The Major League Baseball Draft Lottery will be held during the Winter Meetings in Dallas on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. ET. It’s time to find out who of the 16 teams participating in the lottery they hope to get a chance to be selected.
MLB Pipeline’s novel list of the top 100 prospects for the 2025 draft gives us our first look at what the next class has to offer. While last year’s class was exceptionally loaded with college work, the pendulum will be swinging the other way this year, with a number of stimulating high school players on the novel roster, especially hitters.
The top ten of the novel ranking are divided evenly – five students and five faculty members, starting with a very familiar name:
1. Ethan Holliday, SS/3B, Stillwater HS, Okla.
2. Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M
3. Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
4. Tyler Bremner, RHP, California at Santa Barbara
5. Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS, California.
6. Kayson Cunningham, SS, Johnson HS, Texas.
7. Aiva Arquette, 2B, Oregon State
8. Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon HS, Washington.
9. Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP/1B, Sunset HS, Ruda.
10. Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona
Full list »
Yes, it’s Matt’s son and Jackson’s younger brother who top the list, giving the Holliday boys a chance to do something that’s never been done before: both siblings take first place overall, ahead of BJ and Justin Upton who finished second and No. 1 in their respective drafts.
There are 44 high school students on the novel rankings, including Holliday, and he represents a demographic that stands out a little more than the other groups. There are some very intriguing prep midfielders on the list that are worth keeping an eye on, even beyond Holliday and Cunningham in the top ten. There are three in the 11-20 range – Eli Willits, Billy Carlson and Sean Gamble – who are not just high school players but have a chance to play premium positions.
“High school hits are probably making the headlines,” said one scouting director. “There are a few guys in goal who have a chance to stay in the middle of the diamond, so it’s always attractive when you see yourself going into the draft. I think there is a part of the group at the top that also has a chance of making it to the first round.”
“The high school position group is definitely a strength,” agreed the second principal. “Even after getting past the group of Holliday, Cunningham and Neyens, it’s really engaging. If they show up in the spring, this could be a really good class.
While Holliday represents the most celebrated story of family connections in the Major League, he is not the only one on this list. Willits is the son of former large league speedster Reggie Willits. No. 25 Brady Ebel’s father, Dino, is the Dodgers’ third base coach. Quentin Young, number 37, is the nephew of Delmon and Dmitri. No. 59 Carson Brumbaugh’s dad, Cliff, got a taste of the major leagues in 2001 and spent years playing in Korea and Japan. Cam Leiter (#90) is Al and Mark’s nephew.
“I think as an industry we really value [family ties] to some extent,” said the first scouting director. “They have been around the game, their instincts are keen and their baseball IQ is generally at a high level. It will take the player longer to understand this if they are not there.
The University of Tennessee won the College World Series in 2024, and if top-100 draft representation translates into more success, the Volunteers are in good shape. They have six players on the list, starting with Dean Curley at No. 24. Oregon State is next with five representatives, led by Arquette in the top 10, while Louisiana State has four. Arkansas and Wake Forest each have three schools, as does Corona High School in California, which is a bit surprising. The 2024 National High School Invitational champions have three potential first-round picks: Hernandez, Carlson and Ebel.
This is quite a vast group out west, and while it’s not surprising that California has a vast representation, it’s worth noting that it tops the list with 17 players, while the closest state is Tennessee, thanks to all the volunteers, with nine. Oregon and North Carolina each have eight, while Texas and Florida, in a relatively worse year in the Sunshine State, each have seven.
“It’s a really interesting group of guys with a lot of potential out west, and a lot of them play center,” said the second scouting director. “Teams like athletic, top-mid-major players who perform on the exhibition circuit, and you can build quite a long list of players who have done it in the West.”
