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.
If you haven’t read it already, the Top 300 Draft Prospects released at FSS Plus. Those rankings coincide with these Top 150 High School Prospects.
This is an exceptionally deep high school class. There are currently 125 high school players ranked inside the Top 300 prospects for the Draft. As far as Februarys goes, that’s the highest number a preseason board has seen going back to 2021. At this stage, it doesn’t seem as though this class has a franchise-altering star prep at the top. But there are plenty of high school talents in this class that project to play over a decade in the big leagues.
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. 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.
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. It’s a part of his game and mental fortitude that has improved over the last twelve months, but being the high-motor 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.
HOMETOWN: Stillwater, Oklahoma
HEIGHT: 6-4
WEIGHT: 210
BAT/THROW: L-R
COMMIT: Oklahoma State
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 youngest 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 bat carries heavy value here and he should generate even more raw power as his frame matures.
Holliday is one of the top high school bat 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 too, especially when exposed to velocity. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find many scouts who aren’t bullish on a rebound in the spring considering the physical tools, track record, and pedigree. Holliday still posted an impressive chase rate with a FB/LD rate at nearly 60 percent across a big summer sample. Remember, his brother Jackson has a sluggish summer in 2021 too.
Holliday, already a third baseman, is athletic enough to stay on the dirt or potentially shift to a corner outfield role with his average run times. His solid-to-above average arm strength is plenty strong enough to stay on the left side.
He’s got some work to do in the spring to keep the lofty top-5 pick expectations. 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.
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. The tools are here for a special player. As noted, he will be extremely young for the draft, just 17.7 years old when he’s selected.
Perhaps nobody in the country had a better summer in 2024 than did Fien. Challenged across premium competition for Team USA and other showcase outings, Fien posted a 1.252 OPS in a 74 plate appearance sample size. He boasted well-above average contact rates as a whole and bordered on elite plate coverage in the zone. He handled velocity at an extremely high level and ran an 11-percent strikeout rate despite consistently seeing the best high school arms the world could offer. As he’s grown to understand his body and his swing, Fien has shown a willingness to adjust what he’s doing in the box to help generate results. He slowed down his entire operation over the last twelve months and is more deliberate with his load. The strength and the barrel will do the heavy lifting, and he’s allowing that to happen now instead of rushing to the point of contact. Fien is a pretty solid bet to hit going forward. He’s grown into ‘plus’ raw power and is showing it with exit velocities north of 100 mph. There’s a strong case to be made Fien is the top right-handed high school bat in the 2025 Draft.
Fien has also always been a reliable defender on the dirt, despite lacking top-end foot speed or lateral mobility. He’s got a strong internal clock with active feet on the dirt. Fien attacks the baseball. He may not be a guy who makes the highlight reel play going forward, but he should plateau as a solid-average defender at the hot corner if he doesn’t get too big. He can be trusted to handle his position. It’s also plus throwing arm too that could profile in right field if he’s pushed off the dirt.
Fien draws comparisons to the No. 11 pick from the 2021 Draft, Brady House.
Neyens is one of the more physical bats to ever come out of the Pacific Northwest. The bat speed here is pretty enormous, especially considering his age. Neyens still has plenty of room to fill out his 6-foot-4-inch frame too. He’s done a marvelous job of staying strong and athletic over the past twelve months and truly has the look of a bluechip prospect.
The raw power trumps the hit tool at this stage though Neyens has shown flashes of above average hitter-ish traits in the past. He’s arguably the top prep in the class in terms of understanding on how to lift and launch the baseball boasting a 49 percent fly ball rate across all events in 2024. That, coupled with elite bat speed and rotational acceleration metrics point toward an impact bat at the next level. Neyens has played up against older competition for the better part of two years now and consistently looks like the best bat on the field, hit tool included. It’s a sweet left-handed swing with a tight turn and scouts think it’ll play against premium stuff as he continues to get tested up the ladder. Neyens slowed a bit as the 2024 summer fizzled to its end struggling to pull the trigger at times in tournament and showcase settings. While he posted elite chase rates, some of that came from a passive approach, thereby putting himself in too many pitchers’ counts. Scouts would like to see some of that selectivity go by the wayside in favor of more ambush swings early in his plate appearances. While the chase rate may climb (and it has plenty of room to), the swing-and-miss should trend downward as Neyens aims to impact the baseball early.
Neyens is a primary third baseman now but could end up in a corner outfield spot at the next level. He’s a solid average defender on the dirt with some choppiness in his footwork. That said, the hands and actions have continued to improve year in and year out, so much so that some evaluators believe he could play a passable shortstop, at least at his current size. It’s plus arm strength that will play on the left side of the infield.
Neyens has a shot to pitch too. He’s already touching 96 on the mound and throws a short, deceptive slider that’s been good when he can command it. The physical tools at the plate will ultimately end the conversation though.
Neyens is an intimidating bat-first prospect with the chance to grow into 30-homer output as a professional. His profile reminds some of Jake Lamb, while others liken him to a player like peak Austin Meadows, perhaps with a tick more bat speed, if he ends up in the outfield.
