ST. LOUIS -- Considering the blazing speed that he possesses and the fearlessness that he so often displays on the basepaths, Victor Scott II can put himself in scoring position for the Cardinals simply by reaching first base. Scott did that twice on Wednesday, running on Lars Nootbaar’s single to right-center field and catching the Pirates off guard when he never stopped at third and scored with a headfirst slide into home. Two innings later, Scott singled and came around to score when Masyn Winn’s double hit off the side wall down the left-field line. The Cardinals improved to 15-6 at home, tying the defending-champion Dodgers for MLB’s most home victories. The Cards also used the three-game sweep of the reeling Pirates to get to 19-19 on the season -- the first time they have been at .500 since April 16, when they were 9-9. Since ending a five-game skid in Atlanta on April 22, St. Louis have gone a National League-best 10-5. Scott, who won the starting center-field job out of Spring Training, has proven himself to be quite the weapon for the Cardinals with his blinding speed. After Wednesday’s contest, he’s hitting .289 with 18 runs scored, 13 walks and 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts. He went from first to home on Nootbaar’s single in 9.28 seconds, good for MLB’s sixth-fastest first-to-home time in 2025, per Statcast. Gray (4-1) matched his longest outing of the season by shutting out the Pirates over seven innings. He allowed just two hits and one walk and struck out eight batters while beating the Bucs for a second time this season. Do you remember where the Houston Astros -- you know, the team that won the AL West for the seventh consecutive full season last year -- were at this point in 2024? Through May 8, they were 12-24, a whopping 8 1/2 games out of first place. There were people arguing they should have traded Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker during the previous offseason. But then what happened? The Astros eventually woke up, and after falling to a high of 10 games behind Seattle on June 18, wound up winning the division by four games. It no longer mattered where they were at the beginning of May. This is all to say: If your team is struggling right now, it doesn’t mean they’re out of it . Far from it. Here’s a look at eight teams who haven’t gotten off to the start they wanted but still have plenty of time to turn it around -- and have shown some small signs of being able to do so. (Note: We’re excluding the Braves, who got off to an 0-7 start but are already well on their way back, with FanGraphs playoff odds over 60%.) Blue Jays (16-19)
Playoff odds: 28.7% It is remarkable how much the tension around this team lessened when they signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to that extension . Can you imagine how high the temperature would be under everyone’s seat right now if they were under .500 and getting trade calls on Guerrero and Bo Bichette? Getting that deal done has eased the pressure on a team that still feels, once again, like it’s underperforming. Guerrero is starting to come on, and they’ve gotten an impressively resurgent start from George Springer, but the acquisitions of Andrés Giménez and Anthony Santander have yet to pay dividends. Those guys probably aren’t washed up just yet though, and you have to think the Blue Jays will be active in looking for some rotation help as well. More to the point: The Blue Jays, because of the Vlad Jr. extension, are likely buyers as the season goes along, rather than sellers. Brewers (19-18)
Playoff odds: 21.7% The two-time defending NL Central champs blew a lot of minds last year when they lost Corbin Burnes and manager Craig Counsell and somehow got better. That led many to think they’d be just fine despite waving goodbye to closer Devin Williams and star shortstop Willy Adames this year. While neither of those players is off to a good start with his new team, the Brewers are still sputtering a bit.
