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Major League Baseball’s amateur draft kicked off on Sunday night, when the Washington Nationals chose Oklahoma prep shortstop Eli Willits with the No. 1 overall pick, and reached its conclusion on Monday evening after 20 rounds and more than 600 selections.
A funny thing about MLB’s draft is that most of the attention is, by and large, concentrated on a small chunk of the class. Unlike the NFL and NBA drafts, which are televised from tip to tail, MLB’s is mostly placed out of sight and out of mind following the first few rounds. That leads to a disproportionate amount of coverage on the first round, a stretch that accounts for, oh, less than 5% of the event.
With that in mind, below I’ve highlighted my favorite non-first-round pick by each of the 30 teams.
Got it? Let’s ride.
Arizona Diamondbacks
RHP Brian Curley (Pick No. 92): Curley is a 5-foot-10 right-hander who split his one season at Georgia between the rotation and the bullpen. He averaged close to 12 strikeouts per nine innings overall and struck out roughly 29% of the batters he faced during SEC play. Curley generates an impressive amount of spin on his pitches, and there were stretches during which he regularly sat in the upper-90s with more than 20 inches of induced vertical break — an absurd number given his release height. There are a few similarities here to Drey Jameson, at least in terms of size and arm strength, and that gives me hope that the Diamondbacks will give Curley an opportunity to start games to begin his career.
Athletics
OF Devin Taylor (No. 48): All Taylor did in three seasons at Indiana was hit, hit, and hit some more. He finished his collegiate career batting .350/.459/.672 with 54 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and 11 more walks than strikeouts. I know Taylor has a thin margin for error — he’s likely to end up as just a left fielder at the next level, limiting his overall value upside — but in a weak crop of college bats I think the A’s were wise to pounce on a demonstrated performer with perfectly solid ball-tracking metrics.
Atlanta Braves
LHP Briggs McKenzie (No. 127): The Braves always seem to find a good, underrated arm in the draft. McKenzie, a prep lefty from North Carolina, has some innate traits that could allow him to join the likes of Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, and AJ Smith-Shawver, among others. McKenzie possesses a quality breaking ball and has shown flashes of mid-90s velocity, but he needs to get stronger and it’s possible the Braves will work with him to reduce the length of his whip-like arm action so as to improve his command.
Baltimore Orioles
C Caden Bodine (No. 30): Bodine is a switch-hitting catcher from Coastal Carolina who connected on about 95% of his in-zone swings this season and struck out 3% of the time during conference play. In other words, he has elite bat-to-ball skills to go with a strong grasp of the strike zone. The one knock against Bodine is that he hasn’t shown much quantified strength, but there are enough recent examples of players with this kind of bat control tweaking their barrel angle or point of contact to hold out hope that he could do the same, allowing him to maximize what power he does possess. Shy of that, the Orioles can only hope that Bodine turns into their version of Alejandro Kirk.
Boston Red Sox
RHP Marcus Phillips (No. 33): Phillips is a big, physical right-hander with a low arm slot and a long arm action that sees his elbow creep above the shoulder line. That’s usually a negative, so far as command projection goes, but to his credit he was able to keep his walk rate below 10% at Tennessee. The Red Sox are undoubtedly intrigued not only by Phillips’ physicality, but by his cutting mid-90s fastball and pair of secondary pitches that generated 40%-plus whiffs apiece. There also seems to be some room for arsenal expansion here, which could legitimize him as a mid-rotation prospect if he can stay around the plate.
Chicago Cubs
LHP Pierce Coppola (No. 211): The 6-foot-8 Coppola was a big deal as an amateur, but threw fewer than 50 innings over three seasons with the Gators because of injury. There’s still apparent arm talent here, though it’s fair to wonder if his body will cooperate long enough for it to matter. At any rate, I’m OK with the Cubs taking the gamble this deep into the class.
Chicago White Sox
OF Jaden Fauske (No. 44): Fauske, an LSU recruit, profiles as an above-average left-handed hitter who contributes across the triple-slash categories. He’s seen action at catcher in the past, but is expected to slot into a corner-outfield spot as a professional barring an unforeseen development.
Cincinnati Reds
RHP Mason Morris (No. 83): Morris is a big right-hander who spent his collegiate career at Ole Miss working in relief. He pairs a mid-to-upper-90s fastball with two breaking balls (a cutter and slider), a combination that allowed him to punch out more than 35% of the batters he faced in conference play. I’m not sure if the Reds intend to start Morris — or if he has the command to make it work — but, if nothing else, he should be a quick-moving reliever with high-leverage upside.
