Sports Gambling Podcast - 2025 Mock Draft

 

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Cubs	JAMIE ARNOLD	LHP	FLORIDA STATE
		Five of the last eight Round 1 selections made by the Cubs have been college pitchers. Jamie Arnold provides two plus pitches: his mid-to-high 90s fastball and sweeper from a low left-handed arm slot. Arnold attacks the top of the zone viciously with his fastball, and his sweeper/changeup offspeed duo can make hitters look foolish. In his Sophomore season, Arnold racked up 159 strikeouts, an 11-3 record, a 2.98 ERA, and only 26 walks in 105.2 innings pitched.
2	Tigers	ETHAN HOLLIDAY	3B/OF	Stillwater, OK
		Scott Harris, president of baseball operations, has made three first-round selections with the Detroit Tigers. All three of them have been high school hitters, and he hails from the Giants organization, which values prep players highly. Ethan Holliday is the best high school player in the 2025 MLB Draft class right now. He is more physical than his brother Jackson and has huge raw power in a crisp left-handed swing. Holliday is an advanced hitter who grew up around a baseball family (son of Matt, nephew of Oklahoma State Baseball coach Josh) and consistently makes hard contact.
3	Rangers	JACE LaVIOLETTE	OF	TEXAS A&M
		General Manager Chris Young has had a hand in selecting four straight college players in the 1st Round. Jace LaViolette is the best college player in the 2025 MLB Draft class. At 6-6, 230 pounds, LaViolette is super physical and possesses all five tools. It’s a beautiful uppercut left-handed swing that has 50 home runs through two seasons in College Station. During his sophomore year, LaViolette posted a .305 average and a 1.175 OPS. His above-average speed and arm strength suggest he could stick in centerfield or could handle RF.
4	Rockies	TYLER BREMNER	RHP	UC SANTA BARBARA
		The Rockies have selected five straight college players with 1st Round picks. Tyler Bremner is the next best available, and he’s a power pitcher archetype that Colorado has fancied lately (Gabriel Hughes and Chase Dollander). At 6-2, 190 pounds, Bremner is an explosive metric darling. He features a mid-to-high 90s fastball with a big iVB and a deceptive delivery that allows his fastball and changeup combo to play up. Bremner was awarded the 2023 Big West Pitcher of the Year after an 11-1, 2.54 ERA, 104 K, 21 BB, 88.2 IP campaign.
5	Blue Jays	CAM LEITER	RHP	FLORIDA STATE
		Six of Toronto’s last 10 Round 1 picks have been college pitchers. Cam Leiter wouldn’t be this high if I were strictly ranking 2025 MLB Draft prospects but he’s the next one up that fits the Blue Jays’ mold. Cousin of Jack, nephew of Al, and son of Mark, Cam Leiter lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps baseball. He is tall, 6-6, 218 pounds, possessing a mid-to-high 90s fastball. The pitch repertoire is actually carried by two plus breaking balls (curve and slider). Leiter made 7 starts in the 2024 season before a minor undisclosed injury basically wiped out his season. He tallied 56 K in 35 innings with 22 BB and a 4.63 ERA.
6	Angels	CAM CANNARELLA	OF	CLEMSON
		The Angels have selected six straight college players and three straight hitters with their most recent first-round picks. Cam Cannarella already weighs 180 pounds at 6 feet flat, so he doesn’t have much projection left, and that makes him a prime candidate to be LA’s first-round pick. Cannarella has elite bat-to-ball skills with an outstanding eye at the plate. He has plus speed, great arm strength, and good power. There is a path for Cannarella to be a true 5-tool player. Cannarella basically played the entire 2024 season, needing labrum surgery after the third weekend. He tallied a .337 batting average and a .978 OPS, with 11 home runs with one fully functional arm. Cannarella is a bulldog and earns the label of my favorite player in the 2025 MLB Draft class.
7	Marlins	SETH HERNANDEZ	RHP	Elite Charter Academy, CA
		Miami definitely prefers the high school route in the first round. Under this scouting department, there has been a lean toward high school pitchers in recent years. Seth Hernandez, an Elite Charter Academy product and Vanderbilt commit, is a very projectable 6-4, 190 pounds RHP. He lands closed and finishes with long and whippy arm action. Hernandez’s fastball sits in the low 90s with good ride. Hernandez has two plus offspeed offerings (changeup and slider).
