2025 MLB draft guide: One big question and latest intel for all 30 teams
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Kiley McDaniel
It’s MLB draft week!
This year’s draft will take place July 13-14 in Atlanta as part of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game festivities hosted by the Atlanta Braves.
As we approach the start of Round 1, here is one big question facing each of the 30 MLB teams.
Teams are listed in draft order.
More draft coverage: Mock draft 2.0 | Top 250 prospects
Watch: July 13 at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN
Day 1 picks: No. 1, No. 49, No. 80
Bonus pool: $16,597,800
One big question: With C.J. Abrams, James Wood, Brady House and MacKenzie Gore in the big leagues, do the Nats’ opt for LSU lefty Kade Anderson over prep shortstop Ethan Holliday due to how they see their competitive timeline?
The industry believes the Nats are down to Holliday or Anderson for the No. 1 overall pick, with a small chance of another player being the choice. Anderson could be in the big leagues next season while Holliday likely takes a few years, at least.
Last year’s draft was the first with a new scouting group in place. The Nats picked No. 10 overall, at the tail end of the top tier of talent, and opted to go underslot with a safer pick in SS Seaver King. They applied those savings to a riskier pick in prep SS Luke Dickerson, who has been a home run so far, already becoming a top 100 prospect.
While they are picking No. 1 this year, the top of this draft doesn’t stack up to last year’s edition. As a draft prospect, Anderson ranks behind the top pitchers in last year’s class, such as second overall pick Chase Burns and, for some teams, behind fifth overall pick Hagen Smith — so this situation isn’t wildly different to that of their top pick last year.
Day 1 picks: No. 2, No. 47, No. 79, No. 105
Bonus pool: $16,656,400
One big question: How hard will the Angels lean into taking quick-moving college prospects this year?
Under GM Perry Minasian, the Angels have prioritized taking potential quick movers and promoting them aggressively: Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, Christian Moore, Sam Bachman, and Ben Joyce are all early picks who are currently on the big league roster.
Rumors have been circulating all spring that Los Angeles will take one of the college lefties (LSU’s Kade Anderson, Florida State’s Jamie Arnold, Tennessee’s Liam Doyle) with the No. 2 overall pick and put that pitcher on the express train to L.A.
There were rumors last year that the Angeles considered prep shortstop Bryce Rainer with their first pick, but they ultimately ended up passing and taking Moore out of Tennessee; similarly this year the Angels have been tied to prep shortstop Ethan Holliday and Eli Willits — but the industry isn’t really buying it given the Halos’ history.
Last year, their next two picks were likely relievers in Chris Cortez and Ryan Johnson, and there are a number of similar college arms available for their next few picks in this draft: LSU righty Chase Shores, Georgia righty Brian Curley, Iowa lefty Cade Obermueller, Tennessee righties A.J. Russell and Tanner Franklin and Ole Miss righty Mason Morris. All of those pitchers should land in Rounds 2-4.
Day 1 picks: No. 3, No. 35, No. 57, No. 91
Bonus pool: $17,074,400
One big question: Do the M’s continue with the draft strategy that has been working for them?
There are a couple player demographics that have provided strong returns for Seattle in recent drafts. Prep position players landed with high picks/bonuses is a big one — Colt Emerson, Cole Young, Jonny Farmelo, Harry Ford, Edwin Arroyo and Aidan Smith came in the 2021-2023 drafts. And Seattle also has found success with college pitchers throughout the draft: George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, Brody Hopkins, Logan Evans.
Right now, industry chatter has Seattle casting a wide net for the No. 3 overall pick, with the three college left-handed pitchers all getting a long look along with prep righty Seth Hernandez and also some college position players in Aiva Arquette and Ike Irish.
Day 1 picks: No. 4, No. 45, No. 74, No. 77
Bonus pool: $15,723,400
One big question: What do the Rockies do if they don’t get Ethan Holliday?
It’s a poorly kept secret that the Rockies want Ethan Holliday, and they’ll probably get him if he doesn’t go No. 1 overall. But if he does go to the Nationals there, what direction does Colorado choose with the No. 4 pick?
Most industry chatter is that the Rockies will take a pitcher, with Florida State’s Jamie Arnold and Oklahoma’s Kyson Witherspoon, the two pitchers they are tied to that should still be on the board. Some think the Rockies would take Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette.
Whomever Colorado selects at No. 4 will likely impact the next pick, as the Rockies tend to mix position players and pitchers with their top picks. It’s worth noting the Rockies haven’t taken a high school player in the top 10 rounds in any of the past three drafts, so Holliday seems to be the rare prep player who tickles their fancy.
