MACK - MY Sunday Observations

Good morning. 

We need to revisit Brett Baty.

 I am well known for saying there is no place for this guy to play. Mark Vientos is the third baseman, Pete Alonso is on first, Francisco Lindor is on short, and Luisangel Acuña and Jeff McNeil fighting it out for second. This would leave one more utility infield slot TBD.

Sources say that Baty is (almost frantically) burning the midnight oil taking extra reps at all four infield positions. 

Ernest Dove        @ernestdove

Brett Baty having himself a spring and he seems to often be putting in work behind the scenes doing fielding drills all over the infield.

My concerns at this approach have always been that his offensive game could suffer with all this attention to his defensive limitations. 

How's that working out?

Well, as of end of game Friday, Baty is hitting .545, with a 1.727-OPS.

Ya know, if he continues to show he can hold his own as more established pro pitchers are thrown at him in ST, there is another option to consider.

DH

Sure, he might then qualify as the youngest full time DH in baseball... maybe ever... but he would have a full time "position" for the team both he and you love.

And just imagine him producing the same kind of stat line he has produced in the minors, in this lineup?

Who needs pitchers.

Next up, with the help of my friend Thomas Nestico of TJ Stats, and the guys over at Pitch Profilers, let’s take a look at what some of the Mets pitchers looked like this past week:

First up is Brandon Sproat. I mean, wow'! We've been hyping this guy all last season, but the world got to see two remarkable things on Friday... that WH press conference and the two perfect innings thrown by Sproat.

Thomas Nestico                 @TJStats

Brandon Sproat made his Spring debut!

Sproat is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball and he showed why today. He fired off 2 perfect innings while flashing his deep arsenal and high 90s heat

Mets fans have a lot to be excited about with Sproat! 

Pitch Profiler          @pitchprofiler

Mets' top prospect Brandon Sproat made his Spring Training debut this afternoon!

Sproat boasts an MLB-ready arsenal with elite secondary pitches. The Nationals never stood a chance as he cruised through two perfect innings!

Where does this go? Fun stuff on a team looking for another starter.

Second up is Dom Hamel, who definitely needed to spend some time in the pitching lab during the off-season. According to Thomas, so far so good: 

Thomas Nestico                 @TJStats

Dom Hamel fired off a scoreless inning in his Spring debut

The most notable aspect of his outing was a change in release point compared to 2024. His vertical release droped 0.3 ft while he saw a slight increase in iVB on his 4-Seam. These changes helped his it grade out well 

What if Hamel can keep this up and come back to become a starter prospect again? I have him pinned in as a future reliever, but this is a nice start on a long road ahead of Dom.

Next is another starter prospect that hit a wall in AAA:

 

Thomas Nestico                 @TJStats

Blade Tidwell didn't have a great start, but his pitch metrics looked phenomenal today!

His velocity was up +2 MPH and his cutter showed a ton of life. This is the stuff you want to see!

The real good news here is he hit 99 in his two-inning outing. Tidwell is another starter that I have targets for the Mets pen, especially if he can go scoreless in the first inning he pitches, while producing this kind of velo. 

Now for one of the longshots:

Thomas Nestico                 @TJStats

Max Kranick looked good in his Spring debut for the Mets today

His fastball graded out well while he weaved in a trio of breaking balls with solid traits. He could be a strong depth piece for the Mets this season

More good news in a first outing.

On to the next outing...

Thomas Nestico                 @TJStats

Max Kranick continues to look the part of a potential impact arm for the Mets this season

The fastball is really good!

Pitch Profiler           @pitchprofiler

Oh hey, look—Max Kranick is back on the mound!

And his stuff STILL looks incredible!

Pitch Profiler          @pitchprofiler

Excuse me, but Max Kranick has 7 pitches???

This dude is PRIMED and READY for a breakout!

                    Isaac        @isaacgroffman

What makes Max Kranick unique and hard to hit?