8	Nationals	XAVIER NEYENS	3B/OF/RHP	Mount Vernon, WA
		Brad Ciolek is the Nationals’ new Senior Director of Amateur Scouting. He came from the Orioles Organization and they always take tooled-out hitters early in drafts. Ciolek and the Nationals followed suit with Seaver King in 2024. Xavier Neyens is a projectable bat-first profile. He stands 6-4, 205 pounds and with raw power, and has shown a good feel for the barrel against older competition growing up. Neyens will play a corner infield or outfield position with a strong arm. He does still have a shot to be a serious pitching prospect. Neyens lives in the low 90s with a good slider. Ultimately, the Oregon State commit’s crisp left-handed swing could keep him off the mound in the pros.
9	Giants	DEVIN TAYLOR	OF	INDIANA
		San Francisco has selected college players with six of their last seven first-round picks, four of which have been position players. Devin Taylor has lightning bat speed supported by an athletic frame. Scouts suggest Taylor has raw power but I’m not sure how much projection is left for Taylor as he is already 6-0, 215 pounds. In over 500 plate appearances Taylor has a .338 average with a 1.096 OPS and 36 home runs. Taylor is a great runner and average defender in the outfield.
10	White Sox	NOLAN SCHUBART	OF	OKLAHOMA STATE
		The White Sox have selected a college hitter with 9 of their last 12 first-round picks. Albeit, I wouldn’t say that Nolan Schubart is “tooled out” his bat-to-ball skills and metrics stand out from the rest. Schubart’s bat absolutely carries the profile. It is plus plus power and plus plus hit for the Oklahoma State product. At a real physical 6-5, 230 pounds, Schubart has some defensive questions and an average arm. Schubart’s high-end exit velocities and silky smooth left-handed swing. During his Sophomore season, Schubart batted .370 with a 1.351 OPS, 23 home runs, and a 194 wRC+.
11	Athletics	IKE IRISH	C	AUBURN
		The Athletics have had nine Round 1 picks in the last eight years. They’ve selected six college hitters. Ike Irish was Schubart's high school teammate at Michigan powerhouse Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. He is another power/hit first, defense second profile. Irish has a strong arm but has faced receiving questions throughout his college career at Auburn. Either way, it is plus power with great bat-to-ball skills. In two seasons, Irish has compiled a .343 batting average, a .999 OPS, and 20 home runs.
12	Reds	KYSON WITHERSPOON	RHP	OKLAHOMA
		Cincinnati has selected three straight college right-handed pitchers in the first round. Kyson Witherspoon is an intriguing power pitcher who can pepper the high 90s. He supports the heater with a hard slider and can throw a changeup and curveball- consistent command is a work in progress, but he mowed down Big 12 competition in his Sophomore year. Witherspoon posted an 8-3 record with a 3.71 ERA, 90 K, 40 BB, and 80 innings pitched.
13	Pirates	GAVIN KILEN	SS	TENNESSEE
		Pittsburgh hired away Boston’s Scouting Director, Justin Horowitz, this past offseason. In recent years, the Red Sox have valued hitters much more than pitchers with their early selections. Horowitz and the Pirates followed suit in 2024, taking Konnor Griffin. Gavin Kilen is a 5-11, 180-pound batted ball data darling. Kilen consistently records triple-digit exit velocities with elite bat-to-ball skills. He has a great eye at the plate with good power. At Louisville in 2024, Kilen put up a .330 batting average and a .952 OPS, with just a 9.4 K%. Kilen should stay at Shortstop with good fielding ability and a strong arm. moving. Expect his draft stock to rise steadily after transferring to Tennessee for the 2025 season.
14	Rays	BROCK SELL	OF/RHP	Tokay, CA
		In their last 13 first-round picks, Tampa Bay has selected nine hitters (five high school). Brock Sell doesn’t have a set-in-stone future as either a pitcher or hitter. He is a strike thrower by nature. Sell sits in the low 90s with a low slot RHP arm angle. A slider and changeup directly support the fastball. Sell stands 6-1, 185 pounds and is projectable both on the mound and at the plate. The Stanford commit is a plus runner with great bat-to-ball skills.
