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IN THE HALLWAY outside a cramped interview room in the Tokyo Dome, Shohei Ohtani loomed in the rear doorway, towering over nearly everyone around him, his shoulders filling the entire frame. It was here that he faced his worst fear: Nothing to do and nowhere to go. A large man in a small space, happiest when he has a bat to swing or a ball to throw, grew more impatient with every passing moment.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani’s Dodgers teammate and the winning pitcher last Wednesday night in the first regular-season game of 2025, was at the front of the room, sitting at a table and addressing questions with expansive answers that elicited laughs from the Japanese media. This was his moment, too. Back in Japan, five solid innings against the Cubs in his back pocket, an overflow room hanging on his every word. Those who know Yamamoto say he not only welcomes stardom but also wears it well, and he was enjoying himself — perhaps a little too much.

Ohtani was waiting for Yamamoto to finish so he could quickly trample his way through four questions, two in Japanese, two in English, and get on with his night. In contrast to Yamamoto, Ohtani wears the public aspect of his fame like a hand-me-down suit. He was not accustomed to standing awkwardly in the back of a room while someone else dictated his schedule. And yet Yamamoto kept talking, almost gleefully, and Ohtani began sending a series of playful messages that suggested the pace needed to be quickened.

First, he looked at his watch, checking it with an elaborate flourish. Whatever Yamamoto did in response — I was among those piled 15 deep in the hallway, watching Ohtani watch Yamamoto, so the adventure is yours to choose — elicited a big laugh from Ohtani, who then did history’s subtlest jig, one foot to the other, as if speeding himself up would have the same effect on Yamamoto, which it did not. Finally, Ohtani tilted his head back and forth, shoulder to shoulder, in a move that translated universally as blah blah blah. This seemed to do the trick. Yamamoto finished, left his seat and headed out the back of the room at the same time Ohtani was heading to the front. Yamamoto was still laughing when he left the room, and I’m pretty sure Ohtani had something to do with that.

And so it was here, in and around this cramped, uncomfortable room that smelled of cigarette-infused sportscoats and deadline sweat, that something truly unexpected occurred: Shohei Ohtani showed a piece of his personality that once seemed destined to remain hidden. Here was Ohtani, expressive and joyous and unconcerned with how it all looked. Ohtani, doing something other than grinding away at the game he seems determined to perfect. It felt as revelatory in its own way as a shirtless run through the streets of the Ginza shopping district would have been.

THIS DODGERS TEAM feels different, looks different and sounds different, and it goes beyond a comfortable and fully integrated Ohtani on the most expensive, and perhaps best, team ever. This group feels like a category error — the promise of a riveting spectacle that will play out over the next seven months, a team to either loathe or love every single day. Baseball has never seen anything quite like this, and it’s clear by now it doesn’t have any idea what to do with it.

Considering the perceived gap between them and the rest of baseball, it’s somewhat poetic that the Dodgers are 2-0 before baseball’s official Opening Day. They swept a quick series from the Cubs in Tokyo, and after each game, Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, made his way through the Tokyo Dome’s tight passageways toward the Dodgers’ clubhouse, a sly grin on his face, like a kid eager to show off his favorite toys.

He has assembled a roster built to withstand the tides of a long season, a difficult task made considerably easier by the lack of budget constraints. He went shopping for starting pitching depth this offseason and got two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Japanese superstar-in-waiting Roki Sasaki. (“Deepest SP staff ever and it’s not close lol,” former Dodgers starter Alex Wood cracked on social media.)

Friedman spackled the holes in a solid but unspectacular bullpen by signing two top-flight closers, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, because why stop at one if you don’t have to? The Dodgers’ payroll will exceed $320 million this season, according to Sportrac, and a roll call of Concerned Baseball People have either bellowed (Rockies owner Dick Monfort) or intimated (commissioner Rob Manfred) that the amorphous and unwritten rules of fairness are being violated.

“I look at the inverse of the criticism,” Friedman said. “If other fan bases are unhappy with us, it means more likely that our fans are happy with us, and that’s our job. In that way, it makes us feel good when we hear that stuff.”