3 of his pitches have more "rise' than expected for his arm angle

Thomas Nestico                 @TJStats

Clay Holmes made another scoreless Spring start!

His stuff wasn't as strong as his debut, but he continued to show off his new suite of pitches. His sweeper and slider are legitimate ace-level offerings

Mets fans should be very excited for him this season!

Thomas Nestico                 @TJStats

Clay Holmes made another scoreless Spring start! His stuff wasn't as strong as his debut, but he continued to show off his new suite of pitches. His sweeper and slider are legitimate ace-level offerings. Mets fans should be very excited for him this season! 

Underdog MLB                   @Underdog__MLB

Clay Holmes pitch usage this spring:

Sinker - 26

Sweeper - 15

Slider - 13

4-seam - 11 (new)

Kick change - 8 (new)

Cutter - 3 (new)

6 IP / 0 ER / 5 K

Thomas Nestico                 @TJStats

Griffin Canning has a new cutter!

Canning was acquired this offseason by the Mets, and their pitching lab has made some notable changes. He added in a cutter and his sinker may be his go to fastball now

It's always fun when a pitcher makes changes like these!

Pitch Profiler                      @pitchprofiler

Mets reliever Huascar Brazobán made his Spring Training debut today—and he was lights out!

Hopefully, he can return to being the dominant reliever he was before arriving in New York last year.

2-27-25

Fantasy Baseball 2025: Breakout Sleepers at Every Position

Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets

At just 23, Alvarez has already established himself as one of baseball’s top catchers. His defense is strong (88th percentile in framing), and he’s a respected leader behind the plate.

While his power dipped in 2024 (11 HR vs. 25 in 2023), he improved in nearly every other offensive category. If he can regain his home run stroke while continuing to develop, Alvarez could take another big leap forward in 2025. 

Medium - The Really Big 2025 Mets Prospects Ranking

https://medium.com/@mdonodeo8/the-really-big-2025-mets-prospects-ranking-5c0fbaaa49f0

1.     RHP Brandon Sproat

Another way to take pressure off the fastball is through usage of the secondaries, of which Sproat has a lot of intriguing ones. The best is the changeup, which is already one of the best pitches in any level of the organization. It’s thrown hard in the upper 80s, but manages to have significant depth and fade at 1 vert and 15 armside in AAA. 

The result is a pitch that visually looks like the fastball before diving down at the last minute and creating a ton of swings and misses. It’s capable of getting whiffs against both sides of the plate, although mixing in a sinker to righties could affect the tunneling ability some. If that becomes the case, his new-for-2024 sweeper should be an above average option. 

It’s thrown in the mid-80s with slight lift and average sweep — 84 with 4/-12 in AAA, although he didn’t have great feel for it when transitioning to the MLB balls, so the final stuff profile could look a little different in time. 

His most used secondary in AAA was a gyro slutter thing with slight lift and cut at 87. This pitch is fine in a vacuum — even though it’s not quite a gyro slider, it’s close enough, and 86+ is the threshold where gyro sliders play well — but I wonder if there is some lost deception due to the pitch being slower than you would expect for someone with his fastball velocity. At worst, it should still be a platoon-neutral bridge pitch that serves its purpose in the arsenal. He rounds out the five-pitch mix with a curveball that works best as a strike stealer early in counts.

Overall, the profile is one of a starter who can get whiffs with multiple secondaries but might struggle deeper into games if the four-seam fastball usage remains high. Even if that happens, it’s a mid-rotation starter profile with upside for more. He should get playing time in 2025, and it could be fairly soon if good results in AAA force the organization’s hand.

Scouting grades: 50 FF, 50 SL, 70 CH, 55 SW, 45 CU, 50 command

Optimistic comp: Paul Skenes, but a bit worse at everything

 

Jim Koenigsberger            @Jimfrombaseball 

His Gravestone Inscription

"I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the uniform, but I was the proudest"

Billy Martin

 

"Baseball is the best announcer game, the game that I first enjoyed playing, and the game I had a passion for. If you have baseball in your soul, it doesn't go away. It's there forever."

