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.
The 2025 Draft is right around the corner so it’s time for an update to the Future Stars Series PLUS Top 250 prospects. This board is built on three pillars. Live looks, data evaluation, and intel/conversations provided from within the industry. These players have a ton of time and projection ahead of them, so expect this list to change considerably as we approach the 2025 Draft.
One of the more physical players in this class, Laviolette shows over the fence power to all fields and a powerful left-handed swing. The 6-foot-5-inch Aggie hit 21 homers as a true freshman and stole 18 bases along the way. He parlayed that teenage performance into 29 more homers as a sophomore adding seven stolen bases for good measure.
Laviolette personifies the lefty-loop zone. The bat path is a joy to watch, and conducive to utilizing his double-plus raw power. LaViolette has fluid motions at the plate and violent hips that clear, making way to significant thump. Already very strong, LaViolette figures to be one of the slugging mainstays in the class. In terms of his approach, LaViolette posted well-above average chase rates as a teenager, and although his contact rates leave a bit to be desired, he has a ton of time to polish up those skills. His fly ball rates tend to ensure a hefty slash line regardless of any swing-and-miss he’ll display.
Defensively, he’s destined for a corner where his above average speed projection and above average throwing arm will stick long-term. LaViolette glides in the outfield and has shown tremendous feel for routes and spacial awareness. He can play an average centerfield in a pinch too.
Cannarella instantly became one of Clemson’s best hitters after stepping on campus in the fall of 2022. He possesses borderline elite bat-to-ball skills and a selective, keen eye at the plate. He takes his walks and is a menace on the base paths though he was forced to play more station-to-station in 2024 while dealing with a shoulder injury.
While Cannarella doesn’t possess much more than average raw power, it’s further diluted by his higher-than-preferred ground ball rates. Those will need to improve if he’s to realize his top-ten pick upside. There’s enough raw power to force pitchers to be careful with him and Cannarella has shown innate feel for the fat part of the bat highlighted by an average exit velocity in as a sophomore that approached 91 mph.
One of his greatest tools might be his fiery persona and bulldog mentality in the field. Everyone knows when Cannarella is in the lineup. He’s a vocal and physical leader who demands the respect of his teammates, and more effusively the opposition.
Cannarella has fantastic arm strength and figures to stick in centerfield but could be moved back to shortstop, his original position, in professional baseball. He projects an above-average to plus pure hitter and an above average glove, maybe half-a-grade better depending on his eventual position. His left-handed swing is revered by scouts.
Jamie Arnold is a metric freak. His ability to create velocity and angles from a 54-inch release height is reasonably unprecedented. Arnold has an extremely 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 93-95 into the deepest innings of his starts. It’s very comfortably a ‘plus’ fastball and the argument could be made it’s a double-plus weapon.
Arnold sweeper is just as impressive a pitch featuring considerable depth and enough lateral action to get left-handed hitters looking foolish on the regular. There’s also a changeup that is more solid average, but considering the nature of his fastball, hitters are forced to respect the top of the zone allowing the cambio to play to levels above its metrics. Throw in the fact he throws strikes aplenty and you’ve got a reasonably complete package on the bump with SP1 upside.
Arnold has simple, easy mechanics with that deceptive arm slot and his looseness, athleticism and elasticity suggest more is coming in the velocity department. He’s one of the more impressive college pitchers to become available in recent years. It’s something of a super-up version of Cooper Hjerpe.
Bremner is a super athletic righty with a fantastic operation on the mound. The fastball has teeth and is already up to 98 with big vertical carry. The changeup is his best secondary with strong fading action and higher spin rates giving it arm-side action. Bremner has shown a willingness to throw the changeup to left-handed hitter and right-handed hitters and has dominated on both fronts. The conviction, arm action and life on the pitch clearly point toward a ‘plus’ offering with a chance of reaching even higher grades.
Bremner’s sweeper has taken strides over the last twelve months and has flashed ‘plus’. At its best Bremner is generating close to twelve inches of sweep on that pitch and will routinely grab 85-86 mph, topping out at 88. He’s still able to generate substantial vertical plane on that pitch too. Landing it where he wants will be important in his developmental upside, but the pure traits, shapes and spin are tantalizing.