It’s indicative of baseball’s odd position within the sports firmament that Friedman and the Dodgers are called upon to defend themselves for their owners’ willingness to reinvest the profits from a successful business to put the best team on the field. Since the dawn of free agency, the game has been played to a maudlin, emo soundtrack of big-market/small-market standards. Teams like the Dodgers and Yankees — and occasionally the Red Sox, Cubs, Padres or Braves — play the vital role of sinister monarchies, allowing the small-market teams to throw up their hands in exasperated supplication. It has become a self-fulfilling prophecy: Each team that doesn’t spend can justify its lack of spending by claiming it can’t compete with the teams that spend.

“Just because you’re good at something, that makes you evil?” Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen asked. “That’s kind of crazy talk. To me, the talk of this ‘Evil Empire’ is from people wanting to blast the Dodgers for wanting to put a good product on the field and being willing to pay to do it. What’s Billy Madison say? ‘You can’t sit in kindergarten and expect to inherit an empire’? You have to actually check some boxes, take some steps to be successful. Some people just don’t want to take the direction the Dodgers have, which is fine. Just don’t complain about it.”

DODGERS MANAGER DAVE Roberts has a way about him that makes you think he could sell just about anything. He faces reporters every day, usually twice, and he has mastered the banter, the eye contact, the ability to give off the appearance of candor. On the first day of spring training in Glendale, Arizona, he answered the obligatory questions about Ohtani, saying he will not pitch in Japan but will pitch this season. He will not steal bases this spring, but he will steal bases this season.

Then he was asked about expectations, and whether it is safe to assume the Dodgers enter the season expecting to become the first team since the 1999 Yankees to win consecutive World Series.

“Yes,” Roberts said, his eyes scanning the group like a practiced statesman. “That is our expectation.”

From that first day of spring training, the Dodgers have been a spectacle, the closest thing to a full-fledged mania that baseball has had in decades. (Think an international version of the “Last Dance” Bulls without the outsized personalities.) Fans filled the parking lot at Camelback Ranch and crowded around the walkway between the practice fields and the clubhouse, screaming and waving baseballs at anyone in a uniform.

Inside the clubhouse, the locker configuration on one wall went, from left to right: Sasaki, Yamamoto, an empty locker, Ohtani. (The empty was Ohtani’s, a gesture of respect extended to only the most accomplished players, and even in this clubhouse a three-time MVP qualifies.) Third baseman Max Muncy became the de facto team spokesman for the first day, standing at his locker wearing a look of abject horror as the crowd around him grew larger and larger, and his avenues for escape vanished. He parried questions about the absurd makeup of his team’s roster by saying that baseball is different, that the best team at the beginning of the season is not always the best at the end. He sounded like a kid being forced to argue an unpopular side in debate class. “In baseball, the best player in the world isn’t always going to take over,” he said.

Muncy’s approach was understandable; it’s what you say when you have to say something. But the argument fell apart the second everyone walked away and looked at the names hanging above the lockers. The Dodgers, to an almost ridiculous degree, seem uniquely non-reliant on any one player.

Take away their first four starting pitchers (Snell, Yamamoto, Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow) and you’re left with a rotation that would compete for a playoff spot. There’s No. 5 starter Dustin May, who was 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP in 2023 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Tony Gonsolin, another front-line starter who will be back within six weeks. And Ohtani the pitcher — or, as outfielder Michael Conforto says, “The other half of Shohei” — is expected to return to the mound by May or June.

“It sounds a little crazy to say, but as much recognition as Shohei’s gotten, he’s still underrated,” Friedman said. “He’s just the most diligent, thoughtful worker I’ve ever seen. The more we’ve seen him and the more we’ve been around it, the less and less surprising it gets when we see what he can do on the field.”

Yates’ numbers as a closer last year with the Rangers (85 strikeouts in 61⅔ innings, 0.827 WHIP, 33 saves, 1.17 ERA) make it difficult to fathom how he could enter the season as a setup man for Scott, until you realize Scott was nearly as good (84 strikeouts, 45 hits allowed) last year with Florida and San Diego. Scott stood at his locker in the comically condensed Tokyo Dome clubhouse, Yates maybe six inches away at the next stall. “It’s gonna be fun,” Scott said. “I have no clue what the roles will be, but whenever the phone rings, I’m pretty sure everybody in our bullpen is going to be ready, and it’s going to be exciting.”