Dick Enberg

 

"Ain't no one in heaven or earth ever knew more about fishing than me"

Ted Williams

"Sure there is," says Boston writer

"Oh, yeah? Who?"

"Well, God made the fish."

"Yeah, awright," Ted says. "But you have to go pretty far back."

MACK - Random Draft Shite

 

Top Pitchers – Results:

 

LHP James Arnold    FSU

    5-IP  2-H  0-R  0-ER  0-BB  8-K  (2-0)

        On The Clock | College Baseball and MLB Draft Pod     @OnTheClock_1

        The lefty has a shot to be the first player off the board in the 2025 MLB Draft!

         Jacob Rudner       @JacobRudner

         Jamie Arnold's blend of confidence, unyielding drive and talent has allowed him to make the strides necessary to be one of the top pitchers in the country in 2025.

The FSUl southpaw isn't shying from the expectations that come with that.

 

RHP Cam Leiter    FSU   -  did not pitch

 

RHP Tyler Bremmer    USCB – did not pitch

 

RHP Kyson Witherspoon    Oklahoma

      7-IP  3-H  1-ER  0-BB  12-K  90/66

                    Kendall Rogers       @KendallRogers

                    RHP Kyson Witherspoon has struck out 11 through six innings, allowing just two hits and a run. His final pitch of the sixth inning was a 96 mph heather. Another strong showing for the #Sooners righty.

                     Tyler Jennings        @TylerJennings24

                     I've really fallen in love with Kyson's profile during the past calendar year and he's really putting together a fantastic start to the year. New arm swing is helping with command and deception, plus the stuff is otherworldly.

When we release our Top 200 ranks, he'll be SP3.

 

RHP Chase Shores    LSU

    5 IP  3-H  0-R  0-ER  2-BB  6-K  (2-0)  0.90

 

LHP Kade Anderson    LSU

    5.1-IP  3-H  2-ER  2-R  2-BB  8-K  79-41

        Peter Flaherty III     @PeterGFlaherty

         Low-90s FB plays well in top-1/2 of zone, CB consistently flashing plus w depth/bite, mid-80s SL has also proven to be a valuable weapon. Turned over a few good CH

 

LHP Connor Ware    LSU

    4-IP  1-H  1-R  1-ER  0-BB  6-K  1.29

 

RHP Matt Scott    Stanford

    6-IP  4-H  0-R  0-ER  1-BB  10-K  (2-0)  0.79

        Jacob Rudner    @JacobRudner

        Scott's stuff didn't match his results in his first two college seasons. If it all clicks now, look out.

 

RHP Kolton Smith    Georgia – did not pitch

 

RHP Payton Graham    Gonzaga – did not pitch

 

RHP James Ellwanger    Dallas Baptist

    3 IP  1 H  0 R  0ER  2 BB  6 K  1.50

 

RHP Patrick Forbes    Louisville

    5-IP  2-H  0-R  0-ER  0-BB  9-K 

        Jacob Rudner    @JacobRudner

        Patrick Forbes is letting it eat right now for Louisville. The righty has seven Ks through four scoreless and sat 93-96 (top 98) mph with his fastball. Forbes is backing up a loud opening day performance nicely so far. He’s gaining draft-board helium early. 

        Joe Doyle        @JoeDoyleMiLB

        Patrick Forbes is chewing through the Western Kentucky lineup holding 94-96 on the stadium gun on a 37-degree day at Louisville.

        Goodness. Pitch no. 60 on the day comes in at 97 on the stadium gun. 

        On The Clock | College Baseball and MLB Draft Pod       @OnTheClock_1

MLB Draft Prospect Spotlight - RHP Patrick Forbes, Louisville

No one has made more noise over the last two weeks than Louisville’s Patrick Forbes. He’s dominated over his last two outings.