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 92-95 as the innings build but Hernandez will touch 100 mph in the early goings. 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 has struggled to generate whiffs with 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. It’s likely a ‘plus’ pitch when all is said and done and could end up a double-plus 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. Hernandez has a track record against older bats and he gets outs. He may not end up the punch out artist that his high school arm talent would naturally suggest, but he’s got a reasonably high floor in terms of high school pitching prospects. When you consider the resume, the frame, the projection and the present feel for the mound, there’s upside here for an impact righty at the next level. He’s clearly one of the top prep arms in this class and has an argument as one of the better high school arms to come in a number of years. Hernandez will be 19 years old on draft day.
What Appenzeller lacks in present stuff he more than makes up for in terms of projection. This is as good as it gets from an upside perspective. A tall, lean left-hander, Appenzeller lives in low-90s but projects to tick into the mid 90s with his long, wiry frame. He’s already grabbed 94 but is yet to make his anticipated significant velocity jump. It’s a controlled delivery featuring very little effort. The arm action works well with looseness and fluid athleticism, some funk and angles.
Appenzeller throws an above-average low-80s slider that flashes ‘plus’ upside with big two-plane tilt. Appenzeller shows a real understanding for shaping the baseball with a willingness to sweep the ball away from left-handed bats and bury breakers onto the back-foot of righties. The changeup has taken major strides over the last several months and is routinely average with more ceiling coming. It’s a low-to-mid 80s off-speed weapon with strong action into the left-handed batters box.
Appenzeller is one of the more premium arms in the class with strikes, projection, three pitches and a good breaker. A two-sport guy, Appenzeller is also a talented basketball player. Tons to like here with even more to dream on.
Cunningham is a pure hitter with the ability to cover every quadrant of the zone with a willingness to shoot the ball to all-fields. He has a quiet, calm demeanor in the box and his left-handed swing really projects to hit moving forward. There’s budding slug here, though he’s unlikely to ever be a middle-of-the-order impact stick. Cunningham has one of the most decorated and consistent amateur baseball careers of anyone available in this Draft. He starred for Team USA’s 18u roster in 2024.
Cunningham isn’t the biggest guy on the field, but what he lacks in size he more than makes up for in box scores and on the base paths. He is a plus runner and is a threat on the bases. He also has quiet actions on the dirt and the arm strength necessary to stay on the left side of the dirt. Cunningham will be 19 on draft day.
Schoolcraft’s enormous size and two-way potential immediately draws comparisons to Jac Caglianone. The 6-foot-8-inch Oregon product has tremendous raw power projection from the left side, and he’s recently began showing it in games after growing 5 more inches and gaining 40 pounds over the last 12 months. Schoolcraft projects to hit for considerable power in games, and his hit tool is progressing at a steady rate considering the challenges players of his size face at the plate. There’s swing and miss in his game, but the body control and zone coverage he shows for a player of his age and size is reasonably unmatched.
The real value and projected future role here is probably on the mound. Schoolcraft is already flashing mid-to-upper 90s from the left side with serious angle. He hasn’t generated exceptional value from the fastball yet as the shape of the pitch is generally a bit generic though scouts believe with tinkering he’ll own the strikezone. He’s shown a solid, polished breaking ball/changeup mix that he’s comfortable deploying to either side of the plate. The changeup is particularly impressive. Schoolcraft essentially throws split-finger knucklers fluttering to the plate in the 800 rpm range at times. His cambios dance off the fastball line and tumble into the left-handed batters box as they run out of gas. It’s a potential above-average or better pitcher going forward. The breaking ball is an upper-70s slurvy bender that’s been his go-to weapon against lefty bats. It’s largely average most of the time. He’ll bury them back-foot against righties on occasion. He currently possesses fringy control, though scouts are bullish on the starter upside with time and continued reps.
Schoolcraft has a lightning quick arm, an easy delivery and the elite frame scouts look for when forecasting out future value on the bump. He’s as premium a prospect as you’ll find in the 2025 class. He re-classified up from the 2026 class and will be 18.4 years old on draft day.
Becker possesses just about everything a scout is looking for in a high school prospect. He plays a premium position and comes packaged with tools and projection. Becker has shown advanced bat-to-ball skills and a sound approach with the ability to work deep counts and foul off shadow pitches. He is growing into his more raw power and some project the potential for above average game power when he’s fully matured.
Becker plays shortstop now and projects to stay at the position. He has great feet with range and a quick release with arm strength that carries across the diamond on throws from all angles. There’s the chance for above-average defensive traits here.
As if the burgeoning bat and glove weren’t enough, Becker has posted 70-grade run times home-to-first and burns underway. He has the ability to impact the game on the bases and should be a threat to steal plenty of bases as a pro. There’s an awful lots of reasons to buy in here.
The Top 300 Prospects for the 2025 Draft
- A CRUCIAL benchmark for college hitters - April 2, 2025
- Ethan Petry has turned a corner - March 27, 2025
- 2025 Draft: 3 hitters trending up - March 25, 2025
