BEST OVERALL DRAFT CLASSES
Jared’s Pick: Colorado Rockies
The entire world thought the Cincinnati Reds would take Georgia 3B/OF Charlie Condon with the second overall pick after the Guardians took Travis Bazzana. But they shocked everyone and took Chase Burns. This allowed for Condon to fall right into the Rockies' lap. Condon put up video game numbers during the entire year, hitting 37 home runs while driving in 78 in 60 games. Just absurd. They followed that pick by taking RHP Brody Brecht, who has some of the best stuff in this draft class. The only knock on him is his command and control issues.
They continued their surge of solid players by taking OF Jared Thomas (one of the best pure hitters in the class) and C Cole Messina (3rd Round), an excellent clubhouse presence and is a complete gamer. They then took a tremendous senior sign, Blake Wright (4th Round), out of Clemson. The third baseman has power to all fields and improved his contact rates this year. They also took a couple of intriguing mid-major arms in LHP Konner Eaton (6th Round) out of George Mason and LHP Everett Catlett (12th Round) out of Georgetown. Eaton has an excellent fastball with great life to it and two good secondaries in his slider and changeup. A team should be able to build off of those. Catlett is a tall, lanky southpaw who has a presence on the mound. He hasn’t had a lot of miles on his arm due to some injuries. It's a good fastball that has been up to 96 and a solid slider to go with it. The Rockies have to be very happy with this draft class.
Tyler’s Pick: Cincinnati Reds
Adding an arm like Chase Burns will always create excitement around a draft class, especially after we’ve seen a somewhat comparable talent in Paul Skenes at the major league level less than a year after being drafted. Though the Burns pick--especially the lack of savings--was surprising, the Reds soaked up value the rest of the way, apparently not needing any extra money to work with. In the end, they blended some high upside dart throws with a sturdy group of pro-ready collegiate performers.
Tyson Lewis stands out as arguably the most toolsy non-Konnor Griffin player from this draft and they really hammered home a strong class of hitters adding plate discipline-maestro Mike Sirota (3rd Round), ultra-rounded Peyton Stovall (4th Round), intriguing backstop in Jacob Friend (6th Round), and a huge sleeper in Myles Smith (7th Round)--a twitchy outfield bat with excellent hitting aptitude. Adding quality and low-risk collegiate pitching in Luke Holman (CB-B) and Tristan Smith (5th Round) gives Cincinnati a real chance to produce more than one MLB rotation arm. Assuming the club can also sign prep shortstop Adrian Areizaga (14th Round), they’ll have a really fun blend of proximate MLB talents and projectable middle infield athletes.
Harris’ Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates had several quality options with the ninth overall pick, and went with the prep shortstop Konnor Griffin. Griffin is big and athletic with off-the-chart tools. His hit tool is less certain than that of a typical top-10 pick, but he has superstar potential.
The rest of Day 1 saw Pittsburgh go after a pair of surprisingly high-floor high school guys. Levi Sterling is a long, athletic right-hander with excellent strike-throwing ability and tons of projection, while Wyatt Sanford is arguably the best defensive shortstop in the class.
Third-rounder Josh Hartle was a top prep prospect in 2021 and had an up-and-down career at Wake Forest. His fastball lacks the necessary movement, but he throws tons of strikes and has two secondary pitches that flash plus. It isn’t crazy to imagine him being one of the better pitchers in the entire class— especially given how well Pittsburgh has developed arms in recent years.
Will Taylor is a toolsy outfielder who spent two years moonlighting as a wide receiver for the Clemson football team. As a result, he’s incredibly raw and unpolished at the plate, but he is super athletic and profiles as an above-average center fielder. He showed some improved power in 2024, as well. He’s a worthwhile dart throw in the fifth round.
Finally, eighth-round right-hander Gavin Adams is one of the more intriguing late-round selections. The JuCo transfer never got a chance to prove himself at the D1 level, as he underwent Tommy John surgery before taking the mound for Florida State. Adams is athletic and projectable with a triple-digits fastball, so it goes without saying that he comes with upside.
