In the next eight months, so much will change in the run-up to Major League Baseball’s 2025 draft. Yet one variable finally cemented: The Washington Nationals will have the No. 1 pick.
The Nationals emerged as the winner of Tuesday’s draft lottery held at the winter meetings and can choose from thousands of amateur ballplayers lighting up the high school, collegiate and showcase diamonds. The Los Angeles Angels will pick second.
And for now, it would be a mild upset if the Nationals did not draft Oklahoma prep star Ethan Holliday.
He remains the consensus No. 1 prospect and would follow in the footsteps of older brother Jackson, chosen first overall by the Baltimore Orioles in 2022 and now an infielder at the big league level.
Still, an entire season remains. Evaluations will change, prospects will gain helium and others will lose ground. For now, however, with a draft order set, here’s a look at 18 top prospects and the draft order in the wake of the lottery:
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Top MLB draft prospects 2025
1. (Nationals) Ethan Holliday, INF, Stillwater (Oklahoma) HS: Might not be long until he shakes the tags of both Matt’s son and Jackson’s brother.
2. (Angels) Jace Laviolette, OF, Texas A&M: The consensus top collegiate prospect, Laviolette has hit 50 homers in two seasons at A&M, with a significant improvement in walk and strikeout rates as a sophomore.
3. (Mariners) Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (California) HS: The first of several prospects from the powerhouse prep program, Hernandez is a Vanderbilt commit whose fastball has been clocked in the upper 90s. Posted a 0.64 ERA and batted .354 as a junior, but future is on the mound.
4. (Rockies) Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara: He lacks Hernandez’s larger, projectable frame but is well-accomplished at the collegiate level, posting a 2.54 ERA for Shane Bieber’s alma mater and juicing his fastball into the mid-90s.
5. (Cardinals) Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State: He and Bremner are interchangeable No. 1 collegiate arms, according to Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, as he struck out 159 as a Seminoles sophomore.
6. (Pirates) Kayson Cunningham, SS, Johnson (Texas) HS: Committed to Texas, Cunningham is a hit machine in a small (5-foot-9) package, perhaps increasing his likelihood he sticks at shortstop relative to larger prospects.
7. (Marlins) Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon (Washington) HS: A 6-foot-4 beast who throws 94 mph on the mound but will be a power-hitting corner infielder professionally. Has Oregon State commitment.
8. (Blue Jays) Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton (Oklahoma) HS: If the Hollidays are the First Family of Sooner State baseball, the Willitses aren’t far behind. Son of former big leaguer and current Oklahoma associate head coach Reggie Willits, Eli is predictably a Sooner commit but not expected to make it to campus; he reclassified for the 2025 draft class and thus will be the youngest top prospect on draft day.
9. (Reds) Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson: Won ACC freshman of the year honors but was dogged by a labrum injury almost all of last season, so a big junior year would help solidify his stock. Not a huge power guy but can hold down center field.
10. (White Sox) Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP/1B, Sunset (Oregon) HS: A 6-foot-8 specimen who will take legitimate two-way options into his final year of high school; like Willits, he reclassified to graduate in ’25. Touches 97 mph from the mound.
11. (Athletics) Billy Carlson, SS/RHP, Corona (California) HS: The next of the Corona Kids, Carlson is a Tennessee commit and an excellent all-around athlete who can also hit the mid-90s on the mound.
12. (Rangers) Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest: Need a Demon Deacon on here almost as a matter of course. Houston is a fine defensive shortstop who could see his stock rise with a big junior year at the plate.
13. (Giants) Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State: A transfer from Washington, Arquette joins the Beavers off a sophomore season in which he posted a .959 OPS. A 6-foot-4 presence in the middle infield.
14. (Rays) Sean Gamble, SS/OF, IMG Academy (Florida): A Vanderbilt commit whose future position remains uncertain – but will certainly be in the middle of the diamond. Exit velocity has been measured as high as 108 mph.
15. (Red Sox) Tre Phelps, 3B/OF, Georgia: His physical tools combined with the challenge and exposure an SEC schedule provides makes Phelps a strong candidate to climb draft boards. He hit 12 home runs and produced a 1.140 OPS in his first year as a Bulldog.
16. (Twins) Ethan Petry, 1B/OF, South Carolina: Another massive (6-foot-4) corner infielder, Petry has hit 44 home runs in two seasons with the Gamecocks and added 11 more in a Cape Cod League MVP turn.
17. (Cubs) Brady Ebel, SS, Corona (California) HS: The last of the Corona Kids, Ebel, son of Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, is a 6-foot-3 LSU commit who’s still just 16 yet possesses the baseball IQ one might expect of a player growing up in his environment.
18. (Diamondbacks) Trent Caraway, 3B, Oregon State: Another player whose 2024 injury (broken thumb) sets him up to rebuild significant value in ’25. Has just 72 career collegiate plate appearances, though he got 116 more during a strong Cape Cod League showing.
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