2025 MLB Draft Thread

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Greg Z mock with some interesting intel on the Cubs.

[JBears79]

Law recently highlighted Pierce as a Cubs target too and that he's been hearing the Cubs around high school hitters a lot. Something to watch for.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Not worth its own thread, but this weekend is NCAA regionals and one of the most underrated sports TV events, ESPN's whiparound show Squeeze Play.  It'll be on ESPN+ basically all weekend, and maybe simulcast to a broadcast ESPN at various points.  There's so many games going on combined with college baseball's penchant for chaos that there's almost always something compelling, especially once we get to Saturday and elimination games start happening.

[Jason Ross]

3 hours ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Admittedly I'm only judging based on the Shaw and Smith selections but I have to think LaViolette has too much swing and miss for Kantrovitz. While they might not have been picking in the best place to select them, Kantrovitz passed on Fabian and Honeycutt who had similar swing and miss concerns (admittedly both were worse than LaViolette).

Fully. The Cubs are seemingly comfortable with a power-over-contact profile, but not within the top-rounds. When the Cubs draft hitters (and hell, even when they traded for prospects) they valued contact based approaches above others more times than naught. They get more loose with it in the mid-rounds (Cruz, Rosario, Brethowr) and the 11th round prep-selection. 

It's why I'd have someone like Steele Hall or Aloy (who is more in the 'aggressive' mold but the Cubs don't shy away from a free-swinger as long as bat-to-ball remains) as more likely.

[Jason Ross]

2 hours ago, JBears79 said:

Law recently highlighted Pierce as a Cubs target too and that he's been hearing the Cubs around high school hitters a lot. Something to watch for.

I've stumped for Hall but Pierce is another "Cub profile" guy I think. Strong defensively, gets praise for bat to ball skills. A riser. Read a few times about his success against the best pitching he's faced on the year (which I think is notable - there's no Cape for these kids, but finding how the Cubs might value a prep hitter in that vein, I think this could be a thing).

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

2nd round option?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[Regular Show]

Good video on local rising prep lefty Jack Bauer.

Seems pretty mature and well spoken. Probably does really well in private sessions when talking to scouts for MLB teams. He feels like a potential target for the Padres, Royals or Dodgers (they have 2 high picks now, one acquired in the Gavin Lux trade with the Reds). 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Aloy homered twice today:

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Witherspoon got roughed up:

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Cam Cannarella had first round hype going into the season before tumbling due to a rough start to the season plus injuries. Might be playing his way back up:

 

[CubinNY]

Irish hit a late inning bomb to seal the deal for Auburn. He’s a Schwarber Jr, with a better body coming out college. He’s also a Michigan native. 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

49 minutes ago, CubinNY said:

Irish hit a late inning bomb to seal the deal for Auburn. He’s a Schwarber Jr, with a better body coming out college. He’s also a Michigan native. 

Here’s the homer:

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

I see what Kiley McDaniel meant about a Cade Horton-esque ascent this June.

[Named After Maddux]

On 5/30/2025 at 1:34 PM, JBears79 said:

Law recently highlighted Pierce as a Cubs target too and that he's been hearing the Cubs around high school hitters a lot. Something to watch for.

Yes indeed. Folks love Daniel Pierce internally from the gist I've gotten. If I had to guess on a HS hitter for the Cubs, Pierce would be my pick. Sounds like Steele Hall has fans too but there might be a disconnect between what the scouting team thinks (a bit wary) to the upper brass (he could be Trea Turner).

 

When it comes down to it, I think there's a lot of healthy debate between college pitching and HS hitting unless someone magically falls to 17 and is a no-brainer.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Louisville advanced to the Supers so Forbes will get another start.

[Outshined_One]

1 hour ago, Named After Maddux said:

When it comes down to it, I think there's a lot of healthy debate between college pitching and HS hitting unless someone magically falls to 17 and is a no-brainer.

You can make similar arguments in favor of college hitters who could be available.  Brendan Summerhill, Gavin Kilen, and Wehiwa Aloy all seem to fit the profiles of guys the Cubs tend to draft, and you can even include Ike Irish if the Cubs see his profile as Schwarber-like.