Overall, Pittsburgh built well for the future, adding plenty of talent to an already strong crop of prospects.
Switz’s Pick: Cleveland Guardians
I know picking the team with the number 1 overall pick and the most pool money as the best overall draft is very cliche. However, it's how the Guardians worked their money and pulled off the ability to land four prep arms with high ceilings for one of baseball's best pitching development systems while still taking the best dude in the draft by most rankings in Bazzana.
Further, when they didn't take a prep arm, they showed their usual tendencies of staying up the middle throughout the draft by taking one of the top catchers in this cycle of Cozart, a sleeper backstop in Thompson, and multiple college arms with distinctive attributes and stuff. After everything ended, the Guardians walked away with seven dudes inside Prospect Live's top 200 and reloaded their pitching depth (which is their bread and butter). Everyone knew that the Guardians were looking under slot with the first pick; however, no one knew the abilities they were planning with the saved money throughout the other two days of the draft.
Patrick’s Pick: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox had Braden Montgomery fall into their lap at the 12th overall pick. While there may be some question marks about whether he still switch-hits in pro ball and his defense, getting this type of player at pick 12 is certainly something to be excited about. After Montgomery, the Red Sox took an approach I love, going after data-friendly arms and hitters with on-base and defensive ability. Peyton Tolle was their 2nd round pick, who throws an elevator ball of a four-seamer and will flash a plus changeup, followed by Gators stopper Brandon Neely in the 3rd.
Blake Aita features a frisbee slider with a well-shaped fastball, and Brandon Clarke has crazy arm speed and a flashed feel for secondaries. Devin Futrell is a big-bodied left-hander with a good carry and a good velo fastball. On the bat side, Zach Ehrhard is a twitchy center fielder with on-base skills and will play a nice center field. Will Turner had a down season in 2024 after a career year at the plate in 2023, but can still play a plus centerfield. Conrad Cason was drafted as a two-way player and has the discipline and crazy pop at the plate to go with hellacious arm speed on the mound.
Jeff’s Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks
A lot of the value in this class comes from day one. They grabbed two of my top 15 with their first two selections. While teams worried about Slade Caldwell's size and Ryan Waldschimdt's knees, the Diamondbacks snapped up fantastic talent. Caldwell would have been the top prep player if he was 6 inches taller. There are questions about power, but no doubt he can handle centerfield and has some of the best physical traits in the class.
Wadschimdt's batted ball data was excellent across the board. He didn't chase, had excellent exit velocity, and great contact data. The bat will play wherever. I was the high one on JD Dix, and I think if he had been healthy, he would have gone much earlier. I saw some JJ Wetherholt in the profile. Daniel Eagen looks like a potential back-end starter who got better all year. Tytus Cissell has a lot of similar traits to Dix but with more athleticism and less of a chance to stick at short. Conor Foley is a considerable risk, both literally and figuratively. Indiana has quietly become a pitching factory, and Foley stood out for his fastball this year. He is a plus athlete with two plus offerings. If his command can be worked on, there is a lot of upside with a nice reliever floor. I was not super familiar with Ivan Luciano, but there are worse coaches for a young Puerto Rican catcher than Yadier Molina. They let the draft come to them and came away with an excellent mix of players.
As a bonus, they also made the best name selection in the entire class when, with pick 254 of the 10th round, they took Trent Youngblood from Transylvania University. He became the first pick ever from Transylvania University. I don't believe in draft grades, but they are auto A.
FAVORITE PICKS
Jared’s Pick: RHP Drew Beam (3rd Round, 76th Pick, Kansas City Royals)
Now I know what you’re thinking… “Jared is being a homer here,” but I promise I’m not! Beam came in as Prospects Live’s #47 overall prospect, and it is not hard to see why. Sure, there’s nothing flashy in his pitch mix, but he has been one of the SEC's most reliable and top-performing arms for three years. It is about as safe of a floor as you can find and one of the safest bets to make it to the major leagues as a back-of-the-rotation starter. It’s a polished pitcher who throws many strikes with a decent four-pitch mix. Maybe the Royals can unlock a bit more in Beam with their new way of pitching development. The Royals have to be happy with him falling to them at 76.
