With the 2024 MLB draft now just barely in our rearview, it's time to start looking ahead to the 2025 and 2026 MLB draft classes. Major national events for players in these classes and collegiate summer league have been going on since before picks were made in the 2024 draft, so this process is well under way and will continue throughout the summer.
The early take from scouts is that the 2025 class looks down right now, but that's also what was widely believed about the 2024 class at this point and it ended up being a solid class. While it's still very early, the 2026 class looks like a good one. I just scouted players in the USA trials for both the 18U team (2025 and some 2026 prep prospects) and a few weeks ago saw the collegiate trials while also getting reports from some scouts who have been evaluating top college prospects in the Cape Cod League.
In both lists below, players are sorted into tiers by my Future Value ratings. You can read more about how those work in my MLB Top 100.
Here's where things stand right now.
2025 MLB draft rankings
50 FV tier
1. Jace LaViolette (21.6), CF, Texas A&M
45+ FV tier
2. Ethan Holliday (18.3), 3B, Stillwater (Oklahoma) HS, Oklahoma State commit
3. Cam Cannarella (21.8), CF, Clemson
These three are generally seen as the best players in this class. LaViolette is similar to former teammate Braden Montgomery (final 2024 draft rankings, for reference), who was just taken by the Red Sox with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 draft. They're probably both solid corner outfielders in pro ball with a similar power-and-patience profile and some swing-and-miss concerns. I slightly prefer LaViolette, who gives me real Lance Berkman vibes, but they're in the same area right now.
Cannarella is a different sort of prospect as a 6-foot, lefty-hitting plus runner with plus contact skills and a solid glove in center field. He is more of a 10-15 homer-type threat but there could be more in the tank, particularly if he can reduce his chase rate to find better pitches to drive.
Yes, that's Matt Holliday's son and Jackson Holliday's little brother, Ethan. Scouts saw him a lot, batting right behind his brother during his freshman year at Stillwater High School when Jackson was a senior, eventually going No. 1 overall in the 2022 MLB draft before torching the minor leagues. I likened Ethan to a lefty-hitting Nick Castellanos at the time, as a corner fit who might be able to play third base with a power-over-hit-type profile.
Lastly, Jackson's younger brother 3B Ethan Holliday was really impressive in general before you realize he is a 15-year-old freshman. Here's a homer and some BP cuts: pic.twitter.com/WWrnYwRnUT
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) April 27, 2022
I just watched Ethan to update that report. He can play a solid third base but isn't a shortstop, and his hit tool has continued to progress, so I think he's still the top prep player in the class. Rather than comparing him to his brother, I think he's more like a third-base version of Bryce Rainer from the 2023 class. Holliday has a pretty lefty swing with power, and I'm pretty sure (but not positive) he'll hit, while fitting in the infield. I'd have Holliday just behind Rainer because Rainer is a shortstop and Holliday is a third baseman -- but Holliday has a year to improve on that grade and is younger relative to his draft class than Rainer, which teams really value.
Prep prospects who can't play up the middle have to leave zero doubt about their hit/power combo, so that's the bar Holliday has to clear. Walker Jenkins was able to pull this off in the 2023 class and was in a similar spot at this stage, so it can be done.
45 FV tier
4. Devin Taylor (21.5), LF, Indiana
5. Tyler Bremner (21.2), RHP, UC Santa Barbara
6. Jamie Arnold (21.2), LHP, Florida State
7. Eli Willits (17.6), SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton (Oklahoma) HS, Oklahoma commit
8. Xavier Neyens (18.7), 3B, Mount Vernon (Washington) HS, Oregon State commit
9. Seth Hernandez (19.0), RHP, Corona (California) HS, Vanderbilt commit
Most of the complaints from scouts about the quality of this class so far are that the first group is missing a few players relative to past years, but this group is also much shallower than normal. Taylor might possess the best current hit/power combo in the draft, but he's likely a left fielder and has more 20-25-homer power, so he profiles like 2024 No. 13 pick James Tibbs III, if Taylor can have a comparable spring.
Bremner wowed me at the USA trials weeks ago with one of the better amateur changeups I've ever seen, in addition to hitting 98 mph and showing an above-average breaking ball. He could shoot into the top tier with a strong start to the season next spring.
Arnold finished the year on a down note for Florida State but sits in the mid-90s from the left side with a flat approach angle to the plate and a nasty slider. If he can add a cutter next spring, he might be able to move into the Hagen Smith prospect tier.
