Jim Callis officially ushered in mock draft season a little over a week ago. Now it’s my turn to take the wheel for the first time this spring.
While we still have a long way to go and there’s a ton of uncertainty from top to bottom of this first round, there are some themes you’re going to hear about consistently as we continue to project what could happen when the Draft commences on July 13. One is the very deep crop of high school shortstops/infielders. You’ll see 10 taken in the top 27 picks below.
The other is that college pitching is floating to the top. Every year, there’s a hope that advanced college arms will separate themselves based on how they perform, but that hasn’t happened much of late. There have been just four college pitchers taken in the first round the past two year. And while this year’s overall group isn’t super-deep, there could be four taken in the top 10 alone, a number that hasn’t been equaled since 2020.
1. Nationals: Ethan Holliday, SS/3B, Stillwater (Okla.) HS (No. 1)
Don’t read too much into the fact Holliday is in the top spot for a second mock in a row. The Nats are still casting a very wide net and doing due diligence on as many as seven or eight players. Holliday and Seth Hernandez are still the best ones, but the organization is looking at every quadrant in this uncertain year.
2. Angels: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State (No. 3)
The Angels have taken a college player in the first round in the past six Drafts, and there’s no reason to think they’ll stray from that this go-round. That could be one of the left-handers (Arnold, Liam Doyle, Kade Anderson) or the top college bat in Aiva Arquette. This week, the choice is Arnold, who has two years of tremendous success on his resume, though his stuff has fluctuated at times this spring.
3. Mariners: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee (No. 10)
The three lefties are likely in play here, as are college righty Kyson Witherspoon, Arquette and Hernandez. Doyle is coming off a start in which he struck out 12 in seven shutout innings against Vanderbilt and went into this weekend of action leading all Division I pitchers in strikeouts and K/9.
4. Rockies: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State (No. 5)
If the Rockies want to go college arm, like they did in 2022 and '23, that could be Anderson in this scenario. If they want to go college hitter, like they did with Charlie Condon last year, Arquette would be the choice as a shortstop with 17 homers and an OPS north of 1.100.
5. Cardinals: Kade Anderson, LHP, Louisiana State (No. 9)
It’s sounding like a college arm here, with Anderson being the most likely option if the top four goes this way. Witherspoon could be an option if the three lefties go ahead of this spot. This is one of the first spots where high school shortstop Eli Willits could come into play.
6. Pirates: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS (No. 2)
This could be the second year in a row the Pirates nab one of the top-ranked prep players in the country. Last year, Konnor Griffin was the highest-ranked and now Hernandez is behind only Holliday. He’s the best arm in the class, but the right-handed high school demographic historically scares teams off.
7. Marlins: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona (Calif.) HS (No. 6)
In the past two Drafts, the Marlins have gone the high school route, with an arm (Noble Meyer) in 2023 and a bat (PJ Morlando) last year. Another hitter might make more sense here and the Marlins can decide from that deep prep infield class, perhaps deciding between Carlson, the best defender in the group, and Willits. If they want to go college, like they did in 2022, someone like Wake Forest shortstop Marek Houston could come into play.
8. Blue Jays: Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton (Okla.) HS (No. 4)
Reggie’s kid reclassified and he’s one of the youngest players in the class, which will look good in a lot of team models. He also has really good tools across the board and it’s extremely reasonable to think he’ll go higher than this.
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9. Reds: JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis (Miss.) HS (No. 14)
While the Reds took a college arm the past two years (Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns), they might be more likely to dig into that deep pool of prep shortstops. This go-round, it’s Parker over Steele Hall or Kayson Cunningham, and they could move on to look at remaining college arms if there isn’t a fit.
10. White Sox: Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M (No. 7)
He’s athletic, the power is legit (67 career homers in college and counting), but he’s hitting .274 at this point (.258 in SEC play) with concerns about his hit tool making it a little harder to pinpoint where he might go. He does still have the exciting tools that made him a potential No. 1 pick coming into the season.
