Jump to content

2025 MLB Draft


Boopa1219

Recommended Posts

  On 2/16/2025 at 4:48 PM, Springfield Soxfan said:

Saw some social media action today that some national writer brought up the KW/Keenyn Walker story that showed KE’s gross incompetence.  Don’t remember what that was?

Expand  

Walker was the Sox first pick (Comp round overall 47) who was a huge surprise when selected from a Utah CC. Literally no one thought he was a first rounder but Kenny saw him play one game and came away convinced. Centerfield tools, could run pretty well, but couldn't really hit. I believe these days he's like a fireman or a paramedic or something. Not his fault that Kenny drafted him that high, but kind of symptomatic of how the Sox weren't like other orgs in a bad way.

  • Like 4
  • Fire 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 2/16/2025 at 5:05 PM, Timmy U said:

Walker was the Sox first pick (Comp round overall 47) who was a huge surprise when selected from an Utah CC. Literally no one thought he was a first rounder but Kenny saw him play one game and came away convinced. Centerfield tools, could run pretty well, but couldn't really hit. I believe these days he's like a fireman or a paramedic or something. Not his fault that Kenny drafted him that high, but kind of symptomatic of how the Sox weren't like other orgs in a bad way.

Expand  

Thank you! What a train wreck.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What does everyone think of Cam Cannarella? Feels like he’ll go somewhere around where we pick. Hit tool is pretty good and the defense and speed are ++.
 

I still think the value at 10 is probably up the middle prep with Willits, Carlson, Cunningham depending who’s there if any of those 3 but curious on how the board views Canarrella? Lack of power will be big issue with his evaluation I’m sure. Looks like he’s a max 15 HR guy. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BA has an article up from covering the Shriners Children's College Showdown. Lists three players trending up with blurbs, then reports on some of the top ranked names.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/13-mlb-draft-prospects-to-know-from-a-loaded-college-baseball-opening-weekend-in-texas/

From the trending up portion. Will only include the writeup on Forbes.

  Quote

Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville
Draft Rank: 178
Weekend Stats: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K 

It took exactly three games to discover the first prospect we have severely under ranked in the 2025 class. Forbes checked in at No. 178 on our preseason draft board, but after an electric outing vs. Texas, it’s clear he belongs much higher. 

In his first two seasons with Louisville, Forbes pitched mostly out of the bullpen. In 2024, he posted a 3.72 ERA over 29 innings before a strong four-start effort in the Cape Cod League. Now Louisville’s ace, Forbes has a lean frame with further strength potential at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds while throwing with a loose and quick arm action from low three-quarters slot. He’s a good mover on the mound with whippy arm speed and a bit of recoil in his finish, but nothing egregious. 

In this outing, Forbes pitched with a 93-97 mph fastball that touched 98 and exploded out of his hand with tons of armside running life. He averaged 95-96 over five innings and was still touching 96 in his final frame in the 70-84 pitch range. Forbes attacked the top of the zone consistently and generated 11 whiffs with his fastball, including a number of chases up above the zone. 

He paired his heater with a low-to-mid-80s slider that featured hard-biting action and tight shape at the bottom of the zone. It was effective against both righties and lefties with a bit more sweeping action when he landed it to the glove side. On several occasions, he used the pitch as a lethal backfoot swing-and-miss breaking ball against lefthanded hitters.

Forbes’ fastball and slider both profiled as plus pitches in this look. He also mixed in a few upper-80s cutters and 89-90 mph changeups, but the fastball/slider combo was his main offering. He’s likely to fit as a top 60 prospect in our next draft update.

Expand  
  Quote

Luke Hill, 3B/2B, Ole Miss
Draft Rank: Not ranked
Weekend Stats: 5-for-9 (.556), 2 HR, 1 3B, 2 BB, 0 K

Expand  
  Quote

Jared Spencer, LHP, Texas
Draft Rank: Not ranked
Weekend Stats: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Expand  

 

Edited by DirtySox
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From the same article pulled out some of the top ranked players from the article that could be White Sox relevant.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/13-mlb-draft-prospects-to-know-from-a-loaded-college-baseball-opening-weekend-in-texas/

  Quote

Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson
Draft Rank: 6
Weekend Stats: 4-for-12 (.333), 3 2B, 1 BB, 4 K

Cannarella was the highest-ranked draft prospect in the six-team field at Globe Life Park. After playing through a right shoulder injury in 2024, Cannarella is still not quite 100% with his throwing arm. He wasn’t a full participant in Clemson’s pregame infield and outfield, and during warmups between innings, he would throw from only about 60 feet to get loose. It sounds like he’s making normal progress in the wake of his right labrum surgery.

Offensively, Cannarella had a fine weekend with four hits and three doubles, though he didn’t look quite up to game speed and showed more swing-and-miss than expected for someone with his hitting track record and collegiate miss rates. A 6-foot, 185-pound lefthanded hitter, Cannarella has a neutral and relaxed setup in the box with a standard leg kick and solid rhythm with loose and easy hands. There’s some noise in his load, including a pre-pitch bat waggle, a bit of a hand hitch and press back towards the catcher, but at his best, Cannarella has shown an ability to maneuver the barrel around the zone and make contact vs. all pitch types. 

