2025 MLB Mock Draft: Predicting every first-round pick as LSU pitcher goes No. 1, Ethan Holliday in top five

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The 2025 MLB Draft gets started Sunday night as Atlanta hosts baseball's annual All-Star festivities. Four years ago, MLB pushed the draft back from the first week of June to the All-Star break in an effort to better market the event, and it will remain there moving forward -- even though many executives don't like it. The 20-round draft will stretch through Monday evening. Rounds 1-3 are on Sunday night. Rounds 4-20 are on Monday.

This is the third year of MLB's draft lottery system. In the past, the draft order was the reverse order of the previous year's standings, which was nice and easy. Now picks 1-6 are assigned via lottery, picks 7-18 are the remaining non-postseason teams in the reverse order of the previous year's standings, and picks 19-30 are postseason teams in order of their playoff finish.

At 71-91, the Nationals had baseball's sixth-worst record last season, yet Washington won the lottery and moved up to the No. 1 pick. It is the third time in franchise history the Expos/Nationals have held the No. 1 selection. The first two times worked out about as well as any team could hope: Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2010.

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R.J. Anderson

Each team is given a set bonus pool for draft spending each summer. The penalties for excessive spending are harsh enough (tax on overage, forfeit a future first rounder, etc.) that the bonus pool effectively acts as a hard cap. The bonus pools are tied to picks in the top 10 rounds, and if you sign one player to a below slot bonus, you can give the savings to another player(s).

Generally speaking, teams do not draft for need in the first round of the draft. It's difficult to predict this sport a month or two into the future. It's impossible to know what your roster needs will be two or three (or more) years down the line, when these players will be ready for the big leagues. Take the best, most talented player, and sort out the roster later.

Our first mock draft ran on June 13 and our second ran on June 28. Below is our third and final 2025 first-round mock draft, updated to reflect the latest chatter, rumors, and speculation. We'll of course have you covered when the draft begins Sunday.

1. Nationals: LHP Kade Anderson, LSU

Slot value: $11,075,900

The Nationals threw a big ol' wrench into the mock draft game when they fired GM Mike Rizzo (and manager Davey Martinez) this past Sunday, a week before the draft. A front office change so soon before the draft is very rare but not unprecedented. The Royals fired GM Allard Baird six days before the 2006 Draft. Like the Nationals, Kansas City held the No. 1 overall pick that year. Scouting director Deric Ladnier made their selection (Luke Hochevar). Interim GM Mike DeBartolo will handle things for the Nationals.

Even before Rizzo was fired, word was the Nationals had not yet made a final decision on the No. 1 pick, which isn't unusual a week before the draft. That is especially true with a draft class like this one, which lacks a clear No. 1 prospect like Bryce Harper or Adley Rutschman. Anderson and Ethan Holliday (Matt's son and Jackson's brother) are the top two candidates for the No. 1 pick but hardly the only players under consideration. We'll stick with Anderson because he should move up the ladder quickly and join MacKenzie Gore, James Wood, et al in Washington in short order. I assume firing Rizzo was at least somewhat motivated by not wanting this already too long rebuild to continue in perpetuity.

June 13 mock pick: IF Ethan Holliday, Stillwater HS (OK)
June 28 mock pick: Anderson

2. Angels: LHP Liam Doyle, Tennessee

Slot value: $10,252,700

Doyle and the Angels have been the most consistent rumor all spring, though I do think there's a chance they would take Anderson if he's still available. Whoever the Angels take, I would bet a shiny nickel that player will be the first player from the draft class to reach the big leagues like Angels draftees Chase Silseth (2021), Zach Neto (2022), and Nolan Schanuel (2023). The Halos have an extra pick (No. 105 as compensation for failing to sign No. 104 pick Ryan Prager last year) and could go below slot here and spending the savings later. Doyle would fit the strategy better than Anderson, who is a draft-eligible sophomore with added leverage.

