With the 2025 MLB Draft now in the books, here’s my look at each National League Central team’s draft class. I focus on the top 10 rounds, since those are the picks that count toward each team’s bonus pool. Players taken after the 10th round may be paid up to $150,000 without counting against the bonus pool, so the best prospects taken in Rounds 11 through 20 rarely end up signing.
The number in parentheses after each player’s name indicates the round in which he was taken; a letter (A, B, or C) after a number indicates that it was a supplemental pick between rounds, either for losing a free agent or from the competitive balance lottery. I do assume that all players taken in the top 10 rounds will sign, although each year there are roughly two to five players who don’t for various reasons. I also skipped over college seniors who were probably selected as money-saver picks, agreeing to bonuses under their slot figures so their teams can go over slot for other players, or other players who appear to be more about under-slot bonuses than major-league potential.
Finally, I don’t give letter grades for drafts. I think that whole idea is absurd. The best I can offer is to tell you that I think teams did well or not well based on what I know about the players available at those picks, and in general I prefer to talk about specific picks than try to sum up months of work for each scouting department in a pithy line or two.
(Note: Scouting grades are on a 20-80 scale. Click here for my top-100 draft prospect list.)
Ethan Conrad missed much of the season after shoulder surgery. (Gail Burton / Associated Press)
Chicago Cubs: Conrad selection a surprise but could be a good value
The Cubs took Wake Forest outfielder Ethan Conrad (1) with their first pick, a mild surprise just because Conrad had surgery on his throwing shoulder in April after hurting it on a diving play. Conrad was marching towards first-round status with his performance last summer in the Cape Cod League and in the early going this spring. However, he got hurt before facing enough ACC pitching to give everyone complete confidence that the performance was sustainable against pro stuff (he transferred to Wake from Marist). He’s got quick hands at the plate and stays inside the ball well, with the potential for above-average power, although he’s going to have to cut down on the chase, especially on fastballs. He could turn out to be great value at the spot.
Center fielder Kane Kepley (2) is a high-probability fourth outfielder, a plus runner and defender who never strikes out and has well below-average power. I think he’s a 60 in center, which is very good but not game-changing in a way that would paper over the lack of impact at the plate.
Right-hander Dominick Reid (3) transferred to Abilene Christian this year after barely pitching in two years at Oklahoma State, and punched out 31 percent of batters he faced as ACU’s top starter. He’s up to 96 with a string-puller changeup that generates a ton of whiffs, with some late fade to it but deception beyond that given hitters’ reactions to it. He comes from a very low slot with a long arm action that has him late to pronate, which is why he doesn’t have an average breaking ball. I’d start him for now and see how far he can get with above-average control and the out-pitch change.
Prep right-hander Kaleb Wing (4) works at 92-94 with an above-average curveball, coming with a short-ish, compact delivery he repeats pretty well, giving hope for future command. He’s 6-foot-2, 180, but the frame is slight and I don’t see huge projection, so command and development of a third pitch will be his path to starting (rather than gaining velocity).
Alabama outfielder Kade Snell (5) is a grad student who’ll turn 23 later this month. He struck out in just 6.9 percent of his PA, and his contact quality is very strong, held back by a flat swing that doesn’t get the ball in the air enough. The age is a hindrance here, so I imagine the Cubs think he can get to Double A quickly and hold the contact skills against better stuff. High school outfielder Josiah Hartshorn (6) has some bat speed and superb contact rates, with an impossible 4 percent whiff rate on fastballs in tracked events in 2024-25, along with 55 to 60 raw power right now. He’s not a great athlete and is going to end up in an outfield corner.
Lefty Pierce Coppola (7) is 6-8, 245, and while he’s a redshirt junior, he has barely pitched at Florida due to surgery to repair a bulging disc in his back, followed by shoulder surgery, and then he missed two months this spring with an “upper body” injury, which narrows it down about 50 percent, I suppose. He struck out 46.7 percent of the batters he did face this year, though, as he’s got some deception from his size and a slight cutoff in his landing, and then has an above-average slider that he throws for strikes. The odds are low that he can hold up, of course, but this is more than just a money-saver, whereas right-hander Jake Knapp (8), a grad student at UNC, is probably a well under-slot guy. He’s 92-95 with a short arm action, lacking an average second pitch. The 6-5, 270-pound righty missed 2024 after Tommy John surgery.