Cleveland Guardians
OF Aaron Walton (No. 66): Walton transferred from Samford to Arizona ahead of last season, pushing Brendan Summerhill (the 42nd pick in the draft) to a corner slot as a result. He has above-average power and athleticism, and he hit .320/.437/.589 with 14 home runs, 19 stolen bases, and 24 hit by pitches in 65 games. There’s something here if the Guardians can help him continue to refine his game.
Colorado Rockies
RHP JB Middleton (No. 45): Middleton, listed at just 6-foot, may remind you a little of Sonny Gray. Predictably, he has a shorter release height that pairs well with the rise he’s able to impart on his fastball. The catch is that the rest of his arsenal isn’t as impressive, meaning that the Rockies will need to work with him to optimize and maximize his game. I can’t say I’m optimistic about that scenario, but he’s an intriguing pitching prospect and I hope they do get it right.
Detroit Tigers
LHP Ben Jacobs (No. 98): Jacobs is a smaller southpaw who transferred from UCLA to Arizona State following his freshman season. He finally received a full season of starts this year, punching out nearly 13 batter per nine innings while continuing to display command woe. Jacobs has a promising three-pitch mix, so his future role hinges on how many strikes he can throw.
Houston Astros
OF Ethan Frey (No. 95): Frey didn’t perform particularly well in his first two seasons at LSU, but he changed that this past season by hitting .331/.420/.641 with 13 home runs and 16 additional extra-base hits. He did strike out more than 27% of the time during SEC play, which is a concerning development. There’s enough power and on-base skills present here to make him worth the third-round gamble.
Kansas City Royals
RHP Michael Lombardi (No. 61): Lombardi is the highest selected Tulane prospect since the Dodgers took third baseman Kody Hoese 25th overall back in 2019. He was a two-way player for the Green Wave who hit .273/.392/.453 while seeing most of his action in center field. When he was on the mound, he struck out more than 43% of the batters he faced, albeit while walking more than 12%. The Royals announced him as a pitcher, suggesting they’ll try to tame an arsenal that includes an extreme amount of verticality. He’s one to keep an eye on.
Los Angeles Angels
RHP Chase Shores (No. 47): Shores is a massive right-hander from LSU who missed the 2024 campaign on account of Tommy John surgery. He posted a worse season than expected in his return, amassing a 5.09 ERA and a 2.26 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 23 appearances split between the rotation and the bullpen. He has big-time arm strength and a slider that induced nearly 40% whiffs. With most organizations, I would assume the plan was to develop Shores as a starter. With the Angels, I suppose it’s at least possible they intend to fast-track him to the majors as a reliever. Stay tuned.
Los Angeles Dodgers
OF Charles Davalan (No. 41): I had Davalan down as a riser before the draft. He’s a hit-over-power batter who fanned in just 8.5% of his trips to the plate for Arkansas. The Dodgers are arguably the best player development machine in the industry. If they can tease more power out of Davalan’s bat, or if they can help him become more playable in center field, then he has a chance to go down as a great value pick.
Miami Marlins
OF Max Williams (No. 78): Williams has legit thump and center-field experience, and he hit .336/.408/.598 in ACC play. He slipped outside of the top 50 because of a sketchy approach that saw him strike out more than 1.7 times as often as he walked. If the Marlins can help Williams tighten his handle on the zone, he has the kind of offensive traits that could make him a steal at this stage of the event.
Milwaukee Brewers
LHP J.D. Thompson (No. 59): I reserved the 30th spot on my pre-draft rankings for Thompson because I liked his rising fastball and pair of promising secondaries, all delivered from a low release point. The Brewers are one of the better organizations in the sport at meeting players where they are and figuring out how to maximize their strengths. I’m excited to see how this marriage turns out.
Minnesota Twins
SS Quentin Young (No. 54): Young’s uncles, Delmon and Dmitri, both played in the majors. He has a feel for the family business, too. His main selling point is his well-above-average strength, though he is prone to swinging and missing. Young is also unlikely to remain on the infield, with a corner-outfield spot seeming to be his long-term destination. There’s an intriguing upside here, so it’s on the Twins to work with him and get the most from his game.
New York Mets
SS Antonio Jimenez (No. 102): Jimenez, a draft-eligible sophomore who transferred from Miami, is a legitimate shortstop with some offensive upside. He hit .329/.407/.575 with 11 home runs, 16 additional extra-base hits, and 11 stolen bases this season for UCF. He did strike out nearly twice as often as he walked, with his conference K rate increasing to 23%, so the Mets will need to prioritize improving his eye.
