Devin Taylor, Korbyn Dickerson headline Hoosiers' 2025 MLB Draft hopefuls

As the baseball world turns its focus to Atlanta this weekend for the 2025 MLB First-Year Player Draft, a pair of Indiana outfielders are drawing national attention.

Devin Taylor and Korbyn Dickerson are expected to be among the earliest Hoosiers selected, potentially joining the ranks of Indiana baseball’s most successful draft alumni.

The first three rounds of the draft — including Competitive Balance selections — begin Sunday evening (July 13) on ESPN, with the remaining 17 rounds concluding Monday (July 14) via MLB.com.

Taylor, a unanimous All-American and one of the best to ever wear the cream and crimson, enters the draft as a projected top-40 overall pick. He’s widely considered one of the most complete hitters in the college class.

Ranked No. 24 on MLB.com’s draft board and No. 29 by Perfect Game, the Cincinnati native boasts an elite offensive resume and stands poised to become the highest-drafted outfielder in program history.

A left-handed slugger with exceptional bat speed and power to all fields, Taylor leaves Indiana as the program’s all-time home run leader with 54. He also ranks among the top 11 in school history in hits (229), RBIs (179), and runs scored (191), while slugging an impressive .672 over three years.

Though his defensive tools project him as a left fielder long-term, scouts see Taylor’s offensive upside as too potent to pass up early.

“Taylor shows the potential to become a plus hitter in terms of both average and power while controlling the strike zone,” MLB.com’s scouting report on Taylor reads. “A left-handed hitter with plenty of bat speed and strength, he hits the ball extremely hard and generates power to all fields. He likes to swing the bat but has cut down on his chases this spring, makes consistent contact and has no problems handling breaking pitches.”

“The majority of Taylor’s value will come from his offensive production,” the report continued. “His speed, arm strength and defensive instincts all grade as fringy. He’s definitely a left fielder in pro ball.”

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While Taylor has long been on draft boards, Dickerson’s rise was one of the spring’s more compelling stories.

After transferring from Louisville and earning a starting role in Bloomington, the Louisville native erupted offensively, slashing .314/.381/.632 with 19 home runs and showcasing eye-popping exit velocities.

Ranked outside the top 200 in his high school draft class, Dickerson has transformed into a legitimate Day One prospect.

Scouts are intrigued by his raw tools — plus speed, advanced bat speed, and 20/20 upside — but remain cautious due to a limited collegiate track record and occasional swing-and-miss tendencies.

Dickerson’s center field defense and baserunning add to his value, though most evaluators peg him as a corner outfielder at the next level. Still, with continued development, he could become one of the draft’s more intriguing upside plays.

“A right-handed hitter, Dickerson features some of the best bat speed and exit velocities in the 2025 college crop, producing at least plus raw power to all fields,” MLB.com’s scouting report on Dickerson reads. “Some scouts question how well his pop will play in pro ball because he hasn’t fared as well against quality pitching, especially higher-velocity fastballs. He makes decent contact despite aggressively looking to pull pitches, though he could do more damage with more selectivity about which ones he puts into play.”

“Dickerson is a well-rounded athlete with plus speed and 20/20 upside. His quickness gives him solid range in center field, where he displays average arm strength,” the report continued. “A team that believes in his bat and doesn’t worry about his lack of track record could select him in the second round.”

If both players are selected inside the top 75 picks, it would mark the first time since 2014 that Indiana has had multiple position players go that early — joining the likes of Schwarber and Sam Travis.

Under head coach Jeff Mercer, the Hoosiers have become a consistent pipeline to pro baseball. Since Mercer took over in 2019, 26 different players have been drafted, with seven selected inside the top five rounds — including a program-record four in 2024. That success appears set to continue this weekend.

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Beyond Taylor and Dickerson, several other Hoosiers could hear their names called.

Veteran right-handers Ben Grable and Cole Gilley played pivotal roles on Indiana’s staff this spring and are considered late-round possibilities. Former second baseman Tyler Cerny, who collected nearly 200 hits throughout his Indiana career, also has a chance to be selected.

This year’s draft begins Sunday evening with the Washington Nationals holding the No. 1 overall pick. The first round will air on ESPN, while MLB Network and MLB.com will provide coverage of the remaining rounds.

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