In the opener in Tokyo, a preview: Yamamoto for five, then one inning each from Alex Vesia, Treinen, Yates and Scott. Four innings from the bullpen, zero baserunners. The starting pitching might be the deepest ever, as per Wood, and the lineup — they played without Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts in Japan — is free of any major deficiencies. But the bullpen might be what makes the talk of a 120-win season sound almost reasonable.

“I think when this team wants you, it’s really, really hard to turn them down,” Yates said, echoing other conversations with Scott and Conforto, another offseason signing. “They were the most aggressive team. They were very persistent. There was no sales pitch; there didn’t have to be a sales pitch. To have the chance to come and take part in this is a tremendous opportunity.”

On the second day of spring training, word spread that Sasaki would throw his first bullpen. It was an absolute frenzy, media on one side of the eight bullpen mounds and nearly every Dodgers executive, coach and player lined up either beside or behind Sasaki. Friedman was right behind him, and Roberts was right beside him. Clayton Kershaw was one mound away. Farhan Zaidi, the former GM who was recently rehired as special adviser after being fired as team president of the San Francisco Giants last year, was peeking around two or three pitchers throwing their own bullpens, trying not to make it obvious.

Catcher Austin Barnes, the first Dodger to catch Sasaki in gear, looked around at the crowd quizzically, as if somehow this scene came as a surprise. Several pitches into his session, Sasaki motioned to Barnes that he going to throw his splitter, the pitch that made him frequently unhittable in Japan — a pitch that could drop to its left or its right or straight down, often of its own accord. Sasaki threw, and Barnes stabbed at the ball as it dove toward his left foot. “Oh my god,” he said, loudly enough to be heard 30 feet away. Later he would explain his reaction by saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever really seen a pitch like that.”

Sasaki is 6-foot-2 and lean, and he carries himself with a slumped nonchalance that makes it seem that he has yet to grow into his stature. His features are sharp, as if everything is held together tightly. “Everyone has been very kind,” he said of his time with the Dodgers when he met the media for the first time. He stood with his right hand holding his left wrist, clearly uncomfortable in the spotlight. He’ll go on to start the second game against the Cubs in Tokyo, his talent as obvious as his nerves in a jumbled three innings. He hit 100 mph on the gun several times, walked five and struck out three. The Cubs’ solitary hit traveled about 75 feet before it stopped. He will be very good, maybe great. The Dodgers have the luxury of patience.

“They just go out and get the pieces they think they need,” outfielder Teoscar Hernandez said. His words amounted to a shrug, like, what do you expect?

OVER IN A corner of the Dodgers’ clubhouse in Tokyo, an objectively depressing corner between the smoking capsule and the door to the showers, 26-year-old Jack Dreyer failed in his attempt to contain his giddiness over making the team’s Opening Day roster. A left-handed reliever from Iowa, the most unlikely Dodger learned of his promotion from Roberts roughly 48 hours before the first game against the Cubs — too late for his parents to hop on a flight, but plenty of time for him to savor the moment.

The Dodgers like Dreyer’s ability to miss bats — 72 strikeouts last year in 57 minor-league innings — and induce soft contact without elite velocity. They like his maturity and his personality and other intangible stuff that accelerated him past some of the more vaunted arms in the Dodgers’ top-rated farm system.

But almost four hours before his first game in a big-league uniform, none of that mattered to Dreyer. He was standing at that locker — no empty next to him — alternating between staring at his crisp gray uniform — No. 86, but who cares? — and looking around the room. Kershaw’s locker was almost close enough to touch; Ohtani was getting dressed less than 15 feet away; Freeman was on the other side of the room; Betts, though he was back home in Los Angeles with an illness, had his uniform hanging in a locker two down from Freeman.

“This is crazy,” Dreyer said. “It’s me and a bunch of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers sharing experiences for the first time together.”

He was unfailingly polite. He was speaking quickly. The smile on his face might have remained there forever. He scanned the room and shook his head. There was a part of him that wanted to pretend like he had been here before, to act like none of this was a big deal because this was precisely what he had been working toward for years. But then he thought about it one more time, where he was and who he was with and what it meant.

