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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 | 1/12/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Freshmen
Vincent Cervino
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As we creep toward opening day here in a month or so, the draft team has put together the Top 100 freshmen on campus this spring.  Three high-end arms lead the way, starting with Jack Bauer. The Mississippi State left-hander reached triple digits as a prep and is sure to make an immediate impact this spring. UCLA right-hander Angel Cervantes was selected in the 2nd round of last year’s draft but held firm on his commitment and should be an impact arm for the Bruins. Following the arms, a collection of bats rounds out the Top 10. There is loads of upside to the group with the potential and they should draw considerable playing time as freshman.  As the list gets deeper, there are plenty of players that should pop up and make significant contributions both this year and years down the line. The class has both depth and talent, making for a very intriguing group of...
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College | Story | 2/3/2026

Conference Preview: Patriot

Anthony Gambardella
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L Army West Point 25 25 14 11 Bucknell 18 27 10 15 Holy Cross 31 27 17 8 Lafayette 14 35 9 16 Lehigh 24 26 11 14 Navy 26 25 14 11 Preseason All Conference Team Pos.  Name  School  Stats/Notes  C  Ty Deperno  Navy  Named PL Rookie of the Year & to 2nd Team All-PL in ‘25; batted .307 w/ 33 runs & 32 RBI  IF  Thomas Schreck  Army West Point  Named to 1st Team All-PL in ‘25; batted .335 w/ 40...
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General | Blog | 2/3/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 62

Ron Wolforth
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Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 62, Part 1 Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls - Part 2  Now, on to Part 2 of our three-part series on baseball's most misunderstood topics. We tackled the curveball. Next up: pitch counts. And in Part 3, we'll address weighted balls, another subject where fear has outpaced reason.   Why these three? Because they share something in common: each has been reduced to a simplistic, one-size-fits-all rule that ignores the complexity of human performance. And in each case, well-meaning people have latched onto these rules as if they're gospel, while the arm injury epidemic continues unabated.  It's time to think more clearly.   Part II: Demystifying Pitch Counts   Let me be clear from the start: I am not anti-pitch count.   Pitch counts are a valuable tool. We use them at...
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High School | General | 2/2/2026

Monday Morning SoCal Notebook

Steve Fiorindo
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Three hitters and three pitchers that really impressed or improved their stock at the Area Code Select at Dodger Stadium.  Gotta start with James Clark as he stole the show offensively, and right out of the gate, with a pull side home run as just the second hitter of the game.  Added a triple to the pull side again, again on the barrel.  Added a single up the middle.  Really showed exceptional feel for the barrel.  Flew out to center field on two occasions, both barreled up pretty well, with one getting lost in the sun.  I’m old and salty, so didn’t give him the double for the cycle, but he was the most impressive bat (easily) on the day.   One of the other position players that impressed, I’ve been somewhat critical of, have spoken with his travel coach a little bit about him behind the plate, but Vista Murrieta catcher Taytum...
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Softball | General | 2/2/2026

PG Softball Announce Leadership Hires

Perfect Game Staff
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    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME SOFTBALL ANNOUNCES KEY LEADERSHIP HIRES    Charlotte, North Carolina (Monday, February 2, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the hiring of two industry-leading softball directors to lead and expand its footprint in the Charlotte, North Carolina market. The additions underscore Perfect Game Softball’s long-term commitment to North Carolina and its mission to elevate tournament standards, scouting opportunities, and player development across the region. Both were...
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High School | Rankings | 2/3/2026

Top High School Team by State

Tyler Russo
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As we continue to roll out our Preseason High School content, we look at what teams come into 2026 as the “team to beat” in each state, whether through prior success or talented rosters. Many of these teams will win titles in their respective states, but most are closely followed by other talented teams in their state that will look to take over the label as the “top team in the state” when we update this after the 2026 high school season. State School Alabama Hoover Alaska Service Arizona Casteel Arkansas Valley View California St. John Bsco Colorado Regis Jesuit Connecticut Fairfield Prep Delaware Sussex Central District of Columbia St. Johns Florida Stoneman Douglas Georgia Etowah Hawaii Kamehameha Kapalama Idaho Eagle Illinois Brother Rice Indiana Center Grove Iowa Waukee Kansas St. Thomas Aquinas Kentucky Trinity Louisiana Barbe Maine Fryeburg Maryland...
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High School | General | 2/2/2026

