These are the top 9 storylines heading into the MLB Draft

Well, the big weekend is finally (almost) here.

We are only a few days away from the 2025 MLB Draft, set to begin Sunday from Atlanta during All-Star Week, and excitement is starting to reach a fever pitch. MLB Pipeline's prospect gurus broke it all down on the latest MLB Pipeline Podcast, detailing everything you need to know.

Scouting reports, grades and video for all players mentioned below can be found on MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 250 list. Here are the nine main storylines we're watching heading into the Draft:

Who goes 1-1?

Will high school slugger Ethan Holliday join his brother, Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday, and become the first brother pair to go 1-1 in Draft history? Holliday, the No. 1 prospect on our Top 250 Draft board, has been the foregone conclusion here for a while now. But it's not a sure thing the Nationals will go in this direction with the top pick. Washington has yet to tip its hand about who it favors with this all-important pick, and given the organization just made major changes to its leadership, things seem wide open in terms of which direction they might go.

That said, the favorites are still Holliday and college lefty Kade Anderson, the second-ranked prospect in this class. On the podacst, our Draft gurus Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo put the odds at nearly 50-50 whether Holliday or Anderson ultimately goes No. 1.

Unless ...

Could Seth Hernandez break the glass ceiling for HS RHP?

... unless the Nationals opt for the prep right-hander Seth Hernandez, and by doing so, make history. No team has ever selected a high school pitcher 1-1, a testament to the Draft's historically most risky demographic. It's extremely rare for a high school righty to even be in the conversation for the top pick, but Hernandez is not any high school righty. The Corona HS (Calif.) hurler is "old" for a prep prospect -- he'll be 19 on Draft day -- making him more akin to a college pitcher in terms of physical maturity. He's the No. 3 ranked prospect in this class and the second-ranked pitcher, behind only Anderson. Could he become the first prep hurler to go 1-1, or will he be a victim of his demographic?

What might the Angels do at 2?

There is an expectation that the Angels will grab Anderson if he doesn't go 1-1. But if he does, they aren't expected to necessarily grab Holliday. It's possible Holliday drops to at least the Rockies at No. 4, giving the Angels' leeway to go in a lot of different directions. They could grab the next college pitcher in Jamie Arnold (No. 4), or maybe cut a deal with a college bat like Ike Irish (No. 11). What about a high school shortstop, the strength of this class?

Ultimately, given the uncertainty at the tippy top, anything seems possible here. And whatever the Angels do seems likely to set the tone for the rest of the round.

Bevy of HS shortstops

Speaking of those shortstops, this Draft class is full of them. Including Holliday, six of the top 13 ranked prospects are prep shortstops, giving this Draft a clear demographic strength. Another shortstop, from the college ranks, is ranked sixth, in Oregon's Aiva Arquette. As many as seven high school players could ultimately go in the first 10 picks, so it's an unusually strong group in this regard.

Lack of college bats

On the flip side, the weakest group in this class might be college bats. Only two of the top 14 ranked prospects, and five of the top 17, are college position players. That said, it's the demographic that tends to float up as Draft day approaches, and guys like Arquette and Irish do seem to have some helium.

Otherwise, the first round might transpire with an unusually low number of college position players taken. Names to keep an eye on here are Wake Forest shortstop Marek Houston (No. 15), Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill (No. 16) and Arkansas shortstop (and Golden Spikes winner) Wehiwa Aloy (No. 17).

Twin power

One of the fun wrinkles of this Draft class is the sets of twins -- three of them! Two are among the Top 125 ranked prospects in the class, with each pair including a potential top 10 pick. That means sets of brothers could hear both of their names called on Day 1. That's pretty cool.

They are: Mississippi prep shortstop JoJo Parker (No. 9) and outfielder Jacob Parker (No. 109), Oklahoma righties Kyson Witherspoon (No. 10) and Malachi Witherspoon (No. 121) and Fairfield outfielder Matthew Bucciero and Fordham outfielder Daniel Bucciero. JoJo Parker might be the best all-around high school bat in the entire Draft, and Kyson Witherspoon is the top college right-hander in the class. With their brothers, Jacob Parker has intriguing power and Malachi Witherspoon has similar stuff (but fringier command) as Kyson.

Not a guarantee to be taken, the Bucciero twins are more likely Day 2 selections, if it does happen. Daniel was Fordham's MVP this season, while Matthew posted a 1.095 OPS with 79 hits in 58 games.

Will we see a team keep any pair of twins together by drafting both brothers?

Corona crew

No matter how exactly the Draft shakes out, pick-wise, Corona High School in California seems bound to make some history. The school has four players among the Top 150 prospects in the class: Hernandez, shortstop Billy Carlson (No. 7), third baseman Brady Ebel (No. 64) and righty Ethin Bingaman (No. 150). Of those guys, three could get taken on Day 1 and two are likely to be top 5-10 picks (Hernandez, Carlson).

Surely this is unusual. But how unusual? Well, it depends on exactly where Hernandez and Carlson get picked. The highest-drafted pair of high school teammates are Mike Moustakas and Matt Dominguez, who were taken second and 12th overall out of Chatsworth Charter HS (Calif.) in 2007.

Volunteerism

It's more common for successful college teams to have multiple players drafted, for obvious reasons. But even so, Tennessee has a chance to come away with a record haul this year.

Tennessee's season ended in the Super Regional finals this year, after winning the program's first College World Series title in 2024. The Vols could tie the record for most players taken in a single Draft, which stands at 14. Six teams have done it, most recently LSU in 2023. The Vols have nine players ranked in the Top 250, including three in the top 30 and six in the top 100.

Hawaiian Wave

This could also be a banner year for the Rainbow State in the Draft. Only seven Hawaiian players have ever been taken in the first round, and two have a chance this year in Arquette and Aloy. It would be the first time two Hawaiian players were ever selected in the first round of the same Draft.