- Vanderbilt had three current players taken in the first three rounds of the 2025 MLB Draft, the most since 2016.
Vanderbilt baseball saw three current players and four signees selected on the first day of the 2025 MLB Draft.
Among current players, JD Thompson was the highest pick (No. 59), going to the Milwaukee Brewers in the second round. RJ Austin (Orioles, No. 93) and Cody Bowker (Phillies, No. 100) both went in the third round.
Thompson finished 2025 with a 4.00 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 16 starts as the Friday night ace. Bowker had a 4.38 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 16 starts after transferring from Georgetown.
Austin was Vanderbilt’s everyday center fielder, winning the Rawlings Gold Glove award for the nation’s top defender. He hit .257 with 15 doubles, two home runs and 22 stolen bases, but he hit .335 as a sophomore in 2024.
Three picks in the top three rounds is the most the Commodores have had since 2016, but this was also the second straight year with no first-rounders after having at least one in nine of the previous 10 drafts.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Day 2 of the draft, with Rounds 4-20, begins at 10:30 a.m. CT (MLB.TV).
How Vanderbilt baseball’s recruiting class fared on Day 1 of 2025 MLB Draft
If all four signees who were drafted end up signing with their MLB organizations, Vanderbilt will be left with just two position-player signees in the 2025 class: Korbin Reynolds and Carson Quillen.
Top right-handed pitcher signee Seth Hernandez, who was not expected to make it to campus, was picked sixth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Also selected were outfielders Sean Gamble (Royals, No. 23) and Slater de Brun (Orioles, No. 37), who both went in the first round, and infielder Cooper Flemming, who went in the second (Rays, No. 53).
Still on the board are Vanderbilt’s two top left-handed pitcher commits, Aiden Stillman and Talon Haley. Stillman is ranked the No. 46 player in the 2025 class and Haley is No. 84. It is possible that either or both get drafted and sign, but high school picks become significantly less common after the third round.
Draft tracker Tracking Vanderbilt baseball players, signees picked in 2025 MLB Draft
Best Vanderbilt baseball players available for Day 2 of MLB Draft 2025
The best Vanderbilt players still on the board are pitcher Sawyer Hawks and first baseman Riley Nelson. Hawks finished his redshirt junior season in 2025 with a 1.60 ERA and eight saves. Nelson hit .344 with 13 doubles and eight home runs. Both are projected as Day 2 draft picks.
Other players who could be selected include pitchers Levi Huesman, Tommy O’Rourke, Luke Guth and Miller Green. Draft-eligible players who are unlikely to be picked include Colin Barczi, Mike Mancini and Chris Maldonado.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.
