Tennessee signee Kruz Schoolcraft drafted No. 25 overall by San Diego Padres

Tennessee signee Kruz Schoolcraft, a left-handed pitcher from Sunset, OR., was selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Schoolcraft, despite being mocked as high as No. 11 overall, was considered an extremely high draft risk in the class due to his two-way ability to impact the game at the collegiate level.

The southpaw was on campus for an official visit the weekend of the Third Saturday in October when the Vols’ football team defeated Alabama last fall. He chose Tennessee over the likes of Texas A&M, Florida, Oregon State, Oregon and many more. Schoolcraft was always viewed as a huge draft risk throughout his recruitment. The slot value assigned to the No. 25 overall pick is $3,606,600.

Schoolcraft was slated as the No. 9 ranked player in the 2025 class by Perfect Game and the No. 1 left-handed pitcher. Like fellow Tennessee signee Steele Hall, the hurler reclassified from the 2026 class with ‘ultra-high ceiling talent,’ according to the publication. There’s two-way potential here at the college level, if he were to end up making his way to Knoxville.  

Not only was Schoolcraft viewed as one of the top-rated southpaws in the recruiting class at the prep level, the hurler was viewed the same in MLB Draft circles. Coming into the weekend, Schoolcraft was slated as the No. 19 draft prospect per MLB Pipeline and No. 21 by Baseball America. Due to questions surrounding his signability, Schoolcraft was mocked as high as No. 11 overall and into the second round in recent weeks.   

Tennessee had great success with the 2024 signing class last summer, surviving several draft battles and getting plenty of talent to Knoxville. The Vols’ highest-rated signee Anson Seibert made it to campus. Fellow top-100 recruits (Perfect Game) Levi Clark, Tegan Kuhns, Jay Abernathy, Brayden Krenzel, Manny Marin and Jaxon Walker also turned down professional opportunities to come and play for Tennessee.

Scouting Report from MLB.com

Fastball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55

“Schoolcraft was originally slated to be part of the Class of 2026, but he reclassified back in December 2023 to join this crop. A legitimate two-way standout as a left-handed pitcher and a first baseman, most teams likely prefer him on the hill after he excelled at events like the Area Code Games over the summer. He has the chance to be the next in the line of Oregon prep arms to go in the first round, following first-rounders Mick Abel in 2020 and Noble Meyer in ’23, overcoming a rough start to the spring when his stuff was down to look much more like one of the top arms in the class as the season wore on.

The 6-foot-8 Schoolcraft is a towering presence on the mound and in the batter’s box. As a pitcher, he’s up to 97 mph with his fastball, with the only knock against it a relative lack of spin and carry, so right now it can play a little straight. He has a tight, traditional two-plane slider, thrown in the low-80s that has carry and teeth, and some believe his feel for spin with that pitch should allow him to add more to his heater. He has a very good feel for his changeup, which he sells with excellent arm speed. Despite his size and long limbs, he does an excellent job of maintaining his delivery and landing all of his offerings for strikes.

At the plate, Schoolcraft has the chance to perhaps be an above-average hitter with better than average power in the future. The Tennessee recruit obviously offers a big target at first base, but he’s athletic around the bag and is a dynamic defender. The bat could be draftable on its own, but it’s pretty clear that he is being considered in the first round because of his arm.”