2025 MLB Draft Review: Chicago White Sox

Full list of draftees

This is a really fun White Sox class with a lot of upside. Spending three of their first four picks and more than a combined $10 million on high school bats (plus another in the eleventh round), Chicago is going all in to build a future high-impact lineup. I had a lot of fun writing about some interesting profiles, from defensive whizzes to hometown picks to two 6'9" pitchers to a former Big Ten quarterback.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-10: SS Billy Carlson, Corona HS [CA]
Slot value: $6.24 million. Signing bonus: $6.24 million ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: #11. MLB Pipeline: #7. Baseball America: #9.
Billy Carlson is a really fun prospect to start out the draft with a bang. An ultra-athletic two-way player, he has long been one of the most famous amateur prospects in California and spent his entire senior season right there near the top of the collective draft board. Pitching behind eventual Pirates #6 overall pick Seth Hernandez at Corona High School, Carlson was sitting low 90's and touching 97 while showing a pair of potentially above average offspeed pitches in his curveball and changeup. That's a day one pitching prospect, but it's his bat and glove that brought him here to #10 overall. Hitting from a closed-off stance, he gets nice leverage into his tight right handed swing and is growing into average power. He has a long track record of performance against top arms on the showcase circuit and in Southern California, where his advanced approach and solid bat to ball should make him at least an average hitter as well. Carlson is still growing into his 6'1", 185 pound frame, and while his skinny stature might limit his overall impact projection, he is an explosive athlete that is better learning how to channel that explosiveness into bat speed. There's a chance for 15-20 home runs and .350+ on-base percentages at peak if he can continue to fill out. For as good as his bat is, he's better with the glove. Carlson has excellent body control and plenty of range to not only reach balls all over the left side of the infield, but get himself into a good position to send them back across the diamond for the out. With that plus-plus arm that has reached 97 on the mound combined with the comfort of throwing from multiple angles, there is virtually no throw he can't make, kind of like a Patrick Mahomes playing shortstop. He's an average runner that has worked to get quicker and can post above average run times, but the instincts, coordination, and arm strength all point to a plus defender at one of the most difficult positions on the diamond. All together, this is a high-level athlete that moves in ways that most cannot, one who if developed properly can outplay all of his projections. The full product reminds me a bit of a bigger version of Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn.

2-44: OF Jaden Fauske, Nazareth HS [IL]
Slot value: $2.22 million. Signing bonus: $3 million ($773,900 above slot value).
My rank: #36. MLB Pipeline: #57. Baseball America: #54.
From Noah Schultz (Aurora) to George Wolkow (Downers Grove) to DJ Gladney (Matteson), it seems like the White Sox are always spending early picks on local Chicago preps and 2025's edition is Jaden Fauske. A native of Willowbrook, about seventeen miles southwest of downtown on the DuPage County line, he played his high school ball at Nazareth Academy in nearby La Grange Park. While he lacks a plus carrying tool, he does a lot not just well, but very well. With a simple left handed swing and a very disciplined approach at the plate, he has a chance to be an above average hitter at the big league level who can put up strong on-base percentages consistently. At the same time, he has started to fill out his strong 6'3" frame and is producing average power for now, but could get to above average as he continues to mature and learns to be more explosive. At ceiling, that is a 25 home run bat with high on-base percentages, one that can hit in the middle of the Chicago lineup for years. Defensively, there are more question marks. He has shown well behind the plate and most evaluators believe he has the glovework to stick as a catcher long term, while his average arm plays up due to a quick, smooth release. However, there are questions whether he actually wants to catch long term. It's the most grueling position on the diamond and a future big league catcher needs to be fully bought into that career path to have a chance. Given that, the White Sox actually drafted him as an outfielder, and that transition has a chance to go a lot better than most catcher to outfield transplants. He is also a strong athlete that runs plenty well enough to cover the requisite ground in a corner outfield spot. With an average arm, he could end up in left field or right field, but he won't be a below average defender out there like many converted catchers. Either way, the bat should play – if he catches, he's a potential first division regular. If he plays outfield, there's more pressure on the bat but he should still play every day and become an impact bat. Fauske did not come cheap, forgoing an LSU commitment to sign closer to the value of the #32 pick here as the White Sox' #44 pick.

3-76: SS Kyle Lodise, Georgia Tech
Slot value: $1.08 million. Signing bonus: $922,500 ($151,800 below slot value).
My rank: #84. MLB Pipeline: #79. Baseball America: #57.
Teams looking at ACC shortstops had two options from the Lodise family, with Florida State's Alex signing with the Braves at the #60 and Georgia Tech's Kyle coming to the White Sox at #76. Kyle began his career at Division II Augusta, where he hit .349 with a .450 on-base percentage and 23 home runs over two seasons. Transferring to power conference baseball at Georgia Tech, he didn't miss a beat with the jump in competition and set a career high with 16 home runs while hitting .329/.429/.667 in 55 games. Lodise, like Jaden Fauske, lacks a carrying tool but is an all-around ballplayer. Undersized at 5'11", he knows himself as a hitter and brings a balanced offensive profile. He generates great leverage into his right handed swing and shows fringe-average power, crushing thirty home runs over the past two seasons, though many of those home runs may become doubles and triples as he switches to wood bats. Lodise is a very advanced hitter with a keen understanding of the strike zone, helping him to a career .442 on-base percentage. Despite playing those first two seasons in D-II, he challenged himself by jumping straight into the elite Cape Cod League last summer and while he didn't provide much impact at the plate, he ran an impressive 20% walk rate against the best pitching he had ever seen. The upside here is that of a .260-.270 hitter with healthy walk rates and 10-15 home runs per season at peak. A plus runner, he moves well around the infield and should have just enough arm strength to stick at shortstop. If he moves to second base, he should be an above average defender there with strong instincts. His most likely projection is that of a utility infielder that will find ways to win, while he could find his way into the every day lineup if he sticks at shortstop and continues to show enough impact at the plate.