“Surreal,” he said. “Sorry, but that’s the only word I’ve got.”

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Final 2025 MLB mock draft: Updated picks just hours before Round 1 begins

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July 13, 2025

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Final 2025 MLB mock draft: Updated picks just hours before Round 1 begins

  • Kiley McDanielJul 13, 2025, 02:00 PM ET

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    • ESPN MLB Insider
    • Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency.
    • Has worked for three MLB teams.
      • Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’

The 2025 MLB draft begins at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN, so it is time for one final update as teams lock in their Day 1 boards.

The drama starts right at the top this year, as the Washington Nationals have a difficult decision to make with the No. 1 pick a week after firing their general manager.

In a year without a slam-dunk top player, Oklahoma high school star Ethan Holliday (yes, the son of former major leaguer Matt) and a group of college left-handers (LSU’s Kade Anderson, Tennessee’s Liam Doyle and Florida State’s Jamie Arnold) rank among the top prospects in the class.

Which direction will the Nationals go — and how will the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners follow with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks?

Since this is a last-minute update on what teams could do Sunday night, my writeups here are focused on what has changed since the previous edition. You can find a more detailed look at each team’s strategy in my mock draft 3.0. And remember, this is the order in which I think the players will come off the board, while my draft rankings are the order in which I’d pick the players.

Draft tracker: Results, analysis for every Day 1 pick

More coverage: Mock draft 3.0 | Big question for all 30 teams

Watch: Sunday at 6 p.m. on ESPN

1. Washington Nationals

Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
Rank: 1

There have been a lot of rumors flying around over the past few days about what is happening in the wake of the firing of GM Mike Rizzo.

The industry feeling is that what has changed is 1) Anderson is a little more likely to be the pick mostly because Holliday is now a little less likely to be the pick, and 2) taking a bigger cut is a real option, with Eli Willits the main cut-rate possibility, though Aiva Arquette has also been mentioned.

All but Willits are advised by Scott Boras, and he’ll never tip his hand until he has to; now is not the time yet. Nothing is decided here and price will be a factor. If I turned this in 15 minutes before the draft, the Nats might still not have made the decision, so I’ll stick with what seems most likely, even if I don’t feel great about it. Landon Harmon is a rumored later round, overslot target.

For context, a scouting director for a team picking in the top 10 said I shouldn’t feel confident about anything happening in the top three picks specifically, adding, “I’m hearing there’s wars happening in all of those rooms right now” (as of Friday night). I ran that by another director picking up high: “Yeah, we’re hearing the same thing.”

2. Los Angeles Angels

Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
Rank: 6

I’m going to stick with Doyle because he makes the most sense for what the Angels have proved they’re looking for in recent drafts: a polished, quick-moving college player who will come at a savings.

I’ve heard at least six players seriously connected to this pick in the past few days: Anderson, Doyle, Arnold, Arquette, Ike Irish and Willits. There are a couple more I’ve been told are under consideration who I’m not taking seriously as options here.

It could be any of these players based on final conversations and bonus pricing info on each player coming in at the last minute. Doyle has a real shot to slide to No. 9 or No. 10 if he doesn’t go here, so he is motivated to give a competitive number.

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Liam Doyle’s MLB draft profile

Kiley McDaniel explains what makes Tennessee’s Liam Doyle one of the top prospects in this year’s MLB draft.

3. Seattle Mariners

Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS (CA)
Rank: 4

The hot rumor of the past few days is that Tyler Bremner will be the pick here at big savings, and that holds up to further analysis because, in style, Bremner and Hernandez (long connected to this pick) are pretty similar.

It’s pretty widely known that Anderson is the No. 1 player for Seattle and will be the pick if he gets here, which still has maybe a 20-30% chance of happening.

If Anderson isn’t here, I think the decision comes down to Bremner at the most savings, Irish at a little less savings or Hernandez at the least savings, broadly speaking. Some sources have said Arquette, Arnold and Kyson Witherspoon are also in play here, but they seem like tertiary options.

I think Bremner having more support in the No. 11-15 area that was reflected in the last mock will raise his price a bit to where Hernandez will be the pick, but this one is also wide open at the moment and will come down to a last-minute bonus price check if Anderson isn’t available.

