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Draft  | Story | 12/22/2025

2025 Year in Review: Draft

Tyler Henninger
Isaiah Burrows
Tyler Kotila
2025 Year in Review: Draft

We’ve reached the end of the 2025 calendar year, and while we’ve already jumped in on the 2026 cycle with some of the fall events and post-draft content we’ve had here at Perfect Game, there’s still one more piece on the docket, and that’s the 2025 Year-In-Review piece here from the PG Draft staff. 



The 2025 MLB Draft took place in July, when many highly talented players heard their names called and continued their journey through the game to the next level. There’s already been some of those names making noise in the minors and guys who are moving up prospect lists and becoming names to know for MLB fans digging deep into the future of their organizations. While we are going to “close the book” on 2025 with this article, these players still have many years ahead of them, and many blank pages to continue writing their stories.

This cycle was interesting; it was not like some recent years, where it was a clear-cut 1:1 name for months leading up to the draft. Some players made some late pushes in performance, and organizations made some jumps that deviated from some folks' expectations, and come draft night, there was still some uncertainty on who would hear their name called first. Ultimately, Eli Willits was the first to hear his name called, as the Washington Nationals selected him with the first overall pick. Ethan Holliday, who was selected fourth overall by the Colorado Rockies, was our number one prospect on the draft board. Tyler Bremner and Kade Anderson, who were both in the first round bucket, moved up the board and heard their names called early on, shocking some.

Of the 615 players drafted, 460 were from four-year schools, 124 were from the prep/high school level, and 31 were from the JuCo level. Of all 615 players selected, 576 of those players have signed contracts with MLB organizations. 276 Right-handed pitchers were selected, 81 left-handed pitchers were selected, and three listed two-way players were a part of that group. The remaining 258-261(depending on how you count the TWP) were position players. 

It was a surprising draft that featured unique storylines we’ll delve into below as we put a bow on the 2025 MLB Draft cycle and flip the calendar to 2026. 

Willits and Bremner jump to the top of the board on draft day 

The draft class this past year did not have a consensus top prospect from start to finish. Depending on who you talked to or a certain team’s philosophy, a lot of boards had different guys at the top. That was true all the way until the end. Come draft day, there was buzz that Eli Willits would jump up to 1:1. While very few had expected this throughout the cycle, we made the change to our board and put him at No. 1 on the final board because the buzz seemed real. It was. Willits was the first to hear his name called, something that was not expected most of the cycle. With the second pick, the Angels continued the trend of surprises by selecting Tyler Bremner. While Bremner started out at the No. 2 player on the board, he had slipped a little throughout the spring. The selection of Bremner was not one that we, or many people in the industry, expected. Taking underslot deals was obviously a big driving force in the two players jumping to the top of the board on draft day, but this year just goes to show that anything can happen all the way up until the end. 

Prep shortstops shine as the strength of the class

 The 2025 prep class was touted for its depth and talent on the dirt, and boy did this year’s shortstop crop live up to the hype. Led by Willits with the first pick, 11 high school shortstops led the way of the first 28 picks. Holliday, JoJo Parker, Billy Carlson, Steele Hall, Daniel Pierce and Kayson Cunningham were just some of the names that were selected in bunches. Brady Ebel, Cooper Flemming and Nicky Becker littered more of the Top 50 as prep shortstops were selected all over different rounds of the draft. This year’s crop in particular had a rare blend of offensive upside from both sides of the plate, crisp defense and high end athleticism that really shined. Looking back on this year’s class years down the road, don’t be surprised to see so many former prep shortstops locking down the six-hole for their respective organizations.  

College arms consistently rise throughout the cycle 

It was a really unique cycle in terms of the trends of the pitchers in this class. Every year, players pitch themselves up the board, some arms move down, and injuries are bound to happen, but it sure felt like this year there were some big changes. The biggest perhaps was LSU standout Kade Anderson. The southpaw was in the second-round bucket early on, and some thought we may have been high, but things ultimately changed as the spring unfolded. Anderson moved up boards, and his incredible finish to the 2026 season saw him move into the Top 10 and Top 5 on several industry boards. On draft night, he was the third player selected, taken by the Seattle Mariners. On top of that, Tyler Bremner was deemed a first-rounder early on, sputtered a bit out of the gate, but ultimately got back in the saddle and ended up being the second overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Tennessee southpaw Liam Doyle moved into the Top 5, being selected by the St. Louis Cardinals, and Kyson Witherspoon was selected 15th overall by the Boston Red Sox. While Jamie Arnold was one of the top names on the board all spring, he was another top-half first-round pick. Overall, it was a class full of movement, and the collegiate arms tended to be moving up the board with this group, and a lot of them heard their names called early on draft night.

Looking ahead to 2026

The draft class this coming year looks a little different than the 2025 class. The talent at the top is deeper and stronger. The prep class is one of the stronger classes we have seen in a long time, led by Grady Emerson and Jacob Lombard. The college class features an impressive group of bats at the top, a trio of potential top of the rotation arms, and maybe the best amateur prospect in two decades in Roch Cholowsky. Cholowsky has garnered rave reviews from the industry and has even been called the best amateur player they have seen by some scouts. While there is sure to be some changes to the board throughout the cycle, the 2026 class is gearing up to be an extremely fun group to watch and evaluate.

PG Draft Editor’s Note: Burrows to the Bigs’

While the 2025 calendar year comes to a close, we close the book on the 2025 cycle, look forward to 2026, but we will also see some change on the PG Draft Staff. One of our PG Draft Leads, Isaiah Burrows, has accepted a position to join the San Francisco Giants as an Area Scout. We’re absolutely pumped for Burrows, and expect great things from him in that role. In his time with Perfect Game, Burrows was one of the hardest-working guys on-staff, from running between fields at East Cobb in Georgia during a WWBA event or running around at the backfields in Arizona’s 110-degree heat, Burrows was always grinding. Between lengthy draft calls and debates over players, Burrows always was a huge piece of what we did, and I’ll certainly miss the fiery debates and board updates. We wish Burrows the best as he departs to join the Giants, at the change of the year.
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Draft | Rankings | 6/19/2026

PG Draft: Top 500 Update
Tyler Henninger
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Kinley Kitchens
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Perfect Game Staff
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Erica Beach
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PG Aggieland Showcase

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The fifth annual PG City of Palms Championship is set to take place in Fort Myers, Florida, from June 19-22, featuring teams from the 15U-18U age divisions. The four-day event will showcase some of the top talent in the state, including several nationally ranked prospects who have already made their presence felt this summer season. Before tournament play begins, here’s a look at some of the highest-ranked players expected to compete this weekend. Leading the group is catcher Nico Ayars in the 16U division. Ayars enters the weekend as the No. 135 player nationally, the No. 3 catcher in Florida and the No. 20 catcher in the country. Through 22 games this summer with Turn 2 Garcia, the right-handed hitter owns a .887 OPS while batting .306 with a .438 OBP and a .449 SLG. Ayars has collected 15 hits while driving in 12 runs and scoring 13 times. Ayars’ teammate, right-handed...
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