93-95 MPH (up to 96) electric factory of a fastball. An absolute force on the mound 

        Tyler Jennings           @TylerJennings24

        I talked the other day about how Kyson Witherspoon is SP3 in this class and honestly, Forbes isn't far behind now. The jump in velocity and improved secondaries have stood out. It was really, really good in Arlington. 1st round is on the table here.

 

RHP Gabe Davis    Oklahoma State

    1 IP  1 H  0 R  0 BB  1 K  5.06

 

LHP J.D. Thompson    Vanderbilt

    4-IP  7-H  3-R  3-ER  2-BB  5-K 

 

LHP Ryan Prager    TAMU

    5-IP  4-H  0-R  2-BB  2-K  84-60

 

LHP Zane Adams    Alabama

    4.1-IP  2-H  1-R  1-ER  3-BB  6-K

 

LHP Ben Jacobs    Arizona State

    5-IP  4-H  3-R  3-ER  1-BB  11-K

 

LHP Liam Doyle    Tennessee

    5.1-IP  2-H  1-R  1-ER  1-BB  14-K  81-54

         Joe Doyle      @JoeDoyleMiLB

I don’t know if Liam Doyle is going to start or pitch out of the bullpen at the next level, but either way he’s going to be a problem.

 

RHP Nate Snead    Tennessee

    4.1 IP  1 H  1 R  0-ER  0 BB  6 K  (1-0)  1.23

 

RHP AJ Russell    Tennessee

    1-IP  0-H  0-R  0-ER  0-BB  3-K 

        Tyler Jennings        @TylerJennings24

        Well, alrighty then. AJ Russell was not expected back until the halfway point of the season. THIS was not on my bingo card. If he stays healthy, Russell is a massive metric darling. It's one of the best heaters in the entire class.

 

RHP Trace Phillips    Middle Tennessee State

    6-IP  5-H  0-R  0-ER  1-BB  9-K  (2-0)

 

LHP Joe Ariola    Wake Forest

    1.2 IP  5-H  4-R  3-ER  2 BB  4 K

 

LHP Nelson Keljo    Oregon State

    4-IP  2-H  2-R  2-ER  4-BB  3-K  77-42

        Kendall Rogers     @KendallRogers

        Keljo has been anywhere from 90-92 and up to 93-94 mph with his sinking  fastball

 

LHP Landon Beidelschies     Arkansas

    2.2 IP  2 H  1 R  1 ER  1 BB  0 K (2-0)  1.17

 

RHP Christian Foutch    Arkansas

1.1  IP  1 H  0 R  0 ER  2 BB  1 K  0.00 

        Aaron Fitt     @aaronfitt

       Also, Christian Foutch gets on the #HeatSheet by pumping 99-100 mph gas for Razorback basaball to get the final out of the 8th. 100 mph... with 18 inches of horizontal break — ridiculous turbo sinker. Good luck with that.

 

 

Baseball America                                @BaseballAmerica

Kyson Witherspoon is among the nation’s strikeout leaders after his first two starts of the season. Witherspoon walked 11.2% of batters in 2024. Through two starts in 2025, the @OU_Baseball righty has walked just TWO 

 

Ian Smith             @IanSmittyGA

2025 RHP Dean Livingston showing off the premium arm talent tonight.

FB: 91-95 T96

SL: 80-83; Sharp, late bite

CB: 74-77; 12/6, depth

CH: 84

Double-digit whiffs, 8/0 K/BB in 4.0 one-run IP for the GA commit. 

 

Kendall Rogers                                      @KendallRogers 

Aiva Arquette is such a special hitter. He's certainly imposing, but literally everything off his bat is very hard contact. He hits a two-run shot to right field to trim Minnesota's lead to 7-4. That was 107 mph off the bat. @BeaverBaseball right back in this thing.

  

kennedi landry        @kennlandry 

Alejandro Rosario (MLB Pipeline’s No. 50 overall prospect) suffered an elbow injury and will likely be out for the 2025 season as he requires surgery, per Chris Young.