June 13 mock pick: Doyle
June 28 mock pick: Doyle

3. Mariners: C Ike Irish, Auburn

Slot value: $9,504,400

Public draft prospect rankings have Irish as a middle-to-back of the first-round pick (he's No. 15 in our rankings), but, at this point, it would be a shock if he makes it out of the top 10. Teams love his bat and catchers always go higher than the rankings suggest because of position scarcity. Also, teams are reportedly looking at Irish as a below-slot pick, allowing them to spend the savings on other players. The Mariners, who also hold the No. 35 selection (competitive balance pick), would make sense for such a strategy. For Irish, a below-slot bonus at No. 3 would more lucrative than a straight slot bonus a few picks later. Seattle won big in the draft lottery and moved up from the No. 17 pick to the No. 3 pick.

June 13 mock pick: LHP Kade Anderson, LSU
June 28 mock pick: LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida

4. Rockies: IF Ethan Holliday, Stillwater HS (OK)

Slot value: $8,770,900

All indications are the Rockies will not let Holliday, whose father Matt starred in Colorado from 2004-08, get past this pick, and he could very well end up with the largest bonus of the draft class. It seems likely Holliday will go either No. 1 to the Nationals or No. 4 to the Rockies. The Angels and Mariners are expected to target college players with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks, respectively.

June 13 mock pick: LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State
June 28 mock pick: Holliday

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R.J. Anderson

5. Cardinals: SS Eli Willits, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (OK)

Slot value: $8,134,800

There are plenty of folks within the game who think Willits, the son of six-year big leaguer and current college coach Reggie Willits, is the best prospect in the draft. He's well-rounded and very instinctual, and it helps that he plays an up-the-middle position and plays it well. The Cardinals have been his rumored landing spot for weeks and I see no reason to change things up here. St. Louis moved up from the No. 13 pick to the No. 5 pick in the draft lottery. This will be their highest pick since selecting J.D. Drew with the No. 5 pick in 1998.

June 13 mock pick: Willits
June 28 mock pick: Willits

6. Pirates: LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State

Slot value: $7,558,600

Say what you want about their offense (it's bad), but the Pirates know what they're doing with pitchers, and Arnold could zoom through the minors and join Paul Skenes in the rotation fairly quickly. His fastball is the darling of the draft, missing bats at an elite clip thanks to outstanding pitch characteristics (movement, spin, etc.). Pittsburgh also has a competitive balance pick (No. 73) and a history of going below slot with their top selection and spending the money later. That presumably also makes them a candidate for Ike Irish, should he last this long.

June 13 mock pick: SS Aiva Arquette, Oregon State
June 28 mock pick: RHP Seth Hernandez, Corona HS (CA)

7. Marlins: SS Billy Carlson, Corona HS (CA)

Slot value: $7,149,900

Carlson and the Marlins are another one of those consistent connections this spring. Miami is reportedly all over the high school shortstop group and I assume that means they would pounce on Eli Willits in the event he makes it here. Carlson stands out as the best of the non-Willits prep shortstops, so he's our pick. The Marlins have a competitive balance pick (No. 43) and may look to cut a below-slot deal so they can reallocate the bonus pool money elsewhere.

June 13 mock pick: Carlson
June 28 mock pick: Carlson

8. Blue Jays: SS Aiva Arquette, Oregon State

Slot value: $6,813,600

It sounds like the Blue Jays want a position player, which makes sense given how things could play out in front of them, but will be happy to take one of the top college pitchers (Kade Anderson, Jamie Arnold, etc.) should one of them fall into their lap. Arquette is a no-doubt shortstop with a promising bat, and the top college middle infielder in the draft class rarely makes it outside the top 10 picks.