15	Padres	COY JAMES	SS	Davie County, NC
		San Diego has drafted 12 prepsters with their last 14 first-round picks. Coy James is a solid all around player out of Davie County, North Carolina. The Ole Miss commit doesn’t rely much on power-hitting. Rather, James has an advanced approach at the plate, with good walk rates and the ability to go to all fields. James has great hands and projects as a big league shortstop.
16	Diamondbacks	DEAN MOSS	OF	IMG Academy, FL
		Arizona has selected high school hitters with seven of their last 12 Round 1 picks. Dean Moss, 6-0, 175 pounds, has a strong athletic build. As a left-handed hitter, he leans on his pull-side power. Moss’s raw bat speed could create power to all fields. The LSU commit has elite speed.
17	Astros	HENRY FORD	1B/3B	VIRGINIA
		Houston has selected a college hitter with 6 of their last 8 picks in the 1st round. Henry Ford consistently batted 3rd on Virginia’s College World Series team. A draft-eligible Sophomore, Ford is 6-5, 220 pounds with good athleticism. Ford possesses elite exit velocities with great bat speed. It’s big-time power from the right-handed batter’s box. Ford had a .336 batting average, 1.006 OPS, and 17 HR during his Freshman season in the ACC.
18	Royals	LUCAS FRANCO	SS	Cinco Ranch, TX
		Through two drafts with Kansas City, Scouting Director Brian Bridges hasn’t really established a trend. 4 of their first 7 Top 100 selections have been prep players. Lucas Franco, out of Cinco Ranch, Texas, is a projectable hitter at 6-3, 170 pounds. Franco is smooth defensively at shortstop. He has a long left handed swing that could smoothen out with growth over time. He makes good contact with great bat-to-ball skills. Franco could develop power with strength.
19	Mets	CADEN BODINE	C	COASTAL CAROLINA
		David Stearns is the new General Manager of the Mets. He comes from Milwaukee, where the Brewers had selected four straight college hitters until this year. Stearns selected a college hitter in Round 1 in Year 1 with New York. In fact, the Mets' first four picks in the 2024 MLB Draft were all from college. Caden Bodine has an outstanding feel for the strike zone as a switch hitter. Being a catcher helps him out in that aspect. Bodine has plus defensive capabilities outside of the average arm. Nonetheless, Bodine’s bat is made for the big leagues. He has an all fields approach and raw power. Bodine is a physical 5-10, 195 pounds but played centerfield in high school and is quite mobile. In two seasons, the Coastal Carolina Catcher cataloged a .346 batting average, .996 OPS, 20 home runs, and a 65/44 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
20	Cardinals	ZACH ROOT	LHP	ARKANSAS
		St. Louis has selected 5 college pitchers in their last 10 first-round picks. Zach Root has devoured AAC competition so far in his career at East Carolina. He is transferring to Arkansas for the 2025 season. Expect Razorbacks’ Pitching Coach Matt Hobbs to sculpt Root into another dominant lefty. Root lives in the low-to-mid 90s, but the arsenal features a plus plus slider and plus change-piece. The slider racked up both chase and whiff rates above 40%. Root finished 2024 with a 6-2 record, 3.56 ERA, 76 K, 21 BB, in 68.1 IP.
21	Red Sox	JOSH GIBBS	SS	Forsyth Central, GA
		Boston has taken four middle infielders (three high school) with their last five first-round picks. Josh Gibbs has raw power in the 6-0, 180-pound frame. He is a flashy defender at shortstop with a big-time arm and has lateral quickness. Gibbs is a great runner and patient at the plate, which allows his speed to play more often on the basepaths. The bat is still developing. It’s a whippy swing with more wrist action than some may prefer. Either way, he barrels baseballs consistently, and scouts anticipate growth in the strength department at Forsyth Central, Georgia.
22	Twins	ANDREW FISCHER	3B/1B	TENNESSEE
		Minnesota has selected a hitter with 11 of their 13 first-round picks. Seven of those selections were out of college. Andrew Fischer has a physical 6-1, 205-pound build with plus power. After poking 11 homers with Duke as a Freshman and 20 with Ole Miss as a Sophomore, Fischer is taking his talents to Tennessee for his draft year. His batted ball data is near the top in most categories, and with a season hitting for better average with the Volunteers could fulfill his first-round draft stock.