This weekend specifically, Cannarella seemed to be finding his timing against fastballs. He also showed some vulnerability against right-on-left changeups and breaking balls down in the zone. He swung through a pair of middle-middle 95 mph fastballs that he probably would love another crack at and struck out four times compared to just one walk. 

His speed allows him to turn singles into doubles, and on one occasion, he drove a 91 mph fastball on the ground through a shifted infield to left-center and used a 4.26-second turn around the first base bag (a 65-grade run time) to beat a throw to second base. In center field, Cannarella showed his typical strong instincts and range and had one impressive athletic play tracking a ball hit to straight center at the warning track.

Expand  
  Quote

Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona
Draft Rank: 22
Weekend Stats: 3-for-11 (.273), 1 HR, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 SB

Summerhill joined Cannarella as a first-team outfielder on our preseason college All-American teams and had a solid three-game debut to the season that featured a home run, three hits, three walks and a stolen base. A 6-foot-3, 205-pound outfielder and lefthanded hitter, Summerhill has a well-rounded game but a bit of a tweener outfield profile. Scouts want to see him either play center field or show more power this spring, and in all three games for Arizona on opening weekend, he led off and handled right field.

Summerhill has an upright stance in the box and takes a slight toe tap that leads to a leg kick and long stride with a fairly direct hand path to the ball. His lower half move can cause him to get a bit lungy at times, which leaves him out in front of offspeed or just underneath elevated fastballs, but in general, he shows a strong understanding of the zone with good contact ability. Summerhill showed a patient approach with a nice ability to read spin out of the hand and generally made loud contact all weekend.

Summerhill’s best result came in a 1-0 count when he got a righthanded cutter at 87 mph middle-in. He did a nice job getting the bat head out and pulled the ball into the second row of the right field stands at 103 mph off the bat. 

Expand  
  Quote

Nolan Schubart, OF, Oklahoma State
Draft Rank: 25
Weekend Stats: 4-for-10 (.400), 2 2B, 4 BB, 3 K

In a tournament where seemingly every hitter in all six lineups was lighting up the exit velocity board, one of college baseball’s most fearsome sluggers went homerless. While Oklahoma State fans in attendance would beg to differ after a titanic blast pulled down the line in game one against Clemson was called foul, Schubart ended up going 4-for-10 with a pair of doubles, four walks and three strikeouts. 

Schubart is a hulking, 6-foot-5, 235-pound lefthanded hitter who generates some of the best exit velocities in the class. He pairs that strength and excellent bat speed with a steep and uphill path that leads to plenty of crushed fly balls but also a ton of swing-and-miss. To help counteract the miss tendencies, Schubart brings a strong batting eye and understanding of the strike zone to the table. He rarely expands the zone, and in two-strike counts, he ditches his leg kick and spreads out in a wide stance that lets his hands and natural strength do the work. 

While Schubart has huge power, his secondary tools are lacking, and he’ll need to sharpen his defensive game if possible to avoid a future move to first base. He’s a slower runner who’s not likely to take an extra base too often. He’ll make the routine play in right field, but his range could become more of a question mark at the next level. Schubart had one tough foul ball opportunity at the right field fence on which he came up just short.

Expand  

 

Edited by DirtySox
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought that was you! Cant believe we were at the same game last night and I didnt say hi. Long time lurker, rarely post, but been following your work for years. Love the insights into the sox scouting mindset

 

WSWRA

  On 2/19/2025 at 2:37 PM, Harold's Leg Lift said:

I don;t think they'll take a catcher at 1-10 but damn I like this dude.  I mean how many green jerseys with the name Irish on them would they sell.  

 

Expand  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kiley has his 1.0 draft rankings up. Will post through his 45 tier.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/43938826/2025-mlb-draft-rankings-10-kiley-mcdaniel-top-50-prospects-ncaa-high-school
 

  Quote

50 FV tier
1. Jace LaViolette (21.6), RF, Texas A&M
2. Jamie Arnold (21.2), LHP, Florida State

45+ FV tier
3. Tyler Bremner (21.2), RHP, UC Santa Barbara
4. Aiva Arquette (21.7), SS, Oregon State
5. Cam Cannarella (21.8), CF, Clemson
6. Billy Carlson (19.0), SS, Corona HS (CA), Tennessee commit
7. Marek Houston (21.2), SS, Wake Forest
8. Ethan Holliday (18.3), 3B, Stillwater HS (OK), Oklahoma State commit
9. Gavin Fien (18.2), 3B, Great Oak HS (CA), Texas commit