Patrick’s Pick: BHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (1st Round, 15th Pick, Seattle Mariners)
Cijntje is famous for being a both-handed pitcher. However, he exclusively threw right-handed for most of the season for Mississippi State. From the right side, Cijntje is 93-96 and up to 98 with a high carry, low release fastball. His slider is his go-to secondary, which is generally in the mid 80’s with an average sweep. However, the Mariners’ pitching factory has shown they can develop breakers just as well as anyone, and Cijntje has the ideal arm path for a sweeper. On top of this, the newly exclusive right-hander will flash an above-average changeup. There’s a lot to like here, and given Cijntje has spent his whole career throwing with both hands, focusing on one side may give a
developmental boost, on top of the Mariners’ midas touch pitching development.
Tyler’s Pick: Ariel Armas (5th Round, 153rd Pick, Chicago Cubs)
Maybe I’ll look like a homer for going out on a limb with a lesser-known 5th rounder, but Armas flew under the radar as one of the best defensive backstops I’ve seen at the amateur level. The San Diego product is a legit pro defender and should need little refinement on that end to reach the big leagues; he’s a gunner with his arm, an excellent blocker, and has smooth framing skills. Armas isn’t going to light up box scores with his bat, but there are above average bat-to-ball skills here with a quality approach. Should Armas emerge as an average hitter, he has the upside of a high-end backup catcher.
Switz’s Pick: LHP Cam Caminiti (1st Round, 24th Pick, Atlanta Braves)
Many teams will look back on this pick and ask why we let him fall to Atlanta. The Braves have been notorious for some time now within their pitching development, to the point that agents are very comfortable having their dudes fall in the draft to see them get selected by the Braves. This seems like another scenario, as many mocked Caminiti as a first-half-of-the-first-round type of dude and ended up being a dream situation for Atlanta.
A big-league bloodline prodigy, Cam has been a must-watch arm within the prep circuit for some time now by lighting up the radar guns with an FB in the mid-90s topping up to 98 and possessing two breaking balls that look like they could become plus offerings in the near future. He displays advanced mechanics, good balance, and desired repeatability of his fluid operation for his age (the reason for his reclassification). He’s been a wrecking ball against LHHs and seems to be on the trajectory that he could momentarily be a high-upside starting arm in Truist Park when the dust settles on his development.
Jeff's Pick: RHP Luke Sinnard (3rd Round, 99th Pick, Atlanta Braves)
Luke Sinnard had some travels and travails in college. He started at Western Kentucky, then transferred to Indiana, and then needed Tommy John Surgery, but he didn't pitch this past season. Yet when he did get to pitch it was at the combine where he posted some of the best spin rates of any pitcher at the entire combine. The year before, he broke a nearly 90-year-old strikeout record at Indiana. He is a massive kid at 6'8" and 250 pounds. Yet he also posted excellent control numbers in school. His size and extension make his velocity play up, which pairs with the high spin rates on his curve and slider, making him a player I kept moving up boards. While the injury cost him his season, he might be able to pitch in the minors for Atlanta this year, helping him recover time. I see a large pitcher who missed bats, had excellent walk rates, and had two pitches with exceptional spin data, and I still feel like he could have gone higher.
Harris’ Pick: RHP Trey Yesavage (1st Round, 20th Pick, Toronto Blue Jays)
Yesavage had some buzz in the top 10 but fell all the way down to the 20th overall pick, likely due to a lung injury. East Carolina’s Friday night starter turned in back-to-back dominant seasons in 2023 and 2024, striking out 250 hitters while walking just 55 over 169.1 innings. His collegiate career ended with a win over Wake Forest — the same Wake Forest team that turned out three top-10 picks earlier this month — out dueling Chase Burns and limiting Nick Kurtz and Seaver King to one combined hit in six plate appearances.