Playoff odds: 16.6% The Cardinals, rather famously, didn’t add anyone in the offseason, so you can understand why expectations were pretty low for this team. But all told, the Cardinals, even if their record doesn’t quite show it, have been a little better than you might think. Nolan Arenado has been solid after his offseason trade fell through, Lars Nootbaar and (especially) Brendan Donovan look like All-Stars, and St. Louis is also getting breakthrough seasons from young players Victor Scott II and Matthew Liberatore. It has been the Cardinals bullpen that keeps imploding on them; that’s the reason they currently have a losing record. The relief corps has been a little better of late, though, and if they can get that problem fixed, this has the look of a .500 team that, with a couple of breaks, could linger around the Wild Card race … if they don’t trade Arenado or closer Ryan Helsley before that happens. Nationals (17-20)
Playoff odds: 1.3% The Nats are certainly in the wrong division; if they played in, say, the NL Central, you wouldn’t have to squint that hard to see them as a second-place team. Alas, they don’t, and it's hard to argue they're quite a few steps behind the Mets, Phillies and (eventually) Braves. But we have seen teams with loads of young talent coalesce earlier than anyone expected many times in the past, and it’s not impossible to imagine the Nats being a team like that. In CJ Abrams, James Wood and Dylan Crews, they’ve got three players under the age of 25 who are locked in for years to come, improving every day, and now they have MacKenzie Gore looking like a bona fide ace. The bullpen has cost them a lot of games so far, and the rotation is asking a lot out of a couple of young, unproven pitchers, but this team is going to be a lot better in August than it is right now. No one is going to want to play them down the stretch. Orioles (13-21)
Playoff odds: 11.7% The Orioles, after getting swept out of the playoffs for the second straight year, have played some bad baseball out of the gate. One thing that hasn’t helped? A starting rotation that many believed would be a problem has stumbled to an even greater degree than anticipated, with a 5.75 ERA that ranks 28th in the Majors (more than a run behind the 27th-ranked Guardians). But I’m still a believer. It’s not like all those young stud hitters suddenly forgot how to hit. There are fits and starts with any young player, and the recent fits will be replaced by some starts quite soon. There’s also rotation help coming. You’d like to see this front office operate with a little bit more urgency -- those young players don’t stay young forever -- but there’s a reason everyone has been raving about all the Orioles’ talent for the last half-decade. You didn’t imagine that. It will emerge soon. There’s too much of it not to. Rangers (18-18)
Playoff odds: 44.9% This was a sleeper American League pennant pick heading into the year, but they’ve fallen flat so far, to the point that they just dismissed offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker (replacing him with coaching novice Bret Boone ), demoted offseason acquisition Jake Burger to Triple-A and waived longtime contributor Leody Taveras . There have been some wildly underperforming veterans -- Marcus Semien and, especially, Joc Pederson, who is somehow hitting .114 -- and some inconsistency in young pitchers Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. But all the pieces are still here. Corey Seager is still an MVP candidate; Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle are all terrific starters; Wyatt Langford is still a budding star. The AL West has all sorts of twists and turns in front of it. The Rangers will be front and center for all of them. Rays (16-19)
Playoff odds: 21.2% It is surprising seeing so many young pitchers in a Rays rotation struggling. Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot and Shane Baz all have ERAs of 3.86 or higher, and Rays starters as a whole rank just 16th in ERA. The nice thing about young pitchers, though, is that they do tend to get better – if they can stay healthy, at least – and there are reasons to be excited about all three of those arms. The worry about the Rays, I’d argue, is the bats. The infield outside of Jonathan Aranda has been dreadful, and as fun as Chandler Simpson has been, he still has only one extra-base hit. (The Junior Caminero breakout hasn’t happened yet, either.) But there’s so much young talent here that, if it coalesces, they could make a run. Of note: Despite their losing record, they’ve outscored their opponents this year. Twins (16-20)
