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Last week, we unveiled our new 2025 Draft Top 150 prospects list, expanding and re-ranking our Top 100 last December based on a whole lot of intel from scouts around the country. We’ll be back at the end of this month with an expansion to 200, and eventually out to 250 after that.
There’s still a long way to go between now and Draft day, and boards will decidedly shift over the next 10 weeks. For now, I wanted to put a pin in this moment and form an “All-Draft-class” team. How would you fill out a lineup and rotation based on our current rankings? Here is what I came up with -- it was hard to find room for all the players I wanted, especially because I tried to stay true to defensive positions. What I mean by that is I didn’t include some higher-ranked shortstops by moving them to second base if their long-term home is at short. The moves I made were based on spots the player has played or most agree will certainly play in the future.
C Luke Stevenson, North Carolina (No. 19)
He checks off a few boxes teams love from backstops in the Draft: He’s a left-handed hitter who has power at the plate (29 homers in 2024 and so far this year combined) and with his arm (it’s plus thanks to strength and accuracy).
1B Andrew Fischer, Tennessee (No. 35)
This is Fischer’s third school, starting at Duke in 2023 before moving to Mississippi last year and then on to play for the Volunteers. A team might want to give him a chance to play third as a pro, but he’s almost exclusively been a first baseman this season. He hit 20 homers last year and is up to 16 this spring, using bat speed and loft from the left side of the plate.
2B Kayson Cunningham, Johnson HS, Tex. (No. 15)
He’s played shortstop a bunch in high school, but most see the Texas recruit as moving to the right side of the infield at the next level. He can really hit, and while he’s a bit undersized (5-foot-9), there’s decent impact in there, with 15-20 homer potential.
3B Ethan Holliday, Stillwater HS, Okla. (No. 1)
Sitting atop our board, the next Holliday is very much in play to go No. 1 to the Nationals. He can play a decent shortstop, but he’s going to add strength to his 6-foot-4 frame and will likely slow down a touch. His actions and arm will work well from the hot corner, and his left-handed power potential makes him profile well at third.
SS Billy Carlson, Corona HS, Calif. (No. 6)
I had a veteran area scout in SoCal tell me that Carlson is the best defensive shortstop he’s ever seen. That opinion has been backed up by pretty much anyone Jim Callis or I have talked to. That’s why we gave him a 70 field grade, unheard of among Draft prospects. Some aren’t as convicted about his hit tool, but there’s some pop in there.
OF Eli Willits, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS, Okla. (No. 4)
It’s looking like reclassifying to be a part of this class instead of 2026 is paying off for Willits, as he could be a top-five pick. Reggie’s kid is a switch-hitter who could have a plus bat and he runs well. Could he play short? Yes, he could. But he also could be an outstanding center fielder, where he played for Team USA’s 18U National Team last year.
OF Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M (No. 7)
Once thought to be a potential No. 1 pick (we had him at No. 2 on our Top 100 in December), LaViolette got off to a terrible start this season. The power is legit -- he hit 50 homers over his first two seasons with the Aggies and has 15 so far this year. There are also swing-and-miss concerns, though his K rate has come down a tick each year.
OF Ike Irish, Auburn (No. 20)
He could also be this squad’s backup catcher. That said, Irish has spent a lot of time in right field this year after fracturing his scapula when hit by a pitch in March and could profile well in the outfield corner. He has the chance to hit (.335/.451/.646 this year) with 20-homer power at the next level.
DH Aiva Arquette, Oregon State (No. 5)
No, this doesn’t mean I think Arquette is a designated-hitter type. I just took the highest-ranked hitter I hadn’t slotted in anywhere else. Arquette can play short and can really hit with pop -- 25-homer potential from the 6-foot-5 right-handed hitter. He has 16 homers this year, his first at Oregon State after transferring from Washington, and a 1.174 OPS.
SP Seth Hernandez, Corona HS, Calif. (No. 2)
He’s the best pitcher in the class, period. And he has the highest upside. The only things working against him are his demographic as a high school right-hander and his age (he’ll be 19 at Draft time). But we’re talking about at least three plus pitches with above-average control from a 6-foot-4 projectable frame? Yes, please.
SP Jamie Arnold, Florida State (No. 3)
There are several college arms starting to float toward the top of the Draft, but Arnold has always been here. He’s had a couple of bumps this year, but he still has a 2.29 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, .182 batting average against and a 11.9 K/9 rate, not to mention a two-year resume of success in a big conference and in the postseason. He’s probably the quickest to the big leagues among pitchers.
SP Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma (No. 8)
The best college right-hander in the class, Witherspoon has taken a big step forward this spring, thanks to vastly improved control. He’s athletic and can throw as many as five pitches, with all but the changeup at least above-average. He has an impressive 2.13 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, .181 BAA and 5.88 K/BB ratio.
SP Kade Anderson, Louisiana State (No. 9)
A Draft-eligible sophomore, Anderson has made a huge leap after transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation this year. There’s projection and now stuff for the left-hander, helping him strike out 14.5 per nine so far this year, with some buzz circulating that he could sneak up close to the top of the first round.
SP Liam Doyle, Tennessee (No. 10)
Yet another college arm who has vaulted into the top 10, Doyle is a lefty who is at his third school in three years. The move to pitch for the Volunteers is paying off as he has an unhittable fastball and three above-average secondary offerings that have allowed him to strike out a whopping 15.3 per nine this year.