2025 MLB Draft Report: Final Top 100 Rankings

We have entered the month of July, which means we are just a short couple of weeks away from the 2025 MLB Draft. It would be lovely if rumors and gossip clarified who could be available for the Chicago White Sox with the 10th pick, but alas, the picture remains murky. There has been great intel from a variety of sources, such as the Future Stars Series, which editor Joe Doyle reports that prep shortstop Billy Carlson recently had workouts with the White Sox. 

The White Sox have had private workouts and extended meetings with Carlson as they’ve worked to get to know him as a person and as a player. Chicago was at almost all of his games in some fashion all spring. The team purportedly is targeting Carlson as their shortstop of the future, a position that isn’t quite clear within the farm system right now.

With all games and combines in the books, below are the final Top 100 rankings for the 2025 MLB Draft, and I have Carlson ranked 10th overall. Maybe the stars will align for both Carlson and the White Sox.

A breakdown of the Top 100 Rankings

• 59 college players
• 41 prep players
• It’s a three-way tie for most represented position: 24 shortstops, right-handed pitchers, and outfielders
• Top College Pitcher: Kade Anderson, LSU
• Top College Hitter: Aiva Arquette, Oregon State
• Top Prep Pitcher: Seth Hernandez, Corona High
• Top Prep Hitter: Ethan Holliday, Stillwater High

Why Kade Anderson No. 1? 

As the 2025 season progressed, it became clear that the draft-eligible college pitchers were way ahead of the hitters, which is perhaps a testament to the heavy investment in pitching labs from major conference schools. The order changed among those college pitchers in the second half, as Kade Anderson leaped Liam Doyle and Jamie Arnold in my rankings. The reason is that Anderson has three average to plus pitches in his arsenal: a four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup. 

Doyle has a plus-plus fastball and maybe an average slider. He was mostly one note all season long, but that one note is special. Arnold gets high marks for the advanced data on his slider, but I don’t think the four-seamer was all that special in the second half, and his offspeed offerings need work. Out of the three left-handers, Anderson is the most MLB-ready with his current arsenal. That doesn’t mean he could pitch in the majors tomorrow, but my future comp for Anderson is current New York Yankees starter Max Fried. It also helps that Anderson pitched a shutout in Game 1 of the College World Series. 

Draft class strength: Prep infielders and college pitchers

In the Top 100 rankings, I have seven prep infielders among the top 20, starting with Ethan Holliday. The power projection is what gives Holliday an edge over Eli Willits (who has age on his side) and JoJo Parker (who has better contact ability on his side). As Holliday gets older and fills out his body frame, an eventual move off shortstop is probably in the cards. Whether that’s to third base or the outfield like his father Matt is hard to project, but power is highly coveted in the majors, and Holliday has it. 

After the first 20 picks, I suspect we’ll see a decent run on prep players taken in the comp rounds. Quentin Young put on a show during the Draft Combine, Kruz Schoolcraft is one of the more intriguing prospects in this class, and local kid Jaden Fauske is getting serious consideration from teams with picks in the top 40. 

There’s a lot of attention to college pitchers Anderson, Doyle, and Arnold, but don’t sleep on Kyson Witherspoon, Tyler Bremner, Gage Wood, Anthony Eyanson, and Patrick Forbes. I expect these five right-handers to be taken in the first 30 picks, with Wood’s stock rising the most since his College World Series no-hitter. These eight college pitchers are talented and possess plus pitches that MLB teams can work with in developing them for starting roles. 

Later in the draft, we could see a run on college arms in the second to third rounds. Pitching will always be a desired demographic for MLB teams to spend their draft bonus pool money on, given the high cost of the open market. 

Draft class weakness: College bats

All season long, I was waiting for the college bats to put on a show, and it mostly didn’t happen. Only two college bats rank in my top 10: Aiva Arquette and Ike Irish. Both are Trackman darlings posting impressive exit velocities and track records against premium competition. We’ll see if Arquette sticks at shortstop or moves to third base, while Irish is no longer considered a catcher and is calling right field his new defensive home. 