Day 1 picks: No. 5, No. 55, No. 72, No. 89
Bonus pool: $14,238,300
One big question: Will Chaim Bloom’s influence be felt in this year’s draft?
The Cards haven’t picked a high school player in the top 10 rounds in the past three drafts, instead leaning heavily into college pitching.
While in control in Boston, Bloom wasn’t shy about draft prep position players at high picks, including Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Nick Yorke. Bloom will be taking control of the Cardinals front office after this season, so it is an open question if his preferences will be felt a few months before he is the team’s top decision-maker.
Prep shortstops Eli Willits, JoJo Parker and Billy Carlson have all been tied here, with the other college players projected in this range of the draft also mentioned.
Day 1 picks: No. 6, No. 50, No. 73, No. 82
Bonus pool: $14,088,400
One big question: Will the Pirates lean toward college prospects with their early picks to try to help the big league team ASAP?
The Pirates have taken an above-average rate of high school players — their first three picks last year and four of their top five — and have found some big success with Konnor Griffin and Bubba Chandler.
That said, they’ve been tied mostly to college players for their top pick this year and some rivals theorize this is being influenced by trying to help the big league team. Any of the three college lefties or Aiva Arquette are rumored here most.
Day 1 picks: No. 7, No. 43, No. 46, No. 78
Bonus pool: $15,187,400
One big question: Do the Marlins continue to lean into prep position players?
In the first draft under new president of baseball ops Peter Bendix (formerly of the Rays) and scouting director Frankie Piliere (formerly of the Mariners), the Marlins took prep position players with their top two picks. Rumors have them eyeballing a similar strategy this year, which would be in keeping with a player demographic that the Rays and Mariners have found success with in the past. With a comp pick and over $15 million in bonus pool money, there’s plenty of muscle to get more than two premium talents in this year’s haul.
Day 1 picks: No. 8, No. 81
Bonus pool: $10,314,600
One big question: Given the stars of last year’s draft class and the strength of the farm system are both on the mound, do the Jays try to find a bat with their first pick?
Pitchers Trey Yesavage, Johnny King and Khal Stephen were the Jays’ top three picks last year and are all arrow up this year. Throw in currently/recently injured pitchers Ricky Tiedemann, Jake Bloss and Brandon Barriera, and that’s the top of the farm system, outside of shortstop Arjun Nimmala.
Given where the Jays’ first pick is, Oklahoma RHP Kyson Witherspoon and prep RHP Seth Hernandez are options, but otherwise it’s looking like mostly position players as the top options expected to be available for the No. 8 pick.
Day 1 picks: No. 9, No. 51, No. 83
Bonus pool: $11,836,800
One big question: Will the Reds get their wish and land Seth Hernandez?
Almost half of the teams in the top 10 won’t pick Seth Hernandez — not because of him necessarily, but they likely wouldn’t take any prep righties in the top 10. Because of that, a consensus top-tier talent might make it to the Reds at No. 9 if he doesn’t go third or sixth. If he makes it this far, it would set up the Reds to begin the draft with a steal — but if they don’t get him, which direction will they go?
There will be a few solid prep position players to choose from (Billy Carlson, Steele Hall, Gavin Fien) and a few college players (Ike Irish, Kyson Witherspoon), but there is also actually a decent chance that Tennessee LHP Liam Doyle runs into a similar issue to the one Hernandez could face and makes it all the way to the No. 9 pick. Either Doyle or Hernandez would both be great outcomes for the Reds.
Day 1 picks: No. 10, No. 44, No. 76
Bonus pool: $12,169,100
One big question: Will the White Sox hit pay dirt with another high schooler with one of their top two picks?
Chicago is picking in a spot where it will have some prep options for its first pick — JoJo Parker, Billy Carlson and Steele Hall are rumored to be in the mix — though there’s also at least as many college players who could also be considered.
Chicago has also been tied to prep lefty Kruz Schoolcraft and there’s a shot the White Sox could float him to their second pick with a big bonus, which might fit better with an underslot choice at their first pick.
Day 1 picks: No. 11, No. 48
Bonus pool: $10,563,500
One big question: Can the A’s take continue to successfully find value with college players?
