This year’s MLB draft, taking place from July 13-14 in Atlanta, has some really intriguing prospects for teams to choose and mold into future superstars. Most know names like Ethan Holliday and Seth Hernandez, but the following are some of the names I am very much interested in following a month from now.
Jack Bauer
Easily my favorite prospect in the entire draft, Jack Bauer (along with having the best name possible) has an 80-grade fastball, which touches 102 MPH at the tender age of 18; as MLB.com points out, no one that young has ever had a fastball quite like that. Bauer stands at 6’3, has easy lefty mechanics, has fixed many of the control problems he had previously, and can finish hitters off with a slider and a still developing changeup as well.
There are only a handful of lefty starters to ever throw 101+ mph on record- guys like James Paxton, Tarik Skubal, Cole Ragans, Chris Sale, and Garrett Crochet.
At 102, it’s just Randy Johnson (who reportedly touched it in 2004) and now high school pitcher Jack Bauer.
Here he… pic.twitter.com/k0cjxF25Pf
— Ben Brewster (@TreadAthletics) April 2, 2025
The most shocking thing about Bauer for me is that he isn’t ranked higher. MLB views him as the 37th best prospect, and ESPN at 54th; The Athletic sees him as the 74th best option and CBS and Baseball America don’t have him on their first round lists either. For me, the last time I was as confident in a player being good when others wondered about his ability to translate into pro-ball was Aaron Judge, and while Bauer probably won’t be putting together unheard of seasons, I think he has an excellent chance at being a great MLB ace (or a closer at worst). As a Yankee fan, he should be there at the 29th pick based on the rankings – unless some team loves him as much as I do – and if so, I pray we take him.
Kruz Schoolcraft and Chase Shores
What do these two pitchers have in common besides unique and frankly awesome names? They are both 6’8 pitchers; and if you know anything about me, I LOVE giant pitchers. Whether they have the potential to be an ace like Randy Johnson or a stud reliever like Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller, I am all in on exploring the potential. Schoolcraft, a lefty, is MLB’s 16th best prospect and has a fastball that is up to 97 mph, while Shores, the 21-year-old righty and #85 prospect has been able to reach 101, though he sits 94-98. Either way, I am very much looking forward to seeing more from these big men in the future.
The Legacies: Eli Willits, Cade Obermueller, Cam Leiter, Jayden Stroman and Aidan Teel
In addition to Holliday, there are a few more names in this draft that carry Major League pedigree; Eli Willits’ father Reggie Willits played for the Angels from 2006-2011 where he was mostly a bench piece, and Cade’s dad Wes Obermuller was a below average starter for a handful of years around that same time. Cam Leiter (yes, another one) on the other hand is the nephew of former MLB pitchers Mark Leiter and Al Leiter, and the cousin of current Yankees and Rangers pitchers Mark Leiter Jr. and Jack Leiter. Jayden Stroman is the much younger, and taller (6’0) brother of current Yankee Marcus Stroman, and Aidan Teel‘s brother Kyle Teel is a top prospect for the White Sox who was just recently called up.
Legacy names will always be of interest to me, as it is fascinating to see when or if relatives of players can be as good or better; hopefully all these legacies will be a success.
Honorable Mentions: Steele Hall and Ike Irish.
