The MLB Draft is all about leverage, and there might not be a demographic that holds more leverage than draft-eligible sophomores.

“Old for the class” has become a notorious label when talking about prep players’ draft stock, and ultimately leads to the elder statesmen being undervalued and pushed to campus. Fast forward two years, and those same players flip the script becoming some of the most sought-after prospects in the class with both draft and college eligibility remaining. 

Once again draft-eligible sophomores will be in the thick of Day One draft action next summer. Although not as deep as the stellar 2024 class that included first-rounders Malcolm Moore (Stanford), Cam Smith (Florida State) and Jurrangelo Cijntje (Mississippi State), the 2025 college class has over a half dozen prospects who, with another successful season, will likely hear their name called on the first day of the draft.

Below are scouting notes on seven prospects who should drive significant Day One attention, as well as ten others who are being followed closely.

Our current frontrunner of the draft-eligible sophomore class is North Carolina catcher Luke Stevenson. He excels in all parts of the game. Defensively, he shows above average arm strength with a compact draw and plus carry on accurate throws to the bag producing consistent sub-2.0 game POP times. Stevenson also shows high level receiving ability and should have little problem staying behind the plate over the long term. Last spring as a true freshman, the left handed hitter batted .284 with 14 home runs and walked in over 17% of his plate appearances. His future impact with the bat is also very encouraging with a 112.2 max EV and a 106.4 mph 90th percentile EV. He also has feel to loft the baseball and should consistently get to his power with a 19.5% barrel rate and an 18.8 average launch angle. His swing decisions are also strong with a chase rate of 20.5% and he swings at pitches in the zone 63% of the time which grades out overall as very selective. Currently on the downside, Stevenson’s biggest issue is breaking balls with a 41.1% whiff rate against. And a 66.7% out of zone whiff could indicate that the whiff issue may worsen against better quality breakers in the future. Regardless, Stevenson is the current leader of another solid class of college catchers who are eligible for the 2025 draft – Ike Irish (Auburn), Caden Bodine (Coastal Carolina) and Brooks Bryan (Troy).

A few spots behind Stevenson is Tennessee infielder Dean Curley. The bazooka-armed Curley was the everyday shortstop as a true freshman for the Vols last season. At 6-foot-3, 210-pounds he may slide over to the hot corner next season where his tools may profile even better. Tooled-up with a 70-grade arm, above average raw power (111 mph max EV) and above average run speed Curley batted .285 with 12 home runs and nine stolen bases last spring. At the plate this summer for the USA CNT he showed a patient approach, good knowledge of the strike zone and rarely chased. Curley does not whiff on fastballs. He has a sub-10% whiff rate and the contact numbers are even better when filtering at 92+ mph. Overall, his chase and whiff numbers both sit below 20% and he projects to hit with above-average power.

Primarily a DH and right fielder last spring, the electric Tre Phelps (Georgia) also played a little third base this summer for the USA CNT. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds with five-tool potential and elite versatility, he can play just about anywhere on the diamond. And as strong as his defensive chops, he’s even better in the batter’s box. After batting .353 as a true freshman for the Bulldogs last spring, he then led the USA CNT Summer League Tour team with a .385 average that included a triple and a home run. He’s an aggressive, early count hitter with a balanced and quiet hit approach. There’s plus raw juice (112.6 max EV) and he gets to it during games. Phelps can also turn around any fastball and rarely whiffs in-zone – 10.4% to be exact. He’s an aggressive hitter, swinging nearly 50% of the time, chasing 28.5% and swinging at 77.6% of pitches in the zone, yet he’s a 20% whiff guy. The barrel skills are really strong. He destroys velocity and is good against breaking balls. The only question mark is at what point does the combination of an aggressive, free-swinging style and plus feel for contact eventually tank his bottom-end contact quality (contacting a lot of poor offerings without authority). However, there is not any numeric evidence to support that right now. His flair and simple enjoyment of the game further sets him apart from his peers. All things considered, he has as much or more upside than any college prospect for the 2025 draft.

Henry Ford converted from his prep position of catcher to first base last year for the Cavaliers and is now in the middle of another transition, moving to right field on a permanent basis this fall. He began the move this summer, spending some time there for the USA CNT and has looked solid this fall with more than enough arm strength to project as a pro. In the batter’s box the right handed hitter has a beautiful stroke with great extension. As a true freshman, Ford batted .336 with 27 home runs and just a 18% strikeout rate. He does have a lot of the same potential issues as Tre Phelps – 50% swing rate, 30% chase rate, 76.2% zone swing rate – but about 10% less out of zone contact than Phelps, which can be both good and bad. His current contact quality is very good with a .400 xwOBA on contact with high end exit velocities and a 24.3% barrel rate. And 13.4% whiffs in-zone are very likable. To top off his potential first round hit/power package, Ford has off-the-charts makeup and has been a coaching staff favorite wherever he has played.