The A’s did well in the 2021 draft, landing four big leaguers with their first four picks — Max Muncy, Zack Gelof, Mason Miller and Denzel Clarke — and none of them were consensus values for where they were picked. The 2022 class was a little more mixed, but they found two steals on the college side in Colby Thomas in the third round and Jack Perkins in the fifth round. 2023 was also mixed but was headlined by Jacob Wilson. 2024 has been another home run so far, with Nick Kurtz already in the big leagues, Gage Jump not far behind and Tommy White also playing well.
There is a clear trend of finding value with college players and the A’s are rumored to be looking at college position players, including Arizona OF Brendan Summerhill and SS Wehiwa Aloy at their top pick this year.
Day 1 picks: No. 12, No. 52,, No. 84
Bonus pool: $10,991,300
One big question: How often will the Rangers take risks?
In recent years, the Rangers have followed consensus rankings or played it safe with their higher picks, then taken some risks later in the draft.
In 2024, they started with three left-handed hitting college players with low-to-medium upside then took a player who has already had success with their first prep pick in Devin Fitz-Gerald.
Somewhat similarly in 2023, they took the best guy on the board in Wyatt Langford, then with no second or third round picks, still hit paydirt in the fifth round (Alejandro Rosario), sixth round (Caden Scarborough), and 11th round (Maxton Martin). I’d argue taking Kumar Rocker third overall in 2022 was risky and that has worked out.
The board is lining, up so the Rangers will likely choose from the second tier of players which will mean deciding between a range of different upsides: low (Ike Irish, Gavin Kilen), medium (Kyson Witherspoon, Wehiwa Aloy, Brendan Summerhill, Gavin Fien) and high (Steele Hall, Gage Wood).
Day 1 picks: No. 13, No. 85
Bonus pool: $8,403,300
One big question: How will new president of baseball ops Buster Posey impact the draft strategy?
Under scouting director Michael Holmes, the Giants have tended toward either higher upside, standout athletic testers (Bryce Eldridge, Walker Martin, Reggie Crawford, Dakota Jordan) or going underslot (last year’s top pick James Tibbs, now with the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers trade) at high picks.
Posey’s point of view tends to be more traditional, so he’s not expected to influence a change in draft strategy. Steele Hall and Wehiwa Aloy fit the athletic tester criteria well, and you could argue Kyson Witherspoon and Gavin Fien do, too.
Day 1 picks: No. 14, No. 37, No. 42, No. 53, No. 67, No. 86
Bonus pool: $16,699,400
One big question: How will the Rays utilize their extra picks?
The Rays have leaned hard into position players, particularly switch- and left-handed hitters, with plenty of high schoolers and some higher-upside collegiates with their top picks of late.
Brendan Summerhill, Jace Laviolette and Gavin Kilen are all fits on the college side for their first pick while preps Sean Gamble, Jaden Fauske, Dean Moss, Mason Ligenza and JoJo’s brother, Jacob Parker, all fit, mostly for later picks. Steele Hall is the one right-handed hitter tied to the Rays’ first pick. I’d expect them to end up with a few of these players given their number of early picks.
Day 1 picks: No. 15, No. 33, No. 75, No. 87
Bonus pool: $12,409,300
One big question: Will the Red Sox find more value at their early picks or in the middle rounds?
The Sox have drafted well of late, finding pretty immediate arrow-up types in Payton Tolle (2nd round) and Brandon Clarke (5th) last year, Kristian Campbell (4th compensation) and Connelly Early (5th) in 2023, along with Roman Anthony (2nd compensation) and Chase Meidroth (4th) in 2022.
They haven’t done poorly with their top picks — Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel were their last two first-rounders and headlined the Garrett Crochet trade along with Meidroth — but it’s harder to hit a value home run with a first-round pick when expectations are already so high.
If the Sox can nail their first-rounder this year and then continue this trend of finding quick wins with two more middle-rounders, it will be a boon to the top farm system in baseball just as Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are likely to graduate.
I would project that both of those players will graduate in the next month (like Kristian Campbell, Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts did earlier in the year) and will drop the Red Sox farm sharply, into the middle tier of systems. For what it’s worth, those five alone would easily be a top 10 farm system, possibly top five.
Day 1 picks: No. 16, No. 36, No. 54, No. 88
Bonus pool: $12,653,000
One big question: Which high upside arm will they hand out a big bonus to this time?
The Twins have given at least $1.5 million to either a high school pitcher or one with a short college track record each of the past four years: Dasan Hill in 2024, Charlee Soto in 2023, Connor Prielipp in 2022 and Chase Petty in 2021.