New York Yankees
LHP Pico Kohn (No. 134): Kohn is a tall, lean southpaw with better traits than his results suggest, as he tallied a 4.73 ERA and a 3.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 15 starts this season for Mississippi State. Yet Kohn has a deceptively flat release point and two interesting pitches in his fastball-slider combination. The Yankees have shown themselves to be adept at pitching development, so don’t be surprised if he takes a step forward after turning professional.
Philadelphia Phillies
LHP Cade Obermueller (No. 63): Remember Wes Obermueller? Of course you do. This is his son, and he has big-league upside thanks to a low-90s fastball, a sweeper, and a sidearm release point. Obermueller the Younger improved his walk rate this past season, but he struggled with it enough during his first two seasons at Iowa that I suppose it’s worth keeping an eye on once he turns professional.
Pittsburgh Pirates
SS Gustavo Melendez (No. 113):
Melendez is an extremely young (he won’t turn 18 until October) and undersized (he’s listed at 5-foot-8) infielder from Puerto Rico. He has a surprisingly good feel for the barrel, allowing him more thump than his frame suggests. He also has a chance to stick up the middle, be it at shortstop or second base.
San Diego Padres
OF Ryan Wideman (No. 99): Wideman is the son of Tallman, or, at least, a tall man: Tom Wideman, a former 6-foot-10 center for the Clemson basketball team. Anyway, the younger Wideman hit .398/.466/.652 with 10 home runs, 26 additional extra-base hits, and 45 stolen bases in his only season at Western Kentucky. It’s anyone’s guess as to how his swing-happy approach will transfer to the pros, but the Padres can justify gambling on his obvious physical gifts this deep into the class.
San Francisco Giants
SS Lorenzo Meola (No. 116):
Meola is a glove-first shortstop who’ll have no problem manning the position as a professional. His offense is a bigger question mark. He hit .303/.390/.484 across three seasons at Stetson, but he had a miserable showing in last summer’s Cape Cod League, posting a .539 OPS and striking out 23 more times than he walked in 35 trips to the plate.
Seattle Mariners
OF Korbyn Dickerson (No. 152): Dickerson transferred to Indiana from Louisville ahead of his platform season, then made his mark with the Hoosiers by hitting .314/.381/.632 with 19 home runs and 17 additional extra-base hits in 56 games. Unfortunately, Dickerson’s approach raised serious eyebrows during conference play, when he struck out more than five times as often as he walked. I don’t mind the Mariners rolling the dice with the hope they can coach him up and maximize his innate traits.
St. Louis Cardinals
SS Ryan Mitchell (No. 55): Mitchell was overshadowed a bit in a strong class for prep infielders. That doesn’t make him any less interesting. He has the potential to develop into an above-average lefty bat with good speed, albeit while likely shifting off shortstop to second base or the outfield.
Tampa Bay Rays
C Taitn Gray (No. 86): Gray is a switch-hitting Iowa prep product who can hit the stuffing out of the baseball. He has some other things working in his favor, too, like good athleticism and the fact he won’t celebrate his 18th birthday until August. It’s unclear if Gray is going to catch long term — he’s already listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds — but he has the offensive upside to make it work elsewhere.
Texas Rangers
RHP AJ Russell (No. 52): Russell seemed to be on a first-round track before requiring an internal brace procedure last year. His performance this season wasn’t particularly moving in either direction — he compiled a 3.55 ERA and a 3.27 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 25 innings — but the Rangers are betting on his stuff and the deception carved out by his operation. Although he’s listed at 6-foot-6, he employs a Chris Sale-like arm action to deliver the ball from a sidearm slot. Russell will need more refinement to reach his upside and he threw just 70 innings across three seasons with the Volunteers, but it’s easy to understand why the Rangers were willing to take the risk with their second pick of the draft.
Toronto Blue Jays
OF Jake Cook (No. 81): Cook is a former two-way player at Southern Miss who converted to full-time outfield duty only this season. He embraced an extreme contact-first approach that saw him punch out in less than 7% of his trips to the plate. The downside to his contact-over-everything mindset is that he recorded only nine extra-base hits in 30 conference games, with none of those clearing the fence. Cook is a good athlete and there’s probably more upside here than meets the eye based on his unusual developmental arc.
Washington Nationals
RHP Landon Harmon (No. 80): I liked Harmon’s potential enough entering the spring to place him within my preseason top 30. He didn’t quite live up to that projection, but he’s a well-built righty with good arm strength and some feel for a fuller arsenal. The Nationals will need to be patient to get Harmon’s development right; if they do, they could walk away with a legitimate big-league starter.
