2025 MLB Draft: ESPN releases final mock draft, predictions for first two rounds

The 2025 MLB Draft is rapidly approaching. Selections are getting underway this weekend on Sunday, July 13.

This year’s edition is loaded with talent from both the college and high school ranks, headlined by the two best pitchers from the 2025 college baseball season. ESPN released its final mock draft prior to this weekend’s event, featured below.

1. Washington Nationals: LHP Kade Anderson, LSU

LSU sophomore left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson has skyrocketed to the projected No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft. Anderson led all college pitchers this season in strikeouts (180) and pitched to a 3.18 ERA in 119 innings. He held Coastal Carolina to just three hits and no runs with 10 strikeouts in the opening game of the College World Series Final, posting the first CWS shutout since 2018.

“I mean, his next pitch should be for someplace in the Washington Nationals organization,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said following their win in the CWS. “It’s not close. And they usually draft really well. And he’s the best player in the country. There’s nobody closer to the Major Leagues than that right now.”

2. Los Angeles Angels: LHP Liam Doyle, Tennessee

Tennessee left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle ranked second in the country in strikeouts (164) behind Anderson, pitching to a 3.20 ERA in 95 2/3 innings this season. He struggled a bit down the final stretch, however, posting a 6.86 ERA over his final five starts (21 innings).

Doyle, however, remains positioned to be the highest drafted pitcher in Tennessee program history. This comes after transferring from Ole Miss prior to the season.

3. Seattle Mariners: RHP Seth Hernandez, Vanderbilt commit

Right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez out of Corona High School (CA) would mark Cincinnati’s third straight selection of an arm in the Top 10 picks. Hernandez is the top high school pitching prospect of the 2025 class and has reached 100 mph on his fastball.

He’s verbally committed to Vanderbilt. But it looks like he probably won’t reach campus and will choose to go pro.

4. Colorado Rockies: SS/3B Ethan Holliday, Oklahoma State commit

Holliday, who is the son of seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday and brother of Jackson Holliday (First Overall Pick in the 2022 MLB Draft), was projected as the No. 1 pick for most of the past year. But he has slipped a bit recently.

He was recently named Gatorade’s Oklahoma Player of the Year at Stillwater High School and looks to become the fourth No. 1 pick out of high school in the past 10 MLB Drafts. He’s verbally committed to Oklahoma State, but it looks like he probably won’t reach campus.

5. St. Louis Cardinals: SS Eli Willits, Oklahoma commit

Fort-Cobb Broxton (OK) High product Eli Willits is one of three talented high school shortstops projected in the Top 10 of this year’s draft. He is listed at No. 5 on MiLB.com’s Prospect Rankings ahead of Carlson and is a proficient switch-hitter. His father, Reggie Willits, is a former MLB veteran who is now an associate head coach at Oklahoma.

His brother, Jaxon, started 50 games for the Sooners at shortstop this season. He’s also verbally committed to Oklahoma, but it looks like he probably won’t reach campus.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates: SS Aiva Arquette, Oregon State

Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette was originally selected in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but bet on himself and returned to college. The decision paid off mightily, as the 2025 First Team All-American is projected as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 Draft.

Starting for a Beaver program that made the College World Series for the first time since 2018, Arquette hit for a .354 average with 17 doubles, 19 home runs, 66 RBI, a .654 SLG% and a .461 OBP%. He would become Oregon State‘s third top-three pick in the last seven Drafts.

7. Miami Marlins: SS JoJo Parker, Mississippi State commit

Shortstop JoJo Parker is the third projected high school shortstop to be selected in the top-10. He’s the twin brother of Perfect Game All-American Jacob Parker and his tabbed as MiLB’s No. 9 ranked prospect.

He’s verbally committed to Mississippi State. But it looks like he probably won’t reach campus and will choose to go pro.

8. Toronto Blue Jays: LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State

Florida State left-handed pitcher Jamie Arnold is the third projected college lefty to go in the top-five picks in this Mock Draft. He capped off back-to-back stellar campaigns for the Seminoles by pitching to a 2.98 ERA with 119 strikeouts in 84 2/3 innings this season.

In 13 2/3 innings of work in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Arnold led FSU to two wins (Mississippi State and Oregon State) by pitching to a 2.63 ERA with 22 strikeouts. He seems poised to be Florida State’s highest drafted arm since right-hander Jonathan Johnson went No. 7 overall in 1995.

9. Cincinnati Reds: OF/C Ike Irish, Auburn

Auburn‘s Ike Irish was one of the best catchers in college baseball in 2024, but transitioned to the outfield in 2025. He excelled there as well, making just two errors in 55 games. Offensively, he hit for a .364 average with 13 doubles, 19 home runs and 58 RBI for a 40-win Tiger team.

Over the span of three seasons, Irish hit for a .350 average with 48 doubles, 39 home runs and 167 RBI. He was named to the All-SEC First Team in both 2024 and 2025.