The entire arsenal is thrown out of a deceptive slot; tough for the opposition to pick up, let alone square up. It’s all complimented by above average control for the strike zone.
Scouts love what this could become – a mid-90s, explosive arm with starters traits and a metric-darling. He’s got a shot at possessing three above-average to ‘plus’ pitches. Bremner has first round stuff, a top-shelf pitcher’s frame and projection in a lean physique. He checks a whole bunch of boxes.
Summerhill is a long-levered, angular outfielder with a sweet, lofty left-handed swing and present game power largely due to his feel for backspinning the baseball. He’s peaked at 110 mph in terms of exit velocities, but proponents of the profile point toward his leaner frame with strength projection on the horizon as reason to believe there’s louder contact in the tank. It’s a quiet swing with pull-side authority with almost zero holes in his stroke. Summerhill posts elite whiff rates and is among the best in the country in terms of in-zone swing-outcome production. There’s a whole lot of polish here and there’s more impact on the way as evidenced by his 6-foot-3-inch athletic frame.
Summerhill has a strong arm best suited for a corner. He’s also presently an above average runner but he occasionally clocks ‘plus’ run times. His frame projects a potential 6-foot-4-inch, 215-pound slugger in due time as he mature into his professional physical form. Summerhill has played centerfield for the Cats and boasts impressive range and reads. He’s got centerfield tools and could stick up the middle of the field if he doesn’t get too physical over his next few formative strength-gain years. All he’s done to this point is hit in Tucson and his profile continues to trend upward. He’s one of the few college bats in this years’ class with middle-of-the-field traits and five tool potential.
Saint Louis HS is the home of several extremely accomplished quarterbacks that have played long careers in the NFL, but they’re making headlines with baseball scouts this time around. Arquette made his way from the island 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 rangy infielder and a steady second baseman with a solid arm and gliding, quiet actions. 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 represents one of the more complete offensive profiles in the country. There’s bat-to-ball skills and huge exit velocities, both of which were shown off on the Cape too. 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. 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. He’s in no rush to take walks and can get overanxious on spin. Still, that’s a rather minor wart on a scouting report covered with above average tools throughout.
The 95th percentile outcome on a player like Arquette is something of a Troy Tulowitzki. 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.
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 the prohibitive top high school bat at this stage though he had a streaky summer where he struggled to show his impact in games. There was more swing and miss than scouts were accustom to seeing too. 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. Remember, his brother Jackson had 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. Considering his age, this is already an impressive, bullish offensive prospect with a strong ceiling.
Taylor is a solid average runner and should stick in left field going forward. He’s not the most efficient route runner and likely won’t win any gold gloves out there, but he gets the job done. The arm is also fringy. There’s still some projection in the body too with long limbs and sloping shoulders, though he is a barrel-chested, powder-keg built frame.
The bat is largely going to carry his draft stock and scouts like hos projectable the swing is into the pro game. Taylor can do a little bit of everything and really kick-starts the Hoosiers in a lot of ways.
A draft-eligible sophomore, Stevenson walked away from a good paycheck during the 2023 Draft in order to enroll at Chapel Hill. Lauded for his polished hit tool and raw power, Stevenson gets high marks from scouts on his ability to slow down the game at the plate. He takes his walks and puts a jolt into the baseball when mistakes are left over the heart of the plate. Stevenson looked like the total package at times in 2024 as a true freshman with the occasional streaky bouts of getting fooled by the accelerated college game. He has a short, simple, cut-off swing from the left side with a tight, compact turn. He’s got extremely fast hands with considerable raw power that will effortlessly translate to the pro game. There’s some Kyle Schwarber in the operation. Stevenson swings a heavy barrel with loud exit velocities. It’s legitimate impact upside.
Defensively, Stevenson gets green checks for his ability to receive the baseball and has flashed easy ‘plus’ arm strength. Already a thick profile, Stevenson figures to stay behind the plate so long as he doesn’t outgrow the flexibility required to catch. As presently constructed, scouts believe he’s comfortably the best defensive catcher in the 2025 Draft with a chance to be one of the more complete catching prospects to come out of the college game in the last handful of years. This is what they look like. Tons of strength in the lower-half and core. He’s pro-ready.
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.
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