23	Mariners	MARCOS PAZ	RHP	Hebron, TX
		Seattle has selected a high school player with nine of their last 14 first-round picks. Marcos Paz has an impressive arm that already sits 95 mph. The LSU commit claims a 2800 rpm slider, heater, and great changeup. Paz’s control is the wildcard, but if he could hone in on that and get the lower half clicking, there is room for even more improvement for a high school prospect who is already 6-2, 210 pounds.
24	Braves	KRUZ SCHOOLCRAFT	LHP/1B	Sunset, OR
		Nine of Atlanta’s last 11 first-round picks have been pitchers (five high school). Kruz Schoolcraft is already a whopping 6-foot-8 and has a fastball in the mid-90s. Schoolcraft re-classified to jump up from the 2026 Draft class to 2025. He has a quick arm with a good pitch arsenal to support the fastball. Schoolcraft’s changeup has knuckleball characteristics that records sub-1000 rpm. Schoolcraft swings a slurve in to put away left-handers and to set up fastballs away against RHH.
25	Brewers	MASON WHITE	2B	ARIZONA
		Matt Arnold is the new General Manager of the Brewers, and the 2024 Draft was uncharacteristic of the Brewers' normal hauls. I don’t know what to expect from Milwaukee in 2025, so I’ll use the best available data here. Late in the 2024 college season, Mason White rose into first-round consideration for the 2025 class. White is a projectable 5-11, 176-pound middle infielder with, pound for pound, the most present power in the class. It is bat speed, with high exit velo creating massive power. White has a large leg kick with big coil to create the power, but some wonder if he sacrifices bat-to-ball to create the power. White is a career .309 average, .992 OPS hitter, and hit 19 home runs in 2024.
26	Yankees	BROOKS BRYAN	C	TROY
		The Yankees have drafted seven college hitters with their last 12 first-round picks. New York tends to break their ties, leaning more towards left-handers to exploit its short porch. Brooks Bryan bolstered his game-breaking power from the left-handed batter’s box with Team USA in the summer of 2024. His big-time bat speed and quick hands provide a good floor for his batting average. Bryan also has an athletic/durable frame at 6-2, 215 pounds to be a pro backstop with a great blocking technique. He hit .280 with a .977 OPS and 18 home runs in his Sophomore season and is poised for a breakout Junior year.
27	Dodgers	TRENT CARAWAY	3B	OREGON STATE
		The Dodgers have selected 8 college players with their last 13 first-round picks. Trent Caraway is a draft-eligible Sophomore and SoCal kid. He is a power first player profile. Caraway barrels baseballs frequently with power to all fields. The Oregon State product posts prolific, top-tier exit velocities. An injury wiped out most of his Freshman season with the Beavers, but expect him to burst into the season in the Spring of 2025. Caraway’s excellent arm and 6-2, 200-pound frame suggest he will stay at 3rd base long-term.
28	Astros	BRENDAN SUMMERHILL	OF	ARIZONA
		In eight straight MLB Drafts, Baltimore has selected tooled-out hitters. Brendan Summerhill is a pro prospect with a high floor. He has a super low whiff rate and impacts the baseball with high exit velocity. At a lean 6-3, 195 pounds, there is still a projection for power in Summerhill’s game. He posted a .324 batting average and a .950 OPS season in 2024. The potential for five tools should get Summerhill into 2025’s first round.
29	Guardians	KAYSON CUNNINGHAM	SS	Johnson, TX
		Cleveland has drafted 8 hitters with their last 14 first-round picks. Their front office has a notable affinity for middle infielders. Kayson Cunningham is a 5-9, 175-pound shortstop from Johnson, Texas. He has a quiet and quick left-handed swing. Cunningham is a stolen base sleuth and has good arm strength that should allow him to stay at short. It’s a pure-hit player projection with the ability to put the ball in play to all fields. Cunningham is committed to Texas Tech.
30	Phillies	BLAKE ILITCH	RHP	Brother Rice, MI
		Philadelphia has picked a prep player with six straight first-round selections. Blake Ilitch would be a personal pick up for Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski. Ilitch is the grandson of legendary late Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch. Dombrowski had a strong friendship with Ilitch that was formed back in the 1990s. Ilitch hired Dombrowski early on in his career who worked as the Tigers GM for 14 years. Ilitch is 6-5, 205 pounds with a commitment to Duke. He features a mid-90s fastball from a high arm slot with a plus curveball. Ilitch has great tempo on the mound and fills up the strike zone. With further development of a third pitch, Ilitch will be a first-round draft pick in 2025.