Yesavage has a prototypical starter’s frame and a dangerous four-pitch mix. His slider and splitter are especially dangerous, and he commands his entire arsenal very well. He’s a high-floor prospect with a No. 2 starter upside and could be one of the first big leaguers from this class. Compared to the highest-drafted college arms — Chase Burns and Hagen Smith — Yesavage is a fairly sure thing, given his strike-throwing ability.
As of this writing, Yesavage and the Blue Jays have yet to finalize a contract, but that will presumably happen before the Aug. 1 deadline and likely for over-slot value. Regardless of what the signing bonus ends up being, Yesavage could end up being the steal of the draft.
BIGGEST SURPRISE PICKS
Jared’s Pick: OF PJ Morlando (1st Round,16th Pick, Miami Marlins)
This wasn’t a surprise pick because it was bad; I expected Morlando to go near the back half of the first or during the comp rounds. The Marlins saw something they liked, and there might be a slight chance they could under-slot him, though it could be tough to do so given his commitment to South Carolina). Morlando possesses a ton of raw power but has struggled to tap into it during games. He’s got a patient approach at the plate, but he could be too patient, so he hasn’t fully tapped into his power. He showed off his massive pop at the MLB Draft Combine by hitting four balls over 110 mph. That showing could be part of the reason he flew up boards for some teams. He has great athleticism and average speed/arm, so he’s likely manning a corner outfield position. While a shocking pick, it is still not a bad one for the Marlins, especially with how the rest of their draft ended.
Switz’s Pick: RHP Chase Burns (1st Round, 2nd Pick. Cincinnati Reds)
My heart has to go with the Reds here, as all noise indicated they would take a bat profile. Since Krall took over the helm of the Reds' front office, he has stated that the Reds' plan is to rejuvenate their pitching development and provide a consistent pipeline of fresh young arms to the major leagues. This has been apparent in recent years due to their acquisitions and draft strategies. Burns complements the young pitching talent well and should be an exciting, high-octane arm to watch for the Reds in a few years.
Patrick’s Pick: 3B Billy Amick (2nd Round, 60th Pick, Minnesota Twins)
I was surprised to see Amick go about 10-20 picks later than I anticipated for him, but what surprised me most was seeing a generally model-driven team in the Twins jump on him. Amick is a guy who expands the zone a bit and doesn’t make a lot of contact, which grades poorly on many models. However, he’s made strides at 3rd base, looking like an everyday guy there, and the power is outrageous to all fields. Getting this type of power at pick 60 was an opportunity the Twins couldn’t pass up on.
Jeff's Pick: OF Braylon Payne (1st Round, 17th Pick, Milwaukee Brewers)
I don't think I saw a mock mentioning Payne before the Competitive Balance Picks, and rarely then. For Locked On, I was asked to make 40 draft videos for the players who could go in round one. Honestly, I never considered Payne. It's not just that, though. It's the Brewers also making this pick. The most conservative team in the first round of the draft. They had not taken a prep player since Brice Turang; since that has worked out, maybe they felt more comfortable doing it here. It's a combination of a team that doesn't draft high school players with their top pick and a player that I didn't ever think would go in the teens that made this one an audible gasp for me on draft night.
Harris’ Pick: SS/OF Seaver King (1st Round, 10th Pick, Washington Nationals)
Seaver King can run. There’s no question about that. But his other four tools are less of a sure thing.
He’s a free swinger who frequently chases out of the zone and falls behind in the count. There is some power potential, given his bat speed and impressive top-end exit velocities, but he doesn’t have much strength or any physical projection remaining, plus his swing path is geared more for line drives.
While he has displayed some defensive versatility this year, his hands and defensive actions are not up to par for playing on the dirt at the next level. The Nationals left plenty of superior college bats on the board, and it’s not even as if King was a significant money saver— he received a signing bonus north of $5 million, more than that of both Christian Moore and Cam Smith.
