Here’s Pipeline’s first full 2025 mock draft

The 2025 Draft may still be seven months away but it’s also in the news. MLB Pipeline released its initial Draft Top 100 late last week and MLB staged the Draft Lottery on Tuesday evening at the Winter Meetings.

Now that we know that the Nationals own the No. 1 overall pick, we can’t resist projecting the entire first round. Yes, we know it’s crazy early. But we’ll point out that when we did a full mock draft last December, we somehow nailed four first-rounders (Charlie Condon to the Rockies at No. 3, Konnor Griffin to the Pirates at No. 9, P.J. Morlando to the Marlins at No. 16, Cam Caminiti to the Braves at No. 24).

The strength of the 2025 Draft class is clearly high school infielders, as evidenced by Ethan Holliday at No. 1, four in our top nine selections and nine among the 27 first-rounders. Bats dominate our forecast with 11 from the college ranks and 10 from the high schools, along with three college arms and three prep pitchers.

1. Nationals: Ethan Holliday, SS/3B, Stillwater (Okla.) HS (No. 1)The most famous player in this Draft, Holliday physically resembles his father (seven-time All-Star Matt), may have even better power and will try to join his older brother (Jackson) as a No. 1 overall pick.

2. Angels: Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M (No. 2)His combination of physicality (6-foot-6, 230 pounds), athleticism and classic right-field tools make LaViolette a strong candidate to go 1-1.

3. Mariners: Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (No. 4)Bremner has the best changeup in the Draft, not to mention a quality fastball and slider and command, so the Gauchos could produce the first college pitcher taken for the second time in 11 Drafts (Dillon Tate, 2015).

4. Rockies: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State (No. 3)As a lefty with more track record of starting success and a better breaking ball, Arnold could edge out Bremner to become the first pitcher selected.

5. Cardinals: Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona (No. 10)Summerhill sports one of the sweetest left-handed strokes in this Draft and could develop into a center fielder with five solid or better tools.

6. Pirates: Kayson Cunningham, SS, Johnson HS, San Antonio (No. 6)A slightly bigger and lefty-swinging version of Jett Williams, a Texas prep shortstop who went 14th overall in 2022, Cunningham is a better pure hitter at the same stage and perhaps the best in this prep class.

7. Marlins: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS (No. 5)Hernandez is interesting as a right fielder with well-above-average raw power and arm strength — and more interesting as a projectable righty who can reach 98 mph with his fastball and spin a wipeout curveball.

8. Blue Jays: Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon (Wash.) HS (No. 8)Despite some struggles during the summer, Neyens has the ingredients to become an All-Star third baseman with huge left-handed power and a strong arm.

9. Reds: Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS, Fort Cobb, Okla. (No. 11)Reclassified from the 2026 Draft, Willits is the youngest legit prospect in this Draft (he turned 17 on Monday), has big league bloodlines (father Reggie) and is a polished switch-hitter who keeps getting better in all phases of the game.

10. White Sox: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP/1B, Sunset HS, Beaverton, Ore. (No. 9)The White Sox landed the best lefty pitching prospect in baseball (Noah Schultz) when they took a towering prep southpaw in the first round in 2022, and Schoolcraft has a lot of similarities — as well as an intriguing bat.

11. Athletics: Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson (No. 15)Few players in this crop can match Cannarella’s combination of bat-to-ball skills and center-field defense.

12. Rangers: Aiva Arquette, 2B, Oregon State (No. 7)The most prominent transfer in the Draft, Arquette moved from Washington to Oregon State and engenders some comps to D.J. LeMahieu but with more pop.

13. Giants: Max Belyeu, OF, Texas (No. 14)Don’t be surprised if Belyeu climbs higher than this in the spring because he could be the best all-around hitter in the college class.

14. Rays: Billy Carlson, SS/RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS (No. 12)Though Carlson flashes a mid-90s fastball and a plus curveball, he’s more attractive as a shortstop who could wind up with five solid-or-better tools.

15. Red Sox: Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest (No. 16)Arguably the best defensive shortstop available, Houston has gotten stronger and overhauled his offensive approach, which could result in increased power.

16. Twins: Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina (No. 13)The best all-around catcher and top college sophomore in the Draft, Stevenson stands out most with his power and arm strength.

17. Cubs: Ike Irish, C, Auburn (No. 18)Irish presents more offensive upside than Stevenson but comes with more defensive questions.

18. Diamondbacks: Gavin Fien, 3B, Great Oak HS, Temecula, Calif. (No. 27)Fien has a long track record of hitting against quality pitching and some evaluators believe he’s the best high school bat in the Draft.

19. Orioles: Tre Phelps, OF/3B, Georgia (No. 19)A year after Charlie Condon went No. 3 overall, the Bulldogs once again have a player who jumps out with his combination of contact and exit velocities in Phelps.

20. Brewers: Brady Ebel, SS, Corona (Calif.) HS (No. 25)The son of Dodgers third-base coach Dino has enviable bat-to-ball skills and an incredibly accurate arm. This would give Corona three first-rounders in the same first round, something no high school has ever accomplished.

21. Astros: Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana (No. 20)The best prospect produced by the Hoosiers since Kyle Schwarber went No. 4 overall in 2014, Taylor has a similar profile.

22. Braves: Cameron Appenzeller, LHP, Glenwood HS, Chatham, Ill. (No. 22)Appenzeller hails from the same high school as Reid Detmers and possesses a higher ceiling at the same stage of their careers.

23. Royals: Sean Gamble, SS/OF, IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (No. 17)While Gamble’s defensive home may be uncertain, he has a chance for solid tools across the board.

24. Tigers: Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest (No. 23)The breakout player of the summer, Conrad finished second in the Cape Cod League in batting (.385) and OPS (.919) and transferred from Marist to Wake Forest.

25. Padres: Quentin Young, 3B/OF, Oaks Christian HS, Westlake Village, Calif. (No. 37)The nephew of former first-rounders Delmon and Dmitri Young, Quentin reclassified from 2026, and at age 17, still has raw power to rival anyone’s in this Draft.

26. Phillies: Slater de Brun, OF, Summit HS, Bend, Ore. (No. 33)De Brun earns some Corbin Carroll comps as a smaller prep outfielder from the Pacific Northwest who can impact the game in several ways.

27. Guardians: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma (No. 26)Witherspoon’s power fastball/slider combo and the lack of slam-dunk college starters could allow him to rocket up Draft boards if he has a big spring.

The Mets, Yankees and Dodgers will have their first selections moved back 10 spots because they exceeded the $237 million competitive balance tax threshold in 2024 by more than $40 million. We don’t want anyone to feel left out during the holiday season, so let’s guess at those picks too…

38. Mets: Nick Dumesnil, OF, California Baptist (No. 35)The best position prospect in Cal Baptist history, Dumesnil is a possible 20-20 center fielder who led the Cape in doubles (12) and steals (27).

39. Yankees: Chase Shores, RHP, Louisiana State (No. 38)Shores is extremely physical (6-foot-8, 245 pounds) and throws extremely hard, but he missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery in April 2023.

40. Dodgers: Aaron Watson, RHP, Trinity Christian Academy, Jacksonville, Fla. (No. 34)Watson offers some of the best pitchability in the prep class as well as three offerings that should be at least solid once he’s fully developed.