June 13 mock pick: RHP Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma
June 28 mock pick: C Ike Irish, Auburn

9. Reds: RHP Seth Hernandez, Corona HS (CA)

Slot value: $6,513,800

The Reds have a history of taking the most talented player available to them rather than playing around with their bonus pool, and that's Hernandez in our mock draft. Hernandez should come off the board earlier this this, arguably even as high as No. 1 overall, though teams are squeamish about high school righties, so it's likely he'll slide into picks 6-10 somewhere. Hernandez and Billy Carlson will almost certainly become the first pair of high school teammates selected in the first round since Max Fried and Lucas Giolito in 2012.

June 13 mock pick: Hernandez
June 28 mock pick: RHP Gage Wood, Arkansas

10: White Sox: SS JoJo Parker, Purvis HS (MS)

Slot value: $6,238,400

This is where things really start to open up. The White Sox have mostly been tied to high school players this spring, particularly the shortstop crop, though I don't believe they are dead set on going that way. Might as well stick with the hottest rumor here and go with the consensus best available prep position player. Parker has gotten a little buzz as a possible below-slot pick earlier in the first round.

June 13 mock pick: Parker
June 28 mock pick: RHP Tyler Bremner, UC Santa Barbara

11. Athletics: RHP Tyler Bremner, UC Santa Barbara

Slot value: $5,985,100

Bremner came into 2025 as a candidate to go No. 1 overall, though he had an up-and-down spring, and his stuff backed up a tad. It sounds like any concerns have been overblown at least a little bit, and Bremner has a chance to go in the top half of the first round. This would be somewhat against their organizational strengths for the A's, who turned position players Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz into near-instant big leaguers with their last two first rounders. Pitching development is not exactly their wheelhouse.

June 13 mock pick: OF Brendan Summerhill, Arizona
June 28 mock pick: Summerhill

12. Rangers: SS Daniel Pierce, Mill Creek HS (GA)

Slot value: $5,746,800

The Rangers have been connected to every top high school shortstop prospect this spring. Pierce, Steele Hall, and Kayson Cunningham are the best that demographic has left to offer in our mock draft. Which one Texas prefers, I do not know. Pierce is as reasonable a guess as any prep shortstop just a few days before the draft.

June 13 mock draft: SS Steele Hall, Hewitt-Trussville HS (AL)
June 28 mock pick: SS JoJo Parker, Purvis HS (MS)

13. Giants: OF Brendan Summerhill, Arizona

Slot value: $5,524,300

Summerhill was viewed as a likely second rounder entering the spring but he's a near lock to go in the first round now, possibly higher than this. He's a very well-rounded player with the defensive chops to handle Oracle Park's spacious outfield. This will be Buster Posey's first draft as president of baseball operations. Which direction the Giants will go is a great big mystery. There's no track record to look back on.

June 13 mock pick: SS Kayson Cunningham, Johnson HS (TX)
June 28 mock pick: SS Aiva Arquette, Oregon State

14. Rays: RHP Gage Wood, Arkansas

Slot value: $5,313,100

Using a first-round pick on a pitcher is not something the Rays do often (the last was Nick Bitsko in 2020). I think Wood, who threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the College World Series last month and has bonkers pitch data (movement, spin, etc.), could be the exception. Tampa also holds the No. 42 (from the A's in the Jeffrey Springs trade) pick, and oftentimes teams with multiple extra picks will play it "safe" with a college player in the first round, then shoot for the moon with those extra selections. Wood would fit the strategy while also bringing enormous upside to a team that loves high-upside pitchers.

June 13 mock pick: OF Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M
June 28 mock pick: RHP Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma

15. Red Sox: SS Marek Houston, Wake Forest

Slot value: $5,114,200

Boston's hitter development (specifically bat speed development) is among the best in the sport and has turned Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and others into top prospects. Houston is an analytical darling thanks to his swing decisions and contact rates. This is more of a "fit" pick than anything. Houston could really explode with added strength and power. For him, the Red Sox would be a great landing spot developmentally.