11. Athletics: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma (No. 8)
His name comes up all over the top 10. The athletic right-hander has a very real four-pitch mix and he’s taken a big step forward with his command this year. The well of college pitching to take up high runs dry pretty quickly, so if the A’s want one, Witherspoon is the best option here.
12. Rangers: Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek (Ga.) HS (No. 18)
Let’s kick off a run of those high school shortstop types, shall we? Pierce has some helium, offering a solid assortment of tools, instincts and baseball savvy.
13. Giants: Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) HS (No. 13)
He can really pick it and he can really run (some scouts hang an 80 on that tool) and the Tennessee commit has every chance to stick at shortstop.
14. Rays: Kayson Cunningham, SS/2B, Johnson (Texas) HS (No. 15)
Yes he’s undersized at 5-foot-9, but the left-handed hitter can really swing it. He was arguably the best performer over the summer and starred for Team USA in international competition.
15. Red Sox: Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest (No. 12)
He’s a no-doubt shortstop who some see as a top 10 pick. He hasn’t hit as well in conference play, but if you believe in the bat, he could be a steal at 15.
16. Twins: Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee (No. 16)
He had a solid year at Louisville in 2024 and he’s performing even better on a stacked Tennessee team, now with 14 homers and just 16 strikeouts while posting an OPS close to 1.200 heading into the weekend.
17. Cubs: Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (No. 17)
He’s now at five double-digit strikeout games in his last six starts. If he keeps this up through the end of the Gauchos’ season, it seems very unlikely he’s still available here.
18. Diamondbacks: Ike Irish, OF/C, Auburn (No. 20)
The left-handed swinger has a history of hitting with an advanced approach while getting to his power in college. He reminds some of Pavin Smith, taken by the D-backs in the first round back in 2017.
19. Orioles: Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona (No. 22)
Summerhill broke out of the gate looking like one of the best college performers in the country, then broke his hand, forcing him out for a month. He’s gone 8-for-19 in seven games since his return with eight walks, seven RBIs and no strikeouts.
20. Brewers: Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina (No. 19)
There aren’t a ton of catchers to consider in the first round this year. Stevenson is on a short list with power at the plate (30 homers in two years for the Tar Heels) and excellent defensive skills.
21. Astros: Sean Gamble, 2B/OF, IMG Academy (Fla.) (No. 21)
The left-handed-hitting infielder gives off a Bryson Stott vibe to some and the Astros are not afraid to go the prep route. Gamble is an excellent hitter who could profile very well at second base or in center field.
22. Braves: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS (Ore.), (No. 11)
He’s young, after reclassifying from 2026, he’s big and he’s left-handed. What’s not to like? It’s been an up-and-down spring, but if you see him right, it’s easy to think he could end up being the best arm in the class.
23. Royals: Gavin Fien, 3B, Great Oak (Calif.) HS (No. 29)
Over the summer, Fien was the best pure hitter on the showcase circuit. His spring has been a bit more modest, but there’s still a chance that a team will buy the bat they saw last summer earlier than this.
24. Tigers: Slater de Brun, OF, Summit (Ore.) HS (No. 25)
Do the Tigers like left-handed-hitting high schoolers? The last two Drafts say yes (Bryce Rainer last year, Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle in 2023). Although de Brun is undersized, he can really hit.
25. Padres: Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon (Wash.) HS (No. 26)
It’s a run on Pacific Northwest prep bats! There are some swing-and-miss concerns with Neyens, but he’s shown he can get to his immense power against very good competition.
26. Phillies: Mason Neville, OF, Oregon (No. 62)
In 2018, Trevor Larnach was a college outfielder in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon State) who rode a huge performance up boards in a hurry to land in the first round. This year’s version could be Neville at Oregon, he currently leads all Division I hitters with 26 homers.
27. Guardians: Andrew Fischer, 1B/3B, Tennessee (No. 35)
This could give the Volunteers three first-rounders, with Fischer showing off his considerable left-handed power this year after transferring from Mississippi.