4-106: C Landon Hodge, Crespi Carmelite HS [CA]
Slot value: $722,600. Signing bonus: $1.1 million ($374,900 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #164. Baseball America: #131.
Between Jaden Fauske and Landon Hodge, the White Sox spent more than $4 million on bonuses for formerly LSU-bound catchers (including more than than a million dollars above slot value), something Tigers head coach Jay Johnson may not be so happy about but it certainly bodes well for Chicago's depth at that position. Hodge, whose seven figure bonus was close to the slot value of third rounder Kyle Lodise's #76 overall pick, hails from one of the most delicious sounding high schools in the country and provides a fairly similar profile to Fauske. He's not quite as physical, but he's plenty hitterish in the box with solid bat to ball and an innate ability to keep his hands inside the baseball, helping him use the entire field effectively. While the power isn't quite there yet, there's some projection in his 6'1" frame that should help him tap fringe-average pop as he fills out and learns to turn on the ball a little better. Behind the plate, his athleticism helps his glove and arm play up and White Sox scouts see a twitchy defender who will stick at the toughest position. Rather than airing out his throws, he prefers to throw as hard as he can on a line, allowing the ball to bounce well before the second baseman if need be. Hodge had a very strong spring on both sides of the baseball, showing more consistent performance at the plate while cleaning up his actions behind it, leaving Chicago convinced that his ascent has only begun. The upside here is that of a high on-base catcher who can club 10-15 home runs per season, but high school catchers are notoriously risky.

5-137: RHP Gabe Davis, Oklahoma State
Slot value: $534,400. Signing bonus: $587,500 ($53,100 above slot value).
My rank: #128. MLB Pipeline: #147. Baseball America: #129.
Gabe Davis doesn't come with the most straightforward profile here, but the White Sox see plenty of upside if he is developed right. After struggling command as a freshman at Oklahoma State in 2023, he took moderate steps forward and put together a nice 2024 season as a swingman. Pushing his way into the second round conversation entering 2025, he instead struggled to find any consistency and spent most of the season in the bullpen, where Oklahoma State used him sporadically and his 24.1 innings wound up a career-low. Still, there is tremendous upside here for a fifth round college arm. Davis stands an impressive 6'9", which is apparently how tall you need to be to make 235 pounds look skinny. The arm matches the size, with a mid 90's fastball that can reach triple digits in short stints. He shows a hard slider in the upper 80's with tight snap, while his average changeup rounds out a strong three pitch mix. With his size, Davis is just an average athlete and lacks the admittedly high level of coordination needed to keep such a long body in sync. Still, it's not often you see 6'9" flamethrowers chucking 100, much less those who can add a pair of good secondaries. Davis has a career 13.1% walk rate that will have to come down, while it will also behoove him to find something a little softer in his arsenal as everything now is pretty firm. Unless Chicago has some kind of magic it can work, the Oklahoma City-area product likely ends up in the bullpen, where he can live in the upper 90's and give hitters fits with the unique look he creates.

6-166: SS Colby Shelton, Florida
Slot value: $403,900. Signing bonus: $447,500 ($43,600 above slot value).
My rank: #83. MLB Pipeline: #142. Baseball America: #158.
While Colby Shelton is much more straightforward a prospect than Gabe Davis, he has had just as interesting a path to get to where he is now. A South Carolina native, he attended high school in the Tampa area before embarking to Alabama to begin his college career. After hitting 25 bombs and slashing .300/.419/.729 for the Tide, he was named a Freshman All-American by numerous outlets and wound up transferring to Florida amid Alabama's gambling scandal. Draft eligible as a sophomore in 2024 because he was a full year older than his high school graduating class, swing and miss concerns crept up into his profile and he did not get the bonus offers he desired. Returning to school in 2025 for his age-22 season, he changed his approach dramatically and teams took notice. After blasting 45 home runs over his first two seasons, he hit just seven in 2025. However, his batting average skyrocketed from .254 in 2024 to .377 while his strikeout rate plummeted from 26.4% to just 11.8%. Previously a dead pull hitter, he began using the entire field and became a doubles machine. Always an aggressive hitter, he continues to chase at an alarmingly high rate but the bat to ball is tremendously improved as he has stopped trying to do too much. Meanwhile, he did not sacrifice a lick of barrel force as his exit velocities remain roughly the same, just less in the air and less to the pull side. While the old Colby Shelton profiled for 15-20 home runs per season and low on-base percentages, the new Colby Shelton probably sticks in the teens while posting healthier, batting average-driven on-base percentages at peak. He has played shortstop at Florida, though with average athleticism and arm strength he probably fits better at second or third base in the long run. This has the look of a platoon bat if he can continue to make contact. Despite being a junior, Shelton is the age of a senior sign and will turn 23 in December.