BIGGEST SLEEPER PICKS
Jared’s Pick: OF Casey Cook (3rd Round, 103rd Pick, Texas Rangers)
I talked about Beam having one of the safest floors as a pitcher earlier, but Cook might be one of the safest floors you can find from a bat in this draft. It’s a beautiful left-handed swing, and he controls the strike zone well. He is definitely hit over power, but he’s been able to drive the ball a bit more and saw an increase in power this year as he hit 18 home runs. He also has some defensive concerns due to limited speed. He will likely end up a left fielder. Regardless, Cook flew up a lot of teams’ boards due to his bat, and while he doesn’t have the hype of a first-rounder, Cook could be a quick riser in the minors, and he could find a lot of success.
Patrick’s Pick: Brandon Neely (3rd round, 86th pick, Boston Red Sox)
Neely probably teeters the line of sleeper, given his fame as Florida’s stopper during their run to the College World Series the past two seasons, but I was a little surprised to see him fall this far. Neely excelled out of the bullpen for the Gators, but I think Boston will give him a chance to start, similar to the career path of current Mets prospect and former Gator Christian Scott. Neely has been up to 97, and is generally 92-95 in his longer bullpen appearances. His fastball doesn’t have outlier movement, but his low release height allows it to play better than the movement profile would expect.
On top of this, Neely hides the ball incredibly well, starting with his front shoulder closed and coming across his body at the foot plant. While this crossfire delivery may create injury concerns, it’s possible Neely can tone it down a tad while still keeping the same deception. Neely’s go to secondary is a tight spinning, 84-87 MPH slider. This pitch gets an average sweep, but given its velocity, it’s really above-average sweep. Neely has shown the ability to manipulate the shape of this pitch given the batters’s handiness, and land it in the zone consistently. Compared to left-handed hitters, Neely mainly uses his slider but has mixed in a 78 MPH sweeping curveball and will even flash an above-average changeup in the high 80s. What I think a pro team will do with his arsenal, if starting is the path they decide to take, is make his slider even tighter and harder.
Neely looks like he’d be a prime candidate for a sweeper. He has the arm path that teams look for, and has shown the ability to supinate given his ability to mix in a more bigger curveball. While he’s flashed an above-average changeup, finding a way to spin to left-handed hitters seems like the better path for Neely.
Jeff's Pick: 3B Sean Keys (Round 4, 125th Pick, Toronto Blue Jays)
If one lists everything that would make a player a sleeper, it would all come together in Sean Keys. He is a small school, cold weather player with elite data and stats. He was one of the best hitters on the Cape a year ago, showing power and an ability to face the best of the best and fit right in. He is also a young junior not having turned 21 until the very end of May. He was one of five players who had the highest distribution scores for chase, 90th percentile exit velocity, and contact rates in college baseball. On top of this all he is an incredibly smart kid who is a mechanical engineering student with videos out there on robotics. The only things he is missing from the upside bingo chart are bloodlines and an elite position. If not for the Cape I would be more concerned but he was one of the best even when he faced the best.
Harris’ Pick: OF Casey Saucke (Round 3, 107th Pick, Chicago White Sox)
Casey Saucke arrived in Charlottesville as a projectable, bat-first player with tons of power potential. He never quite tapped into that power at Virginia, but he still possesses impressive bat speed and raw strength, so there’s reason to believe he can become a dangerous power hitter at the next level with some mechanical adjustments. The strikeout numbers aren’t concerning, and while no one would describe him as overly patient, he is willing to draw the occasional walk. He’s limited to a corner outfield spot, but his strong arm would play well in right.
Now, it’s hard to give the White Sox the benefit of the doubt in terms of player development, but Saucke does have the tools to turn into an everyday corner outfielder on the back of a typical power/arm combination.