June 13 mock pick: SS Daniel Pierze, Mill Creek HS (GA)
June 28 mock pick: OF Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M

16. Twins: OF Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M

Slot value: $4,929,600

Entering 2025, LaViolette was the consensus top prospect in the draft class, but a down year with too many strikeouts (relative to the usual college hitter who goes high in the draft) pushed him down draft boards. It's still enormous, game-changing power though. Minnesota's analytical model seems to prefer hitters with stronger contact rates, so LaViolette may not be their cup of tea. Regardless, getting him with the No. 16 pick would have been unthinkable a few months ago.

June 13 mock pick: SS Marek Houston, Wake Forest
June 28 mock pick: Houston

17. Cubs: 2B Gavin Kilen, Tennessee

Slot value: $4,750,800

Every college hitter expected to go in the middle of the first round (Wehiwa Aloy, Marek Houston, Jace LaViolette, Brendan Summerhill, etc.) has been rumored to be of interest to the Cubs at some point this spring. There is some thought Kilen, who was a pretty excellent player for the Volunteers, has untapped potential, particularly in the swing decision department. He's seen as more of an upside play than the typical middle-of-the-first-round college hitter.

June 13 mock pick: Kilen
June 28 mock pick: SS Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas

18. Diamondbacks: OF Slater de Brun, Summit HS (OR)

Slot value: $4,581,900

I'm sticking with de Brun here because the match is too perfect. The D-backs love undersized hitters with contact skills and premium athleticism (Corbin Carroll, Gabriel Moreno, Alek Thomas, last year's first-rounder Slade Caldwell, etc.) and that is de Brun to a T. Arizona also holds the No. 29 pick, which is the compensation pick for losing Christian Walker to free agency. It's possible de Brun will be on the board for that selection, maybe even likely, so the play here could be taking a someone else (Coastal Carolina catcher Caden Bodine also fits the kind of player the D-backs typically target) and using No. 29 on de Brun.

June 13 mock pick: de Brun
June 28 mock pick: de Brun

19. Orioles: 3B Xavier Neyens, Mount Vernon HS (WA)

Slot value: $4,420,900

Neyens and the Orioles have been connected all spring long and it passes the sniff test. He's cut from the Heston Kjerstad, Coby Mayo, et al cloth as someone with big power and things to iron out with his swing. Neyens is similar to the players GM Mike Elias has taken with high picks. That also means he's not a pitcher. Elias has yet to use a first rounder on a pitcher and there's no reason to think that will change Sunday.

June 13 mock pick: Neyens
June 28 mock pick: Neyens

20. Brewers: SS Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas

Slot value: $4,268,100

Aloy is one of those second-tier college tiers who fits just about anywhere in the 11-20 range. He's not the speedy, super athletic type the Brewers typically go for on draft day (Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, etc.), but Aloy can play shortstop at the next level, and his pull right-handed power would fit well in American Family Field. Milwaukee also holds the No. 32 pick (compensation for losing Willy Adames to free agency) and could go with a "safe" college player before balancing it out with a high-upside high school player at No. 32.

June 13 mock pick: IF/OF Sean Gamble, IMG Academy (FL)
June 28 mock pick: 2B Gavin Kilen, Tennessee

21. Astros: 1B/3B Andrew Fischer, Tennessee

Slot value: $4,122,500

In two drafts under GM Dana Brown, the Astros have used their first-round picks on up-the-middle college players (Brice Matthews and Walker Janek), which is not Fischer. He's a corner guy and most likely a first baseman long-term. He has significant offensive upside though and has had a lot of buzz in the 20-25 range the last few weeks.

June 13 mock pick: SS Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas
June 28 mock pick: C Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina

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R.J. Anderson

22. Braves: RHP Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma

Slot value: $3,983,900

There's a good chance Witherspoon goes higher than this, possibly even in the top 10, but he's still on the board in our mock draft, and he is the kind of power arm the Braves have had success coaching up. His two breaking balls are nasty and the fastball, despite upper-90s velocity, could use some help in terms of shape (spin, movement, etc.). Getting Witherspoon with the No. 22 pick would be a really nice get for Atlanta.

