2025 Draft

[Yankees]

Pick #10: Dax Kilby, ss, New York Yankees - Kilby was picked 39th in the draft as a highly athletic prospect with a solid hit tool. He was well regarded, but even his biggest proponents thought the Yankees might have reached. He showed up in Tampa and blew everyone's thoughts about him out of the water. His athleticism was as good as advertised, and the bat was better. Not only did he have some of the best traditional stats of his draft class (.353/.457/.441, 13 bb's vs. 11 k's, 16 sb's in 18 games), but he also had some of the batted ball and hard hit data in his draft class, too. He'll stay at short for now, but there is probably a position change in his future. All that said, if he can add just a hint of lift to his swing path, there is an all-star player in there.

Pick #19: Ethan Conrad, of, Chicago Cubs - Conrad just flat out hits. He tore it up at Marist. Crushed back-to-back season in the Perfect Game Summer League. Absolutely smashed Cape league and was probably the best hitter in college baseball at Wake until he got hurt. He has elite bat-to-ball ability, improved his swing decisions at Wake, and is well above average in hard hit rate and launch for his age (still just 21). He is playable in center field, but will most likely settle in left or right. Had he finished the NCAA season without injury, there's almost no chance I'd have a shot at him at #19. While he tore it up at Fall instructs, there's an obvious difference between pro and collegiate pitching...but I'm so excited to see him in action.

Pick #21: Billy Carlson, ss, Chicago White Sox - Carlson was a two-way player late in the draft process until deciding on the bat. He has a dynamic arm and tremendous actions at short. He is easily projected to be able to stay here. A couple outstanding showcase hitting displays really moved the needle for Carlson to be a full-time bat, and the idea that his twitchy bat speed could make him a plus hitter with plus power with a new, full-time focus on hitting is really exciting. He'll have a decently long developmental path, but that glove and arm set a fun floor for a prep prospect.

Pick #26: Gavin Fien, 3b, Washington Nationals - In USA Baseball's U18, in a sea of future talent, Fien absolutely stood out. Negatively, he's not a SS and his bat path can be better optimized, but he's huge and he hits the absolute shit out of the baseball. Most believe he can play 3b moving forward, though the bat would play at 1b. He was coveted by the Red Sox in the draft, selected ahead of them by Texas, but targeted by Nats leadership (former Red Sox) in the Gore trade. While the stats weren't gangbusters in his run out in A ball, the batted ball was excellent and underscored the strengths almost every evaluator thinks he has. There's on the dirt, middle of the order potential here that's incredibly visible in a prep bat.

Pick #29: Francisco Renteria, of, Philadelphia Phillies - There are more consistently, highly rated international prospects in this class...no doubt. And shortstops are more valuable than COF's...I get it. But Renteria may have the sexiest scouting profile of anyone in this draft. Phenomenal family lineage? Yup. Dad collected 2,300 MLB hits with 5 all-star appearances. Size? Yea...we got you. 6'3" & at least 200 lbs. Athleticism? He's a plus runner who'll probably have to move off center...but he can certainly play it. Hit tool? Yup. Power? Double plus. Professional experience? Only 17, yet got pro reps in Venezuela and held his own. Ultimately he just turned 17 and international prospects can blow away with the wind, but his upside is a middle of the order bat who competes for MVP's and he has a dad who did the thing...he's so exciting.

Pick #31: Andrew Fischer, 3b, Milwaukee Brewers - Fischer was someone I debated at both 26 & 29, and the ranking in the BP Top 101 was huge in the decision to make the move for him. He's not a great fielder and he doesn't hit the ball extremely hard, but the dude just flat out rakes. He raked in the ACC, he raked in the SEC, he raked on the Cape, and raked when he was aggressively thrown into HA ball...and he's in the exact right organization who always seem to maximize these types of players. He'll probably return to Wisconsin to start the '26 campaign, but he could be on the precipice of MLB ball by the time it ends.

Pick #43: Slater de Brun, of, Tampa Bay Rays - de Brun was the focus of the return in the Shane Baz trade, and was one of the more exciting athletes in the 2025 draft. He was someone I seriously considered taking at 26, 29, & 31 and thrilled I could land at 43. He showcases all the dynamic speed, bat to ball ability, and defense that makes Chandler Simpson a fan favorite in Tampa, but he also has very sneaky pop that, if optimized to 15-20 homers a year, radically changes his profile and upside. As with Renteria, Fien, & Carlson, anything can happen when he starts facing pro pitching...but he will be another super fun prospect to track.

Pick 54: Sean Gamble, of, Kansas City Royals - I got pick #43 to take de Brun, but, as I was doing more research, I came awful close to taking Gamble. His name isn't without meaning, he struggled in prep school ball with contact rate..and that is a huge risk...but the upside is truly special. He's a no-doubt CF with 5-tool upside. He has a lightning quick bat with solid mechanics, and while the contact is an issue, he played at IMG, who play about as good a schedule as you can in prep ball. While it's a bet on tools, every evaluator noted his outstanding work ethic and fierce competitiveness...and I think that really matters.

Pick 55: Mitch Voit, if, New York Mets - The Mets love themselves some two-way players (Benge & McLean) and they have paid off handsomely. Voit was another of those players who finally chose offense his last year at Michigan and exploded in terms of pure stats and batted ball data. He did ok in his pro debut in A ball, but did struggle to impact the ball with wood bats. That said, this will be his first off-season focused on hitting, and he did show tremendous speed (20/21 sb's in 22 games), swing decisions, and evaluators were truly impressed with his actions at short. The Mets have been a very good developmental org and that's a big part of this bet for me, too.

Pick 101: Miguel Sime, Jr., sp, Washington Nationals - No one had ever thrown 100 mph in the MLB Draft League and Sime didn't throw 100...he threw 101. It's not a straight fastball with good sink on it and Sime has worked really hard to develop two off-speed pitches (curve & change) and that belief in his starters frame (6'4", 200+ lbs) and electric stuff caused the Nats to go 3x slot bonus. The Nats are making huge investments in player development and that combinations of belief in him, pure stuff, and right organizational fit right now made him a cool player to take a flier on this late in the draft. While that all sounds wonderful, he's down here because, as a scouting site described 'he did not throw a strike until his senior year' and he self-described 'I'm very raw.'

[Yankees]

First round update.

Those I've been talking to about this draft for months now know I've coveted Kilby, Conrad, and Renteria, and to get all 3 is massive. With having a gap between 10 & 19/22 walking in, I didn't even consider Fien, but the opportunity to get him at 26 was too good to pass up. Using some draft capital I was also able to add a top 50, LHP prospect in Gage Jump and an insanely talented young bat in Cris Rodriguez. While I don't see myself being active in the next few days, I'm thrilled with where we ended up here.

[Yankees]

Well, barring something crazy, we're done. That was a lot.

After a mostly quiet off-season, the focus around the draft was to take a team heavy on rh starting pitching prospects and limited on offensive ceiling and put it into better balance. Fischer and Conrad are the only bats I took on the safer side, and I considered both opportunistic (Fischer at #31 and Conrad injury) in their dropping. The rest of my picks (Kilby, Carlson, Fien, Renteria, de Brun, Gamble & Voit) all flash pretty immense potential and at least offer you some real reason for optimism that they can reach it.

This class is going to be critical in my return to competing, and pushing some chips in on it to the extent I did probably pushes my timetable back to 2028...but I also think I raised my ceiling tremendously while only borrowing from areas of strength & limited ceiling.

[Yankees]

We are done, done. Please draft safely everyone!