Playoff odds: 38.3% The Twins have come on a little bit of late. They're 9-5 since April 22, but they still keep running into the same problem they always do: injuries. At least Royce Lewis and Willi Castro are back now , but Minnesota still has Matt Wallner and promising rookie Luke Keaschall on the IL, while Carlos Correa (.611 OPS) has not seemed right despite being in the lineup all season. The larger issue is that the rest of the division is playing so well; in the past, being five games under .500 this early wouldn’t drop you so low, but now, with the way the Tigers, Guardians and Royals are playing, you can plummet fast. It all comes down to whether those teams fall back a bit, and if the Twins can get keep their everyday lineup together. That might be wishful thinking. But in the past, it has been wishful thinking that has worked. The 2025 Draft class is more volatile than usual, so there's not much certainty with a little more than two months before the Nationals exercise the No. 1 overall pick July 13 during the All-Star Game festivities in Atlanta. Two high schoolers -- shortstop Ethan Holliday and right-hander Seth Hernandez -- are the consensus top two prospects available, though that doesn't necessarily mean that Washington will select either. Holliday struggled on the showcase circuit last summer and no prep righty ever has gone No. 1. They're still the favorites, but the Nationals are believed to be casting a wide net that also includes college left-handers Jamie Arnold, Kade Anderson and Liam Doyle, college shortstop Aiva Arquette, high school shortstop Eli Willits and perhaps others. Prep infielders are by far the greatest strength of this Draft and our initial projection of 2025 features eight coming off the board with the top 15 choices and 10 total among the 27 first-rounders. The Mets, Yankees and Dodgers all had their top pick bumped down 10 places into the supplemental first round because they exceeded the second surcharge threshold of the competitive balance tax. Detailed scouting reports, grades and video for players below can be found with MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 150 list . 1. Nationals: Ethan Holliday, SS/3B, Stillwater (Okla.) HS ( No. 1 )
This pick probably comes down to Holliday vs. Hernandez in the end, and the Nationals wouldn't be as skittish about taking a high school righty 1-1 as other teams would. Ethan would become the second Holliday family member to go No. 1 in the last four Drafts, following brother Jackson, and has a physical build more reminiscent of their father Matt, a seven-time All-Star. He generates huge power with an easy left-handed stroke and profiles best defensively as a solid third baseman. 2. Angels: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee ( No. 10 )
Whomever the Angels take here will be a favorite to be the first player from this Draft to reach the big leagues. They've been linked mostly to the top trio of college left-handers and Doyle in particular. He has led NCAA Division I in strikeouts for most of the spring, thanks to a mid-90s explosive fastball, though there are some concerns about his heater-heavy approach and unorthodox delivery. If the Angels opt for a bat, it would be Arquette.
The Mariners would strongly consider Hernandez but one of the college southpaws seems more plausible. The best college sophomore available, Anderson has a more traditional delivery than Doyle and a quality four-pitch mix that has him challenging for the D-I strikeout lead in his first season as a weekend starter. 4. Rockies: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS ( No. 2 )
Would the Rockies opt for a prep righty this high after first-round misses on Mike Nikorak and Riley Pint in the previous decade? Perhaps not, but he may be the most talented player in the Draft with a fastball that reaches triple digits, a highly advanced changeup, a pair of high-spin breaking balls and plenty of athleticism, polish and projection. If the Nationals don't take Holliday, he probably gets to Colorado and this looks like his floor. 5. Cardinals: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State ( No. 3 )
Unless Holliday somehow dropped to the Cardinals, they'd likely be looking at the college lefties. Arnold has a longer track record of dominance than Doyle or Anderson, not to mention plenty of action on a mid-90s fastball and low-80s slider and a history of strikes. 6. Pirates: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State ( No. 5 )
The best college position player available, Arquette has more power upside than most middle infielders and still will profile well offensively even if he slides over to second base. He could fit into the top three picks and this is probably as low as he would go. 7. Marlins: Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS, Fort Cobb, Okla. ( No. 4 )
The son of former big league outfielder Reggie Willits, Eli is the most well-rounded of the deep pool of high school shortstops -- and he might be the most well-rounded player in the whole Draft. 8. Blue Jays: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona (Calif.) HS ( No. 6 )
This would make Hernandez and Carlson the highest-selected prep teammates in the same Draft, surpassing the 2007 Chatsworth (Calif.) HS duo of Mike Moustakas (No. 2) and Matthew Dominguez (No. 12). Some evaluators think Carlson is the best defensive high school shortstop they've ever seen, though he may require a swing upgrade that may not be hard to implement. 9. Reds: Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M ( No. 7 )