[Bertz]

Demographically I'd love a redo of the '22 draft and just go pitching pitching pitching.  For one because the system could use it, and for another because Tyler Zombro appears to be the goods.  Pitching trade secrets seem to only have a few years of shelf life, so go all in on leveraging him until all his tricks are public domain.

[Jason Ross]

5 hours ago, Named After Maddux said:

Yes indeed. Folks love Daniel Pierce internally from the gist I've gotten. If I had to guess on a HS hitter for the Cubs, Pierce would be my pick. Sounds like Steele Hall has fans too but there might be a disconnect between what the scouting team thinks (a bit wary) to the upper brass (he could be Trea Turner).

 

When it comes down to it, I think there's a lot of healthy debate between college pitching and HS hitting unless someone magically falls to 17 and is a no-brainer.

Love to hear the positive stuff on Pierce. Hall seemed to fit a lot of their profile as well, interesting to hear the disconnect between scouting and brass, though. 

[Jason Ross]

4 hours ago, Outshined_One said:

You can make similar arguments in favor of college hitters who could be available.  Brendan Summerhill, Gavin Kilen, and Wehiwa Aloy all seem to fit the profiles of guys the Cubs tend to draft, and you can even include Ike Irish if the Cubs see his profile as Schwarber-like.

Irish had good overall numbers on the Cape but struggled heavily with swing and miss. I would be surprised if he fit the Cubs early-draft-mold. They will go with aggressive hitters at the top, but ones who show bat-to-ball skills (think Matt Shaw). Kilen was not impressive in the Cape, though he did more-or-less really break out this year, so maybe they'd forgive him.

Aloy and Summerhill feel more "Cubs profile" to me. But reading tea-leaves.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Definitely got the impression he’d be gone before the Cubs pick from recent mock drafts.

[CubinNY]

On 6/2/2025 at 4:46 PM, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Definitely got the impression he’d be gone before the Cubs pick from recent mock drafts.

He's a masher who can handle high velocity up in the zone. I think he goes straight to the OF once he's drafted. 

[Regular Show]

Quote

Tennessee (No. 14) at Arkansas (No. 3)
Top 200 Draft prospects: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee (No. 9); Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee (No. 17); Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas (No. 22); Andrew Fischer, 1B/3B, Tennessee (No. 29); Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas (No. 43); Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas (No. 50); Charles Davalan, OF, Arkansas (No. 55); Dean Curley, INF, Tennessee (No. 58); AJ Russell, RHP, Tennessee (No. 69)

 

Callis: This is the best matchup. Nine Top 100 Draft prospects all ranked within the top 69. Both teams have legitimate chances to win the National Championship and only one of them is going to get to Omaha. If I can go to any Super Regional this weekend, it would be this one. You got Liam Doyle, who is battling Kade Anderson for the national lead in strikeouts. He’s going to be a top 10 pick and could go as high as No. 2, I think to the Angels. Gavin Kilen, an infielder for Tennessee, is one of the best pure hitters in the college ranks. Wehiwa Aloy, for Arkansas, shortstop, SEC Player of the Year, offensive-minded guy but also improved defensively. Andrew Fischer, corner infielder for Tennessee, one of the better all-around hitters in college baseball. You have two pitchers for Arkansas in Zach Root and Gage Wood, who were lights out during the Regionals. Those guys may push themselves into the first round. All six of those guys have potential to be first-round picks.

You have Charles Davalan, an outfielder for Arkansas, who could go in the sandwich round. Dean Curley, Tennessee, kind of slumped offensively and defensively, but was a pretty solid first-round pick before that. Then AJ Russell, who was a legit first-round arm for Tennessee before he had internal brace surgery last summer. They kind of worked him back in slowly, but it’s a big-time arm. This Super Regional is just loaded. Tennessee can make a run at the overall record of 14 players taken in a single Draft this year and Arkansas could have up to 10. You might have 24 drafted players from this Super Regional.