Neyens started the USA trials with a majestic homer at 108 mph with a wood bat but is another corner-only prep prospect who has to keep mashing to go in the top 10. Willits is a switch-hitting prospect who is incredibly polished in all phases. He's a J.J. Wetherholt type who is also the youngest player in the class, though his raw tools won't wow you.
Hernandez has been up to 98 mph and has a plus breaking ball, but he comes with the usual prep power righty hesitations. He's also a (lesser) pro prospect as a third baseman, which makes him quite similar to Jared Jones at the same stage, even if Hernandez has a lankier build.
40+ FV tier
10. Wehiwa Aloy (21.4), SS, Arkansas
11. Kade Anderson (21.0), LHP, LSU
12. Coy James (18.3), SS, Davie County (North Carolina) HS, Ole Miss commit
Aloy is a shortstop with plus raw power and some bat-to-ball ability, but he needs to clean up his chase rate next spring to stay in this area. Anderson missed his senior year in high school because of Tommy John surgery but bounced back for the Tigers as a freshman, regularly getting into the mid-90s and showing starter traits. James has lively bat speed, feel for the bat head and a chance to stick at shortstop.
40 FV tier
13. Ike Irish (21.6), C, Auburn
14. Luke Stevenson (21.0), C, North Carolina
15. Lucas Franco (18.1), SS, Cinco Ranch (Texas) HS, TCU commit
16. Caden Bodine (21.6), C, Coastal Carolina
17. Ty Peeples (18.8), RF, Franklin County (Georgia) HS, Georgia commit
18. Daniel Dickinson (21.5), 2B, LSU
19. Nick Dumesnil (21.3), CF, Cal Baptist
20. Jaden Fauske (18.7), RF, Nazareth Academy (Illinois) HS, Louisville commit
21. Trent Caraway (21.2), 3B, Oregon State
22. Brendan Summerhill (21.7), CF, Arizona
23. Max Belyeu (21.5), CF, Texas
24. Cameron Appenzeller (18.5), LHP, Glenwood (Illinois) HS, South Carolina commit
25. Henry Godbout (21.7), SS, Virginia
26. Kruz Schoolcraft (18.2), LHP, Sunset (Oregon) HS, Uncommitted
27. Aiva Arquette (21.7), 3B, Washington
28. Kolten Smith (21.5), RHP, Georgia
29. Gavin Kilen (21.2), SS, Tennessee
30. Dean Curley (21.1), SS, Tennessee
31. Kayson Cunningham (19.0), SS, Johnson (Texas) HS, Texas commit
32. Andrew Fischer (21.0), 3B, Tennessee
33. Tre Phelps III (21.0), 3B, Georgia
34. Zach Root (21.4), LHP, Arkansas
35. Josh Gibbs (18.6), SS, Forsyth Central (Georgia) HS, Georgia commit
36. Kane Kepley (21.3), CF, North Carolina
37. Cam Leiter (21.4), RHP, Florida State
38. Ethan Petry (21.0), RF, South Carolina
39. J.D. Thompson (21.8), LHP, Vanderbilt
40. Jacob Parker (18.8), RF, Purvis (Mississippi) HS, Mississippi State commit
41. Blake Cyr (21.6), SS, Florida
42. Brock Sell (18.7), CF, Tokay (California) HS, Stanford commit
43. Quentin Young (18.2), 3B, Oaks Christian (California) HS, LSU commit
44. Sean Gamble (18.9), SS, IMG Academy HS (FL), Vanderbilt commit
45. Brady Ebel (17.9), 3B, Corona HS (CA), LSU commit
46. Matt Scott (21.4), RHP, Stanford
47. Justin Lamkin (21.0), LHP, Texas A&M
48. Mason Pike (18.9), SS/RHP, Puyallup HS (WA), Oregon State commit
49. Nolan Schubart (21.1), LF, Oklahoma State
50. Alec Blair (18.7), RF, De La Salle (California) HS, Uncommitted
51. Henry Ford (21.0), 1B, Virginia
52. Chase Shores (21.0), RHP, LSU
53. Marek Houston (21.2), SS, Wake Forest
I intentionally put only two prep pitchers (and one two-way prospect in Mason Pike) on this part of the list, and only three total, because it's far too early to confidently pick out the best ones out of a deep, similar group, and there aren't any truly elite prospects in the Jackson Jobe or Dylan Lesko category at this point. There's about a dozen pitchers you could argue to throw on here, so I just leaned on collegiate prospects and prep hitters instead. The most impressive prep arms from the USA trials who aren't listed here were righties Aaron Watson, Jack Lafflam and Cooper Rummel. You are probably more used to football/baseball dual-sport prospects, but Blair is a 6-foot-6, four-star basketball recruit.