“It's likely UCL, I don't want to officially say, but yeah, it's elbow and will probably require Tommy John.”

  

Tyler Jennings                                      @TylerJennings24 

Looks like Devin Taylor has found his swing after a slow start to the year!

Hammering balls to the backside today, hitting a double and this HR. Very physical bat with legit pop to both sides of the park. 104 EV here with ease.

He's JustBB Media's #9 college prospect 

 

Conor Dorney         @cdorney 

Continue to be impressed by ASU OF Isaiah Jackson. Premium athlete with instincts to stick in CF. Much improved barrel control since freshman campaign and AA raw power. Could sneak into top three rounds of the MLB Draft. By all accounts great off field makeup, as well. 

 

Aaron Fitt        @aaronfitt 

Zach Root showing better stuff in the 1st than I've ever seen from him, and I've seen him look very good during his ECU days. The Razorback LHP attacking at 94-96 with arm-side life, gets 2 Ks in a scoreless first on his filthy high-80s cutter, also lands big 81-82 curve.

  

Patrick Ebert    @PatrickEbert44 

This was one of the best outings I’ve seen from UI Baseball LHP Cade Obermueller, really commanded and sequenced well between his 90-93 fastball and sharp 80-83 slider, he came up with some big Ks in key spots

5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K 

 

Monty Taylor         @Monty2740 

I feel like Drew Faurot's production to start the year has somehow gone under-the-radar for FSU.

Over his first 5 games, the junior 2B is now:

13-for-25 w/ a 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, BB, 2 SB

Faurot hit just 6 HR in 59 games in 2024. 

 

James         @jdubonD1base

In just two starts for Baylor, Ethan Calder has worked 12 innings allowing only four hits and a run scored while producing and impressing 15/1 K/BB ratio during that time.

Oh, he also has an ERA of 0.75

  

Joe Doyle         @JoeDoyleMiLB

 Here are all the members of Club 99mph in college baseball through ~4 games:

Michael Salina
Carson Wiggins
Ryan Osinki
Brian Curley
Liam Doyle
Riley Quick
Jackson Flora
Malachi Witherspoon
Marcus Phillips 

I won’t stop beating the drum for Ryan Black. I don’t know if it’s the highest ceiling guy in the Draft, but just a really good ballplayer. 

I quite like Texas OF Tommy Farmer. Think he’s going to be a steal somewhere in the draft if he decides to go pro. Great frame, really good athlete and the tools are coming on. Draft-eligible sophomore

 I think Liam Peterson is probably one of the top five pitchers/pitching prospects in college baseball at this point. Already up to 98 with a full arsenal of pitches, all with dynamic shapes. Tons of strikes. Prototype frame. 2026-eligible. Just nasty. 

 

Jacob Rudner          @JacobRudner 

North Carolina center fielder Kane Kepley showing off the tools that allowed him gain momentum in the scouting community heading into the season. Quick, compact swing at a pitch in the zone, where he makes tons of contact then showed off the plus running.

 Florida lefty Pierce Coppola off to a strong start for the second week in a row with four strikeouts through two scoreless innings. Low 90s fastball with strong life through the zone and a slider that’s added some depth since the 6-foot-8 southpaw has gotten healthier. 

Michigan State ace Joseph Dzierwa just punched out 12 in seven innings against Washington State on 83 pitches, marking his third-straight game with 10-plus Ks, dating back to last year. The MSU Baseball lefty was Baseball America’s Preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. 

 

Alan Cole         @Alan__Cole

Paul Mainieri says Eli Jerzembeck will be out for the season with a stress fracture in his right elbow.

                  Kendall Rogers       @KendallRogers

                  Well, this is very rotten news for the Gamecocks. Jerzembeck was   expected to be a key part of that pitching staff.

                  Joe Doyle                @JoeDoyleiLB)

                  Just brutal for Eli. Torn UCL in late 2023. Missed all of 2024. Going to miss all of 2025. Wishing Eli a quick recovery. Such a talented arm. 