10-286: RHP Daniel Wright, Iowa
Slot value: $195,300. Signing bonus: $7,500 ($187,800 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Few players in this draft class have had a more roundabout journey than Daniel Wright. A native of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, a little town just outside of Sioux City in the northwestern portion of the state, baseball wasn't exactly his first sport. In fact, he was an all-state selection in both football and basketball while at Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School and was even a nominee for a McDonald's All-American spot. By my book the only draftee in recent years to attend Wisconsin, which does not have a baseball team, he tried to walk on as a quarterback in 2020 but never got into a game. Deciding to give baseball a shot, he transferred to Iowa Western JC for his sophomore season, he showed well enough on the mound to earn another opportunity at Houston, where he pitched to mixed results in two seasons. He made his home state Iowa Hawkeyes his fourth school in five years come 2025, where he pitched out of the bullpen to slightly better results. Looking at the profile, Chicago is buying the upside rather than the now-product. First of all, the 6'9", 235 pound Gabe Davis is not the biggest player in this White Sox draft class – that would be Wright, who stands the same 6'9" but tips the scales at 245 pounds. This is a massive human being. He sits around 90 with his fastball and grabs a couple ticks higher, though the pitch plays a bit above its velocity with ride and run from a wide, three quarters arm slot. Wright drops in a nice slider that looks average at its best, diving the opposite direction of his fastball. For now, the big righty doesn't always get everything in sync and his long arm swing and lumbering delivery make his command fringy. However, the White Sox see size and three sport athleticism that they can work with, hopefully streamlining his delivery and drawing several more ticks of velocity out of that big right arm. If he can live closer to 94-95, the ride on his fastball could make him a useful reliever. If not, the senior sign (23 on draft day) didn't cost the White Sox too much, just $7,500 as a money-saving tenth round pick.

13-376: C Rylan Galvan, Texas
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #176. Baseball America: #237.
Rylan Galvan is a big name get for the White Sox in the thirteenth round, at least relative to most other thirteenth rounders. He teamed with current Astros prospect Garret Guillemette behind the plate as a freshman at Texas in 2023, then took over the starting role in 2024 while taking a big step forward with the bat. 2025 was his best year yet at the plate, and he'll leave Austin with 27 home runs and on-base percentage above .400 over 143 games in burnt orange, not too shabby for a catcher. Strong and sturdy at 6', 215 pounds, Galvan shows plus raw power at peak but typically shows above average exit velocities in games from a big right handed swing. Extremely patient, he ran an impressive 19.7% walk rate in 2025 while chasing at a plus (low) clip. However, his pure bat to ball is below average and he worries teams by missing too many of the hittable pitches he forces pitchers to give him with his patient approach. In order to tap his power in games, he is going to have to find a way to punish more mistakes because he will see fewer and fewer of them no matter how tightly he controls his own zone. Behind the plate, the Corpus Christi-area product has taken strides as well and now projects to stick back there with the glovework, accurate arm, and leadership typically desired among big league backstops. He profiles as a power hitting backup catcher.

15-436: RHP Caedmon Parker, Texas Christian
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #441.
Caedmon Parker has been on the Texas scouting radar for a while. He was a long, lanky high schooler back at The Woodlands Christian outside of Houston earning interest in the top few rounds, but made it to campus at TCU where he earned seven starts in the second half of his true freshman season. After missing the 2023 season with injury, he was solid as a swingman in 2024 but was more hittable as a full time starter in 2025. For Parker, the results have never quite matched the stuff. He sits in the low 90's, regularly reaching back for mid 90's and touching 96 at peak albeit relatively straight. He drops in a nice downer curveball that can look plenty sharp when he rips it right, often grading out as average. His slider in the mid 80's has short sweep but can dive late when he gets it right, and he also adds a changeup for a full four pitch mix. The 6'4" righty has a buttery smooth delivery that screams projection, though after four years in Fort Worth, he has only tacked on a couple of pounds. At this point, having turned 22 in June, you probably expect less projection out of Parker than maybe you did in 2021, but it's there if the White Sox can bulk him up and draw it out of him. Because of this, the velocity remains relatively stagnant from where it was four years ago, if more regularly at the upper end of his velocity range rather than the upper 80's where he used to find himself deeper into starts. Parker has walked exactly twenty batters in each of his three healthy seasons at TCU, but in taking on a larger workload each year has dropped his walk rate from 16.8% (poor) to 13.0% (below average) to 8.8% (average). I still love his loose, athletic delivery, so if the White Sox can help him tack on a little extra weight and bring one of his offspeed pitches a half grade forward, he still has a chance to work his way up as a back-end starting pitcher.

20-586: LHP Andrew Sentlinger, Virginia Tech
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Chicago closed out their draft with a risk/reward play, which I always love this late in the draft because the "risk" is your twentieth round pick not working out. So you might as well push the chips in. Andrew Sentlinger was a highly touted recruit coming to Virginia Tech, but making 22 appearances as a freshman in 2023 with a respectable 4.10 ERA and a 27.2% strikeout rate, has barely pitched over the past two seasons as he has struggled with injuries. The stuff is undeniable. He sits in the low 90's and touches 94 at peak, showing high spin rates and big riding life on his fastball to help it play above its velocity. He adds a sharp slider as well, helping him run a respectable 27.3% strikeout rate in 2025 even as he struggled to stay on the mound. Given his lack of extended health, he hasn't had much chance to develop beyond that and remains raw. The 6'2" lefty has a relatively uptempo delivery leading into a high release point, but with the lack of health he has struggled to repeat it. In 52.2 innings, he owns an ugly 17.9% in which his freshman season (15.2%) actually represents a career-best. If the White Sox can find a way to keep him on the mound, though, there is serious potential here. Sentlinger would almost certainly be a reliever, where his fastball/slider combination should tick up and any extended period of health should help his command creep back into the playable range. As a lefty who could chuck high-ride mid 90's in the future, that's a tough at bat.