LaViolette entered the year No. 2 on our original Top 100, but he has had an up-and-down spring that included going 1-for-12 with six strikeouts against Louisiana State last weekend in front of a large group of scouts. While he offers the best combination of power, physicality and athleticism in the Draft, his swing-and-miss issues concern clubs. 10. White Sox: Kayson Cunningham, SS/2B, Johnson HS, San Antonio ( No. 15 )
The White Sox could start a run on the second tier of high school shortstops that also includes Steele Hall, JoJo Parker and Daniel Pierce. Cunningham was as good as any hitter on the showcase circuit last summer and gives off some José Ramírez vibes, albeit with less pop. 11. Athletics: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma ( No. 8 )
The lone right-hander among the top tier of college pitchers, Witherspoon can get swings and misses with four different pitches (mid-90s fastball, upper-80s cutter, mid-80s slider, low-80s curveball) and could go higher than this. 12. Rangers: JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis (Miss.) HS ( No. 14 )
Parker has the highest offensive ceiling among the second tier of prep shortstops, though he's also the least likely to remain an up-the-middle defender. 13. Giants: Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville HS, Trussville, Ala. ( No. 13 )
Hall is the fastest early-round prospect in the Draft and also the best defender among the Cunningham/Parker/Hall/Pierce group. 14. Rays: Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS, Hoschton, Ga. ( No. 18 )
Pierce continues to climb boards with his combination of four solid-or-better tools (everything but power) and high baseball IQ. 15. Red Sox: Gavin Fien, 3B, Great Oak HS, Temecula, Calif. ( No. 29 )
Though Fien hasn't had a dominant spring, teams haven't forgotten that he ranked alongside Cunningham as the best bats on the showcase circuit and still buy into his offensive upside. 16. Twins: Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina ( No. 19 )
While Stevenson has batted just .282 in two seasons with the Tar Heels, his combination of power, receiving skills and arm strength make him unquestionably the best of a shallow pool of catchers in this Draft. 17. Cubs: Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara ( No. 17 )
Bremner joined Arnold atop the college pitching crop before an inconsistent first two months to his season, but he's starting to rally with four double-digit strikeout outings in his last five starts. He owns the most wicked changeup in this class. 18. Diamondbacks: Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee ( No. 16 )
The consensus best pure hitter in the college class, Kilen is slashing .378/.469/.733 with nearly as many homers (11) as strikeouts (14). 19. Orioles: Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest ( No. 12 )
This is on the low end for Houston, a consensus top-10 pick before an April slump who remains one of the best defensive shortstops in college baseball. 20. Brewers: Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona ( No. 22 )
Summerhill didn't help his cause by breaking his right hand punching a water cooler in March, but he still has a sweet lefty swing and the upside of a 20-20 center fielder. 21. Astros: Ike Irish, OF/C, Auburn ( No. 20 )
Irish can make a case for having the best combination of hitting ability, power and plate discipline among college hitters. As a result, teams would rather have him maximize his offense as a right fielder than try to make him a catcher. 22. Braves: J.B. Middleton, RHP, Southern Mississippi ( No. 31 )
The most underrated college starter in the Draft is Middleton, a 6-foot righty who pitches for a mid-major but can show three plus pitches and provide plenty of strikes. He owns the best ERA (1.86) among all Draft-eligible arms in NCAA D-I. 23. Royals: Josh Hammond, 3B, Wesleyan Christian Academy, High Point, N.C. ( No. 40 )
Hammond entered the year more highly regarded as a pitching prospect but wants to play every day and has hit his way toward the first round. He fits the third-base profile well with at least plus raw power and well above-average arm strength. 24. Tigers: Slater de Brun, OF, Summit HS, Bend, Ore. ( No. 25 )
As a smaller, lefty-hitting sparkplug from the Pacific Northwest, de Brun has a lot of similarities to Corbin Carroll at the same stage of their careers. 25. Padres: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS, Portland, Ore. ( No. 11 )
Along with Willits and Hall, Schoolcraft projects to go in the first round after reclassifying from the 2026 Draft. He's huge (6-foot-8) and athletic, and he's a lefty who can hit 98 mph with his fastball and spin a two-plane slider up to 88. 26. Phillies: Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon (Wash.) HS ( No. 26 )
Neyens' left-handed power rivals that of Holliday, though he comes with more questions about his bat. 27. Guardians: Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest ( No. 27 )
Shades of 2022 Guardians first-rounder Chase DeLauter? Conrad made a successful jump from Marist to Wake Forest and showed the possibility of solid tools across the board before hurting his left shoulder diving for a ball in March, necessitating season-ending surgery.
