Corona (Calif.) baseball produces pair of Top-10 picks in 2025 MLB Draft

The 2025 MLB Draft is littered with elite talent at the high school level. Many of the headlines surrounding the prep stars expected to take the jump to professional ball came out of Corona (Calif.) High.

The Panthers have now officially produced a pair of top-10 picks. Dominant right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez came off the board at No. 6 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not long after, Billy Carlson, a slick-fielding shortstop, was selected at No. 10 by the Chicago White Sox.

No pair of high school teammates have ever been taken higher in the same draft than Hernandez and Carlson, according to MLB Pipeline.

It’s no surprise to see either Golden State star go early on night one, as both were long near the top of mock draft boards this spring and summer. Hernandez, a Vanderbilt commit, was the third high schooler to hear his name on Sunday evening, following SS Eli Willits (No. 1, Washington Nationals) and SS Ethan Holliday (No. 4, Colorado Rockies).

Across 53-and-a-third innings for Corona, Hernandez racked up 105 strikeouts and walked just seven batters. He finished with an 0.39 ERA, living up to the hype that’s followed the fireballer for some time. He was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year and can also do some damage at the plate.

Hernandez’s fastball sits in the mid-90s and is considered one of, if not the best in the draft. An elite changeup pairs nicely, to no surprise, while a 12-to-6 curveball and slider create a formidable pitch mix. Comparisons to former longtime MLB righty Josh Beckett, who was also a highly-touted high school arm, have been prevalent. Beckett made 332 starts across his 14-year career and finished with a career 3.88 ERA.

Carlson has garnered plenty of attention throughout the draft process, too. Committed to Tennessee, Carlson checks in as a classic defensive standout at shortstop.

The glove is the moneymaker for the 6-foot-1 infielder and he’s got the arm to match, too. That’s not to discount the strides he’s taken at the plate, though. His right-handed bat still drove him to a .365 average and .517 on-base percentage as a senior. There’s budding power in his bat that will likely rear its head as he grows into his frame, too.

All the tools are there for Carlson, who has impressive speed and can also fire a mid-90s fastball.

The first round is just the start of what will likely be a big night for Corona baseball. Third baseman Brady Ebel has flirted with first-round projections, too, while two-way prospect Brady Bingaman is expected to fall somewhere in the early rounds. No high school has ever had three first-round picks in the same draft.

Corona’s run for another state title was cut short in an upset loss to St. John Bosco in the CIF Southern Section D1 semifinals. The Panthers