2025 MLB Draft Review: Athletics

Full list of draftees

I think the A's came away with a really nice draft class here, especially towards the top. Starting with getting arguably the top pitcher in the draft for slot value at pick #11, moving on to some big bats with their next couple of picks, and through a half million dollar starting pitcher that could be pitching in Sacramento next year, I think this is a really strong class especially given the lack of a third round pick after signing Luis Severino. Overall, the A's did not play bonus pool games, never going more than $100K below slot on any pick and really only having second rounder Devin Taylor ($470K above slot) and twelfth rounder Alex Barr ($200K against pool) in the other direction. Out of coincidence, the A's happened to draft the #287, #387, and #487 players on the Baseball America 500.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-11: LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State
Slot value: $5.99 million. Signing bonus: $5.99 million.
My rank: #6. MLB Pipeline: #4. Baseball America: #6.
Despite not picking inside the top ten, the A's still picked up one of the top pitching prospects in the class for slot value. In fact, there were times this spring where Jamie Arnold looked like the favorite to go first overall and virtually every draft board still had him safely inside the top ten prospects once the draft rolled around. After an uneven freshman season in 2023, Arnold put himself on the map with an All-American sophomore season in 2024 to vault himself to the top of the class alongside UCSB's Tyler Bremner (now an Angel). He came out of the gate hot, allowing just three baserunners in eleven innings over his first two starts and ultimately allowing more than two runs in just one of his first eleven starts. By season's end, Arnold was part of a quartet of starting pitchers alongside LSU's Kade Anderson (#3, Mariners), Tennessee's Liam Doyle (#5, Cardinals), and Oklahoma's Kyson Witherspoon (#15, Red Sox) considered to be at the top of the class. Many a low slot lefty has been compared to Chris Sale, and Arnold certainly found himself in that category as well. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and grabs 97 at peak, not overwhelming velocity for the top of the draft, but it plays up with flat plane and running action from his low slot. He rips off a plus slider that dives across the plate with a foot of sweep. When he has his best stuff, which is honestly most of the time, hitters look absolutely helpless and he can rack up a dozen or more strikeouts on any given night. Arnold is slowly finding his changeup and has gotten better about killing spin and lift while keeping the ball down, giving him the potential for an average or above average cambio down the line. For now, he doesn't command it as well and can bounce it at times, so it plays more like a fringe average pitch. The Tampa native creates a really tough look for hitters coming from a sidearm slot and a release height just four and a half feet off the ground, two full feet lower than some extreme over the top pitchers. Most pitchers with that profile – sidearm lefties up to 97 with a wipeout slider – understandably can get scattered with their command. That is not the case with Arnold, who has never walked more than 27 batters in a season and walked just 5.8% in 2024 before bumping up just slightly to 7.7% in 2025. That pair between bat-missing and strike-throwing ability is hard to find, especially from the left side, and the A's have themselves a potential top of the rotation horse. If there is one drawback in the profile, it could be some slight reliever risk. The 6'1" lefty isn't quite as imposing as some other aces, and right now without a third reliable pitch, he'll really need to hold his command in order to get through the lineup a third time against big league hitters. If the changeup comes along and he maintains his durability (he did throw 190.1 innings, with a sub-3.00 ERA, over his last two seasons in Tallahassee), this is a high-probability impact starting pitcher. If he is forced to the bullpen, the idea of a high octane sidearm lefty with command could be terrifying in short stints.

2-48: OF Devin Taylor, Indiana
Slot value: $2.03 million. Signing bonus: $2.5 million ($468,500 above slot value).
My rank: #38. MLB Pipeline: #30. Baseball America: #34.
Even with a half million over slot bonus closer to the slot value of the #39 pick, this is another great value for the A's. Devin Taylor has been a star since the day he stepped foot on Indiana's campus, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors back in 2023 and improving his performance each season. He starred in the elite Cape Cod League before his junior year, slashing .296/.397/.510 with five home runs in 29 games to establish himself as arguably a top ten prospect in the 2025 draft, right there with Jamie Arnold. I think most outlets had him a bit over-ranked prior to the season and despite putting up his best year yet in 2025, his stock corrected a bit and he found himself here with a signing bonus just outside the first round range. In the end, he finished three years in Bloomington with 54 home runs and a .350/.459/.672 slash line across 169 games. Taylor brings a really nice offensive profile as a power-over-hit type with a long track record of performance. Built like a rock at 6'1", 215 pounds, he channels his impressive strength into a compact left handed swing and excellent feel for the barrel to create a ton of impact. Taylor controls the strike zone pretty well, rarely expanding and bumping up his walk rate from 13.0% in 2024, already a strong number, to 19.3% in 2025. His pure bat to ball is a bit behind, and while he slashed his strikeout rate from 13.3% to 11.2%, concerns still remain especially against quality breaking stuff. He struck out a quarter of the time on the Cape last summer and his best performance in 2025 came against smaller schools, while he hit just .205/.326/.436 against teams that went to the NCAA Tournament. I've long been a bit worried about how his bat would play against pro pitching, though his strong Cape summer does assuage that a bit. The Cincinnati native profiles for 20-25 home runs per season with lower batting averages and healthy walk rates to boost his on-base percentages at the big league level. With Taylor, the bat is the primary selling point because he is a below average defender. He's a fringy runner with below average instincts in the outfield, limiting him to left field in the long run most likely. If he slows down more, he could be come a DH, but the A's likely believe that he can avoid that fate for the first half of his career. Either way, the bat is loud enough that it may not matter.