Ethan Holliday, 3B, Stillwater HS (OK)
Rank: 2

There has been some waffling late in the process from sources who think maybe the Rockies wouldn’t pay the overslot price to get Holliday down here — but much of what I hear very late in the process is wrong or intentional misinformation, so I’ll stick with what I’ve been hearing for a literal year.

I think the other options for Colorado if Holliday doesn’t get here are all college pitchers: Anderson, Arnold and Witherspoon, with Willits and Arquette getting some mentions.

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1:10

Ethan Holliday’s MLB draft profile

Kiley McDaniel explains what makes Ethan Holliday one of the top prospects in this year’s MLB draft.

Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (OK)
Rank: 3

Willits seems securely in play at the top two picks and possibly at No. 4, so the Cardinals landing him here would be considered a solid outcome. I think Anderson and Holliday are the primary targets for this pick and Willits is next up, with Arnold and Irish as the possible underslot options.

Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
Rank: 5

It sounds like Hernandez or Willits will be the pick if either is here, so the Pirates are rooting for Seattle to either land Anderson or opt for a cheaper alternative to Hernandez.

Otherwise, JoJo Parker, Arnold, Arquette and Irish are believed to be the four leading options here. Arnold has the most late support, but this one might also come down to money.

I hope you feel sympathy for me having to do this in public when none of these teams know what it will do and won’t for hours.

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1:05

Jamie Arnold’s MLB draft profile

Kiley McDaniel explains what makes Florida State’s Jamie Arnold one of the top prospects in this year’s MLB draft.

JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis HS (MS)
Rank: 7

I think this will come down to Parker, Iris, and Billy Carlson — and I think Parker has the edge.

Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
Rank: 9

I think the Jays will pick Parker if he gets here and will consider Arnold along with Arquette and Irish if they are still available here. This decision seems to come down to Arquette or Irish, with Carlson and Witherspoon also under consideration.

4:15 p.m. ET UPDATE: Ike Irish, RF, Auburn
Rank: 13

I’m getting some late-breaking info that Irish is more of a fit here than Hall, so shuffling a few picks that follow to accommodate for that.

Cincinnati seems to be the floor if Hernandez or Doyle slip, and otherwise the Reds seem to be the ceiling for Hall. Irish, Witherspoon and Carlson are also in the mix.

Billy Carlson, SS, Corona HS (CA)
Rank: 8

Carlson’s range seems to be No. 7 to No. 12 (or maybe No. 14). I think the White Sox really want to land the Parker brothers (JoJo and Jacob) but can’t get JoJo to this pick.

The White Sox have been all over high school hitters all spring, and Carlson gets the nod over Gavin Fien.

Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
Rank: 18

Bremner is picking up steam at this pick, and I think his floor is now Boston’s pick at No. 15. It’s a bit surprising he could go ahead of Witherspoon, but Bremner clearly has been getting interest in the top half of the first round that just hadn’t leaked out to the industry at large until late. I think this will be a college player, likely a pitcher, with Witherspoon and Brendan Summerhill also mentioned here a lot.

4:15 p.m. ET UPDATE: Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville HS (AL)
Rank: 13

A few names shuffled around late Sunday, and now one of the Rangers’ top targets will be available. Marek Houston is also in the mix here.

I think Hall and Carlson are the targets here, but neither will make it to the pick, so Cunningham will become the pick, narrowly over Josh Hammond. I was hearing Cunningham would fit more 20-30, and the late chatter is that he has multiple homes in the teens. As with the White Sox, the belief all spring was that the Rangers want a prep hitter here.

4:15 p.m. ET UPDATE: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma
Rank: 10

In a last-minute update, I shuffled four players and Witherspoon fits here as a solid value.

Irish is in play at most picks starting at No. 2 all the way down to the middle of the first round, but I think his slide would stop here. The Giants have long been tied to Marek Houston and Charles Davalan (a long shot at this pick, but gone by their next one), with Andrew Fischer getting some love as well.

4:15 p.m. ET UPDATE: Kayson Cunningham, SS, Johnson HS (TX)
Rank: 25

I think this pick will come down to Cunningham or Sean Gamble in this situation; Gamble could make it to their next pick.

