How Top 2025 MLB Draft Prospects Can Improve Their Stock

30. Landon Harmon, RHP, East Union HS, Blue Springs, Miss.

Areas to improve: Sharpen breaking ball(s)

Harmon has some of the easiest velocity you’ll find in this year’s class and has already been up to 98 mph while looking like he’s playing catch on the mound. While it’s easy to slap a future 70 on his heater, there’s more work to be done in terms of developing a wipeout breaking ball. Harmon has thrown both a slider and curveball that check in around the 78-82 range, and while some scouts have seen the slider flash above-average or plus, neither breaking ball is at that stage consistently yet. Adding a bit more snap to either pitch would help him tremendously.

29. Brandon Compton, OF, Arizona State

Areas to improve: More contact vs. secondaries, production vs. velocity

Compton has huge raw power that led to a 107.8 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and 14 home runs during the 2024 season. On top of that, scouts like how compact and quick his swing is from the left side. Still, because he’s a likely corner outfielder at the next level, teams will nitpick his offensive profile, and he’ll need to improve on his 36% swing-and-miss rate vs. secondary pitches in 2024. He could also stand to improve against top-tier velocity. In the 2024 spring season, Compton had an .812 OPS and 36% swing-and-miss rate against pitches 93 mph or harder.

28. Henry Ford, 1B, Virginia

Areas to improve: Prove outfield defense

Ford is a draft-eligible sophomore who was a primary first baseman for Virginia during a 2024 season in which he hit .336/.409/.597 with 17 home runs. If he simply had the same spring in 2025 things would go extremely well for him in the draft, but that sort of line and above-average hit/power combination as a right-right outfielder looks much different to teams than it would from a right-right first base-only type. The expectation is that Ford will move from first to the outfield everyday this spring. If he looks the part at the position and keeps raking, it’s hard to see him falling out of the first round.

27. Ethan Petry, OF, South Carolina

Areas to improve: Defensive profile and athleticism

Petry already broke Justin Smoak’s freshman home run record at South Carolina when he hit 23 in the 2023 season. He needs just 18 more this spring to top Smoak’s career record of 62. Petry’s power-hitting ability isn’t questioned. What is a question is where he’ll play in pro ball. Some scouts are wondering if he’s destined to be a DH in the future thanks to below-average speed and athleticism as well as a 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame he’s going to need to maintain moving forward. He’s played mostly right field and first base with South Carolina and does have a strong arm for the outfield, but he will need to become a better runner and defender to stick there long-term. 

26. Dean Moss, OF, IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.

Areas to improve: Speed and center field profile

Moss has turned in plus run times, but minor injuries last summer didn’t allow him to showcase as a consistently-plus runner. Being healthy and showing that his speed is consistently at that level will be a significant boost for his profile. Moss has shown solid defensive instincts, and if he has the speed to stick in center field instead of moving to either left or right, that would dramatically ease the pressure on his bat—which is already quite good. Teams have a much different opinion of a 6-foot, 180-pound high school center field profile than a 6-foot, 180-pound definite corner profile.  

25. Nolan Schubart, OF, Oklahoma State

Areas to improve: Contact & athleticism

No college hitter in the class hit the ball as hard and as frequently as Schubart did in 2024. He’s hit 40 home runs in two seasons with Oklahoma State and has gargantuan raw power with huge, high-intent swings in the lefthanded batter’s box. That power comes with copious amounts of swing-and-miss, including a 35% overall miss rate in his two college seasons that drove a 28% strikeout rate. That’s a higher rate than current strike out-heavy Yankees prospect Spencer Jones managed in three years with Vanderbilt (24.7%), and Jones was a superior athlete and defender in an outfield corner at the same time. Improving his contact and/or athleticism to boost his defensive ability will be key areas to target for Schubart this spring.

24. Matt Scott, RHP, Stanford

Areas to improve: Perform, improve fastball command

Scott has the size and stuff that matches a typical first-round arm, but he’s also looking at a 5.57 ERA over 147 career college innings. Teams are happy to take a pitcher with better stuff than results and make tweaks in pro ball, but the willingness to do that in the first round is another question. What might help Scott’s numbers back up his impressive arm talent this spring is dialing in his fastball command. The pitch has great velocity and riding life, but opposing hitters have managed an .857 OPS against it including a vast majority of the 21 home runs he’s allowed in college. That might be because he doesn’t pitch up in the zone as effectively as scouts would like him to.

23. Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma

Areas to improve: Improve control, up changeup frequency

Witherspoon has some of the most electric pure stuff in the college class with a fastball up to 99 mph and knockout slider. There is some effort in Witherspoon’s delivery, however, and he posted an 11.2% walk rate last spring with Oklahoma, which is a bit higher than scouts would like for a starting pitcher in the first round. Improving his control and command will help add confidence to his starter profile moving forward. Additionally, he’s flashed promise with a firm, upper-80s changeup that could be a third swing-and-miss piece of his arsenal, but he threw the pitch just 7% of the time last spring. Is the changeup just a wrinkle in the pitch mix or a real weapon he’ll be able to rely on moving forward? 

22. Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona 

Areas to improve: Show more impact, prove center field profile

Summerhill has a sweet lefthanded swing, makes a lot of contact, runs well and takes his walks to provide a fairly well-rounded profile. Still, entering the spring, there are some scouts who view him as a fringy first-round talent because of questions about impact and his ultimate defensive profile. He has just 10 home runs in 80 games with Arizona and has not been a full-time center fielder over the course of a full spring season. If he’s more of a tweener outfield profile, he’ll need to show a lot more in-game power to profile in the majors, and if he doesn’t, he’ll need to be a slam dunk center field defender. Reinforcing one (or both) of these areas of his game will help him lockdown his first round status. 

21. Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas

Areas to improve: Pitch recognition

Like many college hitters in the 2025 class, Aloy has a power-over-hit profile and will need to show improved discipline, approach and contact ability this spring. For Aloy, that might all start and end with pitch recognition. He expands the zone against all pitch types and carries plenty of swing-and-miss, possibly due to having some issues picking up spin out of the hand. He gets caught out in front and leaks to the pull side too frequently vs. sliders and curveballs. Against breaking balls, he owns a .683 OPS in two seasons along with a 37% swing-and-miss rate and 37% chase rate.

20. Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest

Areas to improve: Show more impact

Houston is a no-doubt plus defender at shortstop who also has fairly reliable contact skills at the plate. He hit .326 in his sophomore season with Wake Forest and ran a rock solid 86.5% contact rate, but he was also one of the lightest-hitting college bats in this year’s class. Scouts have mentioned already this offseason that Houston looks like he’s added good strength, and if that allows him to drive the ball a bit harder and find a few more home runs (at a hitter-friendly home park), teams could have more confidence in getting an impact player instead of just an impact defender. Houston homered four times as a freshman in 2023 and eight times as a sophomore in 2024.

19. Nick Dumesnil, OF, California Baptist

Areas to improve: Cut down chase tendencies, prove center field defense

Dumesnil cut his strikeout rate from 30% in 2023 to 12.9% in 2024 with California Baptist, but he remains an extremely aggressive hitter who likes to swing the bat. He’s swung the bat more than 50% of the time in each of his spring seasons and owns a career 36% chase rate. That’s high for a first-round college hitter and has led to just a 7.5% career walk rate. Dumesnil has the tools for center field as a strong runner and athlete, though he’s played all three outfield positions and scouts this spring will want to see him take a step forward as a defender.

18. Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina

Areas to improve: Righthanded approach

Bodine has a reputation as an excellent contact hitter and a strong defender behind the plate. While he doesn’t have huge raw power, he’s also shown an ability to homer in games to all fields from both sides of the plate. When you dig further into his offensive profile, you’ll see a hitter who expands the zone more frequently from the right side than the left side. Bodine has chased out of the zone 32% of the time as a righty compared to just 23% of the time as a lefty. Specifically, his chase rate against non-fastballs (41%) stands out as being overly aggressive from the right side. If he can dial in those swing decisions a bit, he will boost his walk rate and have few offensive holes to speak of. 

17. Brady Ebel, SS, Corona (Calif.) HS

Areas to improve: Supplemental tools

Ebel has a reputation as a polished, advanced and consistent hitter with solid power already as one of the younger players in the class. However, his defensive work in the infield, speed and arm strength could all improve—either to give him a better chance to stick at shortstop at the next level or to allow him to profile as an above-average defender at third base instead of just a fine one. Ebel is a below-average runner, so upping his foot speed this spring could help with that defensive profile question and allow him to develop a more well-rounded overall game.

16. Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State

Areas to improve: Swing decisions, shortstop defense

Arquette has huge raw power and a no-doubt big league frame at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, and he hit .311/.386/.575 in two seasons with Washington. He spent most of his time with the Huskies as a second baseman, however, and will slide over to shortstop this spring with Oregon State. Early feedback on his defensive ability at the position has been quite positive, but scouts are still looking to see him manage that reputation over a full spring and prove he has what it takes to be an Oneil Cruz or Elly De La Cruz sort of big-bodied big league shortstop. Arquette cut his strikeout rate significantly year over year with Washington, but he’s still an aggressive hitter who expands the zone a bit too frequently. He chased at a 27% clip in two seasons with Washington. 

15. Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana

Areas to improve: Improve defensive skills, up production vs. breaking balls

Taylor has a reputation as one of the better hit/power offensive profiles in the class after hitting .338 with 36 home runs in two seasons with Indiana—plus a strong Team USA showing in 2024. However, he’s almost universally viewed as a fringy defender in an outfield corner whose speed and arm hold him back a bit. If he can change his defensive reputation and perhaps add a bit more speed or arm strength, that would help. Additionally, Taylor has a 1.230 OPS vs. fastballs, a 1.137 OPS vs. offspeed and just an .809 OPS vs. breaking balls, so upping his performance against spin would be useful, as well. 

14. Dean Curley, SS, Tennessee

Areas to improve: Shortstop profile

On paper, Curley has a tantalizing profile. He’s one of the most well-rounded college hitters in the class and is also an SEC shortstop, which tests his hitting ability and gives him plenty of flexibility to move down the defensive spectrum in pro ball. At the moment, there are plenty of scouts who see him as a future third baseman. Proving he has the range, quickness, hands and athletic ability to stick at shortstop as a 6-foot-3, 200-pound infielder could push him into the top 10 range fairly easily.

13. Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton (Okla.) HS

Areas to improve: Add power and strength

Willits enters the spring with a fairly well-rounded profile. He’s a high-level athlete with big league bloodlines, he has great rhythm and contact from both sides of the plate and he’s a plus runner and potentially above-average defender at shortstop with solid arm strength. Willits does have room to layer on more strength to his 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame, however, and if he adds good mass and shows power that’s closer to above-average than fringy or average this spring, it could push him into the top third of the first round.

12. Ike Irish, C, Auburn

Areas to improve: Defensive profile

Irish has a great chance to be the first catcher selected thanks to his pure hitting ability, power and track record in both the SEC and Cape Cod League. That offensive value will give him a solid floor in the draft, but taking a step forward as a defender could launch him into consensus top 10 territory in this year’s class. Irish has the arm strength for the position, but he’s split time at catcher, first base and in the outfield so far in his college career. Getting a full season of reps behind the plate should give him every opportunity to prove he can stick at the position in pro ball.  

11. Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina

Areas to improve: Left-on-left breaking balls

Stevenson’s profile is fairly well-rounded at the moment, but digging into his offensive profile reveals some issues against lefthanded breaking balls. Stevenson’s miss rate vs. spin is greater than his fastball or offspeed miss rate, but he managed a 1.088 OPS vs. righthanded breaking balls in 2024 compared to a .683 OPS vs. lefthanded breaking balls. Like many hitters, he has a tendency to leak out with his lower half on same-side spin, which puts him in a less than ideal position to drive the ball. He has the strength and bat speed to stay with these breaking balls and drive them with authority to the opposite field. Doing that more consistently will shore up one of the few holes found in his game. 

10. Billy Carlson, SS/RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS

Areas to improve: Show more power, speed

Carlson is the best defensive shortstop in the prep class, and his double-plus arm that is an asset as a fielder and a pitcher. Offensively, he has a line drive, contact oriented profile, and he’s more of a solid runner than one who will test opposing batteries and infielders. If he comes out this spring with more strength and power offensively with above-average or plus run times, it would be hard to find a real hole in his game.

9. Kayson Cunningham, SS, Johnson HS, San Antonio

Areas to improve: Show game power, add twitch to defensive profile

Cunningham is among the most pure hitters in the class and excelled last summer as the best hitter with Team USA. Scouts also praise his instincts on the defensive side of the ball and have seen him turn in plus run times on the field. While he might always be a hit-over-power offensive profile, showing a bit more over-the-fence pop this spring might boost him up draft boards. by adding a bit more quick-twitch action on the defensive side and improving his first step, he might convert any skeptics about him profiling at shortstop long term.

8. Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP/1B, Sunset HS, Portland, Ore.

Areas to improve: Slider command, secondary sharpening

Schoolcraft has outlier traits with his 6-foot-8 frame, massive extension and surprising body control for his age. He’s been up to 97 mph and has solid feel to spot his fastball and changeup combination, though his low-80s slider is a pitch that he’s been a bit more scattered with. While Schoolcraft’s sweeping breaking ball has flashed above-average potential, showing the ability to land it to both sides of the plate and adding a bit more bite to the pitch could help him jump even further.

7. Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon (Wash.) HS

Areas to improve: More aggressive approach, improve defense

Neyens’ raw power and batting eye at the plate rivals Ethan Holliday for the very best in the class, though at times last summer he was overly passive at the plate, according to some scouts. Part of that could simply be the fact that he gets pitched around frequently and is happy to take his walks, but showing a bit more selective aggression during the spring against competition he should dominate might help. He’s a bat-first third baseman at the moment and has a big throwing arm for the position, but he could also refine and improve his glovework and footwork in the field. 

6. Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson

Areas to improve: Show healthy arm, add strength

Cannarella is one of the best pure hitters in the 2025 class. He’s hit .363/.440/.560 in two seasons with Clemson and has a chance for an above-average hit tool, plus speed and defense in center field with great baserunning value, as well. He played through a shoulder injury in 2024 which halted his baserunning entirely (he went from 24 steals in 2023 to 0 in 2024) and had labrum surgery in the offseason. 

Showing he’s healthy enough to be unleashed 100% this spring will make scouts feel better about his profile and give them a better understanding of what sort of arm he’s working with in center field. Cannarella is a hit-over-power lefty hitter who has hit seven and 11 home runs in each season, respectively, so adding a bit more strength and game power will only help him. 

5. Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS

Areas to improve: Add consistency to breaking balls

Hernandez has a fastball that already sits in the mid 90s and a changeup that earns double-plus evals. Both his breaking balls are quite good at their best, but between a near mid-80s slider and a curveball around 80, those two pitches are the third and fourth pieces of his arsenal. That’s not an issue, per se, given the quality of his fastball/changeup combo, but scouts would certainly like to see one or both of his breaking balls go from occasionally plus to consistently plus. 

Both his slider and curveball have the tendency to come off his fingertips with some inconsistency currently. Dialing in his release point both pitches would help refine what’s already a pretty well-rounded prep pitching package.

4. Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

Areas to improve: Full season as starter, more consistency with slider

Despite Bremner’s excellent starter kit profile, he hasn’t actually pitched a complete season in a starting role in his two years with UC Santa Barbara. In 2023, he made eight starts and nine appearances out of the bullpen. In 2024, he made nine starts and 10 appearances out of the bullpen. He has the depth of arsenal and command to pitch in a starting role but simply doing it over the course of a full spring season will help secure his profile. 

Additionally, batters have found more success against his slider (.693 OPS) than either his fastball (.653 OPS) or changeup (.448 OPS), so sharpening that pitch could help boost his profile. Bremner’s slider flashes plus but has not been consistently in that range. Getting the pitch to a solid 60 projection will make him difficult to pass up.

3. Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State

Areas to improve: Develop changeup

Scouting directors raved about Arnold in our preseason All-America balloting and best tools voting. He ranked first in each of the following categories when compared to all other college arms: best fastball, best fastball movement, best breaking ball and best command. Best changeup was one of only two tools categories he qualified for (along with best pitcher athlete) and didn’t win outright.

Arnold has used his mid-80s changeup only about 4% of the time in his two seasons with Florida State. The 19% miss rate and .819 OPS hitters have managed against his changeup are far worse numbers than his fastball/slider combination. Taking a step forward with a changeup would round out his arsenal and create a fairly unimpeachable pitching profile. 

2. Ethan Holliday, SS, Stillwater (Okla.) HS

Areas to improve: show more contact, improve athleticism & defense

Holliday is one of the best hit/power threats in the class and ranks atop the prep ranks because of that combination. Still, he did show more swing-and-miss tendencies than some scouts would have liked last summer. In 37 logged games with Synergy in 2024, Holliday had a 31% miss rate. It’s one thing to make contact on the circuit and another to do so during spring competition, but minimizing his miss vs. any quality of pitching will be important. 

Additionally, Holliday is bigger and bulkier than his older brother Jackson, with more risk to move to either third base or a corner outfield spot. Showing better speed and defensive work in the infield will help him round out his overall profile.

1. Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M

Areas to improve: Make more contact

LaViolette’s all-around college production is exceptional. He’s homered 50 times and managed a 1.116 OPS in two seasons with Texas A&M. However, he owns a career .297 batting average and a 29% swing-and-miss rate in that time frame. Both those numbers would be surprisingly poor for a first overall pick, let alone a top-five college hitter in the draft. Below are the career college batting averages and miss rates for the last four college hitting first overall picks, for comparison: 

• Travis Bazzana: .360, 16% miss
• Henry Davis: .337, 16% miss
• Spencer Torkelson: .337, 22% miss
• Adley Rutschman: .353, 15% miss

Making more contact in 2025 and pushing his total numbers closer to this range would help ease any concerns about how his hit tool will fare in pro ball.