4-110: OF Gavin Turley, Oregon State
Slot value: $694,600. Signing bonus: $600,000 ($94,600 below slot value).
My rank: #82. MLB Pipeline: #78. Baseball America: #66.
Another pick, another great value. While the A's did not have a third round pick this year due to the signing of Luis Severino, they got a third round talent in Gavin Turley and still stayed under slot value. Turley was a famous high school bat that could have gone in the top couple of rounds in 2022, but he made it to campus at Oregon State and proceeded to embark on an excellent three year career in which he hit .314/.442/.630 with 53 home runs in 170 games. Ironically, those are remarkably similar numbers to Devin Taylor when adjusting for the slightly tougher competition that Turley saw in the Pac-12 and as an independent in 2025. Also like Taylor, 2025 was Turley's best season yet. While Turley has just as much if not more upside than Taylor, he's also a bit more boom or bust. Taylor's power comes from brute strength channeled effectively into a compact left handed swing, while Turley is twenty pounds lighter and generates his with a whippy, explosive right handed swing owing to better athleticism. The end result is better top-end exit velocities, but equal home run output as Taylor squares it up a bit more consistently. Turley is also more of a free swinger whose strikeout rates have remained steadily higher than you'd like and whose contact rates are a bit concerning. He generates so much impact when he connects and torched opponents' pitching to such a degree in 2025 that pitchers often stayed out of the zone, allowing him to run higher walk rates despite the fringy bat to ball and average chase rates. Turley is certainly not the same caliber of prospect, but you could call him somewhat of a discount Dylan Crews with a similar profile if scaled back in a few places (most notably the hit tool). Regardless, Turley is an explosive athlete with a ferocious right handed swing that connected more often than ever in 2025 even if his contact rates remained static and he was caught guessing relatively frequently. He's a better defender than Taylor with above average speed and plus arm strength, giving him a shot to stick in center field if he can improve his instincts off the bat and making him a potential plus right fielder if he slides over. There is a ton of upside here as a potential 25+ home run hitter with middling on-base percentages, though his streaky bat could stand in the way. Turley closely resembles another recent A's draft pick in Colby Thomas.

5-141: RHP Zane Taylor, UNC Wilmington
Slot value: $513,900. Signing bonus: $513,900.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #174. Baseball America: #148.
Zane Taylor was on my radar as the draft approached, but ended up on the short list of guys I wanted to get to but ultimately didn't have the time for. He spent three years as a reliable innings eater at UNC Wilmington, but stepped forward in 2025 to put up one of the best statistical seasons in the entire country: 11-2, 1.98 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 105/11 K/BB in 95.2 innings. The 0.76 WHIP in particular was the best mark in the country by a large margin over second place JB Middleton of Southern Miss (now the Rockies) at 0.85. He sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and now reaches 98 at peak, though the pitch stands out more for its velocity than its life. He can cut in the upper 80's, more of a barrel misser than a bat misser, or he can turn it over into a truer curveball to steal strikes. A solid changeup gives him another tool that will work in his favor navigating big league lineups and does not need much development from here. A bit undersized for a "high floor" starting pitcher, he repeats his uptempo delivery very well for plus command that gave him a minuscule 3.0% walk rate in 2025, command that holds for both his fastball and his offspeed stuff. Taylor was already very old for his graduating class from the start, receiving his high school diploma right around his 19th birthday, so he was already 23 more than a month before the draft rolled around. That didn't stop the A's, who as with many other teams saw a nearly big league ready arm who would race through the minors. Indeed, the North Carolina native shot straight to AAA Las Vegas and threw well in his lone start, and he could join the rotation in Sacramento at some point next season. Taylor profiles best as a high probability #4 or #5 starter or long reliever. If he can add some life to his fastball or take a step forward with one of his offspeed pitches, he could reach his ceiling as a #3.

6-170: LHP Grant Richardson, Grand Canyon
Slot value: $390,100. Signing bonus: $400,000 ($9,900 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #287.
Not to be confused with current Marlins prospect and former Indiana star Grant Richardson, this Grant Richardson gives the A's a huge arm and potential excellent value coming off injury. He flashed big stuff as a freshman in 2023 then stepped forward in a larger role for Grand Canyon in 2024, but missed the whole 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery. He committed to cross half the country to Ole Miss in 2026, but instead accepted the A's' sixth round offer. He's a two pitch lefty that sits in the low to mid 90's and touches 97, then drops in a sharp, tight slider that misses plenty of bats. The goal in 2025 was going to be bringing along a changeup that functions as a tertiary pitch for now, but he'll have to do that in the A's' system once healthy. The 6'3" lefty is very physical and channels his strength into his power stuff. Working off a deep arm plunge that works into a longer arm action, he extends down the mound well with his lower half but is still learning to repeat his delivery consistently. He's shown fringy command in Phoenix that, like his changeup, he was hoping to fine tune a bit in 2025, and it remains to be seen whether he ever streamlines things enough to get to average. Richardson carries reliever risk due to that command and his lack of a reliable third pitch, but the A's believe the pause in his development only means he's ready to take a big step forward once healthy and develop into a mid-rotation horse. In the bullpen, his fastball should tick more consistently into the mid 90's and his deceptive delivery should give lefties fits.

10-290: RHP Samuel Dutton, Auburn
Slot value: $194,100. Signing bonus: $150,000 ($44,100 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #387.
Samuel Dutton has been around a while, but it wasn't until 2025 that he really got a chance to shine. Spending three seasons at LSU, he worked in a variety of different roles but ran an ERA over 6 and never quite settled in. A native of East Alabama, he transferred back closer to home and spent his senior year at Auburn, where he spent the entire season in the rotation and more than doubled his career high in innings. Now, he's sitting in the low 90's and touching 95 with his average fastball, adding a full arsenal of secondary pitches including a get-me-over curveball, a tighter slider, and a solid changeup. Nothing stands out as plus or even as above average, but he has long been a great strike thrower and finished his four year career with a 5.9% walk rate. The 5'11" righty isn't tall but is sturdily built, repeating his delivery well and showing the durability to last a full pro season in the rotation. While he lacks the explosiveness, athleticism, and bat-missing stuff to become an ace, Dutton's command and four pitch mix gives him a chance to be a #5 starter or long reliever at the big league level. Having spent four seasons and appeared in 73 games (31 starts) in the SEC, he has the big game experience as well.