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Playoff odds: 28.7% It is remarkable how much the tension around this team lessened when they signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to that extension . Can you imagine how high the temperature would be under everyone’s seat right now if they were under .500 and getting trade calls on Guerrero and Bo Bichette? Getting that deal done has eased the pressure on a team that still feels, once again, like it’s underperforming. Guerrero is starting to come on, and they’ve gotten an impressively resurgent start from George Springer, but the acquisitions of Andrés Giménez and Anthony Santander have yet to pay dividends. Those guys probably aren’t washed up just yet though, and you have to think the Blue Jays will be active in looking for some rotation help as well. More to the point: The Blue Jays, because of the Vlad Jr. extension, are likely buyers as the season goes along, rather than sellers. Brewers (19-18)
Playoff odds: 21.7% The two-time defending NL Central champs blew a lot of minds last year when they lost Corbin Burnes and manager Craig Counsell and somehow got better. That led many to think they’d be just fine despite waving goodbye to closer Devin Williams and star shortstop Willy Adames this year. While neither of those players is off to a good start with his new team, the Brewers are still sputtering a bit.
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The bullpen hasn’t been the problem, and neither has the rotation, or at least the top of it. (Freddy Peralta, Jose Quintana and Chad Patrick all have ERAs under 3.00.) It’s the offense, which was their big surprise last year, that has sputtered. With Adames gone and Joey Ortiz moving over from third base in his place, the team has gotten very little production from either of those positions. Even Christian Yelich (.676 OPS) and William Contreras (.689) haven’t really gotten things going yet, and Jackson Chourio has just two walks in 161 plate appearances. Instead, it’s Sal Frelick, Rhys Hoskins and Brice Turang keeping the Brewers afloat. If Milwaukee can get some pitchers back in the rotation (including the rehabbing Brandon Woodruff ) and get Chourio to maybe take a pitch or two, there’s no reason it can’t get back in this race. They might not catch the Cubs. But this team has proven plenty resilient before and will be again. Cardinals (18-19)Playoff odds: 16.6% The Cardinals, rather famously, didn’t add anyone in the offseason, so you can understand why expectations were pretty low for this team. But all told, the Cardinals, even if their record doesn’t quite show it, have been a little better than you might think. Nolan Arenado has been solid after his offseason trade fell through, Lars Nootbaar and (especially) Brendan Donovan look like All-Stars, and St. Louis is also getting breakthrough seasons from young players Victor Scott II and Matthew Liberatore. It has been the Cardinals bullpen that keeps imploding on them; that’s the reason they currently have a losing record. The relief corps has been a little better of late, though, and if they can get that problem fixed, this has the look of a .500 team that, with a couple of breaks, could linger around the Wild Card race … if they don’t trade Arenado or closer Ryan Helsley before that happens. Nationals (17-20)
Playoff odds: 1.3% The Nats are certainly in the wrong division; if they played in, say, the NL Central, you wouldn’t have to squint that hard to see them as a second-place team. Alas, they don’t, and it's hard to argue they're quite a few steps behind the Mets, Phillies and (eventually) Braves. But we have seen teams with loads of young talent coalesce earlier than anyone expected many times in the past, and it’s not impossible to imagine the Nats being a team like that. In CJ Abrams, James Wood and Dylan Crews, they’ve got three players under the age of 25 who are locked in for years to come, improving every day, and now they have MacKenzie Gore looking like a bona fide ace. The bullpen has cost them a lot of games so far, and the rotation is asking a lot out of a couple of young, unproven pitchers, but this team is going to be a lot better in August than it is right now. No one is going to want to play them down the stretch. Orioles (13-21)