Steele Hall has plus speed and high upside. (Tracy Proffitt / Four Seam Images via Associated Press)
Cincinnati Reds: Steele Hall leads class featuring several good value selections
Shortstop Steele Hall (1) was one of the fastest players in the draft, a true 80 runner who will stay at shortstop and has close to average power already. He has great bat speed and hits fastballs often and hard, but he struggles badly against breaking stuff and is going to need more time to adjust than the typical first-round high school bat. He has an All-Star ceiling between the position and speed, with a very low floor because of his difficulty picking up spin.
Right-hander Aaron Watson (2) has everything you’d want in a high school starter, with a great delivery, solid command, an out-pitch in his slider, and a broad mix that includes a four-seamer up to 96 and a split-change for lefties. He has room to fill out and add velocity, which might turn that slider into a plus or better weapon. In the modern game’s chase for present velocity and pitch shapes, guys like Watson are becoming undervalued.
Mississippi right-hander Mason Morris (3) worked out of the Rebels’ bullpen this year, but he’s a starter for me, working 95-97 in long relief with a slider and cutter, using that last pitch effectively to get lefties out. I think he’ll top out with fringe-average control given some funk in his delivery, maybe a third/fourth starter ceiling and a high probability that he’s a fifth starter or bulk reliever.
Center fielder Mason Neville (4) was my best available player coming out of Day 1. He’s a 55 runner and 55 defender in center who might have 70 power, striking out too often but with good underlying swing decisions — he doesn’t chase too much, and his contact rates are solid. The main concern with him on the field is that he didn’t face a lot of good pitching this year.
Georgia high school shortstop Eli Pitts (5) missed some time this year with a hamstring injury. He’s a strong athlete with bat speed, and he has a tendency to open his front hip early and a history of making contact unless he faces better velocity. He’s committed to South Florida. Kennesaw State right-hander Braden Osbolt (6) made just four starts this year before injuring his elbow and undergoing Tommy John surgery. He showed three pitches with close to average control, nothing better than solid-average, although the delivery works and he gets a little sink on the heater. He won’t turn 21 until late August.
Right-hander Justin Henschel (7) pitched for Florida Gulf Coast, Chris Sale’s alma mater, and was bumping 97 early this spring from a low slot. He made just four starts this year before — wait for it — injuring his elbow and undergoing Tommy John surgery. He’s got an above-average slider and has potential as a reliever. Left-hander Kyle McCoy (8) is excellent value this late in the draft, as the Maryland starter returned after 2023 Tommy John surgery to show markedly improved control. His fastball is fringy but his slider and changeup are both strong 50s if not better, coming at hitters from a low slot similar to Noah Schultz’s.
Andrew Fischer has tons of power, but can he play third base? (Brianna Paciorka / News Sentinel / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Milwaukee Brewers: Some risky picks but lots of potential for development group to mold
The Brewers took Tennessee first baseman Andrew Fischer (1) with their first pick and announced him as a third baseman. I don’t know about the position, but Fischer can hit and has plus power. He transferred to Knoxville this year and dramatically improved his approach, cutting way down on his chase rates, while his hard-hit rate of 60 percent was among the best in the class — even though he faced some of the best pitching in the college ranks. If he can play third after all, this is going to look like an incredible pick; my skepticism is entirely about his position, not his bat.
Infielder Brady Ebel (1C) was a reach for me in the first sandwich round, as I don’t think he’s a shortstop and I did not see good bat speed from him at NHSI, when he faced some of the best pitching any high schooler saw this year. He does have a contact-oriented swing that should produce some low line drives, probably not much power unless his swing changes to put the ball in the air more. He’s got a plus arm and should be capable or better at third.
Vanderbilt lefty J.D. Thompson (2) has a plus changeup, maybe a 70, and his fastball can play above-average or better when he keeps it up in the zone and lets its riding life keep hitters from squaring it up. He has four pitches, including an average slider and 55 curveball, throwing strikes and getting hitters on both sides out. I thought he was a borderline first-rounder because he’s a definite starter and has the out-pitch in the changeup.
Lefty Frank Cairone (2C) is highly projectable with feel for a curveball and a really good delivery. He doesn’t throw that hard right now, topping out around 92-93, but he has all of the ingredients you want to see in a high school pitcher except for that present velocity — and I’m fine with that, as I believe everyone throwing 95 before they’re out of diapers is a contributing factor to the epidemic of torn UCLs. This was a little high for me just given how the market views such players, but I get why they’d want him.
