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Tennessee

Dean Curley selected by Guardians in second round of MLB Draft

On3 imageby: Eric Cain07/14/25_Cainer
Dean Curley. Credit: Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Dean Curley. Credit: Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee sophomore infielder Dean Curley was selected in the second round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cleveland Guardians with the No. 64 overall pick. The slot value assigned to the pick is $1,382,300.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder from La Verne, Calif. was an immediate contributor for the Vols in 2024 as a true freshman, starting as the everyday shortstop for the national champion squad.  Curley began the 2025 season as Tennessee’s starting shortstop before shifting over to the keystone for the final stretch of the year at second base. Curley also logged action at third base and saw limited action at first base throughout his two years in Knoxville.

Curley hit for a .285 average with 12 home runs and 50 runs batted in as a rookie in 2024 before registering a .315 clip with 14 homers and 51 RBI a year later as a sophomore. The slugger cut down on strikeouts with just 47 over 241 at-bats as a sophomore and also upped his walk total by 14, up to 45 free passes. The infielder’s on-base percentage jumped from .386 to .435 as well, stealing a combined 17 bases for the Vols in two seasons.

Following the end of the national championship season, the rookie shortstop was named a two-time All-American and was a USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Participant last summer. Curley was slated as the no. 60 draft prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 39 from Baseball America ahead of draft weekend.

Scouting Report from MLB.com

Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 65 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

“Curley stood out with his physicality and tools as a California high schooler, but not enough for pro teams to lure him away from his Tennessee commitment. The only freshman to earn a spot in the Volunteers’ stacked 2024 lineup, he homered three times in the NCAA tournament and went 6-for-12 in the College World Series finals to help win the program’s first national championship. He’s one off the best sophomore-eligible talents in this year’s Draft, though inconsistency on both sides of the ball may have derailed his chances of going in the first round.

More physical than most shortstops at 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, Curley has solid-to-plus raw power and lets it come naturally. He understands the strike zone and works from gap to gap with a quick, controlled right-handed stroke. But he has gotten overly selective at times this spring and hasn’t done as much damage against non-fastballs as he did as a freshman.

Curley possesses average speed and shows good instincts on the bases. Though he doesn’t have typical shortstop quickness, he compensates with good positioning and a finely tuned internal clock, and he possesses one of the strongest infield arms in college baseball. His defensive consistency and throwing accuracy have declined this year, prompting Tennessee to move him around the infield, and his future defensive home is now more uncertain.”

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