June 13 mock pick: RHP Tyler Bremner, UC Santa Barbara
June 28 mock pick: OF Mason Neville, Oregon

23. Royals: LHP Kruz Schoolcraft, Sunset HS (OR)

Slot value: $3,852,100

Schoolcraft is rumored to seek big money, possibly top 10-15 pick money, to skip out on his commitment to Tennessee, and the Royals are one of the few teams in the back half of the first round who can afford it. They also hold the No. 28 (the Prospect Promotion Incentive pick for Bobby Witt Jr. being 2024 AL MVP runner-up) and No. 71 (competitive balance) picks, and thus a bonus pool approaching $13 million. Teams with extra picks typically go the conservative route in the first round before taking a big swing the extra picks. The Royals are a candidate to do the opposite and get the high upside player they otherwise normally wouldn't have access to this late in the first round.

June 13 mock pick: C/OF Ike Irish, Auburn
June 28 mock pick: SS Kayson Cunningham, Johnson HS (TX)

24. Tigers: SS Kayson Cunningham, Johnson HS (TX)

Slot value: $3,726,300

The Tigers have knocked it out of the park with their recent high school position player selections (Max Clark, Kevin McGonigle, Bryce Rainer), so we might as well assume they're going back to the well. Cunningham is arguably the best pure hitter in the prep ranks this spring and there's a chance he'll hear his name called in the top 5-15 picks. The Tigers have a competitive balance pick (No. 34) and a bonus pool that is plenty big enough to meet an elevated asking price, if that's what Cunningham seeks.

June 13 mock pick: SS/OF Tate Southisene, Basic HS (NV)
June 28 mock pick: 3B Josh Hammond, Wesleyan Christian HS (NC)

25. Padres: SS Steele Hall, Hewitt-Trussville HS (AR)

Slot value: $3,606,600

The Padres are fairly easy to predict because they've consistently targeted high school players with elite tools in the first round. Hall is one of the fastest players in the draft class and will show sneaky power in batting practice. San Diego forfeited their second-round pick to sign Nick Pivetta, a qualified free agent, so their bonus pool is third smallest in baseball at just under $6.6 million. Affording Hall, who could go a good 10-12 spots higher than this, could be a challenge.

June 13 mock pick: LHP Cruz Schoolcraft, Sunset HS (OR)
June 28 mock pick: Schoolcraft

26. Phillies: 3B Josh Hammond, Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC)

Slot value: $3,492,200

You have to go back to 2019 (Bryson Stott) for the last time the Phillies used a first-round pick on a college player. Hammond was a two-way player most of his high school career and didn't start focusing on hitting full-time until this spring. He's widely considered one of the top upside plays in the draft because he has big power, good athleticism, and not much experience as a hitter.

June 13 mock pick: IF Gavin Fien, Great Oak HS (CA)
June 28 mock pick: SS Daniel Pierce, Mill Creek HS (GA)

27. Guardians: C Luke Stevenson, North Carolina

Slot value: $3,382,600

The Guardians have extra picks at No. 66 (competitive balance) and No. 70 (from D-backs in Josh Naylor trade), and with the way our mock draft played out, the sensible move is taking a college hitter here and then going after analytical model-friendly pitchers at No. 66 and No. 70. That's just who figures to be available at those selections (and how Cleveland tends to operate). Stevenson has big time power, especially for a catcher, and the chances he stays behind the plate are pretty good.

June 13 mock pick: OF Cam Cannarella, Clemson
June 28 mock pick: 1B/3B Andrew Fischer, Tennessee

The Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees all had their first-round pick moved back 10 spots through competitive balance tax penalties. The Mets hold the No. 38 pick, the Yankees the No. 39 pick, and the Dodgers the No. 40 pick, so they've been pushed out of the first round.