Prospect Live - 2025 MLB Draft: Top 30 Collegiate Prospects
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1. of jace laviolette, texas A&M
height: 6’6
Weight: 230
b/t: L/L
Draft Day age: 21 yr 7 mo
hometown: Katy, TX
At 6'6, 230 pounds, LaViolette is an extremely physical
left-handed bat with some of the most robust power in the entire country.
LaViolette has already cranked 50 home runs in his collegiate career and he may
end up amongst the likes of Eddy Furniss and Frank Fazzini on the all-time list
in the NCAA ranks. It's a controlled, yet violent, left-handed swing with a ton
of bat speed and an optimal bat path for doing damage, as he's a legitimate
all-fields power threat and has cleared the 115 MPH exit velocity threshold in
2024. His hips clear out quickly, allowing him to get leverage in his swing and
do significant damage. The plate discipline is also solid, as he rarely expands
the zone and has a knack for racking up the walks. Yes, strikeouts are part of
his game, but he's got time to polish up the bat-to-ball skills. Despite his
size, he moves quickly on the basepaths and in the field. He's manned center
field for the Aggies in 2024, though a move to a corner outfield position is
likely in the near future.
2. OF Cam Cannarella, Clemson
height: 6’0
weight: 180
b/t: L/r
draft day age: 21 yr 10 mo
hometown: Hartsville, sc
Cannarella stepped onto campus as an infielder, but a road block
in the Clemson infield gave him an opportunity in center field that he has not
relinquished. A gamer in every sense of the word, Cannarella is a dangerous
hitter with some of the best contact skills in the entire country. It's a
lovely left-handed swing built more for line drives right now, but he's shown
flashes of raw power to the gaps and to his pull-side. He did become a bit more
aggressive in 2024 compared to 2023, but he has quality barrel control and
shows patience, drawing walks aplenty. He's got above-average speed, though he
didn't flash it a ton on the bases due to an injury this year. However, that
speed translates to center field, where he has excellent route-running and
quality defensive chops. Expect Cannarella to go high in this draft.
3. OF Devin Taylor, Indiana
height: 6’1
weight: 215
b/t: L/R
draft day age: 21 yr 6 mo
hometown: Cincinnati, OH
A physical left-handed bat, Taylor is a legitimate power threat
with burgeoning raw juice and he lets his quality athleticism play on the
field. He built upon a stellar freshman campaign at Indiana with a
.357/.449/.660 slash line and blasting twenty home runs, the first Hoosier to
do so since Alex Dickerson smacked twenty-four in 2010. His swing features
substantial bat speed and he'll deposit the baseball to both sides of the
field, utilizing the opposite field more in 2024. He's already displayed exit
velocities touching the 110 MPH barrier, as well. He does expand the zone a
bit, but there's little warts to his contact skills and he draws a copious
amount of walks. He'll likely get a chance to man center in a bigger capacity
in 2025, though given his average speed and route-running, he may be a better
fit in left long term. It's hard not to like this profile.
4. C Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina
height: 5’10
weight: 197
b/t: s/R
draft day age: 21 yr 7 mo
hometown: Haddon Heights, NJ
A switch-hitting catcher out of New Jersey, Bodine has been one
of the best pure hitters in college baseball. Bodine's barrel awareness and
bat-to-ball skills are top of the charts from both sides of the plate, as he
ran a contact rate of 89% in 2024, including a 94% (!) in-zone contact rate. He
has quick hands from both sides and will prioritize an all-fields approach,
rarely selling out for power. His power likely grades out more as
fringe-average to average, though he'll run into a home run every once in a
while. He has the prototypical size for a backstop and has impressed in his
time on campus. It's a solid throwing arm with improving blocking skills and he
has athletic movements behind the plate. Most believe he'll stick back there
long term as a result.
5. RHP Tyler Bremner, UC Santa Barbara
height: 6’2
weight: 180
b/t: r/R
draft day age: 21 yr 2 mo
hometown: san diego, CA
Highly projectable, super athletic, burgeoning stuff. That's the
menu for Bremner, who turned in a stellar sophomore campaign in the Big West,
striking out 104 batters and walking just 21 in 88.2 innings. His stuff took a
big jump during the pre-season, with his fastball sitting in the mid-90s with
significant carry up in the zone. He should be throwing in the upper-90s more
consistently in due time, as he’s already touched 98 MPH this summer. His
slider took a huge step forward after struggling his freshman year, jumping
into the mid-80s consistently with late bite and sweep. The change-up is unique
with high spin traits, though he shows a ton of confidence in the pitch and it
dives hard to the dirt in the low-80s, acting almost like a screwball. It projects
as a double-plus offering. Let’s not forget that Bremner commands the zone
really well. There’s potential for three above-average or better pitches with
above-average command. He’s our SP1 right now for that reason.
6. LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State
height: 6’1
weight: 191
b/t: l/l
draft day age: 21 yr 3 mo
hometown: Tampa, fl
After a rough freshman campaign in Tallahassee, Arnold exploded
onto the draft scene in 2024, striking out 159 batters in 105.2 innings to the
tune of a 2.98 ERA. Arnold generates a ton of scap retraction in his delivery,
but he's on time with his arm and he creates a tough angle to the plate with a
slingy release. His fastball rarely cracked 90 MPH in 2023, but he's now into
the mid-90s with a very low release height and a flat approach angle that has
allowed the heater to miss bats aplenty. His mid-80s slider can be downright
diabolical, flashing late bite and sweep. It tunnels well off the heater and
he's shown an ability to backfoot it to righties consistently. His change-up
lags behind the one-two punch, thrown roughly 4% of the time in 2024 with slight
fading life and will need more development in 2025. He'll need more of a
tertiary offering to keep hitters off the FB/SL, but the whole package screams
starter. He’ll be wildly popular in 2025.
7. c Ike Irish, Auburn
height: 6’2
weight: 203
b/t: l/R
draft day age: 21 yr 7 mo
hometown: Hudsonville, MI
One of the most decorated recruits to make it to campus after
the 2022 draft, Irish has cemented himself as one of the best SEC hitters in
two years since. Irish has a beautiful left-handed swing that's direct to the
baseball with quick hands and loud bat speed. He's begun to pull the baseball
more in 2024 after displaying more of a gap-to-gap approach in 2023, tapping
more into robust raw power. He does swing at a high rate, meaning his walk rate
isn't too high, but he doesn't strike out a ton, either. Defensively, he's
shown a loud arm behind the plate and has improved on his blocking skills.
He'll see more time back there in the future and he could man first base or a
corner outfield spot, too. It's a bat-first profile with a ton like
offensively.
8. OF Gavin Turley, oregon State
height: 6’1
weight: 185
b/t: R/R
draft day age: 21 yr 8 mo
hometown: Chandler, AZ
One of the toolsiest players in the entire class, Turley is an
impressive athlete with a ton of power at his disposal. It's extremely loud bat
speed and pull-side juice with leverage and loft, tapping into it easily
in-game already. His hips open explosively thanks to his twitchy nature, which
allows him to possess these kind of tools at the plate. With that said, he's
struggled with contact in Corvallis and while the contact improved slightly in
2024, strikeouts are a huge concern in his game and he'll need to polish up the
bat-to-ball skills. Turley is a very strong runner and displays a cannon right
arm in the outfield, which will allow him to handle right field at the next
level. If Turley hits in 2025, he'll be one of the first names off the board.
9. RHP Matt Scott, Stanford
height: 6’7
weight: 247
b/t: R/R
draft day age: 21 yr 6 mo
hometown: Redding, CT
A walking mountain of a human being, Scott is an uber-physical
right-hander that traveled across the country to attend Stanford. There's not a
ton of warts in his mechanics. They're loose and easy, showcasing quality body
control for his size, and there's little effort overall. The fastball jumped in
velocity over the off-season, topping out at 98 MPH and sitting consistently in
the mid-90s. The pitch possesses insane carry on the top rail, averaging above
20 inches of vertical movement. He does have a steeper angle to the plate due
to his high release, but the pitch still misses bats at a high rate. His
primary secondary is a cutter-esque slider in the upper-80s with two-plane
break and late bite. He'll tinker with a splitter, as well, which has graded out
well. His command comes and goes, but one would expect him to grow into more of
it given the mechanics.
10. 1b/3b henry ford, virginia
height: 6’5
weight: 220
b/t: R/R
draft day age: 20 yr 11 mo
hometown: Charlottesville, va
A draft-eligible sophomore, Ford is built much like an
automobile mechanic. He's extremely physical with plenty of strength throughout
his frame and he's a solid athlete despite his size. Ford has quality barrel
control and has a ton of bat speed and loft, allowing him to tap into
legitimate plus power in-game. He stays short and direct to the baseball and
doesn't have a ton of swing-and-miss to his game, either. He's a first baseman
right now given how deep Virginia is offensively, but his athleticism is good
enough to get a shot to work at third base in the future. He's got the range
and footwork necessary to make it happen, as well as a strong arm. He'll be an
exciting prospect to watch next spring.
4 comments:
It’s very interesting to know that the record holders are players that didn’t excel in MLB. In fact, I thought Pete Incaviglia still held the record for homeruns, but that’s ok, records were made to be broken. I did notice no middle infielders…
Lots of SEC players on this list. The league will be tough in 2025.
My goal at this point in the 2025 draft is to begin to acclimated you on the players and their history going into this season
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