After those two, you have a run of college infielders who have glaring offensive flaws. I’m not sure if we can trust Marek Houston’s power production. I don’t know what to make of Gavin Kilen’s inability or lack of desire to draw a walk, and Wehiwa Aloy reminds me of Javier Baez at the plate. The power potential is tantalizing, but a 20.6 percent strikeout rate isn’t. 

This draft weakness is where scouting will be crucial and a difference-maker for MLB teams after the first round. A lot of these college hitters need to make adjustments for any shot of reaching the majors, but which hitters have the physical tools and mindset to entice an MLB team to give them a shot? Taking them to their hitting lab and reworking the swing to maximize production? That’s where I think having scouts on the ground to identify those projects could be a difference-maker. As it stands, when we're revisiting this draft class in a year or two and wondering why a college hitter mashing in the minors was taken so late in the draft, the easy answer is that they didn't swing like that in college.  

Final Top 100 Rankings

Bonus: Mock draft simulation

Next week, I’ll sit down and try to formulate thoughts on how each team ahead of the White Sox could go in the first round. Until then, using the Prospects Live Mock Draft Simulator, I ran a five-round exercise picking for the White Sox. 

First round: JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis High

After watching the MLB Draft Combine and gathering thoughts from those attending in Arizona, I’m not expecting JoJo Parker to be on the board at Pick 10. There’s a growing confidence that Parker can stay at shortstop, and his defensive shortcomings have been addressed (throwing consistency, footwork, range). What everyone is most impressed with is Parker’s ability to make great contact consistently. He’s not posting the best max exit velocities or distances, but Parker has a swing that’s conducive to hitting line drive after line drive. 

Second round: Jack Bauer, LHP, Lincoln Way East

I would love to see if Jack Bauer can reach back and hit 103 mph in a game, but the fastball has the potential to be an 80-grade pitch. We’ll see what other offerings Bauer will be able to develop in future years, but he’s an exciting prep pitching project for any MLB team. 

Third round: Brandon Compton, OF, Arizona State

Perhaps this idea scares you because the White Sox took an Arizona State outfielder in the third round last year and he's been injured for most of his first year in professional baseball, but hear me out. Now the leader in high exit velocities at the MLB Draft Combine, Brandon Compton significantly improved his draft stock with his batting practice performance, which he needed to do because his 2025 season was relatively poor. Despite his obvious power potential, Compton only hit .271/.379/.486 in 59 games with nine homers and 19 doubles because of his hyper aggressive approach at the plate.

Last summer in the Cape Cod League, Compton in 38 games hit .331/.414/.489 with six homers and 30 RBI. There’s a disconnect between what Compton showed with a wood bat during the CCL and combine, and what kind of season he had at Arizona State. He's a good example of a hitting project MLB teams can take on to see if they can tap into more of Compton’s power potential.

Fourth round: Chase Shores, RHP, LSU

Chase Shores is most likely a reliever as he missed all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and pitched out of LSU’s bullpen in 2025. Shores is a big guy (6'8') with a big four-seam fastball that can reach 100 mph, but it sits mostly at 98. He also occasionally throws a slider and changeup. There’s quite a bit of refinement needed if an MLB team wanted to give Shores a shot at being a starting pitcher, but this could be another Grant Taylor type of situation. The overall stuff is too enticing to stay in the minors for long, and there’s doubt the pitching arm can withstand a starter’s workload. 

Fifth round: Grant Jay, C, Dallas Baptist

In three seasons at Dallas Baptist, Grant Jay hit 61 home runs in 176 games with a college career slash line of .309/.432/.684. The reason why Jay would be available in the fifth round is an ugly strikeout rate of 29 percent. There’s too much swing-and-miss in Jay’s game, and he will need to rework his swing. The power seems legit, so better in-zone contact skills would go a long way.