Playoff odds: 11.7% The Orioles, after getting swept out of the playoffs for the second straight year, have played some bad baseball out of the gate. One thing that hasn’t helped? A starting rotation that many believed would be a problem has stumbled to an even greater degree than anticipated, with a 5.75 ERA that ranks 28th in the Majors (more than a run behind the 27th-ranked Guardians). But I’m still a believer. It’s not like all those young stud hitters suddenly forgot how to hit. There are fits and starts with any young player, and the recent fits will be replaced by some starts quite soon. There’s also rotation help coming. You’d like to see this front office operate with a little bit more urgency -- those young players don’t stay young forever -- but there’s a reason everyone has been raving about all the Orioles’ talent for the last half-decade. You didn’t imagine that. It will emerge soon. There’s too much of it not to. Rangers (18-18)
Playoff odds: 44.9% This was a sleeper American League pennant pick heading into the year, but they’ve fallen flat so far, to the point that they just dismissed offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker (replacing him with coaching novice Bret Boone ), demoted offseason acquisition Jake Burger to Triple-A and waived longtime contributor Leody Taveras . There have been some wildly underperforming veterans -- Marcus Semien and, especially, Joc Pederson, who is somehow hitting .114 -- and some inconsistency in young pitchers Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. But all the pieces are still here. Corey Seager is still an MVP candidate; Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle are all terrific starters; Wyatt Langford is still a budding star. The AL West has all sorts of twists and turns in front of it. The Rangers will be front and center for all of them. Rays (16-19)
Playoff odds: 21.2% It is surprising seeing so many young pitchers in a Rays rotation struggling. Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot and Shane Baz all have ERAs of 3.86 or higher, and Rays starters as a whole rank just 16th in ERA. The nice thing about young pitchers, though, is that they do tend to get better – if they can stay healthy, at least – and there are reasons to be excited about all three of those arms. The worry about the Rays, I’d argue, is the bats. The infield outside of Jonathan Aranda has been dreadful, and as fun as Chandler Simpson has been, he still has only one extra-base hit. (The Junior Caminero breakout hasn’t happened yet, either.) But there’s so much young talent here that, if it coalesces, they could make a run. Of note: Despite their losing record, they’ve outscored their opponents this year. Twins (16-20)
Playoff odds: 38.3% The Twins have come on a little bit of late. They're 9-5 since April 22, but they still keep running into the same problem they always do: injuries. At least Royce Lewis and Willi Castro are back now , but Minnesota still has Matt Wallner and promising rookie Luke Keaschall on the IL, while Carlos Correa (.611 OPS) has not seemed right despite being in the lineup all season. The larger issue is that the rest of the division is playing so well; in the past, being five games under .500 this early wouldn’t drop you so low, but now, with the way the Tigers, Guardians and Royals are playing, you can plummet fast. It all comes down to whether those teams fall back a bit, and if the Twins can get keep their everyday lineup together. That might be wishful thinking. But in the past, it has been wishful thinking that has worked. The 2025 Draft class is more volatile than usual, so there's not much certainty with a little more than two months before the Nationals exercise the No. 1 overall pick July 13 during the All-Star Game festivities in Atlanta. Two high schoolers -- shortstop Ethan Holliday and right-hander Seth Hernandez -- are the consensus top two prospects available, though that doesn't necessarily mean that Washington will select either. Holliday struggled on the showcase circuit last summer and no prep righty ever has gone No. 1. They're still the favorites, but the Nationals are believed to be casting a wide net that also includes college left-handers Jamie Arnold, Kade Anderson and Liam Doyle, college shortstop Aiva Arquette, high school shortstop Eli Willits and perhaps others. Prep infielders are by far the greatest strength of this Draft and our initial projection of 2025 features eight coming off the board with the top 15 choices and 10 total among the 27 first-rounders. The Mets, Yankees and Dodgers all had their top pick bumped down 10 places into the supplemental first round because they exceeded the second surcharge threshold of the competitive balance tax. Detailed scouting reports, grades and video for players below can be found with MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 150 list . 1. Nationals: Ethan Holliday, SS/3B, Stillwater (Okla.) HS ( No. 1 )
