2025 MLB Draft Recap: Data, Decisions, & Development

The week that dreams are realized: The MLB Draft.

The 2025 MLB Draft wrapped with its usual blend of expected chalk and late-round chaos. But behind every pick is a story — of development, projection, and in many cases, Rapsodo data that helped build the foundation. 

Here’s our breakdown of this year’s draft class, with a few standouts and storylines that caught our attention:

First Round Review

The biggest storyline entering the MLB Draft was who would be picked by the Washington Nationals with the 1st overall pick.

While much of the debate was between LSU's Kade Anderson and Ethan Holliday, the projected 1st and 2nd picks, Washington ended up going with high schooler Eli Willits. Willits was originally projected as the 5th best overall option, but snuck in to take the top spot.

Willits comes from a baseball family. His dad, Reggie, played in the majors before coaching the Yankees and eventually joining Oklahoma as the associate head coach. Eli's brother, Jaxon, is also a sophomore on the Sooners squad, playing under their father. 

At only 17 years old, Willits has a max exit velocity of 107 MPH on Rapsodo. 

With a somewhat surprising 1st pick, the Los Angeles Angels followed up the 2nd pick with an even more of a shocker.

The Angels used their 1st round, 2nd overall pick to take pitcher Tyler Bremner of UC Santa Barbara. Bremner was originally ranked as the 18th best draft prospect, making a jump of more than 16 spots from his projected spot.

The only other bigger jumps in the 1st round were Tate Southisene, who went to the Atlanta Braves with the 22nd pick (originally projected 39th, jumped 17 spots) and Jordan Yost who was picked by the San Diego Padres at 24th (originally projected 50th, jumped 26 spots). 

The biggest drops in the 1st round were Jamie Arnold (picked 11th, projected 4th), Ike Irish (picked 19th, projected 11th), and Jace LaViolette (picked 27th, projected 20th). Arizona outfield Brendan Summerhill was also projected to go in the 1st round with the 16th projected pick, but dropped to the 2nd round and pick 42.

Also of note: there were six shortstops taken in the first 10 picks of the MLB Draft and 19 high schoolers selected in the 1st round.

Droppin' Out of High School, Straight into the Pros

Of the 43 first round picks in the 2025 MLB Draft, nearly half of those were high school athletes (19).

Here's a look at the 18 high schoolers hitters drafted and their max exit velocities on Rapsodo:

Note: Seth Hernandez was also a high school selection, but is a pitcher. 

Of note, Corona High School in California had 4 total players drafted, and 3 of those players were drafted in the 1st round, the 1st high school in MLB Draft history with 3 players picked in the top 50 of the same draft (Seth Hernandez, Billy Carlson, and Brady Ebel).

IMG Academy set a record as well with 29 of their alumni being drafted, the most by any high school in the country. 14 of those IMG alum were taken in the first three rounds. 

Tallest Man Ever Drafted

One of the more viral picks of this year's draft is a player with a TON of upside. Oregon pitcher Jason Reitz made history of his own becoming the tallest pitcher ever drafted in the MLB. 

The 6'11" right-handed pitcher was originally projected to be the 191st best available draft prospect per MLB.com and Baseball America's 232nd in their top 500, but Reitz made a massive jump when the Minnesota Twins took him in the 4th round with the 119th pick. 

As one could imagine, Reitz's lanky frame comes with a release point that most batters probably have never seen before. Rapsodo has recorded Reitz with a release height of 8 feet, 5 inches! For reference, there are only a few MLB pitchers who come close to that range with a 7 foot release. 

Dual-Sport Draftees

Sam Horn, Football, Mizzou QB

• Elite quarterback and right-handed pitcher from Collins Hill High School (Georgia).
• Starred on the football field as a 4-star QB and led his team to a 7A state title in 2021.
• On the diamond, Horn was a top-100 national baseball prospect, known for a mid-90s fastball and power at the plate.

• Committed to Missouri for both football and baseball, enrolling in 2022.
• Played limited QB snaps early, with potential as a future starter.
• Joined Mizzou's baseball program as a pitcher, although injuries and football responsibilities have slowed his baseball progress.
• Still undecided if he will join the Dodgers or return to Mizzou as a quarterback. 