FAVORITE LATE ROUND PICKS
Jared’s Pick: OF Ian Petrutz (12th Round, 351st Pick, St. Louis Cardinals)
Petrutz was a highly touted prospect during his freshman and sophomore years at Maryland. He followed when his Head Coach, Rob Vaughn, went to Alabama. The jump to the SEC didn’t seem to phase Petrut either. Contact is the name of the game for him, as he has an impressive approach at the plate and an excellent feel for the strike zone. When he makes contact, he also hits the ball hard. He’s the type of bat you draft, hoping that he can tweak his swing to tap into more of his power. Petrutz gets dinged mostly for his lack of defensive positioning, and he’s likely to be manning left field in the future due to his limited speed and lack of an arm—a fun late pick for the Cardinals, who has some upside.
Switz’s Pick: RHP Titan Hayes (11th round, 342nd Pick, Philadelphia Phillies)
I love the day three value of Hayes here for Philly by taking a data darling arm that can spin the ball very well. It all starts with an upper-90s FB that topped 99 this summer on the Cape with easy life and desirable movement that Hayes loves to attack in the zone. He already has a plus putaway pitch in his SL. When you watch him play, the dude consistently generates whiffs and has a desirable bulldog mentality on the bump. I could easily see him as a fast-rising RP within the Phillies system to look out for.
Patrick’s Pick: RHP Caedmon Parker (11th Round, 335th Pick, Milwaukee Brewers)
Parker was highly touted out of high school for his projectability and delivery, so much that it almost got him a few million dollars. Parker elected to go to TCU where he battled injuries and lack of strike-throwing. His draft year however, Parker looks to have turned a page. He showed a great ability to command his hard gyro slider and big low 80’s sweeping curveball out of the Horned Frogs bullpen. Parker still has plenty of room to fill out, and at 92-94 and a nice cut carry action, Parker’s fastball can get even better. You may even see the Brewers implement a seam shifted wake sinker, something that is possible with the way Parker cuts his fastball. With feel for spin, projectability, and a strong prospect pedigree, Parker is a fun developmental piece to follow.
Jeff's Pick: 1B Jeremiah Jenkins (14th Round, 418th Pick, San Francisco Giants)
The fact Jeremiah Jenkins slid to the 14th round and only got slot still boggles my mind. When I was trying to decide on my favorite late pick I started looking at 90th percentile exit velocities and then trying to find players who weren't a net negative with contact or chase while having elite exit velocity. There were two players, Jackson and Lyle Miller-Green. It was easy to separate the two as there was a three-year age gap between them. With Jenkins having just turned 21 at the start of May and Miller turning 24 in September. Jenkins is a small school player but he did what was needed to perform at a high level, access his power, and not strike out too much. There are reasons for concern. I wish we had seen him in one of the upper-tier summer leagues and that he had not struggled in a lesser one a year ago. Yet power is the most expensive trait to acquire in baseball, and finding a power hitter late with growth potential whose batted ball profile did not have red flags, especially for slot, is a fantastic get for the Giants.
Harris’ Pick: LHP Dalton Pence (11th Round, 345th Pick, Texas Rangers)
Sure, this is a bit of a homer pick. But I also have the benefit of seeing Dalton Pence live more than a dozen times over the last two years. The left-hander was easily Carolina’s best reliever in 2024, and especially showed up in some big moments against LSU, West Virginia and Virginia in the NCAA tournament.
Pence has flashed a quality slider and changeup, but his repertoire is incredibly fastball-heavy. The heater sits in the 92-94 range with excellent carry, and profiles as a real swing-and-miss pitch. He’s clearly a reliever — a limited pitch mix, average-at-best control and no track record of starting in college don’t point to a guy starting in pro ball — but he’s been one of the nation’s best over the last two seasons. An 11th-rounder on a potential big league reliever is a bargain.
FAST MOVERS
Jared’s Pick: RHP Tyson Neighbors (Round 4, 118th Pick, San Diego Padres)
Tyson Neighbors is your guy if you were looking for a reliever who could quickly ascend to the big leagues. The Kansas State closer has been a force for the Wildcats in the back end of their bullpen. He dealt with some injuries this year, but in 2023, he struck out an insane 86 batters in 48.2 innings. It’s a mid-90s fastball that has reached 99 mph with insane IVB. The crazier part is that it isn’t even his best pitch. He has two breaking balls, a slider that is in the upper-80s which is his primary pitch for swing and miss, and a curveball that has insane bite. Both have crazy spin rates to them. It’s three-plus pitches, and he will likely not need much time in the minor leagues to develop. Padres fans will be excited to have Neighbors in their bullpen very soon!