The only fit for their first pick is Gage Wood, while there are a number of options in the second or third round: Landon Harmon, Cam Appenzeller, Aiden Stillman, Miguel Sime Jr. and Angel Cervantes. The Twins have been tied more so to position players, including Jaden Fauske, Charles Davalan, Jace Laviolette and Xavier Neyens.
Day 1 picks: No. 17, No. 56, No. 90
Bonus pool: $9,636,800
One big question: Do they continue targeting power arms and bats at their high picks?
In the past three seasons, the Cubs have tended toward power-oriented position players (Cam Smith, Cole Mathis, Matt Shaw) and power arms (Jaxon Wiggins, Cade Horton, Nazier Mule) with their bigger bonuses.
There are some solid options this year who are tied to the Cubs in Arkansas teammates Wehiwa Aloy and Gage Wood. Josh Hammond, Xavier Neyens and Jace Laviolette would also fit.
Day 1 picks: No. 18, No. 29, No. 92
Bonus pool: $10,917,800
One big question: Do they continue to target hit-first, up-the-middle bats?
The D-backs are commonly tied to Slater de Brun, Caden Bodine, Kayson Cunningham and Gavin Kilen given their history of taking compactly built position players such as Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Slade Caldwell.
With two picks in the top 30, they’ll have a couple chances and could conceivably land two of the four players mentioned above, maybe even if they just play it straight, with the college players likely not making it to Pick 29, but at least one of the prep hitters likely will.
Day 1 picks: No. 19, No. 30, No. 31, No. 58, No. 69, No. 93
Bonus pool: $16,513,100
One big question: Will the Orioles keep stacking up athletic position players?
The O’s have leaned heavily into up-the-middle position players with some power/athleticism in the draft. That profile describes their first four picks in 2024, first two picks in 2023, first four picks in 2022 and first three picks in 2021.
There is a lack of impact pitching on the big league team and at the higher levels of the farm system (though there is solid depth of big-league-caliber arms in the system), and their first pick is a chance to get a potential impact arm.
They do have a number of picks, so they’ll likely still dip into the group of position players who fit their drafting history: Xavier Neyens, Jace Laviolette, Wehiwa Aloy, Josh Hammond, Dax Kilby, Cam Cannarella and Slater de Brun.
Day 1 picks: No. 20, No. 32, No. 59, No. 68, No. 94
Bonus pool: $13,138,100
One big question: Where will the Brewers find value this year?
The Brew Crew have a somewhat unique approach to the draft, often finding value in later rounds. 2024 fourth-rounder Marco Dinges and 12th-rounder Tyson Hardin are arrow up from last year’s group. And the 2023 haul from the later rounds was huge: sixth-rounder Cooper Pratt, eighth-rounder Craig Yoho, 11th-rounder Bishop Letson, 13th-rounder Brett Wichrowski and 15th-rounder Josh Adamczewski. From their 2022 draft, fourth-rounder Matthew Wood and 12th-rounder Luke Adams are arrow-up prospects along with a second-rounder you might have heard of: Jacob Misiorowski.
Milwaukee aggressively pursues lesser-known high school players, often for six-figure bonuses and from the Upper Midwest, while also finding undervalued players in junior colleges and high school players who have fallen for unclear reasons. By nature, that is harder to predict before the draft, but some names they’re tied to fit these trends: Charles Davalan, Brady Ebel, Coy James and Ethan Rogers.
Day 1 picks: No. 21, No. 95
Bonus pool: $7,181,500
One big question: What type of middle-rounder will the Astros find value with this year?
Junior college shortstop Caden Powell, last year’s sixth-rounder, has been arrow up this year as an athletic-testing standout with big tools. In 2023, the Astros targeted toolsy, underscouted high schoolers in shortstop Chase Jaworsky and outfielder Nehomar Ochoa Jr. along with juco catcher Will Bush. In 2022, they found value from four-year colleges with RHP AJ Blubaugh (seventh round) and Zach Dezenzo (12th round).
Xavier Neyens and Tate Southisene are connected to the Astros’ first pick, but keep an eye on Micah Bucknam and Matt Ferraro in the third or fourth round.
Day 1 picks: No. 22, No. 60, No. 96
Bonus pool: $9,081,100
One big question: Will the Braves continue to use their top picks to stockpile arms?
The Braves have taken pitchers with at least their first three picks in each of the past four drafts. They’re tied to more arms this year — Gage Wood and Tyler Bremner get mentioned at their first pick, along with a number of position players — but will they continue this trend when roughly 75% of the top of their farm system is pitchers?