10. Chicago White Sox: SS Billy Carlson, Tennessee commit

Billy Carlson is a stud defensive shortstop out of Corona High School in California. He is one of two prospects out of Corona High (RHP Seth Hernandez) projected as First-Round picks. He was once a two-way player (with a fastball in the mid-90s), but he has focused on the infield as he embarks on his professional baseball journey.

He is currently verbally committed to Tennessee. But it looks like he probably won’t reach campus and go pro instead.

Picks 11-30 of the draft

11. Athletics: RHP Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma
12. Texas Rangers: SS Steele Hall, Tennessee commit
13. San Francisco Giants: OF Brendan Summerhill, Arizona
14. Tampa Bay Rays: OF Jaden Fauske, LSU commit
15. Boston Red Sox: 3B Gavin Fien, Texas commit
16. Minnesota Twins: 2B Gavin Kilen, Tennessee
17. Chicago Cubs: 3B Josh Hammond, Wake Forest commit
18. Arizona Diamondbacks: C Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina
19. Baltimore Orioles: SS Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas
20. Milwaukee Brewers: SS Marek Houston, Wake Forest
21. Houston Astros: OF Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M
22. Atlanta Braves: RHP Tyler Bremner, UC Santa Barbara
23. Kansas City Royals: RHP Gage Wood, Arkansas
24. Detroit Tigers: SS Daniel Pierce, Georgia commit
25. San Diego Padres: 3B/OF Quentin Young, LSU commit
26. Philadelphia Phillies: RHP Matthew Fisher, Indiana commit
27. Cleveland Guardians: SS Tate Southisene, USC commit

Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks

28. Kansas City Royals: RHP Aaron Watson, Florida commit

Compensatory Round of draft

29. Arizona Diamondbacks: OF Slater de Brun, Vanderbilt commit
30. Baltimore Orioles: 3B Xavier Neyens, Oregon State commit
31. Baltimore Orioles: 1B/3B Andrew Fischer, Tennessee
32. Milwaukee Brewers: SS/2B Kayson Cunningham, Texas commit

Competitive Balance Round A of draft

33. Boston Red Sox: RHP Marcus Phillips, Tennessee
34. Detroit Tigers: SS Coy James, Ole Miss commit
35. Seattle Mariners: LHP Zach Root, Arkansas
36. Minnesota Twins: OF Devin Taylor, Indiana
37. Baltimore Orioles: SS Dax Kilby, Clemson commit
38. New York Mets: RHP Patrick Forbes, Louisville
39. New York Yankees: RHP JB Middleton, Southern Miss
40. Los Angeles Dodgers: OF Cam Cannarella, Clemson
41. Los Angeles Dodgers: LHP Kruz Schoolcraft, Tennessee commit
42. Tampa Bay Rays: RHP Anthony Eyanson, LSU
43. Miami Marlins: OF Charles Davalan, Arkansas

Second Round of draft

44. Chicago White Sox: OF Ethan Conrad, Wake Forest
45. Colorado Rockies: 2B/OF Sean Gamble, Vanderbilt commit
46. Miami Marlins: SS Josh Owens, Georgia Southern commit
47. Los Angeles Angels: OF Max Belyeu, Texas
48. Athletics: SS Alex Lodise, Florida State
49. Washington Nationals: LHP J.D. Thompson, Vanderbilt
50. Pittsburgh Pirates: C Luke Stevenson, North Carolina
51. Cincinnati Reds: C Taitn Gray, Oregon commit
52. Texas Rangers: C Michael Oliveto, Yale commit
53. Tampa Bay Rays: OF Dean Moss, LSU commit
54. Minnesota Twins: OF Brandon Compton, Arizona State
55. St. Louis Cardinals: SS Cooper Flemming, Vanderbilt commit
56. Chicago Cubs: OF Josiah Hartshorn, Texas A&M commit
57. Seattle Mariners: RHP Malachi Witherspoon, Oklahoma
58. Baltimore Orioles: OF Mason Neville, Oregon
59. Milwaukee Brewers: RHP Chase Shores, LSU
60. Atlanta Braves: CF Kane Kepley, North Carolina
61. Kansas City Royals: RHP Riley Quick, Alabama
62. Detroit Tigers: 2B Mitch Voit, Michigan
63. Philadelphia Phillies: OF Alec Blair, Oklahoma commit
64. Cleveland Guardians: SS Jordan Yost, Florida commit
65. Los Angeles Dodgers: SS Aidan West, NC State commit

Competitive Balance Round B of draft

66. Cleveland Guardians: LHP Cade Obermueller, Iowa
67. Tampa Bay Rays: RHP A.J. Russell, Tennessee
68. Milwaukee Brewers: 3B Dean Curley, Tennessee
69. Baltimore Orioles: OF Korbyn Dickerson, Indiana
70. Cleveland Guardians: LHP Aiden Stillman, Vanderbilt commit
71. Kansas City Royals: RHP Angel Cervantes, UCLA commit
72. St. Louis Cardinals: LHP Briggs McKenzie, LSU commit
73. Pittsburgh Pirates: 1B Ethan Petry, South Carolina
74. Colorado Rockies: OF James Quinn-Irons, George Mason
75. Boston Red Sox: OF Jake Cook, Southern Miss