An Early Look at the 2025 MLB Draft

As the high school and college baseball seasons begin this week, it’s never too early to start thinking about the 2025 MLB Draft.  The draft will take place July 13-14 in Atlanta, as part of All-Star Weekend.  With the whole season of amatuer baseball in front of us, scouts will be closely monitoring the performance on the field as teams approach decision time in July.

Who Picks First

In year past, draft order was determiend by record, giving the worst teams from previous year the first picks in the draft.  However, in attempt to prevent “tanking” during the season, MLB implemented a lottery system to determine the draft order for Round One.  All non-playoff teams are entered into the lottery (excluding the teams with two worst records).  Yes, it’s a little complicated.  As a result, the Washington Nationals scored the top pick in 2025.  MLB’s worst team in 2025, the Chicago White Sox, landed at #10.  Here’s a look at the draft order:

1. Nationals
2. Angels
3. Mariners
4. Rockies
5. Cardinals
6. Pirates
7. Marlins
8. Blue Jays
9. Reds
10. White Sox
11.  Athletics
12. Rangers
13. Giants
14. Rays
15. Red Sox
16. Twins
17. Cubs
18. Diamondbacks

The additional teams are determined by how they finished the season, leaving the Yankees and Dodgers at #29 and #30.

Top Targets in 2025

While college players have dominated the early picks of recent drafts, this year’s top pick might included a high number of high school players.  According to early predictions, five of the first ten picks are projected to be high school athletes.  Most notably among them is Jackson Holliday‘s brother, Ethan.  Retired MLB All-Star, Matt Holliday is poised to produce two top picks in just a few short years.  While some list have Ethan Holliday going #1 overall, the recent CBS Sports projections have him at #3.  Here’s a look at the early season Top 18 picks of the 2025 Draft.

1.  Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
2.  Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M
3. Ethan Holliday, SS/3B, Stillwater HS (OK)
4. Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
5. Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (OK)
6. Kayson Cunningham, SS, Johnson HS (TX)
7. Billy Carlson, SS/RHP, Corona HS (CA)
8. Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina
9. Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP/1B, Sunset HS (OR)
10. Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana
11. Ike Irish, C/OF, Auburn
12. Aiva Arquette, SS/3B, Oregon State
13. Brendan Summerhill, CF, Arizona
14. Cam Cannarella, CF, Clemson
15. Cameron Appenzeller, LHP, Glenwood HS (IL)
16. Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS (CA)
17. Tre Phelps, OF/1B/3B, Georgia
18. Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon HS (WA)

As the season progresses, the play on the field along with the needs of each franchise will play a role in the final decision-making.  Some of the top prospects are already off to a hot start.  Jamie Arnold (FSU) struck out eight and shutout James Madision in his season debut Friday night.  Jace LaViolette blasted three home runs on Opening Weekend for Texas A&M.  While it may seem a little early to start thinking about the draft, it provides yet another great reason to tune into College Baseball or to check out local prospects at the high school level.  Afterall, the MLB stars of tomorrow are playing ametuer baseball today.

Brian Koss

Brian is the Co-Owner/Managing Editor at Legends on Deck and Co-Host on Legends On Deck Podcast. He's been writing about baseball at LOD since 2017. He grew up in the Detroit area and is a lifelong Tigers fan. However, he shares some affinity for his son George's favorite team, the Atlanta Braves. Brian also has a particular interest in the amateur side of the game, including high school, college and collegiate summer league baseball. Brian and George also love collecting and selling baseball cards. You can find them selling on eBay (@Kossball) or posting on George's Instagram (@Kossball). Brian lives in Horizon West (Winter Garden), Florida with his wife (Grace), three daughters and son George. You can also reach him at brianmkoss@gmail.com