This is a great opportunity to reverse that trend and select a position player with their first pick, as the pool of best available talent is likely to be about 75% position players.
Day 1 picks: No. 23, No. 28, No. 61, No. 71, No. 97
Bonus pool: $12,794,700
One big question: How will the Royals handle their five picks on Day 1?
The Royals have their full complement of picks plus a compensation pick after the second round and a pick after the first round gained because of Bobby Witt Jr.‘s AL MVP runner-up finish.
Scouting director Brian Bridges loves to draft high school pitchers and upside in general, and his first draft in Kansas City is already showing dividends with his first two picks, Jac Caglianone and David Shields.
Like division mate Detroit with the next pick, the Royals are tied to a number of players as they prepare for all the different ways they could play their picks based on how things go ahead of them.
Their early picks have been tied to most prep pitchers, headlined by Aaron Watson, Kruz Schoolcraft, and Matthew Fisher along with some college arms such as Anthony Eyanson. That said, the board is giving them position players, particularly at their first pick, so the pitchers may be collected more down the board instead.
Day 1 picks: No. 24, No. 34, No. 62, No. 98
Bonus pool: $10,990,800
One big question: Will the Tigers hit paydirt with another left-handed-hitting prep position player?
Bryce Rainer, Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle have all been immediate hits in pro ball for the Tigers after being taken with first-round picks in the past two drafts.
There are some candidates to continue the trend when the Tigers pick at 24 and 34, including Kayson Cunningham, Jaden Fauske, Slater de Brun and Sean Gamble, though the Tigers have also been tied to Michael Oliveto (may fit better in the second round) and Coy James (right-handed hitter).
When a team has two early picks, it often gets tied to lots of players because, in different scenarios, it could go over or under slot or high school or college or hitter or pitcher at each spot. Anthony Eyanson, Aaron Watson and J.B. Middleton are some of the pitchers the Tigers have been tied to, and keep an eye on Jaiden LoRe (another right-handed-hitting shortstop) as a target at a later pick.
Day 1 picks: No. 25, No. 99
Bonus pool: $6,569,100
One big question: Can the Padres still land multiple players with big upside with the third-lowest bonus pool?
The Padres’ first two picks have been high school players in each of the past eight drafts — since the 2016 draft when they took Cal Quantrill out of Stanford with their first pick. They’re once again tied to a number of high-upside high school players.
Kruz Schoolcraft and Quentin Young are the two most rumored fits — but also Dax Kilby and Kayson Cunningham who have more medium upsides. It’s reasonable to assume San Diego takes one of those players with its first pick, possibly under slot, to then move those potential savings plus its overage into its next pick, which would give the team a seven-figure budget at No. 99. The Padres are one team on Maryland prep SS Will Rhine, who could fit the bill at their second pick.
Day 1 picks: No. 26, No. 63, No. 100
Bonus pool: $7,849,400
One big question: Will the Phillies continue to take high school players with their high picks?
The Phillies made the most surprising first-round pick last year, taking Dante Nori at the 27th pick. Their next-highest bonus went to another prep center fielder, Griffin Burkholder, while their top three bonuses in 2023 also went to prep position players and their top pick in 2022 was a prep position player. They found solid value in 2021 and 2020 taking prep right-handers with their top picks, so it’s a safe bet the Phillies will take a high school player with their first pick this year.
There are a number of prep position players who could fit for their first pick (Kayson Cunningham, Xavier Neyens, Quentin Young, Sean Gamble, Slater de Brun) but also a handful of prep pitchers, with Matthew Fisher the one connected to Philly the most.
Day 1 picks: No. 27, No. 64, No. 66, No. 70, No. 101
Bonus pool: $10,198,100
One big question: Which high school pitcher will the Guardians take this year?
The Guardians can be classified as value shoppers, but have also invested seven figures in one prep arm in each of the past three drafts. RHP Seth Hernandez won’t make it to their first pick, but he may be the only one of this year’s top prep arms off the board, while picking at 64, 66, 70 and 101 on the first day gives them plenty of chances and bonus money to maneuver. Judging from their history, Aaron Watson, Cameron Appenzeller and Miguel Sime Jr. are the most likely targets.
Day 1 picks: No. 38, No. 102
Bonus pool: $5,465,900
One big question: Is there enough depth in the Mets’ upper minors that they will lean into high schoolers with their first few picks?
The Mets’ upper minors depth is impressive right now, with Jett Williams, Francisco Alvarez, Drew Gilbert, Jacob Riemer, Luisangel Acuna and Ryan Clifford leading the way behind Mark Vientos, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio in the big leagues.
