MLB Draft: Every high school player selected in the first round

The first round of the 2025 MLB Draft is in the books. Forty-three picks came off the board in the first round last night at Atlanta’s Coca-Cola Roxy and nearly half of them were selected straight out of high school. Here are all 19 draft picks that could go straight from the prep ranks to the pros.

No. 1: SS Eli Willits – Fort Cobb-Broxton (Okla.)
Drafted by: Washington Nationals

Willits earned All-State Player of the Year honors after hitting .516 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs, and 48 stolen bases. The son of former MLB player Reggie Willits also played for USA Baseball’s Under-18 squad. Willits committed to the University of Oklahoma.

No. 4: SS Ethan Holliday – Stillwater (Okla.)
Drafted by: Colorado Rockies

His father, seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday, had two stints over six seasons with the Rockies. Likewise, his older brother, Jackson Holliday, plays for the Baltimore Orioles. The 2025 Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year led Stillwater to the Oklahoma Class 6A state tournament. Holliday committed to Oklahoma State-Stillwater, where his uncle, former minor leaguer Josh Holliday, coaches.

No. 6: RHP Seth Hernandez – Corona (Calif.)
Drafted by: Pittsburgh Pirates

Hernandez won the National Gatorade Player of the Year Award after completing a 0.39 ERA with 105 strikeouts. He also hit .319 with 30 RBIs. He also led the Panthers to the CIF Division 1 Southern Section semifinals.

No. 8: SS Jojo Parker – Purvis (Miss.)
Drafted by: Toronto Blue Jays

Parker won this year’s Mississippi Class 4A Mr. Baseball Award with his brother Jacob. The year before, he hit .464 with seven home runs, 28 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases. Parker committed to play college baseball for Mississippi State.

No. 9: SS Steele Hall – Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.)
Drafted by: Cincinnati Reds

Hall attended Daphne High School for three years before transferring to Hewitt-Trussville. During his sophomore year, Hall hit .331 with 23 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. As a hitter, he averaged .367 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. Hall committed to the University of Tennessee.

No. 10: SS Billy Carlson – Corona (Calif.)
Drafted by: Chicago White Sox

In addition to being a shortstop, Carlson is also a right-handed closing pitcher who finished his junior season with a 0.60 ERA and five saves. Carlson originally committed to Vanderbilt before switching to Tennessee.

No. 12: 3B Gavin Fein – Great Oak (Calif.)
Drafted by: Texas Rangers

In addition to playing for Great Oak, Fein also participated in the 2024 High School All-American Game, in which he became an MVP. The Wolfpack finished the 2024-25 season with a 13-17 record.

No. 14: SS Daniel Pierce – Mill Creek (Ga.)
Drafted by: Tampa Bay Rays

Pierce batted .408 with 26 RBIs and two home runs during last year’s summer season. During his junior year, Pierce batted .345 with 25 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, and two home runs. Pierce helped Mill Creek finish with a 21-14 record and a stint in the Class 6A state tournament.

No. 18: SS Kayson Cunningham – Lady Bird Johnson (Texas)
Drafted by: Arizona Diamondbacks

Cunningham proudly represented Team USA last year and became the Most Valuable Player of the World Cup Americas Qualifier. Likewise, he was the United States Baseball Federation’s Player of the Year. During his junior year with Johnson, Cunningham hit .437 with 36 stolen bases.

No. 21: SS Xavier Neyens – Mount Vernon (Wash.)
Drafted by: Houston Astros

Neyens was the 2023 Washington Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. The following year, he hit .455 with three home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 24 RBIs. He also pitched for Mount Vernon, earning an 8-0 record with a 1.26 ERA.

No. 22: SS Tate Southisene – Basic Academy of International Studies (Nev.)
Drafted by: Atlanta Braves

Southisene won the Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year Award after batting .495 with nine home runs, 3 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. He committed to playing college baseball at the University of Southern California.

No. 23: OF Sean Gamble – IMG Academy (Fla.)
Drafted by: Kansas City Royals

Gamble played for the Ascenders, hitting .413 with 31 home runs and 30 RBIs. In three seasons, Gamble has a .374 batting average with 74 hits and 72 RBIs.

No. 24: SS Jordan Yost – Sickles (Fla.)
Drafted by: Detroit Tigers

Yost participated in this year’s MLB Draft Combine after batting .420 with six home runs and 26 RBIs. He committed to playing college baseball for the Florida Gators.

No. 25: LHP/1B Kruz Schoolcraft – Sunset (Ore.)
Drafted by: San Diego Padres

During his junior year, Schoolcraft compiled a 10-1 record with a 0.39 earned run average and 146 strikeouts over 71 2/3 innings. He also batted .506 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs. The pitcher/first baseman committed to Tennessee for college baseball.

Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick

No. 28: SS Josh Hammond – Wesleyan Christian (N.C.)
Drafted by: Kansas City Royals

The Royals received this MLB Draft selection after Bobby Witt Jr. finished in the top three of the American League Most Valuable Player voting. Kansas City used it for Hammond, who played on Team USA’s Under-18 team. The Wesleyan Christian standout committed to Wake Forest.

Compensatory Round

No. 32: SS Brady Ebel – Corona (Calif.)
Drafted by: Milwaukee Brewers

His father, Dino Ebel, is the third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Meanwhile, Brady Ebel batted .341 with two home runs and 17 RBIs during his senior season. The younger Ebel committed to LSU two years ago.

No. 34: C Michael Oliveto – Hauppauge (N.Y.)
Drafted by: Detroit Tigers

The 6-foot-3 catcher opted to stay with Hauppage before committing to Yale. Likewise, he’s good at solving the Rubik’s Cube.

No. 37: OF Slater de Brun – Summit (Ore.)
Drafted by: Baltimore Orioles

De Brun led Summit to a state championship this year after hitting .370 with 26 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. This Vanderbilt commit also played for last year’s USA Under-18 National Team. Now he’s a first-round pick in the MLB Draft.

No. 39: SS Dax Kilby – Newnan (Ga.)
Drafted by: New York Yankees

During his senior year, Kilby led Newnan to a state championship after hitting .495.