Two notable arms to mention that would be on here if not for injury: Texas prep RHP Marcos Paz and Tennessee RHP A.J. Russell. Both looked like first-rounders in spring 2024. Paz had Tommy John surgery earlier this month and might not throw a pitch before the 2025 draft, but he also wasn't seen by top scouts this spring or summer, so he's in a weird position to either take a lower-than-expected pro payday or head to LSU. Russell had an internal brace procedure earlier this month and will easily be on this list if he comes back looking how he looked early in 2024. RHP Riley Quick at Alabama (not on the list, but close) and 52nd-ranked Shores should return during the 2025 spring from elbow procedures and have big potential if they pick up where they left off.
2026 MLB Draft Rankings
50 FV tier
1. Grady Emerson (18.4), SS, Argyle (Texas) HS, TCU commit
2. Drew Burress (21.5), CF, Georgia Tech
45+ FV tier
3. Gavin Grahovac (21.5), SS, Texas A&M
4. Jacob Lombard (18.9), SS, Gulliver Prep (Florida) HS, Uncommitted
5. Liam Peterson (21.0), RHP, Florida
6. Daniel Cuvet (21.1), 3B, Miami
The 2026 class is seen as a good group thus far due mostly to these six players above along with the next 10 below. Emerson is tracking like a potential No. 1 overall pick, a left-hitting shortstop who is above average at almost everything, but Lombard (little brother of Yankees 2023 first rounder George) isn't far behind. Both were invited to play with the 2025 prep class at the USA trials and were still among the best players on the field.
I loved Burress in the 2023 draft class (ranked No. 40 overall) but still didn't see his outrageous freshman year coming: .381/.512/.821 with 25 homers, 58 walks and 37 strikeouts as a 19-year-old, 5-foot-9 center fielder playing in the ACC. The same goes from Grahovac and Cuvet (I wasn't sure about their hit tools as high schoolers), while Peterson was seen as one of the best incoming freshman arms in the country and lived up to that reputation.
45 FV tier
7. A.J. Gracia (21.7), RF, Duke
8. Brady Harris (18.5), CF, Trinity Christian (Florida) HS, Florida commit
9. Joey Volchko (21.0), RHP, Stanford
10. Caden Sorrell (21.3), CF, Texas A&M
11. Eric Becker (21.1), 3B, Virginia
12. Matt Ponatoski (18.3), SS/RHP, Moeller (Ohio) HS, Uncommitted
13. Rintaro Sasaki (21.2), 1B, Stanford
14. Kyle Johnson (21.0), LHP, Duke
15. Ryder Helfrick (21.4), C, Arkansas
16. Jason Decaro (20.2), RHP, North Carolina
Gracia has an incredible feel for patience, power and lifting the ball in games. Harris has a little less feel to hit and defensive value than Emerson and Lombard but isn't far behind as a prospect. Volchko sits in the upper 90s and just needs to find a tick more command. Sorrell and Becker were among the pleasant surprises at the plate among collegiate freshmen, while Johnson and Decaro were their mound counterparts.
Sasaki is set to debut on the field at Stanford this spring to much fanfare, but he was around the program in 2024 to make his transition easier and showed flashes this summer in the Draft League. He should have no problem elevating and celebrating in college, but opinions still vary on exactly how good of a pro prospect he is. I could easily go 50-plus deep on this list, but that's unnecessary this far in advance, so we'll stick to 25 names.
40+ FV tier
17. Justin Lebron (21.7), SS, Alabama
18. Kevin Roberts Jr. (17.9), CF, Jackson Prep (Mississippi) HS, Uncommitted
19. Gabe Gaeckle (21.8), RHP, Arkansas
20. Ethan Bass (18.8), CF, Glenbrook HS (Illinois), Illinois commit
40 FV tier
21. Chase Brunson (21.0), CF, TCU
22. Aidan Knaak (21.8), RHP, Clemson
23. Roch Cholowsky (21.2), SS, UCLA
24. Anthony Del Angel (18.8), CF, Cleveland HS (New Mexico), Oklahoma commit
25. P.J. Moutzouridis (21.7), SS, Cal