Coastal Carolina right-hander Jacob Morrison (3) returned from 2023 Tommy John surgery this spring to help lead the Chanticleers to the College World Series finals, throwing a ton of strikes with a 92-94 mph fastball and an above-average slider. His arm is really late, though, and I’m not sold that he can hold up as a starter (that’s easy to say when he already had surgery once, though). Prep right-hander Joshua Flores (4) has been up to 95-96, sitting more low 90s, with sharp break on both a curveball and slider that get whiffs but that he can’t land in the zone consistently. His arm action is long but pretty loose and he’s still projectable. He’s a Kentucky commit but is expected to sign.
Princeton right-hander Sean Episcope (5) missed the 2023 season after Tommy John surgery, then went down again after four starts this spring and had to have an internal brace procedure. Before he got hurt this time, he was up to 97 with a hard slider/cutter that might be a weapon for him along with a slower curveball. His fans should call themselves Episcope Aliens.
LSU second baseman Daniel Dickinson (6) was on my top 100 as a solid hitter who crushes fastballs, but teams may have been deterred by how much he feasted on non-conference competition. He’s got average power, maybe getting to 55 if he gets into his legs more, and is a fringy runner who’ll play second or move to left. There could be an everyday bat here if he tightens up a few things, including using his lower half and improving some swing decisions.
Boston College outfielder Josiah Ragsdale (7) strikes out too often despite solid contact rates because he tends to expand the zone too much with two strikes. He has more strength than his stat line (.319/.418/.498) implies, with good hard-contact data but a swing that puts the ball on the ground. He’s a 55-60 runner who should stick in center.
Duke right-hander Andrew Healy (9) never pitched a full workload for the Blue Devils, with 40-42 innings every year as a starter, but this year was his worst as he gave up seven homers and posted a 7.29 ERA. The stuff is way better than the results, as he’s up to 97 and can flash an above-average slider and changeup, with poor command and no real consistency to the offspeed stuff. He’s a project but one I’d be thrilled to get in the ninth round.
I don’t know if lefty Cooper Underwood (12) will sign, but the Georgia Tech commit has one of the best curveballs in the high school class this year, with a 92-94 mph fastball and spotty command.
Seth Hernandez was by far the best high school pitching prospect in the class. (Tracy Proffitt / Four Seam Images via Associated Press)
Pittsburgh Pirates: Pair of promising high school arms highlight a class with some power bats
With their first pick, the Pirates took Corona High School right-hander Seth Hernandez (1), by far the best high school pitcher in the draft class, betting on his huge upside and their own pitcher development. Hernandez has been up to 100 and shows a plus changeup and a curve that’s at least a 55, with a slider as well that should end up a plus pitch. The fastball is a four-seamer without a ton of life to it, and there are some little things about the delivery I don’t love, including a head-snap at release. If you are open to taking high school pitchers high, he was the only one to consider this year. My concerns about the pick are entirely a function of the higher attrition rate of high school arms, not really about Hernandez himself.
Right-hander Angel Cervantes (2) is another high school righty. He has a very easy, repeatable delivery, with a plus changeup and a fastball up to 97. His breaking ball is a work in progress; he’s got a slurvy thing that isn’t tight or sharp enough despite high spin rates. He’s young for the class, turning 18 in August, and was on the heavier side before improving his conditioning this past offseason.
Fresno State third baseman Murf Gray (2B) has plus power and hit extremely well in the Cape Cod League in 2024, but he’s a hacker who swings too often at pitches out of the zone. His bat isn’t quick and even in that strong summer on the Cape he struggled against good velocity. He’s a big data guy, with very strong exit velocities. The Pirates took him as a third baseman but he’s likely to end up at first.
Oklahoma catcher Easton Carmichael (3) is a solid defensive catcher who caught the Witherspoon brothers this spring. He has above-average power but a 45 or maybe 40 hit tool. He doesn’t hit premium velocity or better breaking stuff, doing enough damage on lesser stuff to give him a chance to be a low-OBP regular with 15-20 homers.
Puerto Rican shortstop Gustavo Melendez (4) is one of the youngest players drafted this year, as he’s just two months older than top pick Eli Willits. Melendez is only 5-foot-8 but swings very hard, with great bat speed, with a chance to hit for average even if there’s only below-average power. He’s an average runner who probably fits better at second. Arizona catcher Adonys Guzman (5) is a sleeper here, as he can catch and throw. He started hitting the ball quite a bit harder this year, with a hard-hit rate just over 50 percent, and he doesn’t whiff or chase excessively. You could do a lot worse behind the plate, and many teams do.
