles
36. Minnesota Twins
Devin Taylor, OF — Indiana
37. Tampa Bay Rays
Tate Southisene, SS — Basic
38. New York Mets*
Mason Neville, OF — Oregon
39. New York Yankees*
Gage Wood, RHP — Arkansas
There are several names in this spot connected to the Yankees. The Lodise’s, Wood, plenty of high school shortstops too.
40. Los Angeles Dodgers
Nicky Becker, SS — Don Bosco Prep
41. Los Angeles Dodgers
Quentin Young, SS — Oaks Christian
42. Tampa Bay Rays
Dean Curley, 3B — Tennessee
43. Miami Marlins
Dax Kilby, SS — Newnan
*Pick falls 10 spots for exceeding luxury tax by $40m+
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