This pick probably comes down to Holliday vs. Hernandez in the end, and the Nationals wouldn't be as skittish about taking a high school righty 1-1 as other teams would. Ethan would become the second Holliday family member to go No. 1 in the last four Drafts, following brother Jackson, and has a physical build more reminiscent of their father Matt, a seven-time All-Star. He generates huge power with an easy left-handed stroke and profiles best defensively as a solid third baseman. 2. Angels: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee ( No. 10 )
Whomever the Angels take here will be a favorite to be the first player from this Draft to reach the big leagues. They've been linked mostly to the top trio of college left-handers and Doyle in particular. He has led NCAA Division I in strikeouts for most of the spring, thanks to a mid-90s explosive fastball, though there are some concerns about his heater-heavy approach and unorthodox delivery. If the Angels opt for a bat, it would be Arquette.
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3. Mariners: Kade Anderson, LHP, Louisiana State ( No. 9 )The Mariners would strongly consider Hernandez but one of the college southpaws seems more plausible. The best college sophomore available, Anderson has a more traditional delivery than Doyle and a quality four-pitch mix that has him challenging for the D-I strikeout lead in his first season as a weekend starter. 4. Rockies: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS ( No. 2 )
Would the Rockies opt for a prep righty this high after first-round misses on Mike Nikorak and Riley Pint in the previous decade? Perhaps not, but he may be the most talented player in the Draft with a fastball that reaches triple digits, a highly advanced changeup, a pair of high-spin breaking balls and plenty of athleticism, polish and projection. If the Nationals don't take Holliday, he probably gets to Colorado and this looks like his floor. 5. Cardinals: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State ( No. 3 )
Unless Holliday somehow dropped to the Cardinals, they'd likely be looking at the college lefties. Arnold has a longer track record of dominance than Doyle or Anderson, not to mention plenty of action on a mid-90s fastball and low-80s slider and a history of strikes. 6. Pirates: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State ( No. 5 )
The best college position player available, Arquette has more power upside than most middle infielders and still will profile well offensively even if he slides over to second base. He could fit into the top three picks and this is probably as low as he would go. 7. Marlins: Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS, Fort Cobb, Okla. ( No. 4 )
The son of former big league outfielder Reggie Willits, Eli is the most well-rounded of the deep pool of high school shortstops -- and he might be the most well-rounded player in the whole Draft. 8. Blue Jays: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona (Calif.) HS ( No. 6 )
This would make Hernandez and Carlson the highest-selected prep teammates in the same Draft, surpassing the 2007 Chatsworth (Calif.) HS duo of Mike Moustakas (No. 2) and Matthew Dominguez (No. 12). Some evaluators think Carlson is the best defensive high school shortstop they've ever seen, though he may require a swing upgrade that may not be hard to implement. 9. Reds: Jace LaViolette, OF, Texas A&M ( No. 7 )
LaViolette entered the year No. 2 on our original Top 100, but he has had an up-and-down spring that included going 1-for-12 with six strikeouts against Louisiana State last weekend in front of a large group of scouts. While he offers the best combination of power, physicality and athleticism in the Draft, his swing-and-miss issues concern clubs. 10. White Sox: Kayson Cunningham, SS/2B, Johnson HS, San Antonio ( No. 15 )
The White Sox could start a run on the second tier of high school shortstops that also includes Steele Hall, JoJo Parker and Daniel Pierce. Cunningham was as good as any hitter on the showcase circuit last summer and gives off some José Ramírez vibes, albeit with less pop. 11. Athletics: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma ( No. 8 )