Fresno State right-hander Jack Anker (6) walked just 2.7 percent of batters this year, working with a four-pitch mix where everything is average, but gave up too much contact overall and allowed a .305/.348/.499 line to hitters. His delivery is solid, though, and he has the foundation to be a starter between that, the control and the baseline arm strength and velocity he shows. Third baseman Brent Iredale (7) hails from Australia and had some buzz as a potential Day 1 pick earlier in the spring, but he had a disappointing spring after transferring to Arkansas from junior college. His hard-hit data is elite across the board, however, and while his swing decisions aren’t great, they’re not irredeemable. He’ll turn 22 next week.
Slugging LSU first baseman Jared Jones (9) was draft-eligible last year and will turn 22 on Aug. 1. He was near the very top of all Division 1 hitters in any exit velocity category you can think of, but struck out 85 times (26.1 percent) this spring for the Tigers. And yes, the Pirates drafted another Jared Jones.
The Cardinals got a potential steal selecting Liam Doyle at pick 5. (Angelina Alcantar / News Sentinel / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
St. Louis Cardinals: Top draft pitching prospect Liam Doyle leads class heavy on arms
The Cardinals landed my No. 1 pitching prospect in the class, Tennessee lefty Liam Doyle (1), who’s been up to 100 with an invisible fastball. He attacks hitters with the pitch and misses bats even within the zone, as it comes out hot from a high release point that hitters don’t pick up. He pairs it with a plus splitter, and the two pitches play well off each other as Doyle changes eye levels and gets hitters to guess wrong very frequently. He has a slider that’s an adequate third pitch, and throws plenty of strikes, with an 8.3 percent walk rate this year. I know some scouts who couldn’t buy into him as a starter because of the delivery, but I’m not among them — he repeats the delivery and he holds his stuff deep into starts.
Ryan Mitchell (2) showed exceptional swing decisions at showcases last year, rarely whiffing and almost never chasing pitches out of the zone. He’s a strong kid who stays back well enough to drive the ball to the gaps, although it’s probably 50 power at his absolute peak. He’s a shortstop now without the arm strength for it, so the Cardinals announced him as an outfielder, which should mean center field.
Right-hander Tanner Franklin (2B) transferred to Tennessee from Kennesaw State this year and struck out 31.9 percent of batters he faced, working almost exclusively in relief for the Vols. He’s been up to 102 and sits 98-99 with a plus cutter, occasionally throwing in a show-me slider. The delivery is short but not as violent as you might expect. I doubt they’ll try to start him, but I don’t think it would be crazy, either. First baseman Jack Gurevitch (3) went from nine homers for the USD Toreros last year to 17 this spring with almost identical playing time, and he had a 90th percentile EV of 110.2 mph. He hammers fastballs, but has a big gap between what he does against heaters versus anything else, and may be a platoon bat in the end.
Oklahoma right-hander Cade Crossland (4) transferred in from JUCO but had a miserable spring, possibly because of a preseason back injury, posting a 6.32 ERA on the year. He sat 90-94, although he’s thrown harder in the past, and has a plus changeup that looks a lot like the fastball out of his hand. He had a reverse split this year as he didn’t throw his average-ish slider that much. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him look different in the spring between getting back to full strength and getting help from the Cardinals’ player development people.
Right-hander Ethan Young (5) spent one year at East Carolina after playing the last two springs at two different junior colleges. He’s a reliever, with effort to his delivery, but he has three good enough pitches, sitting 96-97 on the fastball with a downward-breaking slider and a hard-tumbling changeup. Hawaii outfielder Matthew Miura (6) walked more than twice as often as he struck out and doesn’t swing and miss much at all, but he has 35 power and he’s a 55/60 runner, not an elite one.
Gonzaga right-hander Payton Graham (7) made one start this year, just his fourth for Bulldogs over three seasons (he had 26 relief appearances), and then underwent Tommy John surgery. He was up to 96 in that outing and can flash a plus slider. He walked one an inning as a freshman, then cut that to about a batter every other inning as a sophomore, bringing his ERA down from 12.00 to 8.91. He has a good arm, though, enough to roll the dice here.
(Top photos: Seth Hernandez: Ric Tapia / Getty Images; Liam Doyle: Angelina Alcantar / News Sentinel / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Source link