 

CBS Sports - 2025 MLB Draft prospect rankings

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/2025-mlb-draft-prospect-rankings-top-30-players-in-class-with-fsu-lefty-at-no-1-ethan-holliday-in-top-five/  

21. Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU

The quick hook: Lefty with stuff, but can he throw enough strikes?

The Tigers have produced at least a second-round pick in each of the last six drafts. That streak ought to live on. LSU's roster is again loaded, creating the possibility that a den of Tigers gets plucked within the first few rounds. I'm expecting progress from Anderson, a draft-eligible sophomore. He struck out more than 33% of the batters he faced last season, albeit while also walking more than 11%. Anderson's delivery features a short arm stroke that at times forces him to play catch up. If he can sync up his operation more frequently, his combination of a low-to-mid-90s fastball and downer breaking ball could make him an enticing first- or sandwich-round prospect.

 

 

MLB:  Here's the High School All-Prospect Team for the '25 Draft

DH: Xavier Neyens, Mount Vernon (Wash.)

He’ll have to convince the industry that the swing-and-miss issues that popped up later in the summer were more because of fatigue than anything else, but area scouts love his left-handed swing and easily plus raw power. He has the chance to stick at third base, too.

Commitment: Oregon State

 

RHP: Seth Hernandez, Corona (Calif.)

The best prep pitcher in the class, Hernandez is tall (6-foot-4), projectable and athletic. And he has really good now stuff, with a fastball that’s flirted with triple digits, a plus changeup, a high-spin spike curve and a newer slider.

Commitment: Vanderbilt

 

LHP: Kruz Schoolcraft, Sunset (Ore.)

Schoolcraft could be the first baseman on this team, too, but I wanted to spread the love around. He’s 6-foot-8 and has a fastball he can run up to 98 mph, a tight low-80s slider and very good feel for his changeup.

Commitment: Tennessee

 

 

Peter Flaherty III          @PeterGFlaherty

Marek Houston has put on a lot of good weight since last spring and now more than looks the part. Was impacting and driving the baseball more this fall, just hammered his first HR of the season. Plus B2B skills. First rounder this July.

 

 

MLB:  Here's the High School All-Prospect Team for the '25 Draft

SS: Billy Carlson, Corona (Calif.)

With an arm that fires mid-90s fastballs on the mound and at least plus defensive actions, Carlson is a no-doubt shortstop long term … unless someone wants to draft him as a pitcher. He’s gotten stronger and faster with the chance to be a five-tool type at a premium position.

Commitment: Tennessee

 

OF: Eli Willits, Fort-Cobb Broxton (Okla.)

Reggie’s kid has played a lot of shortstop but looked good in the outfield for Team USA. He’s a switch-hitter with outstanding contact skills who doesn’t chase much, and he might have 15-homer type power. His speed and instincts help him wherever he lines up defensively.

Commitment: Oklahoma

 

OF: Slater de Brun, Summit (Ore.)

The 5-foot-9 de Brun gives off some Corbin Carroll vibes, and not just because he’s also from the Pacific Northwest. He makes a ton of contact and gets on base, where his at least plus speed wreaks havoc. Some think he’s more physical than Carroll was in high school, so there might be juice to come.

Commitment: Vanderbilt

 

OF: Brock Sell, Tokay (Calif.)

He’s the best prep player in Northern California, with a quick left-handed swing and a plus pure hit tool. He’s more hit over power now, and there’s some debate over future impact, but there is agreement that his speed plays on both sides of the ball.

Commitment: Stanford

MOCK DRAFT - Sportsnaut - THe First 28 Picks

 

2-26-25 –

MLB mock draft 2025: Projecting first round for 2025 MLB Draft

1. Washington Nationals: Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M

The Washington Nationals can go in a variety of directions with the first pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, with no clear-cut top prospect right now. Infielder Ethan Holiday, out of Stillwater High School offers tantalizing potential and could add an outstanding left-handed bat to the future Nationals lineup. However, we take things in a different direction. 