High School Top 50 All-Prospect Teams

Cam McElwaney
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High School Preview Index | High School Top 50 As we have finished unveiling the National High School Top 50, we now look at the abundance of high-level prospects that make up those rosters, building 3 teams at the Class of 2026 level and an underclass team, all made ONLY from players on the teams across the Top 50. Upperclass 1st Team Pos Name High School State Team Rank C Jorvorskie Lane Jr. Grapevine TX 7 1B Will Adams Hoover AL 43 INF Tyler Spangler De La Salle CA 12 INF Cole Prosek Magnolia Heights MS 16 INF James Clark St. John Bosco CA 1 OF Brady Harris Trinity Christian Academy FL 6 OF Malachi Washington Parkview GA 34 OF Trevor Condon Etowah GA 5 UT Matt Ponatoski Archbishop Moeller OH 35 2W Coleman Borthwick South Walton FL 8 P Gio Rojas Stoneman Douglas FL 2 P Kaden Waechter Tampa Jesuit FL 4 P Bo Holloway Nolensville TN 36 P Joseph Contreras Blessed Trinity GA 9 P Savion Sims...
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College | Story | 2/2/2026

Conference Preview: Mountain West

Joey Cohen
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Teams W L W L Air Force 12 18 20 34 Fresno State 18 12 31 29 GCU 13 11 31 27 Nevada 19 11 34 23 New Mexico 17 13 30 23 SDSU 14 16 20 39 San Jose State 13 17 29 30 UNLV 16  14 31 23 Washington State 11 19 18 36 Preseason All Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Walker Zapp Air Force  .330/.420/.579 with 7 HRs, athletic catcher with strong catch/throw ability.  1B  Jayce Dobie Nevada .339/.413/.526 with 7 HRs. Physical presence. On base skills...
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College | Recruiting | 2/2/2026

Northeast Recruiting Notebook

Ryan Miller
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Jack Nicholls (‘27, NJ) working the 85-88 T89 mph range on the FB w/ some angle & life. Shorter & compact AA thru it. Mid-70s CB w/ good bite & depth to it. Mostly FB attack early on. @PGMidAtlantic @PG_Uncommitted @Oilers_BPC #WWBAWorlds pic.twitter.com/7WYz7ExUPE — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 3, 2025 Jack Nicholls, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Tennessee Josh Elander and the Vols’ staff venture into the Northeast to snag an up-arrow right-hander out of New Jersey. Nicholls works from a medium frame with athleticism and present lower half strength. He starts at the belt exclusively from the stretch, transitioning into a high and compact leg lift. Nicholls fires down the mound via a whippy and quick arm action and high three-quarters slot. The South Jersey product works a lively fastball into the low-to-mid 90s, mixing in a sharp two-plane...
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College | Story | 2/2/2026

Conference Preview: Coastal

Ryan Miller
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  School W L W L Campbell 25 31 15 12 College of Charleston 37 22 15 12 Elon 25 32 13 14 Hofstra 18 36 8 19 Monmouth 24 30 10 17 NC A&T 15 37 9 18 Northeastern 49 11 25 2 Stony Brook 25 27 11 16 Towson 21 35 11 16 UNC-Wilmington 34 24 19 8 William & Mary 21 35 14 13 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Tyler Smith North Carolina A&T Switch-hitting backstop who slashed .323/.414/.542 in ’25 and earned a Team USA training camp invite....
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High School | General | 1/31/2026

Preseason HS Top 50

Tyler Russo
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The start of another high school season is right around the corner in a handful of states and with that, as always, comes our Preseason High School Top-50. A whopping twenty states are represented in the initial Top-50, a number that is staggering when you look at the amount of depth some of these rosters have across the nation. Leading the group is St. John Bosco (CA), a team that brought home a CIF Southern D1 title in 2025 and bring back a strong group of seniors to look to repeat. Stoneman Douglas (FL) is a name most people should know by now in the high school ranks and comes in as our preseason #2 team, looking to win their sixth straight state championship in Florida. Orange Lutheran (CA) had a good case for preseason #1 but come it an No. 3, bringing a roster with seven seniors ranked inside the top-200 in the country to the table. Four other Florida schools are represented...
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