On the pitching side, they have Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Blade Tidwell, Dom Hamel and the injured Christian Scott ready to contribute this year or next.
This young depth around the big league team could allow them to lean into high schoolers and high-variance talent with the second-lowest bonus pool in the draft.
Day 1 picks: No. 39, No. 103
Bonus pool: $5,383,600
One big question: With the lowest bonus pool in the draft, can the Yankees replenish the farm system?
The Yankees were missing their second- and fifth-round picks in the 2023 draft and are missing their second rounder this year in addition to having their first-round selection moved down 10 picks because of CBT spending.
In 2023, the Yankees’ first pick was George Lombard Jr., one of the better prospects in baseball and they found some value at later picks but no clear home runs, yet.
Their first pick this year is where we hit the tail end of the 45 FV tier of players in my rankings, meaning there’s some late-first-round-caliber upside still available with high schoolers such as 2B Sean Gamble, CF Slater de Brun and SS Tate Southisene, or one of the college pitchers with some relief risk such as righties Riley Quick, Patrick Forbes and Marcus Phillips.
Day 1 picks: No. 40, No. 41, No. 65, No. 104
Bonus pool: $9,031,300
One big question: Do the Dodgers take a big swing at one of their comp picks?
The Dodgers have been forced to be creative in the draft because they are usually either picking near the end of each round and/or missing picks because of free agent signings. They’ve mixed in plenty of college players, but have tended to take high schoolers with their first-round picks.
This year, they’re tied to the most high-variance prospect in this year’s draft, prep infielder Quentin Young, and a few others who fit later in the draft, such as Mason Ligenza.
JIM ABBOTT IS sitting at his kitchen table, with his old friend Tim Mead. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, they were partners in an extraordinary exercise — and now, for the first time in decades, they are looking at a stack of letters and photographs from that period of their lives.
The letters are mostly handwritten, by children, from all over the United States and Canada, and beyond.
“Dear Mr. Abbott …”
“I have one hand too. … I don’t know any one with one hand. How do you feel about having one hand? Sometimes I feel sad and sometimes I feel okay about it. Most of the time I feel happy.”
“I am a seventh grader with a leg that is turned inwards. How do you feel about your arm? I would also like to know how you handle your problem? I would like to know, if you don’t mind, what have you been called?”
“I can’t use my right hand and most of my right side is paralyzed. … I want to become a doctor and seeing you makes me think I can be what I want to be.”
For 40 years, Mead worked in communications for the California Angels, eventually becoming vice president of media relations. His position in this department became a job like no other after the Angels drafted Abbott out of the University of Michigan in 1988.
There was a deluge of media requests. Reporters from around the world descended on Anaheim, most hoping to get one-on-one time with the young left-handed pitcher with the scorching fastball. Every Abbott start was a major event — “like the World Series,” Angels scout Bob Fontaine Jr. remembers. Abbott, with his impressive amateur résumé (he won the James E. Sullivan Award for the nation’s best amateur athlete in 1997 and an Olympic gold medal in 1988) and his boyish good looks, had star power.
That spring, he had become only the 16th player to go straight from the draft to the majors without appearing in a single minor league game. And then there was the factor that made him unique. His limb difference, although no one called it that back then. Abbott was born without a right hand, yet had developed into one of the most promising pitchers of his generation. He would go on to play in the majors for ten years, including a stint in the mid ’90s with the Yankees highlighted by a no-hitter in 1993.
Abbott, and Mead, too, knew the media would swarm. That was no surprise. There had been swarms in college, and at the Olympics, wherever and whenever Abbott pitched. Who could resist such an inspirational story? But what they hadn’t anticipated were the letters.
The steady stream of letters. Thousands of letters. So many from kids who, like Abbott, were different. Letters from their parents and grandparents. The kids hoping to connect with someone who reminded them of themselves, the first celebrity they knew of who could understand and appreciate what it was like to be them, someone who had experienced the bullying and the feelings of otherness. The parents and grandparents searching for hope and direction.
“I know you don’t consider yourself limited in what you can do … but you are still an inspiration to my wife and I as parents. Your success helps us when talking to Andy at those times when he’s a little frustrated. I’m able to point to you and assure him there’s no limit to what he can accomplish.”
In his six seasons with the Angels, Abbott was assisted by Mead in the process of organizing his responses to the letters, mailing them, and arranging face-to-face meetings with the families who had written to him. There were scores of such meetings. It was practically a full-time job for both of them.