The lone right-hander among the top tier of college pitchers, Witherspoon can get swings and misses with four different pitches (mid-90s fastball, upper-80s cutter, mid-80s slider, low-80s curveball) and could go higher than this. 12. Rangers: JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis (Miss.) HS ( No. 14 )
Parker has the highest offensive ceiling among the second tier of prep shortstops, though he's also the least likely to remain an up-the-middle defender. 13. Giants: Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville HS, Trussville, Ala. ( No. 13 )
Hall is the fastest early-round prospect in the Draft and also the best defender among the Cunningham/Parker/Hall/Pierce group. 14. Rays: Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS, Hoschton, Ga. ( No. 18 )
Pierce continues to climb boards with his combination of four solid-or-better tools (everything but power) and high baseball IQ. 15. Red Sox: Gavin Fien, 3B, Great Oak HS, Temecula, Calif. ( No. 29 )
Though Fien hasn't had a dominant spring, teams haven't forgotten that he ranked alongside Cunningham as the best bats on the showcase circuit and still buy into his offensive upside. 16. Twins: Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina ( No. 19 )
While Stevenson has batted just .282 in two seasons with the Tar Heels, his combination of power, receiving skills and arm strength make him unquestionably the best of a shallow pool of catchers in this Draft. 17. Cubs: Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara ( No. 17 )
Bremner joined Arnold atop the college pitching crop before an inconsistent first two months to his season, but he's starting to rally with four double-digit strikeout outings in his last five starts. He owns the most wicked changeup in this class. 18. Diamondbacks: Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee ( No. 16 )
The consensus best pure hitter in the college class, Kilen is slashing .378/.469/.733 with nearly as many homers (11) as strikeouts (14). 19. Orioles: Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest ( No. 12 )
This is on the low end for Houston, a consensus top-10 pick before an April slump who remains one of the best defensive shortstops in college baseball. 20. Brewers: Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona ( No. 22 )
Summerhill didn't help his cause by breaking his right hand punching a water cooler in March, but he still has a sweet lefty swing and the upside of a 20-20 center fielder. 21. Astros: Ike Irish, OF/C, Auburn ( No. 20 )
Irish can make a case for having the best combination of hitting ability, power and plate discipline among college hitters. As a result, teams would rather have him maximize his offense as a right fielder than try to make him a catcher. 22. Braves: J.B. Middleton, RHP, Southern Mississippi ( No. 31 )
The most underrated college starter in the Draft is Middleton, a 6-foot righty who pitches for a mid-major but can show three plus pitches and provide plenty of strikes. He owns the best ERA (1.86) among all Draft-eligible arms in NCAA D-I. 23. Royals: Josh Hammond, 3B, Wesleyan Christian Academy, High Point, N.C. ( No. 40 )
Hammond entered the year more highly regarded as a pitching prospect but wants to play every day and has hit his way toward the first round. He fits the third-base profile well with at least plus raw power and well above-average arm strength. 24. Tigers: Slater de Brun, OF, Summit HS, Bend, Ore. ( No. 25 )
As a smaller, lefty-hitting sparkplug from the Pacific Northwest, de Brun has a lot of similarities to Corbin Carroll at the same stage of their careers. 25. Padres: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS, Portland, Ore. ( No. 11 )
Along with Willits and Hall, Schoolcraft projects to go in the first round after reclassifying from the 2026 Draft. He's huge (6-foot-8) and athletic, and he's a lefty who can hit 98 mph with his fastball and spin a two-plane slider up to 88. 26. Phillies: Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon (Wash.) HS ( No. 26 )
Neyens' left-handed power rivals that of Holliday, though he comes with more questions about his bat. 27. Guardians: Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest ( No. 27 )
Shades of 2022 Guardians first-rounder Chase DeLauter? Conrad made a successful jump from Marist to Wake Forest and showed the possibility of solid tools across the board before hurting his left shoulder diving for a ball in March, necessitating season-ending surgery.