Patrick’s Pick: Blake Burke (CB-A, 32nd Pick, Milwaukee Brewers)
Burke might be a step towards a trend of the Brewers drafting crazy power early in the draft, after taking Brock Wilken in the first last year. Picking a power-over-hit bat to move fast may be a little crazy, but Burke was one of the most polished hitters in the country in 2024, and possesses double plus raw power. While the chase numbers are high, Burke has shown the ability to pick up on a pitchers approach, as well as limit his strikeouts with a nice two strike approach. This type of skill set should move him up the ladder quickly, and if he’s able to continue to cut down on his swings outside of the zone, he may be up even quicker. While a power over hit guy may not be considered a fast mover, I believe Burke’s experience combined with the Brewers player development machine are a good combination.
Switz’s Pick: RHP Louis-Philippe Langevin (Round 4, 105th Pick, KC Royals)
Earlier, I mentioned that Hayes could be a fast riser due to his pure stuff, and he could also fit here. Instead, I'm going to pivot to Canada's greatest export in this draft class of L.P Langevin. A dude who could have easily been selected last year out of Wabash, who displayed filthy stuff within the MLB Draft League with the WV Black Bears in 2023 that later ended up with the Ragin Cajuns this spring. Langevin has some of the most fascinating fastball traits and metrics in this class and is a dude that, if chosen as a reliever arm for the next level (and is most likely a possibility), could skyrocket through the Royals system, similarly as we saw in Orion Kerkering in the Phillies system. Who similarly mostly pitches off a fastball/slider combination. However, L.P. has started incorporating a CUT and a CH more often in his offerings from this spring as he first bounced back and forth between the starting rotation and bullpen before ending up as their reliable back-end arm (“cough-cough” Kierking at South Florida).
Langevin's fastball is in the low 90s and touches 96 MPH. It has a good combo of riding life and arm-side run, which overwhelms hitters in the box. I'm higher on his slider than most analysis and draft gurus are; however, it's a mid-80s slider with a high spin (2,500-2,800 rpm) and sharp action. It's a potential plus offering that could be a consistent swing-and-miss pitch at the next level, as he carved up a 70% whiff rate in his short stint in the Draft League last summer and over 38% with the SL this spring, with the hopes the Royals develop it further as a putaway pitch within their developmental level.
Langevin emerged this spring as one of the most effective back-end arms in college baseball for the Ragin Cajuns. I envision him carrying this momentum and success into the Royals system and skyrocketing as a fast mover to help the back end of the depleted Royals major league squad very soon.
Jeff's Pick: Travis Bazzana (Round 1, 1st Pick, Cleveland Guardians)
I started this out by talking about the Angels trio of relief arms but then it kind of felt like cheating so instead let's look at the first pick in the draft. The detractors for Travis Bazzana were focused on him being physically maxed out and his swing also being already maxed. He has done the work already so the bigger focus is for him to get used to velocity and advanced secondary pitches. While there is some truth to this, telling Bazzana he can’t do something never works out. Right now though it is less about his skills and more about exposure for him. The Guardians placed him right into High A, and some of the talk has made it sound like he could be on a path similar to Wyatt Lanford a year ago. Plus I had to talk about a Guardians player somewhere.
TOP GUYS HEADING OR RETURNING TO CAMPUS
Jared’s Pick: OF Harrison Didawick (Virginia)
Didawick was someone I came away extremely impressed with during my live looks. He was a draft-eligible sophomore but will return to campus for his junior year at Virginia. He hit 23 long balls and drove in 68 while stealing 14 bags for the Cavaliers At the plate, Didawick was able to showcase his power to all fields from the left side, but he did struggle with strikeouts. The power comes from his bat speed coupled with his strength. Despite his strong, well-built frame, he still holds own defensively and on the base paths. Virginia, who made a run to the College World Series, have to be excited about getting Didawick back to campus.