17-500: SS Jared Davis, Virginia Tech
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $100,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Jared Davis has been around, and now he'll cross the country again. An Orlando native, he started off across the country at Arizona Western JC in Yuma before returning home to play his sophomore season at Florida Southwestern JC, hitting over .320 with an OBP above .410 at both stops. Evidently only playing at schools in the southwestern corner of their respective states, he answered the call when Virginia Tech gave him a Division I opportunity and served as the team's starting second baseman, where he hit more home runs (9) than he had at two years in junior college combined (8). Undersized at 5'9", he packs a lot of punch for his size and has become more adept at pulling the ball in the air, helping him make the most of his modest raw power. The ball jumps off his bat well for a smaller guy and there is reason to believe he could continue to flirt with double digit home runs in the pros. For a hitter jumping from JuCo ball to the ACC, he manages the zone reasonably well and makes solid contact, giving him a chance to be a fringe-average hitter with below average power. Important to note, though, that his performance suffered in conference play where he hit just .220/.313/.450, showing power but seeing his strikeout rate double from 10% to 20%. His arm limits him to the right side of the infield, but he moves well at second base with strong range and some speed. If he can show enough to play short or third in a pinch, he could work his way up as a utility infielder, but a more likely role as a 2B/LF will put a little more pressure on the bat if he wants to become a bench option for the A's.

20-590: RHP Kade Brown, Sacramento State
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $125,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #487.
At least for now, Kade Brown gives the A's a hometown product if he can get to the big leagues quick enough. A native of Elk Grove in the southern Sacramento suburbs, he attended the same powerhouse Elk Grove High School that has produced numerous big leaguers including Buck Martinez, J.D. Davis, Rowdy Tellez, Nick Madrigal, Dylan Carlson, and David Hernandez, plus agent Scott Boras. Brown stayed home for college, heading just ten miles up Power Inn Road to play for Sacramento State. There, he blossomed into the Hornets' closer, saving 22 games with a 3.31 ERA and a 103/38 strikeout to walk ratio over two seasons. Brown does not have overpowering stuff, which is contrary to most pure college relief prospects, nor is he a pinpoint command guy, but he gets the job done. The fastball sits around 90 and peaks at about 93, playing up a bit with some life to sneak by bats. The ball dances well out of his hand with a nice, sharp slider that dives under barrels late, while his splitter has equally effective, late drop in the opposite direction. Between those three pitches, he's able to consistently keep hitters off balance as they have a hard time picking up the baseball out of his hand. That stuff played up in the Cape Cod League last summer, when he was a tad hittable but posted a sharp 19/3 strikeout to walk ratio in 15.1 innings. His command is probably fringy, which is tough sledding when you're a reliever throwing 90, so he has to rely on his secondary stuff dancing to remain effective. If the A's can help the 6'6" righty find an extra few ticks of velocity, he can crack it as a junkballing reliever. And if he can get up quickly, he could pitch in his hometown at Sutter Health Park before the team moves to Las Vegas.

2025 MLB Draft Review: Texas Rangers

Full list of draftees

The Rangers went all in on the buy-low model, one the Pirates have executed pretty well in recent drafts. Many of their top picks are coming off uneven springs for a variety of reasons, including injury and performance. Together, it's a high upside class where it feels like any player could be lightning in a bottle. They were another team focusing on size, with all twenty picks coming in at six feet or taller and 17/20 clocking in at 6'2" or taller. Interestingly, Texas went all out in the back half of the draft with several difficult signs, ultimately watching three picks (rounds 13, 14, and 16) walk away unsigned while five other late draft picks signed for above the allotted $150,000.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-12: SS Gavin Fien, Great Oak HS [CA]
Slot value: $5.75 million. Signing bonus: $4.8 million ($946,800 below slot value).
My rank: #17. MLB Pipeline: #22. Baseball America: #31.
Gavin Fien was going to continue the California to Texas migration wave either way, holding a commitment to the University of Texas in hand before he signed nearly a million dollars below slot value (just over the value of the #17 pick) with the Rangers a few hours north. He's a really interesting prospect that represented one of the more polarizing profiles in this year's draft. Fien put himself on the map with a massive showing on the summer showcase circuit in 2024 in which he hit absolutely everywhere he went, showing zero concern for the elite pitching he saw around the country. He graded out well on the eye test and even better metrically, grabbing a big fat A+ grade for teams that weigh performance heavily in their models for prep bats. However, when he took a step down in competition to face Southern California high school pitching back home in the spring of 2025, the results weren't quite the same as he seemed to play down to the competition. With pitchers scared to throw to him, his approach unraveled a bit as he chased a bit more often than scouts wanted to see or, on the flip side, could look surprised when he actually saw a strike every once in a while. That left evaluators in a bit of a tough spot, though optimists such as the Rangers understand that the pitching he'll see in the pros will much more closely resemble his showcase competition rather than high schoolers who wanted to nibble against arguably the best hitter in the state. Fien is a big, physical kid at a listed 6'3", 200 pounds, and he'll only get bigger. He works with a high handset and drops his hands into a tight right handed swing geared for hard line drives around the field, registering impressive exit velocities that could point to above average, even plus power in time. As stated, he tore through elite showcase pitching last summer and handled premium velocity with ease. While there are some minor questions about offspeed, most prep bats share the same questions. Fien has a chance to develop into an all-around force in the lineup that could hit 20-30 home runs per season with high on-base percentages at peak. He has shown well at third base, with an above average arm combined with relatively smooth glovework and average range to make it work at the hot corner. Given the prodigious bat, the fact that he should stick at third is a bonus.

