I'm not going to sugarcoat it: This year's draft class is not as good as last year's college-heavy crop and certainly not as good as the historic 2023 draft group featuring Paul Skenes and Wyatt Langford near the top.
There isn't a clear No. 1 overall prospect separating from the pack, so the intrigue is especially high about what the Washington Nationals will do with the top pick and the associated bonus pool considering there are about a half-dozen defensible choices they could make. The Los Angeles Angels have the No. 2 pick and tend to take the prospect who will be quickest to the majors.
Instead of bemoaning an underwhelming top of the draft, I choose to embrace the chaos and razor-thin margins separating these players, especially once you get into the teens and twenties, where scouts think the draft is quite deep. There are going to be some stars from this draft, even if it isn't obvious who they are right now.
So, as we get deep into conference play for colleges and the season is either winding down in the south or getting going up north at the high school level, here is how I and the scouts I've been speaking with line up the 2025 draft class right now.
These players were ranked using the FV (future value) system that I applied for pro prospects. Here are my preseason MLB prospect rankings to see where these players would rank if they turned pro now, though the grades will change (and generally improve as we gain more information and certainty) throughout the spring.
