We are not only rolling on all cylinders in the Majors and the Minor Leagues right now, but the college baseball season as well. In December, MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis put out his first official mock draft for the 2025 class, but a lot has changed since then. The evaluation process has evolved with new information over the past four months, so it's a good time for an update.
On the latest episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Callis and Jonathan Mayo took turns making their picks for the first 10 Draft selections. It's important to note this is not a true mock draft -- picks are based on who the Draft expert would take rather than who we project the teams will actually pick -- but it does provide a glimpse into how much the landscape has changed over the past four months. Be ready for a surprise or two as well.
High school players are heavily represented at the top here, an indication of how early-season performances make the picks differ from the Top 100 Draft rankings. We've included the player's ranking from that list in parentheses here.
1. Nationals -- Ethan Holliday, SS/3B, Stillwater HS (OK) (No. 1)
Callis: Different player than his brother, built more like his dad (Matt). He¡¯s big and physical. Probably wants to be at third base with power there. Got off to a little bit of a slow start this year after a rough spring, but I think he¡¯s been better recently. There were three guys I was considering with this pick, but I am going to take Ethan Holliday, No. 1 overall.
2. Angels -- Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS (CA) (No. 5)
Mayo: I am getting my No. 1 guy here. I¡¯m going to take the right-hander from Corona High School, who checks off pretty much every box that you would want to see from a pitcher, except for the fact that he¡¯s a high school right-hander. But he has size, he has ridiculous stuff, he¡¯s got three plus pitches when all is said and done, if not four. He¡¯s got command. He¡¯s got makeup, that competitive streak. I had a scout from Southern California who I was talking to about him, and I believe the quote was something along the lines of, ¡°If he is not being discussed at 1-1, what are we doing?¡±
More from MLB Pipeline:
? Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
3. Mariners -- Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State (No. 3)
Callis: I think Arnold has the highest floor, and those are the only three guys I would consider with the No. 1 pick right now. From an upside standpoint, I think you can dream a little bigger on Ethan Holliday and Seth Hernandez, but Jamie Arnold, this is probably the easiest pick of the whole Draft that we¡¯re going to do here. He¡¯s a lefty, I think he¡¯s going to get to the big leagues very quickly, he¡¯s got plus stuff, he¡¯s got at least solid control, he¡¯s got a track record of performance. So this might be the only pick where I don¡¯t sigh trying to figure out who I¡¯m going to take.
4. Rockies -- Aiva Arquette, 2B/SS, Oregon State (No. 7)
Mayo: The power is showing up, there has been a little swing-and-miss, but his defense has been really really good. He¡¯s answered the questions about his ability to play shortstop. So now we have a guy who can play a premium position with power potential. His OPS is north of 1.000 right now and he can continue to get hot as they get into conference play and I think cement his spot in the top five of the Draft.
5. Cardinals -- Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest (No. 16)
Callis: Marek is one of the best defensive shortstops in this college class. The rare college shortstop where he¡¯s a pro, legit, big league shortstop. Nobody is questioning his ability to do that. What¡¯s interesting is he¡¯s already got 10 home runs, he¡¯s slugging .667, he¡¯s got 15 steals in as many attempts. He made a concerted effort in the offseason to get stronger, change his approach, selling out a little bit more for power, so I think you¡¯re getting a plus defender at shortstop who is going to hit 15-20 homers and be a decent hitter at the plate.
6. Pirates -- Billy Carlson, SS/RHP, Corona HS (CA) (No. 12)
Mayo: Not everyone is convinced he¡¯s a Top 10 pick, there¡¯s been some questions about the hit tool. It seems like it¡¯s more timing than anything else, the swing is fine. He can flat-out play shortstop. He¡¯s got a plus arm, he¡¯s up to mid-90s off the mound, so I¡¯m going to take that package. I had one long-time area pro scout say he¡¯s the best amateur defensive shortstop he¡¯s ever seen. He¡¯s seen a lot of good amateur shortstops so I feel good, at least from a floor standpoint. And there¡¯s obviously some ceiling with a high school guy with a good swing, and there is the ability to impact the baseball in the future.
7. Marlins -- JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis HS (MS) (No. 86)
Callis: JoJo¡¯s having a great spring. He¡¯s always been a guy who¡¯s been able to hit. He¡¯s getting stronger, the arm is getting better, he¡¯s running a little bit better. You feel better about his chances to be able to play shortstop.
8. Blue Jays -- Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP/1B, Sunset HS (OR) (No. 9)
Mayo: This is banking on the fact that he¡¯s going to get in a groove and throw the way he did over the summer and even in the fall. He¡¯s 6-8, lefty, the tools are there to have plus fastball, plus slider, he¡¯s got a good changeup. He¡¯s really interesting because he¡¯s a legit two-way guy too, ridiculous power, but if I¡¯m taking him here, I¡¯m putting him on the mound and just letting that ability fly. It¡¯s been a little uneven, but I think he¡¯s shown enough to stick around.
9. Reds -- Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona (No. 10)
Callis: He¡¯s a pretty solid player across the board. He¡¯s hurt, I guess he¡¯s going to miss a month. But I just like the all-around ability. He only had two homers in 23 games, but he had six triples, five doubles, was hitting .409, controlling the strike zone. I liked him coming in, I think it¡¯s a pretty high floor.
10. White Sox -- Quentin Young, 3B/OF, Oaks Christian HS (CA) (No. 37)
Mayo: In talking to scouts on how he¡¯s looked this spring, he¡¯s made a lot of improvements. He¡¯s making really good swing decisions. He¡¯s playing really good defense. He¡¯s a big guy who¡¯s playing shortstop in high school, and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s where he¡¯s going to play, but he¡¯s looked really good and active defensively. He¡¯s made physical adjustments -- he¡¯s hitting a bunch of homers. So I think he¡¯s moved himself into that top half of the first round.