2-52: RHP AJ Russell, Tennessee
Slot value: $1.85 million. Signing bonus: $2.6 million ($753,300 above slot value).
My rank: #42. MLB Pipeline: #70. Baseball America: #37.
AJ Russell gives the Rangers another arm with a really interesting profile, and he came at a pretty penny with a large over slot bonus that was between the values of the #37 and #38 picks. Russell pitched out of the Tennessee bullpen as a freshman in 2023 and was flatly untouchable, striking out nearly 45% of his opponents with a 0.89 ERA. Transitioning to the rotation in 2024, he blew out his arm after 14.1 innings and surgery was expected to keep him out for much of 2025 as well. He surprised evaluators by returning on February 25th, but didn't appear again for over a month and never completed four innings in the 2025 season as Tennessee handled him cautiously. While the durability is unproven, the arm talent is undeniable. Russell has an elite fastball, sitting in the mid 90's and touching 98 at peak with an outlier combination of riding action and a low release point. The unique fastball shape helps it eat all over the zone, exploding by hitters with a combination of velocity and deceptive shape that will absolutely play at the next level. Beyond that, he is still gaining consistency with his slider but his best can look plus with sweep across the plate, though at this point it probably grades closer to above average overall. His changeup has looked nasty at times, but it's even less consistent than the slider and he struggles to command it, limiting its effectiveness in games. Listed at 6'6", 225 pounds, the Nashville-area product is both presently physical and still projectable with a lanky frame. With an extended run of health and a little more added weight, he could be flirting with triple digits in short order. Combine that with his unicorn fastball, coming from a low three quarters slot and improving secondary stuff, and you have an extremely high upside arm. Russell shows average command that could improve to above average with more consistent health as well. Durability is of course key to his remaining in the rotation, as is continuing to find more consistency with his secondary stuff. In the bullpen, the fastball/slider combination could be untouchable. His youth is another bonus, having just turned 21 shortly before the draft. While there are many question marks in this profile, you can't teach Russell's fastball and that outlier trait earned him a top 40 bonus from the Rangers.

3-84: TWP Josh Owens, Providence HS [TN]
Slot value: $950,100. Signing bonus: $1.1 million ($149,900 above slot value).
My rank: #51. MLB Pipeline: #89. Baseball America: #77.
In 2020, the Rangers surprised the baseball world by drafting a little-known prep outfielder from remote Elizabethton, Tennessee in the second round. With Evan Carter starting to find his footing in the big leagues, the Rangers went back to the same part of Northeast Tennessee just fifteen miles down the road to grab Josh Owens out of Jonesborough, where he too was little known until late in his senior year as he exploded up draft boards. Listed at 6'3", 185 pounds, Owens has projection and tools to dream on and he started to realize his gains in 2025. He has always hit, helping scouts comfortably project him for solid on-base ability in pro baseball with solid bat to ball and approach. While he has been hit over power thus far in his young career, added strength to his tall frame and a smooth, explosive left handed swing has helped the power projections tick up and he could get to average in that regard in short order. There is a really good chance for a well-rounded hitter here, which only projects better when you consider his plus-plus speed that can change games on the bases. The speed has helped him at shortstop where his overall actions are closer to average, though it could make him a plus center fielder if the Rangers choose to let him loose out there. Owens is up to 94 on the mound as well and while that plus arm will most likely serve him on the left side of the infield or in the outfield, the Rangers want to see him pitch as well. He's a sidearmer with a low effort, natural delivery in which he just slings it to the plate. Should he stick on the mound, he'll be able to add velocity naturally without selling out and should work towards average command as well. Still, Owens is much more well known as a hitter and likely winds up in the batters box long term.

4-115: RHP Mason McConnaughey, Nebraska
Slot value: $661,100. Signing bonus: $495,825 ($165,275 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #386.
With a bit of a surprise pick, the Rangers went slightly under slot to grab Mason McConnaughey in what they see as a buy-low signing. McConnaughey began his career at Cloud County JC in Kansas, where he impressed local evaluators and transferred to Nebraska after one season. He was excellent as a sophomore in 2024 and impressed evaluators, this time of the draft variety, at fall practice with a shot to push himself into the top couple of rounds. Unfortunately, he fell victim to Tommy John surgery after just three starts, but the Rangers saw enough last fall to still pop him for nearly half a million dollars. The fastball sits low 90's and touches 95 with running action from a relatively low slot, while his above average slider darts under bats late and has a chance to be a game changer at the next level. McConnaughey shows a solid changeup, rounding a strong three pitch mix. Additionally, the 6'3" righty is plenty physical and pounds the strike zone with at least average command, giving him every chance to stick in the rotation as a back-end starting pitcher. Tommy John surgery is routine at this point and shouldn't cloud his future too much, so while he lacks the upside of a guy like AJ Russell, he seems like a safe bet major league starter that only fell due to injury.