“Thinking back on these meetings with families — and that’s the way I’d put it, it’s families, not just kids — there was every challenge imaginable,” Abbott, now 57, says. “Some accidents. Some birth defects. Some mental challenges that aren’t always visible to people when you first come across somebody. … They saw something in playing baseball with one hand that related to their own experience. I think the families coming to the ballparks were looking for hopefulness. I think they were looking for what it had been that my parents had told me, what it had been that my coaches had told me. … [With the kids] it was an interaction. It was catch. It was smiling. It was an autograph. It was a picture. With the parents, it ran deeper. With the parents, it was what had your parents said to you? What coaches made a difference? What can we expect? Most of all, I think, what can we expect?”
“It wasn’t asking for autographs,” Mead says of all those letters. “They weren’t asking for pictures. They were asking for his time. He and I had to have a conversation because this was going to be unique. You know, you could set up another player to come down and sign 15 autographs for this group or whatever. But it was people, parents, that had kids, maybe babies, just newborn babies, almost looking for an assurance that this is going to turn out all right, you know. ‘What did your parents do? How did your parents handle this?'”
One of the letters Abbott received came from an 8-year-old girl in Windsor, Ontario.
She wrote, “Dear Jim, My name is Tracey Holgate. I am age 8. I have one hand too. My grandpa gave me a picture of you today. I saw you on TV. I don’t know anyone with one hand. How do you feel about having one hand? Sometimes I feel sad and sometimes I feel okay about it. Most of the time I feel happy. I hope to see you play in Detroit and maybe meet you. Could you please send me a picture of you in uniform? Could you write back please? Here is a picture of me. Love, Tracey.”
Holgate’s letter is one of those that has remained preserved in a folder — and now Abbott is reading it again, at his kitchen table, half a lifetime after receiving it. Time has not diminished the power of the letter, and Abbott is wiping away tears.
Today, Holgate is 44 and goes by her married name, Dupuis. She is married with four children of her own. She is a teacher. When she thinks about the meaning of Jim Abbott in her life, it is about much more than the letter he wrote back to her. Or the autographed picture he sent her. It was Abbott, all those years ago, who made it possible for Tracey to dream.
“There was such a camaraderie there,” she says, “an ability to connect with somebody so far away doing something totally different than my 8-year-old self was doing, but he really allowed me to just feel that connection, to feel that I’m not alone, there’s other people that have differences and have overcome them and been successful and we all have our own crosses, we all have our own things that we’re carrying and it’s important to continue to focus on the gifts that we have, the beauty of it.
“I think sometimes differences, disabilities, all those things can be a gift in a package we would never have wanted, because they allow us to be people that have an empathetic heart, an understanding heart, and to see the pain in the people around us.”
Now, years after Abbott’s career ended, he continues to inspire.
Among those he influenced, there are professional athletes, such as Shaquem Griffin, who in 2018 became the first NFL player with one hand. Griffin, now 29, played three seasons at linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks.
Growing up in Florida, he would watch videos of Abbott pitching and fielding, over and over, on YouTube.
“The only person I really looked up to was Jim Abbott at the time,” Griffin says, “which is crazy, because I didn’t know anybody else to look up to. I didn’t know anybody else who was kind of like me. And it’s funny, because when I was really little, I used to be like, ‘Why me? Why this happen to me?’ And I used to be in my room thinking about that. And I used to think to myself, ‘I wonder if Jim Abbott had that same thought.'”
Carson Pickett was born on Sept. 15, 1993 — 11 days after Abbott’s no-hitter. Missing most of her left arm below the elbow, she became, in 2022, the first player with a limb difference to appear for the U.S. women’s national soccer team.
She, too, says that Abbott made things that others told her were impossible seem attainable.
“I knew I wanted to be a professional soccer player,” says Pickett, who is currently playing for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride. “To be able to see him compete at the highest level it gave me hope, and I think that that kind of helped me throughout my journey. … I think ‘pioneer’ would be the best word for him.”
Longtime professional MMA fighter Nick Newell is 39, old enough to have seen Abbott pitch for the Yankees. In fact, when Newell was a child he met Abbott twice, first at a fan event at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan and then on a game day at Yankee Stadium. Newell was one of those kids with a limb difference — like Griffin and Pickett, due to amniotic band syndrome — who idolized Abbott.
