Here are 6 storylines to watch ahead of the '25 Draft

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MLB Pipeline released its new Draft Top 150 Prospects list last night as we try to sort through one of the more volatile crops of Draft talent in recent memory. Teams have until July 13 to figure it out, with the Nationals scheduled to make the first pick amid the All-Star Game festivities in Atlanta.

Here are some of the top storylines to watch during the next two and a half months:

Déjà vu at No. 1?
Stillwater (Okla.) HS shortstop Ethan Holliday remains at No. 1 in our Draft rankings, and he's a strong consideration to go No. 1 to the Nationals. That would mean the Holliday family will have produced two top overall picks in the span or just four Drafts, as the Orioles grabbed Jackson in 2022. While his older brother stood out most with his pure hitting ability, Ethan is more physical and may have the most usable lefty power in this Draft. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, he resembles a young version of his father Matt, who slammed 316 homers and made seven All-Star Games in 15 big league seasons.

Can Hernandez break the prep righty barrier?
Holliday isn't a slam dunk at No. 1, however. Corona (Calif.) HS right-hander Seth Hernandez may be the most talented player in this Draft with a fastball that reaches triple digits, a highly advanced changeup, a pair of high-spin breaking balls and plenty of polish. He also offers huge right-handed power at the plate, though he won't hit after he leaves high school. No team ever has popped a prep righty with the first selection -- only nine have gone as early as No. 2 in the first 60 Drafts -- and the industry is more skittish about the risk involved with that demographic than any other. If the Nationals believe Hernandez is the best option, Mike Rizzo & Co. won't be afraid to take him.

The unquestioned strength of this class
The crops of college hitters and pitchers as well as prep arms are all down this year compared to usual standards. That leaves high school position players as this Draft's bright spot, especially infielders. There are 27 first-round picks this year and we've rated nine prep infielders among them: Holliday, Eli Willits, Billy Carlson, Steele Hall, JoJo Parker, Kayson Cunningham, Daniel Pierce, Sean Gamble and Xavier Neyens. Carlson plays with Hernandez at Corona HS and both will come off the board in the first 10 selections. That would make them the highest-drafted high school teammates ever, surpassing the 2007 Chatsworth (Calif.) duo of Mike Moustakas (No. 2) and Matthew Dominguez (No. 12).

The Volunteers are stacked
Tennessee won the 2024 College World Series and is loaded again. Though the Volunteers dipped to No. 12 in the most recent D1Baseball Top 25, they lead all schools with eight players on the Draft Top 150. Left-hander Liam Doyle and second baseman Gavin Kilen are lock first-rounders, first baseman Andrew Fischer and shortstop/third baseman Dean Curley have drawn some first-round interest and right-hander A.J. Russell possibly could get there with a late-season surge as he returns from internal brace surgery. Tennessee could make a run at the all-time record of 14 players selected in a single Draft that is shared by several teams, most recently Louisiana State's 2023 national champions.

Damn it, Chloe!
Jack Bauer eliminated terrorists for nine seasons on the hit television series "24." Now his namesake is throwing harder than any high school left-hander ever has. No prep southpaw had recorded a fastball at 100 mph before Bauer did it in his first start of the season for Lincoln-Way East (Frankfurt, Ill.), and then he touched 102 in his third outing. He works with a remarkably easy delivery considering his unprecedented velocity and could land in the first round, though teams still aren't sure what exactly to make of his massive jump from topping out at 95 mph a year ago. And in case you're wondering ... of course Bauer wears No. 24.

Talented and resilient
Talon Haley (Lewisburg HS, Olive Branch, Miss.) is one of the top prep left-handers in the Draft and also perhaps the best human-interest story. He had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow before his high school career began, then was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after recovering from his elbow reconstruction. Pronounced cancer-free in December 2022, he sustained another tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow last spring, requiring internal brace surgery that truncated his junior season and kept him off the showcase circuit. Healthy again, he's suddenly showing a fastball that reaches 97 mph, a hammer curveball, a solid slider and feel for a promising changeup. Clubs have to figure out how to treat his medical history and lack of track record, so he could end up attending Vanderbilt, where he'd be a Draft-eligible sophomore in 2027