2025 Prospects Thread

[desbcoach]

Joe Doyle's been on a few podcasts and he's saying that there's no consensus in the front office on who their guy is, which goes along with what Scott Hunter was saying as well. I haven't heard anywhere that they're on Ethan Holliday though.

Right now if I had to guess, the first few picks would go like this:

1. Nationals, LHP Kade Anderson
2. Angels, LHP Liam Doyle
3. Mariners, SS Aiva Arquette
4. Rockies, SS Ethan Holliday
5. Cardinals, RHP Seth Hernandez

But I also wouldn't put it past the Mariners to take Hernandez at #3. In fact, I could see this being a very arm heavy draft overall.

For what it is worth here is what Jim Bowden thinks:


He said he would not be shocked if Willits becomes the best plaster in this draft. They said stuff like really good defense and baseball IQ, and great bat speed and approach and baseball family, high baseball IQ, etc, etc. Dad played and then coached for the Yankees before taking a coaching gig at Oklahoma where Willits big brother is playing. It kinda made me think.

Another thing he brought up was

Liam Doyle LHP, Tennessee 6’2” 220# SEC Pitcher of the year with 15.4 K/9
Scouting grades: Fastball: 75 | Slider: 55 | Cutter: 55 | Splitter: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55

I mean a 75 FB with 55 grades on the slider, cutter, and splitter? Teach him a change and a spike CB WTF. And we know T-Mobile favors the lefties as well

Yeah, I could see Willits going with one of the first few picks, including us at #3. On Liam Doyle, I really hope he goes somewhere else. He's incredibly max effort and I just don't see that working in a starter without his arm falling off. But who knows, maybe he's Tim Lincecum.

There's a broad consensus that Seth Hernandez is the biggest risk and highest upside at the top of the draft. I have no idea if he's the pick or not, but the Mariners are pretty good at evaluating pitchers.

I see them taking a highly ranked guy they can get under slot, also read another article due to new NIL rules there may be more HS player available as compared to last couple years.

[Vogelbomb]

who do you guys want?

I guess I'd be alright with Willits after hearing his breakdown by Bowden. I'm also in favor of adding a lefty like Jamie Arnold and then Ethan Holliday, I like his chances of being more than solid given his pedigree

[Donn Beach]

I don't know, Willits worries me, but what do I know

A switch-hitter who's more proficient from the left side, Willits is exceedingly polished at the plate for his age. He has outstanding bat-to-ball skills, making consistent line-drive contact while rarely straying from the strike zone. He may never have more than average raw power, but his hitting ability should enable him to tap into most of it and provide 15 homers per season.

[Donn Beach]

ESPN 3.0 mock...no Willits there

3. Seattle Mariners
Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS (CA)
Rank: 4

The tide seems to be turning with the Mariners now good with taking Hernandez here, despite the spotty outcomes of prep righties in the draft, after canvassing a wide group of players.

Jamie Arnold would be the runner-up and I think Kade Anderson is the top player on their board, so those three are the main targets. Ike Irish, Aiva Arquette, Liam Doyle and JoJo Parker seem to be the secondary options, I believe in that order.

Keep an eye on Lucas Kelly, Josh Flores and Jake Munroe at later picks.

https://www.espn.ph/mlb/story/_/id/4570 ... -top-picks

[Vogelbomb]

Walter Ford has been chugging along of late. Posted a line of 6.0 IP 3H 5K 0BB 0ER last night

[D-train]

Walter Ford has been chugging along of late. Posted a line of 6.0 IP 3H 5K 0BB 0ER last night

Great to see. I was getting worried about him after his slow start.

[Donn Beach]

Speaking of Ford, here's an article on the evolving world of scouting catching talent. In terms of this, both Cal and Ford are special talents. If you go by this, you don't want to move a guy off of catcher if he can hit. But its all going to change when robo umps get here...

"I don't want to say it's a dying position, [but] the bar for a being a good catcher offensively is so low," said one MLB director of amateur scouting. "You could be an everyday catcher if you hit .210 with 10 home runs. [But] if you hit .210 with 30 home runs and a Platinum Glove? You're a superstar."

"The offensive product is incredibly low, the physical demands very high, and what we value in catching has changed so much and is on the precipice of changing again," said a director of amateur scouting. "We put so much value on catchers being able to frame pitches and get extra strikes ... and the minute that goes away, that drastically changes how we evaluate amateur and professional catchers."

"It's getting harder and harder to find those guys that are really offensive, they're few and far between," a director of amateur scouting said. "You name one, then I'll name one. I guarantee it's going to be a short list."

https://www.espn.ph/mlb/story/_/id/4569 ... e-catchers