Jace LaViolette offers a faster timeline to the big leagues and he might be the best hitter in the class. He boasts 70-grade power on the 20-80 scouting scale with above-average athleticism, especially for his size (6-foor-6). Already 21 years old, LaViolette could be part of the Nationals lineup in 2027.

Jace LaViolette stats (2024): .305/.449/.726, 1.175 OPS, 29 home runs, 81-64 K-BB ratio

 

2. Los Angeles Angels: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State

If the Los Angeles Angels wanted to make the long-term play, Ethan Holiday is absolutely worth the second overall pick. However, the franchise continues to be emphasizing moves that could help the club win as soon as possible with Mike Trout still on the team. 

Florida State’s ace Jamie Arnold already offers two premium pitches (fastball and slider) with a changeup that could add a third above-average pitch to his repertoire. The 6-foot-1 southpaw posted a 13.5 K/9 this past season with a 6.12 K/BB ratio, with just a .200 batting average allowed. The 21-year-old offers an accelerated timeline to the majors and could develop into a No. 1 starter in the Angels rotation when he enters his prime years.

Jamie Arnold stats (2024): 2.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 90 hits allowed, 159-26 K-BB in 105.2 innings

 

3. Seattle Mariners: Ethan Holliday, IF, Stillwater HS

Jackson Holliday – No. 1 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft – has said that his younger brother is better than he was at 18 years old. While Ethan might not have as enticing of a hit tool as his brother does, the 6-foot-4 infielder offers power that perhaps only his father could rival. 

Unlike his brother, Ethan has much more swing-and-miss to his game and will likely be playing one of the corner infield spots long-term. With that acknowledged, an 18-year-old with this kind of raw left-handed power and his family’s track record is great value for the Seattle Mariners with the third overall pick.

 

4. Colorado Rockies: Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

UC Santa Barbara’s Tyler Bremner is the best right-handed pitcher in the 2025 MLB Draft. Standing at 6-foot-2, the 20-year-old hurler’s arsenal is led by a changeup that flummoxed hitters this past season. There are certainly legitimate questions about whether Bremner’s numbers are legit or just a reflection on facing a lesser talent pool at the collegiate level. 

He also carries concerns about how effective he could be over a full season since he hasn’t thrown 90-plus innings in a season entering 2025. However, the righty’s three-pitch arsenal (changeup, fastball and slider) paired with the improvements he’s made specifically with the fastball and slider bode well for his long-term development. He’d need a few years in the minors, but the Colorado Rockies need long-term pitching help and there are few things in baseball more valuable than a cost-effective quality starter.

Tyler Bremner stats (2024): 2.54 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 104-21 K-BB, 57 hits allowed in 88.2 innings pitched

 

5. St. Louis Cardinals: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS

The St. Louis Cardinals are likely headed for a bit of a rebuild under Chaim Bloom and the fifth pick in the 2025 MLB Draft is a great place to start. Seth Hernandez, a 6-foot-4 righty, already offers the frame and athleticism clubs like in a prototypical pitcher. Hernandez’s makeup has reportedly drawn very high marks, per MLB.com, a characteristic that incentivizes a club to take a chance on a projectable high school pitcher. 

Hernandez is also enticing because of a four-pitch mix – fastball (97-98 MPH max velocity), curveball (projects to be above-average), changeup (second-best pitch) and a slider – that would provide the Cardinals organization with plenty to work from.

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE FIRST ROUND:

https://sportsnaut.com/mlb/mlb-analysis/lists/mlb-mock-draft-2025/

Reese Kaplan -- No Superstar Fill-In Needed for Nick Madrigal

Yesterday we looked at how to replace the injured pitchers without affecting the payroll.  Now comes a similar look at middle infielders where the Mets are also having to address the vacancy caused by the departure of Jose Iglesias and the long term shoulder injury to newcomer Nick Madrigal.  Now here the same salary swap scenario could work but it’s unlikely to be the approach taken.