45 FV tier
10. Eli Willits (17.6), SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (OK), Oklahoma commit
11. Brendan Summerhill (21.7), CF, Arizona
12. Trent Caraway (21.2), 3B, Oregon State
13. Kayson Cunningham (19.0), SS, Johnson HS (TX), Texas commit
14. Cameron Appenzeller (18.5), LHP, Glenwood HS (IL), Tennessee commit
15. Caden Bodine (21.6), C, Coastal Carolina
16. Xavier Neyens (18.7), 3B, Mount Vernon HS (WA), Oregon State commit
17. Wehiwa Aloy (21.4), SS, Arkansas
18. Dean Curley (21.1), SS, Tennessee
19. Seth Hernandez (19.0), RHP, Corona HS (CA), Vanderbilt commit
20. Slater de Brun (18.1), CF, Summit HS (OR), Vanderbilt commit
21. Tate Southisene (18.8), SS, Basic HS (NV), USC commit
22. Luke Stevenson (21.0), C, North Carolina
23. Ike Irish (21.6), C, Auburn
24. Brock Sell (18.7), CF, Tokay HS (CA), Stanford commit
25. Brady Ebel (17.9), 3B, Corona HS (CA), LSU commit
26. Daniel Pierce (18.9), SS, Mill Creek HS (GA), Georgia commit
27. Kyson Witherspoon (20.9), RHP, Oklahoma
28. Tre Phelps III (21.0), 3B, Georgia
29. Kruz Schoolcraft (18.2), LHP, Sunset HS (OR), Tennessee commit
30. Ethan Conrad (21.0), RF, Wake Forest
31. Kade Anderson (21.0), LHP, LSU

Expand  

 

Edited by DirtySox
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's super early but it's exciting to see some up the middle college guys starting to emerge as potentials for 1-10.  Curley, Houston, Cannarella, Austin maybe Aloy.  Them along with the HS SS's (Carlson, Ebel, Willits, Cunningham) they should be able to fill a serious  org need (SS, CF) without having to reach which is the exact situation you hope for.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Picked out some blurbs from the article that I found interesting/relevant.

  Quote

I had Houston in this tier entering the season because his physicality and swing mechanics had improved so much in the fall that it's worth projecting that his numbers would improve this spring. The 6-foot-3 shortstop, who is a plus runner and defender, looks to have turned the corner offensively with an OPS over 1.700 and three home runs in his first five games. He might be in the first tier in another month, with one scout comparing him to Dansby Swanson.

Expand  
  Quote

You might be surprised Holiday isn't higher on the list, given his easy plus power from the left side and infield fit. He wowed me three years ago as a freshman when I was scouting his brother Jackson, and Ethan has been considered a clear first-rounder since then. His summer numbers haven't been very good and there wasn't a reason. I was prepared to move him much lower in this ranking because those events are the best tool to project what he'll do early in pro ball.

When digging deeper into his summer, I noticed he wasn't pulling fastballs and a timing issue might be to blame. The combination of his bat being too vertical as it's about to enter the hitting zone while his elbow is flared out creates a hand load position that seems to cause his problems. He's often holding in that awkward spot and is too late to get around on good velocity, sometimes bailing toward first base and fighting his hand position.

A few teams also noticed something similar about his timing/trigger being problematic, but they assumed because his dad, former big leaguer Matt Holliday, is such a good swing guy that this would be fixed in the spring. Holliday won't face a lot of pro-level velocity in the spring, limiting his opportunities to prove that a subtle change can fix this issue. But this typically is not a difficult issue to correct.

Expand  

 

Edited by DirtySox
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  Quote

You might be surprised Holiday isn't higher on the list, given his easy plus power from the left side and infield fit. He wowed me three years ago as a freshman when I was scouting his brother Jackson, and Ethan has been considered a clear first-rounder since then. His summer numbers haven't been very good and there wasn't a reason. I was prepared to move him much lower in this ranking because those events are the best tool to project what he'll do early in pro ball.

When digging deeper into his summer, I noticed he wasn't pulling fastballs and a timing issue might be to blame. The combination of his bat being too vertical as it's about to enter the hitting zone while his elbow is flared out creates a hand load position that seems to cause his problems. He's often holding in that awkward spot and is too late to get around on good velocity, sometimes bailing toward first base and fighting his hand position.

A few teams also noticed something similar about his timing/trigger being problematic, but they assumed because his dad, former big leaguer Matt Holliday, is such a good swing guy that this would be fixed in the spring. Holliday won't face a lot of pro-level velocity in the spring, limiting his opportunities to prove that a subtle change can fix this issue. But this typically is not a difficult issue to correct.

Expand  

I learned a valuable lesson of putting too much weight on the summer and fall circuit with Jack Suwinski.  Jack got his s%*# pushed in on the circuit and I was out.  He worked his ass off during the off season and changed his body and swing.  He came out in the spring and destroyed everyone who dared to pitch to him and I chalked it up as just facing awful pitching in the Chicago public league.  The Jack Hammmer made it to the big leagues as a 23 yr old.  Lesson learned.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...