The Rays are tied to prep position players for later picks and could pull a shocker, as I projected in my previous mock, by taking Jaden Fauske here.

I think Hall, Carlson and Cunningham are the main targets, but none of them is available in this projection. Witherspoon is from Florida and is a great value, while the Rays still have a chance to land Fauske at their next pick.

Gavin Fien, 3B, Great Oak HS (CA)
Rank: 12

I’ll stick with Fien here as one of the steadiest projections all spring. It sounds like Tyler Bremner will be the pick if he gets here, but that’s now looking unlikely.

Gavin Kilen, SS, Tennessee
Rank: 20

Kilen fits the type of prospect the Twins have targeted for a while. I could see Houston, Caden Bodine or Gage Wood being options here, too.

Josh Hammond, SS, Wesleyan Christian HS (NC)
Rank: 17

I think the Cubs are targeting in-game power here, and Hammond makes a lot of sense. They’ve scouted Quentin Young pretty hard this spring as well, but this is too early for that kind of risk. Xavier Neyens, Wehiwa Aloy and Wood all fit, as well.

Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest
Rank: 22

I think Cunningham is the target here, but he isn’t available in this scenario. Hammond and Bodine are also mentioned here and I think Slater de Brun will be the selection at Arizona’s next pick.

Jace LaViolette, CF, Texas A&M
Rank: 21

LaViolette should go in one of the next three picks and fits Baltimore’s style. He won’t get to the Orioles’ next pick, but they may be able to float targets down there with their extra pool muscle, as covered in the previous mock.

Brendan Summerhill, CF, Arizona
Rank: 14

Summerhill has a very unclear and wide range of teams that are interested but could fit here. Daniel Pierce, Houston, Bodine and Coy James are all in the mix for this pick.

Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas
Rank: 15

I think LaViolette, Neyens, Southisene and Aloy are all in the mix here, along with possible underslot deals for Davalan or de Brun.

Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas
Rank: 16

It now looks like Bremner won’t get here, but the Braves have been tied to Wood for about a month. Otherwise, the hit-first shortstops like Houston and Pierce are tied here.

Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS (GA)
Rank: 19

Hammond seems to be the target, but he doesn’t make it to K.C. in this edition. I think the Royals will take a prep pitcher with one of their high picks, likely either Watson or Fisher, and maybe another later on Day 1. Eyanson and Wood are two college arms being considered.

Coy James, SS, Davie County HS (NC)
Rank: 69

James has a good shot at being a Tiger, and some of Detroit’s primary options go right ahead of this spot in this scenario, so I think this could be a curveball pick to most viewers.

Fauske is another possibility here, along with Kruz Schoolcraft, Pierce, Watson, Dax Kilby (more at their next pick), de Brun (same), Southisene and Fischer.

Anthony Eyanson, RHP, LSU
Rank: 45

There’s lots of late momentum for Eyanson here, which is counter to the history of A.J. Preller’s time making picks for the Padres, so I’m going out on a limb.

Kilby on a cut, Young, Schoolcraft, Alec Blair, Josh Owens and de Brun all seem like high schoolers in the mix here.

Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina
Rank: 23

Philly normally takes high-ceiling high school players, but this is too good of a value to pass up. Matthew Fisher, Sean Gamble and Blair are the leading prep targets, and Fischer is also mentioned.

Tate Southisene, SS, Basic HS (NV)
Rank: 37

Kane Kepley on a big cut, Devin Taylor on a smaller one, Kilby and Watson are all options here.

Note: No. 27 is the final pick of the first round of the 2025 MLB draft. You can read mock draft 3.0 for my thinking and potential targets for teams making the comp and second-round picks that follow and see the full draft order here.