5-146: LHP Ben Abeldt, Texas Christian
Slot value: $489,200. Signing bonus: $450,000 ($39,200 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #205. Baseball America: #291.
Continuing a theme, the Rangers took another injured low slot arm, this time from their own backyard. Ben Abeldt grew up in the far northern Dallas suburb of McKinney, where I used to coach Little League, where he attended McKinney Boyd High School before traveling fifty miles across the Metroplex to TCU. After a strong freshman season in the Horned Frogs bullpen, he became one of the best relievers in college baseball in 2024 with a 1.83 ERA and a sharp 54/16 strikeout to walk ratio over 44.1 innings as a sophomore. Expected to start in 2025, he blew out his elbow alongside Mason McConnaughey (and during AJ Russell's rehab) and missed the entire season with Tommy John surgery, bringing us to today. When healthy, Abeldt is one of the tougher at bats out there, especially against lefties. Setting up on the far first base side of the rubber, he reaches way towards the first base bag for an extreme crossfire, sidearm delivery that puts one of the widest angles on the baseball that you'll find. His fastball sits low 90's and can tickle the mid to upper 90's at peak, while his slider lacks power in the low 80's but sweeps way across the plate. It's an especially tough pitch for lefties, starting behind their backs and diving all the way towards the right handed batters box. He has also begun to show a solid changeup, but he hasn't had much chance to use it yet. The Rangers may hope to run the 6'3" lefty out there as a starter, which could work given his average command and big frame, though some will see the funky delivery as being difficult to repeat more than a few innings at a time. Either way, Abeldt brings a unique, DFW-proud arm to Arlington.

6-175: 3B Jack Wheeler, Morris HS [IL]
Slot value: $374,100. Signing bonus: $525,000 ($150,900 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
The Rangers picked up a third prep bat here in the sixth round, going a bit above slot value to sign Jack Wheeler away from an Illinois commitment, where he would have been one of the Illini's better recruits in recent years. There is not much information out there on Wheeler, but he comes with plenty of upside. Listed at 6'5", he has a long, lean frame with plenty of room to add strength. He has a tight right handed swing that does well getting to balls all over the zone, though he has room to improve getting his A swing off consistently. While he needs to gain weight and get stronger, there is power upside given the frame and he performed extremely well against northern Illinois high school competition in 2025. Wheeler isn't quite quick enough for shortstop and likes to set his feet before he throws, but his plus arm that has been up to 92 on the mound gives him a shot to play third base in the pros. If he can maintain his fringy range, the arm should be enough to make him adequate at the hot corner. Wheeler is a bit old for the class and turned 19 just before the draft in July. He'll move a bit slower but could sneak up as a potential impact bat down the line.

7-205: OF Paxton Kling, Penn State
Slot value: $292,400. Signing bonus: $375,000 ($82,600 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #162. Baseball America: #264.
Paxton Kling is the rare high-upside, over slot 22 year old draft pick. He would have ranked inside the top one hundred prospects on my 2022 list out of high school in central Pennsylvania, but pulled his name out of the draft to attend LSU alongside a loaded recruiting class. While he showed well in a part time role as a freshman, his bat never fully materialized and he struggled at the plate as a sophomore in 2024. Transferring back home to Penn State, just an hour away from his hometown near Altoona, he put it all together with a massive junior season. Kling has a tight right handed swing with great leverage in his 6'2" frame, producing plus exit velocities at peak and helping him more than double his career home run output from five over his first two seasons at LSU to thirteen in 2025 at Penn State. He also cut his strikeout rate significantly from 24.9% as a sophomore to 16.7% as a junior, showing better hand-eye coordination and feel for the barrel. Kling has always been a relatively disciplined hitter and holds a career .436 on-base percentage, even finishing above .400 in his tough sophomore season. Contact remains the primary concern with the profile, as the Big Ten is a step down in competition from the SEC and it's still unknown how he will handle professional offspeed stuff. His power has consistently played down against more premium arms, and tapping that power will be key to remaining in the lineup. The supplemental tools remain a draw, with plus speed that helps him on the bases and in center field, where he figures to stick with a strong arm. The overall projection here is that of a platoon outfielder that can play all three positions and provide significant value for periods of time when he gets hot. Kling was very old for his graduating class and turned 22 well before the draft, making him more than a year older than fellow junior and Rangers second rounder AJ Russell.

9-265: LHP Owen Proksch, Duke
Slot value: $205,100. Signing bonus: $200,000 ($5,100 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #401.
Owen Proksch gives the Rangers a second DFW product in this class. A native of Southlake, he attended powerhouse Southlake Carroll High School that has produced numerous recent major league pitchers including Ross Stripling, Tyler Alexander, John Curtiss, and Michael Mariot. He headed across the country for school and while his first two seasons saw him make 54 appearances for Duke, the numbers didn't tell the story of a future pro pitcher with a 5.28 ERA and a modest 59/36 strikeout to walk ratio in 59.2 innings. Moving to the rotation in 2025, his performance took a step forward as well as he set career bests in ERA (4.68), strikeout rate (31.4%), and walk rate (9.7%), though he also finished second in the ACC by hitting 18 batters (behind only Miami's AJ Ciscar at 20). Proksch works with a fastball around 90 that reaches 94 at peak, but plays up more because of its run and sink rather than its velocity. He adds a sharp two-plane slider that could stand to add a little power, but has the potential to become an above average pitch. A longtime reliever, he doesn't really use his changeup much and will need to bring it along considerably. The 6'3" lefty is ultra physical and clearly has the build to start, while his command has taken a step forward and is now approaching average. He works from a low three quarters slot and hides the ball well with some stabbing action in the back to create some deception, then aggressively attacks hitters in the zone. If the Rangers can bring his changeup along, he could slot in as a back-end starter, but his experience as a fastball/slider lefty reliever from a funky slot could help him move quickly towards the bullpen at Globe Life Field, just fourteen miles south of his hometown.