For a quick refresher, the Mets could parlay an expiring $18.5 million Starling Marte contract or a halfway point $15.75 million contract to Jeff McNeil for 2025 and 2026 into a replacement from another ballclub.  

The problem now is that the desired player is more likely someone for the bench and not another starting caliber player.  As a result, if it turned out that someone like Trevor Story was put on the block at a $25 million salary for the next three years, you could likely get the BoSox to pay down on the number but at his age and injury history would you want to make that deal?  I sure wouldn’t.

So instead you are looking at spare infielders who could take the place of someone at second, shortstop or third in the event of a day off or minor injury recovery period was needed.  Obviously the first place to look is in-house to see who you have and whether or not one or more of these options could make sense.

At the top of the list is diminutive infielder Luisangel Acuna who has shown a tremendous glove and powerful legs throughout his minor league career.  He’ll likely reach double digits in home runs but unless the batting average exceeded .270 and the stolen base numbers cross into the 40 or more threshold he’s not exactly yet what you solidly envision as a starting caliber player on a day to day basis.

Brett Baty is up at spot number two.  He’s off to a good start as a Port St. Lucie hitter, but Mets fans and management have seen this apparition in the past which apparently vanishes in the cold April weather.  Some people are clearly exhausted by the multiple opportunities not yet seized by Baty, while others figure just trashing a former top level draft pick would be foolish.  

The other issue at hand, however, is defense.  While he’s been a serviceable third baseman in his career, this year they talked about him possibly taking the field at first base in a then Alonso absent roster.  Next came discussion of him trying to play second base.  What no one is breathing aloud is having him start even a Spring Training game at shortstop.  Consequently, if he was putting the bat to the ball consistently the question of patching up the infield backup needs would still be unanswered if Francisco Lindor needed a game or more out of the lineup.

The first positive medical news came recently regarding long injured and multiply operated infielder Ronny Mauricio.  It is said that by mid March he’d be put into game action and it’s entirely possible to foresee the former top ten prospect taking the field in another of the same positions as Acuna.  

While his stolen base numbers would understandably be down until the knee is truly 100% tested and healthy, he has much more power.  However, the rush to push him into this fill-in role may not make sense as he needs to be playing regularly to affirm he is ready for that kind of workload rather than having him rot away on the bench.

The situation with Jett Williams is kind of the same as the one with Mauricio.  Everyone knows he can field, he can run and he can hit.  What they don’t know is whether or not he’s ready to make the transition essentially from AA to a bench role on the majors.  Having his play every day in Syracuse would enable him to resume the growth path that went awry in 2024 due to injury and like Mauricio he would not truly reinforce his skills by watching from the sidelines on a daily basis.

So while the Acuna solution seems the closest to making sense (particularly when you throw in the good September of 2024 and the hot Winter League performance he made), it may be that the club would prefer him to rebuild on the mediocre AAA numbers he posted last season.  Playing every day would give him that chance whereas in the majors he would sit behind starters Jeff McNeil, Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos. 

The other approach would be to find the next Nick Madrigal type from another club.  Veteran infielders who either don’t yet have a deal and would welcome a minor league chance or a split contract is one approach to the free agent marketplace.  The other one would be fringe level trade execution where the Mets send someone not slated to be a part of the long term core off elsewhere in return for a capable backup infielder.

Remember for a moment that even Jose Iglesias couldn’t land a major league contract in 2024 when he was on a minor league deal while signing with the Mets despite a .280 lifetime batting average.  There is quality out there for someone who can field like Luis Guillorme, hit like Jose Iglesias or run like an in-his-prime Bert Campaneris.  

These players might be blocked by long term veterans or simply have not shown enough consistency to warrant a full time job.  This group of AAAA types and MLB backups is who the Mets front office must evaluate.