Jay Woolfolk, Football, Virginia QB

• From Benedictine College Prep (VA), Woolfolk was Virginia’s Gatorade Player of the Year in football and a high-90s fastball pitcher in baseball.
•  A 3-star football recruit and a legit MLB Draft prospect coming out of high school.

• Enrolled at Virginia to play both sports — a rare two-sport athlete in the ACC.
• Played in games as a backup and became the first true freshman to start at QB for the school since 1977.
• Made a more immediate impact in baseball, pitching meaningful innings for UVA’s nationally ranked team.
• Announced in June 2024 that he’s stepping away from football to focus fully on baseball.

Riley Quick, Football, Lineman

• From Hewitt-Trussville (AL), Riley was a standout offensive lineman and power pitcher.
• Rated as a 4-star OL, and also one of the top-ranked pitchers in Alabama.

• Received SEC offers to play football as a lineman. Declined offers from Auburn and Mississippi State to play football.
• Committed to Alabama to play baseball.

Alex Galvan - Basketball

• Lettered all four years for baseball and three years for basketball at Manasquan High School.
• Helped high school reach state championship in baseball and two state titles in basketball.
• 1,000-career point scorer in basketball.

• Shifted focus to baseball entering college, starting his collegiate career at Louisville.
• Transferred to Central Florida as a redshirt junior.
• That season, he went 28 1/3 innings with two saves and posted a 2.86 ERA on 21 hits, 12 walks and 38 strikeouts.

It Runs in the Family

Baseball bloodlines ran deep in the 2025 MLB Draft.

Most of the prospects drafted will have a new start in Major League Baseball, never having been involved with the professional setting before. A few others, however, grew up around the game because of family members who were playing at that level. 

From sons of big leaguers to brothers or cousins, this year's class proved once again that the game of baseball is a family affair. 

While talent can't be inherited, work ethic, baseball IQ, and front-row access to the bigs can certainly help play a role. Now it's time for these guys to make their own mark on the league. 

Tennessee Shines

The Tennessee baseball program once again proved it’s a pipeline to pro ball, with nine Vols selected in the 2025 MLB Draft. From power arms to polished bats, the class showcased the depth and development that’s become synonymous with Knoxville.

Even more fitting, Coach Tony Vitello was on the panel for ESPN's draft coverage and saw his hard work fulfilled. 

Here's the list of Volunteers that were drafted:

Round 1, Pick 5 - Liam Doyle (LHP) - Cardinals
Round 1, Pick 13 - Gavin Kilen (SS) - Giants
Round 1, Pick 20 - Andrew Fischer (3B) - Brewers
Round 1, Pick 33 - Marcus Phillips (RHP) - Red Sox
Round 2, Pick 52 - AJ Russell (RHP) - Rangers
Round 2, Pick 64 - Dean Curley (SS) - Guardians
Round 2, Pick 72 - Tanner Franklin (RHP) - Cardinals
Round 3, Pick 105 - Nate Snead (RHP) - Angels
Round 17, Pick 522 - Cannon Peebles (Catcher) - Guardians

Collectively, these picks alone gathered potential signing bonuses of $26.7 million. 

USA Baseball Alumni

As the Official Player Development Partner of USA Baseball, it's always exciting to see the success those athletes have coming out of the organization and into the MLB. Since 1972, a total of 603 USA Baseball athletes have been drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft. Additionally, the first overall pick has played for Team USA the last 21 of 25 years. 

The organization added to their total this year with 17 players drafted in the first round and a total of 58 selected throughout the entirety of the draft.

1st Round Picks

The Data Era is Here

This 2025 MLB Draft confirmed what most already knew: data isn't just supporting scouting — it's driving it. 

From high school fields to SEC stadiums, the players who train with intent, track their development, and refine their game with feedback are climbing draft boards.

For athletes still grinding: keep the cameras rolling and the metrics dialed. The next bullpen session or BP round might just be what gets your name called next July.

Want to know how Rapsodo can help your program develop draft-ready players? Visit our website or email sales@rapsodo.com to learn more.