“And I didn’t really understand the gravity of what he was doing,” Newell says now, “but for me, I saw someone out there on TV that looked like I did. And I was the only other person I knew that had one hand. And I saw this guy out here playing baseball and it was good to see somebody that looked like me, and I saw him in front of the world.
“He was out there like me and he was just living his life and I think that I owe a lot of my attitude and the success that I have to Jim just going out there and being the example of, ‘Hey, you can do this. Who’s to say you can’t be a professional athlete?’ He’s out there throwing no-hitters against the best baseball players in the world. So, as I got older, ‘Why can’t I wrestle? Why can’t I fight? Why can’t I do this?’ And then it wasn’t until the internet that I heard people tell me I can’t do these things. But by then I had already been doing those things.”
Griffin.
Pickett.
Newell.
Just three of the countless kids who were inspired by Jim Abbott.
When asked if it ever felt like too much, being a role model and a hero, all the letters and face-to-face meetings, Abbott says no — but it wasn’t always easy.
“I had incredible people who helped me send the letters,” he says. “I got a lot more credit sometimes than I deserved for these interactions, to be honest with you. And that happened on every team, particularly with my friend Tim Mead. There was a nice balance to it. There really was. There was a heaviness to it. There’s no denying. There were times I didn’t want to go [to the meetings]. I didn’t want to walk out there. I didn’t want to separate from my teammates. I didn’t want to get up from the card game. I didn’t want to put my book down. I liked where I was at. I was in my environment. I was where I always wanted to be. In a big league clubhouse surrounded by big league teammates. In a big league stadium. And those reminders of being different, I slowly came to realize were never going to go away.”
But being different was the thing that made Abbott more than merely a baseball star. For many people, he has been more than a role model, more than an idol. He is the embodiment of hope and belonging.
“I think more people need to realize and understand the gift of a difference,” Dupuis says. “I think we have to just not box everybody in and allow everybody’s innate light to shine, and for whatever reasons we’ve been created to be here, [let] that light shine in a way that it touches everybody else. Because I think that’s what Jim did. He allowed his light to permeate and that light, in turn, lit all these little children’s lights all over the world, so you have this boom of brightness that’s happening and that’s uncontrollable, that’s beautiful.”
NEW YORK — Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is projected to receive the largest amount from this season’s $50 million pre-arbitration bonus pool based on his regular-season statistics.
Crow-Armstrong is on track to get $1,091,102, according to WAR calculations through July 8 that Major League Baseball sent to teams, players and agents in a memo Friday that was obtained by The Associated Press.
He earned $342,128 from the pool in 2024.
“I was aware of it after last year, but I have no clue of the numbers,” he said Friday. “I haven’t looked at it one time.”
Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes is second at $961,256, followed by Washington outfielder James Wood ($863,835), Arizona outfielder Corbin Carroll ($798,397), Houston pitcher Hunter Brown ($786,838), Philadelphia pitcher Cristopher Sánchez ($764,854), Cincinnati shortstop Elly De La Cruz ($717,479), Boston catcher Carlos Narváez ($703,007), Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela ($685,366) and Detroit outfielder Riley Greene ($665,470).
Crow-Armstrong, Skenes, Wood, Carroll, Brown, De La Cruz and Greene have been picked for Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
A total of 100 players will receive the payments, established as part of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement and aimed to get more money to players without sufficient service time for salary arbitration eligibility. The cutoff for 2025 was 2 years, 132 days of major league service.
Players who signed as foreign professionals are excluded.
Most young players have salaries just above this year’s major league minimum of $760,000. Crow-Armstrong has a $771,000 salary this year, Skenes $875,000, Wood $764,400 and Brown $807,400.
Carroll is in the third season of a $111 million, eight-year contract.
As part of the labor agreement, a management-union committee was established that determined the WAR formula used to allocate the bonuses after awards. (A player may receive only one award bonus per year, the highest one he is eligible for.) The agreement calls for an interim report to be distributed the week before the All-Star Game.
Distribution for awards was $9.85 million last year, down from $11.25 million in 2022 and $9.25 million in 2023.
A player earns $2.5 million for winning an MVP or Cy Young award, $1.75 million for finishing second, $1.5 million for third, $1 million for fourth or fifth or for making the All-MLB first team. A player can get $750,000 for winning Rookie of the Year, $500,000 for second or for making the All-MLB second team, $350,000 for third in the rookie race, $250,000 for fourth or $150,000 for fifth.
Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. topped last year’s pre-arbitration bonus pool at $3,077,595, and Skenes was second at $2,152,057 despite not making his big league debut until May 11. Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson was third at $2,007,178.
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