Kade Anderson made nine starts for the Tigers as a true freshman last spring and struck out 59 batters in 38.1 innings with mostly a fastball (70% use rate) and curveball (23%) combo, but can also mix a swing/miss changeup (4.5%) that sinks and runs. Thrown to both left and right handed batters, his change-of-pace scored a 100th percentile Z-Whiff last season. Back on campus this fall, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound southpaw has added several pounds of good weight since last spring and still has projection remaining to his frame. With a lower effort and repeatable delivery he now features a 92-95 mph riding fastball as his primary weapon and has added an 82-84 mph slider that spins in the 2900 rpm range. Anderson combines size, stuff, athleticism and pitchability from the left side which gives him top two round upside.

Strong-built at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Trent Caraway (Oregon State) has a well-rounded toolset led by good bat speed and plus arm strength. He has the arm and just enough hands to remain at the hot corner over the long term, yet a slower first step limits his range. His swing can get sweepy and pull-centric, but his physical strength and hand-eye overcome much of his deficiencies. Sliders gave him trouble during his abbreviated spring season for the Beavers when a finger injury limited him to just 17 games, yet he still managed to produce a .339/.431/.516 line, albeit with a 31.9% strikeout rate. In this small sample size Caraway had some of the louder batted balls (top end power is very good with a 113.3 max EV), but also struggled with 22.2% in-zone whiffs and a chase rate over 30%. Healthy this summer, he performed at a high level in the Cape, lowering his strikeout rate to just 18% while producing a .276/.362/.449 slash with four home runs.

Dallas Baptist righthander James Ellwanger quickly passes the eye test at a long and projectable 6-foot-5, 200-pounds. His delivery is fluid and his arm action is long and loose. He will mix in a low-80s breaking ball, but his mid-90s heater that touched 99 last spring is his primary weapon. He struck out 22 in just 13 innings while walking five this summer which was an improvement from the 11 free passes in 17.2 innings pitched during spring. Overall, there’s plenty of future promise despite the need for much polish. If Ellwanger can put it all together, there’s a first round upside.

Early Day Two Prospects

Wake Forest’s Matthew Dallas appeared in 15 games for Tennessee last season and posted a 4.76 ERA in 17 innings, to go along with 22 strikeouts and 10 walks. Now in Winston-Salem the 6-foot-5, 195-pound lefthander is a projection play with an above-average release height and plus extension that are the reasons for a 95th percentile Fastball Whiff of 29.3%, despite it averaging just 90.1 mph with 13” of IVB last spring. His best off speed pitch is a mid-80s change-up with 13” of arm-side life at 85 mph. Dallas also throws a big sweeper with some depth at 80 mph and 14.5” of glove-side movement and his curve is more of a slurve. Similar in size and build to former Deacon Josh Hartle, Dallas just needs to fill out, gain additional strength and prepare for a jump in velocity. The Trojans’ everyday second baseman last spring, Peyton Watts (Troy) will shift to shortstop this year where his insane twitch, strong arm and an ability to make all the plays project him to remain there at the next level. At the plate his hands are exceptionally fast with sneaky pop. Producing consistent hard contact is a work-in-progress, but all the tools are there for a breakout season this spring.

Keep close tabs on sophomore right handed pitcher Dylan Vigue, a 6-foot-3, 220-pounder who appeared in 16 games and started 12 last season for Michigan. After tallying an 8.20 ERA in 56 innings of work last spring, he lowered his release point to a low three-quarter which has given his delivery better flow and timing. The result has been electric stuff this fall. He recently sat 94-95 mph with his fastball, which had 20-26” of horizontal break. He’s also now throwing two breaking balls for strikes – an 86-89 mph cutter and low-80s slider. Both have stood out as ‘pro-ready’ pitches. North Carolina lefthander Folger Boaz injured his elbow in April of this past spring and continues to rehab after throwing off of a mound about two weeks ago for the first time since the injury. When healthy Boaz mainly features a low-90s fastball and an effective low-80s slider. Alabama’s Zane Adams is another potential top five round lefthander who made 13 starts as a true freshman for the Crimson Tide last spring. At 6-foot-4, 195 pounds there is some projection to his frame and added velocity to a fastball that averaged 90 mph in 2024. His best pitch is a 78-80 mph curveball which had a 78th percentile Z-Whiff of 23.8%.

Other names to know:

Bristol Carter, OF, Auburn
Charles Davalan, OF, Arkansas
Chance Mako, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Jasen Oliver, 2B, Indiana
Peyton Prescott, RHP/INF, Florida State
Cam Tilly, RHP, Auburn