Patrick’s Pick: Jalin Flores (Texas)
Flores is a lanky glove first shortstop that was a draft eligible sophomore this past season. It’s plus arm strength and utility to go with plus range and actions and a pro ball body. While he put up some stupid numbers in the Big 12 and was likely to go in the pick 100 range, proving himself at the plate in the SEC could boost him into Day 1 territory. While his plate skills aren’t great (big chase rates, average contact rates), the power and bat speed is real to go along with a demonstrated ability to pull the ball in the air. The new Longhorns staff has to be pretty excited about getting their everyday shortstop back to campus.
Switz’s Pick: INF Luis Hernandez (Indiana St. to LSU)
He's not a guy who was considered a top dude going into the draft, as many teams removed his name after he transferred to LSU. However, Luis was a dynamic contact hitter for the Sycamores this spring and was a guy I thought would generate late day 2 - early day 3 consideration before Jay Johnson swooped in and landed him for the 2025 season. Below is a report I wrote on Hernandez before he was removed from most boards.
One of the few prospects in this class that hails from the island of Puerto Rico, Hernandez is an offensive piece within the Indiana State lineup that busted out this spring with an impressive 21 home runs, 70 RBIs, and an OPS over 1.000 heading into the NCAA Tourney while displaying an impressive 26-game on-base streak early this spring. During his time with the Sycamores, Hernandez has always found a way to get into the lineup with his consistent offensive prowess and contact abilities. However, he has jumped around within the program as the Sycamores coaching staff have tried to find the best way to maximize his value. As an underclassman, he was recruited as a catcher and, after his first year, made the change to full-time as a DH and 1B.
Offensively, we see a lot of Yandy Diaz in Hernandez's offensive profile for the next level as a low swing/miss type hitter that can spray bullets all over the park with backspin for line drive base hits (average over power type hitter). Luis has the ability to control the strike zone well and drive up pitch counts during ABs on pitchers. In the box, he presents a straight stance with a wide lower half and a hitch in his back leg that plays tight to the dish. Before contact, Hernandez stays in his lower half and back hip longer, which helps him generate more bat speed. He's a short-stroke swinger with a good feel for the barrel and a disciplined approach. The breakout in power this spring shows some healthy signs that the developing raw power is on its way, but his approach is not geared toward creating the loft necessary to hit homers.
Defensively, he is limited, as seen at the college level. Pro teams may test out his versatility due to his strong arm, quick actions, and good footwork in the field. He does an awesome job charging the baseball and gaining ground for a corner player, and he could project into a Spencer Steer defensive profile at the next level."
Jeff's Pick: LHP Ryan Prager (Texas A&M)
Now this one feels like cheating as he was drafted but announced he is returning to school. It is very rare for a player to be taken on the first two days and not sign. Prager was one of the best pitchers in the NCAA in his first year back from Tommy John Surgery excelling in environments that almost no one excelled in. He should be all the way back from his injury next year, and if he can add some velocity then he could potentially improve his draft position. The big knock on Prager has been the lack of added mph since high school. Either way, he stands with Jaime Arnold as the top two arms I can't wait to see pitch next year. If he can level up next year he could be the best pitcher in the NCAA next year.
Harris’ Pick: LHP Cade Obermueller (Iowa)
As of this moment, it’s undetermined whether Cade Obermueller will sign with the Texas Rangers or return to Iowa. But a draft-eligible sophomore falling to the end of the 19th round usually points in the direction of a return to school. Obermueller impressed in his first season in Iowa’s rotation, and were he to return to campus, he would undoubtedly become the Hawkeyes’ Friday night guy.
Obermueller is an undersized southpaw with a low arm slot, two plus secondaries and major control issues. He rarely gets hit hard, and generates tons of whiffs on his slider. There’s certainly reliever risk given a lack of control, but any sort of improvement in that area would make Obermueller an intriguing option in next year’s class.