28. Kansas City Royals: Aaron Watson, RHP, Trinity Christian HS (FL)
29. Arizona Diamondbacks: Slater de Brun, CF, Summit HS (OR)
30. Baltimore Orioles: Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon HS (WA)
31. Baltimore Orioles: Andrew Fischer, 3B, Tennessee
32. Milwaukee Brewers: Charles Davalan, LF, Arkansas
33. Boston Red Sox: Marcus Phillips, RHP, Tennessee
34. Detroit Tigers: Jaden Fauske, RF, Nazareth Academy HS (IL)
35. Seattle Mariners: Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas
36. Minnesota Twins: Devin Taylor, LF, Indiana
37. Baltimore Orioles: Jordan Yost, SS, Sickles HS (FL)
38. New York Mets: Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville
39. New York Yankees: Dax Kilby, SS, Newnan HS (GA)
40: Los Angeles Dodgers: Quentin Young, 3B, Oaks Christian HS (CA)
41. Los Angeles Dodgers: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS (OR)
42. Tampa Bay Rays: Sean Gamble, 2B, IMG Academy HS (FL)
43. Miami Marlins: Alec Blair, CF, De La Salle HS (CA)
44. Chicago White Sox: Ethan Conrad, RF, Wake Forest
45. Colorado Rockies: Cam Cannarella, CF, Clemson
46. Miami Marlins: Josh Owens, SS, Providence Academy HS (TN)
47. Los Angeles Angels: J.D. Thompson, LHP, Vanderbilt
48. Athletics: J.B. Middleton, RHP, Southern Miss
49. Washington Nationals: Max Belyeu, RF, Texas
50. Pittsburgh Pirates: Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina
51. Cincinnati Reds: Taitn Gray, C, Grimes Community HS (IA)
52. Texas Rangers: Michael Oliveto, C, Hauppauge HS (NY)
53. Tampa Bay Rays: Dean Moss, CF, IMG Academy HS (FL)
54. Minnesota Twins: Josiah Hartshorn, LF, Orange Lutheran HS (CA)
55. St. Louis Cardinals: Cooper Flemming, SS, Aliso Niguel HS (CA)
56. Chicago Cubs: Alex Lodise, SS, Florida State
57. Seattle Mariners: Malachi Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma
58. Baltimore Orioles: Mason Neville, CF, Oregon
59. Milwaukee Brewers: Mitch Voit, 2B, Michigan
60. Atlanta Braves: Kane Kepley, CF, North Carolina
61. Kansas City Royals: Riley Quick, RHP, Alabama
62. Detroit Tigers: Dean Curley, 3B, Tennessee
63. Philadelphia Phillies: Matthew Fisher, RHP, Evansville Memorial HS (IN)
64. Cleveland Guardians: A.J. Russell, RHP, Tennessee
65. Los Angeles Dodgers: Chase Shores, RHP, LSU
66. Cleveland Guardians: Cade Obermueller, LHP, Iowa
67. Tampa Bay Rays: Briggs McKenzie, LHP, Corinth Holders HS (NC)
68. Milwaukee Brewers: Daniel Dickinson, 2B, LSU
69. Baltimore Orioles: Brandon Compton, LF, Arizona State
70. Cleveland Guardians: Aiden Stillman, LHP, Trinity Prep HS (FL)
71. Kansas City Royals: Angel Cervantes, RHP, Warren HS (CA)
72. St. Louis Cardinals: Joseph Dzierwa, LHP, Michigan State
73. Pittsburgh Pirates: Ethan Petry, 1B, South Carolina
74. Colorado Rockies: Easton Carmichael, C, Oklahoma
75. Boston Red Sox: Jake Cook, CF, Southern Miss

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2025 MLB Home Run Derby: The field is set! Who is the slugger to beat?

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22 hours ago

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July 13, 2025

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2025 MLB Home Run Derby: The field is set! Who is the slugger to beat?

Jul 11, 2025, 08:19 PM ET

The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.

Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.

On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.

With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.

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2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet

Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.

Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.

2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet

Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.

Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.

2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet

Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.

Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.

2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet

Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.

Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.

2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet

Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.

Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.

2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet

Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.

Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.

2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet

Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.

Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.

2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet

Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.

Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.

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Royals P Lorenzen (illness) scratched from start

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July 12, 2025

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Royals P Lorenzen (illness) scratched from start

  • Field Level Media

Jul 12, 2025, 02:39 PM ET

Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Lorenzen was scratched from Saturday’s start due to an illness.

Left-hander Angel Zerpa replaced Lorenzen for the game against the visiting New York Mets.

Lorenzen, 33, is 5-8 with a 4.61 ERA through 18 starts this season.

Zerpa, 25, is 3-1 with a 3.89 ERA in 40 appearances out of the bullpen this season. His last start was in August 2023.

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