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The 2025 MLB Draft is underway from Atlanta tonight with the Washington Nationals selecting Oklahoma high school shortstop Eli Willits No. 1 overall.
The Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals round up the top five selections, respectively.
Follow along below for updates and expert analysis from The Athletic's team of MLB writers throughout the draft!
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Nationals pick Eli Willits with the No. 1 selection of the 2025 MLB Draft
Pick #2 is the first shocker of the night, as the Angels take Tyler Bremner — who pretty clearly had no idea they were taking him — betting that the UCSB right-hander's late-season surge is more indicative of who he'll be as a pitcher than the guy many of us saw get knocked around earlier in the spring. He's got an easy plus changeup and can hit 97, with the four-seamer playing up thanks to the presence of the change, while his slider has been inconsistent and is hindered by his delivery.
He's a big strike-thrower, though, and came into the year as the top college right-hander in the class. He lost his mother just a month ago to cancer, which many people who know Tyler thought was affecting him during the season, as it would affect just about anybody.
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If recent history is an indicator, it's pretty likely that Tyler Bremner will be wearing red and white in Orange County, Calif. before too long. The Angels have fast-tracked several prospects to the big leagues in recent years — at least one Angel has been among the three fastest draftees to reach the big leagues each year over the past five years, including all three in the 2022 draft (Zach Neto, Ben Joyce and Victor Medros).
Woah, a stunner! Bremner was all the way down at No. 16 on Keith Law's top 100. The Angels are clearly fond of the polished right-hander, who won't have to travel far down the California coast.
The Angels have long followed a draft pattern under GM Perry Minasian. A ready-made college player has been taken every first round, and has almost always signed for under slot value.
This draft, and the No. 2 overall pick, present a fascinating conundrum for the front office. Stick with that approach, and get a college player that could debut possibly this season. Or take a high schooler that might take years to develop, in a system that has been famously poor at player development.
Minasian has drafted for big league need in years past, and might do so again in 2025. Taking a high school player of any kind might be the smart thing to do, but it would also be very anomalous. There are people in the organization with differing viewpoints, and it will fascinating to see where they land.
The Nationals take one of the youngest players in the draft class in shortstop Eli Willits, son of former big leaguer Reggie Willits, and a darling of analytical models because of his age, position, and propensity for making contact. He's a plus defender at short already and might end up better than that, while his swing is short and compact, aimed at putting the ball in play, without much loft or impact right now. He won't turn 18 until December, so he has more time to fill out than just about any other player in the draft, and scouts had a wide range of opinions on how much power he might ultimately get to. His contact skills and overall feel for the game are separating tools. He wasn't first or second on my board but he does have the upside of a potential star who anchors the infield for years.
Woah, that's a bit of a shocker! Instead of a top college pitcher, Washington goes with the talented but young high school shortstop out of Oklahoma.
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Manfred's example of how teams build through the draft:
"35 years ago, the Braves selected a high school infielder from Florida named Chipper Jones."
The mention of the Braves legend draws a cheer from the crowd in Atlanta.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is at the podium to open the draft.
We're almost set for the 2025 MLB Draft!
Remember, you can get involved in our coverage tonight by sending us an email: live@theathletic.com
The Dodgers currently have a 2-0 lead over the Giants in San Francisco, but they're missing a stalwart — third-base coach Dino Ebel is not with the team. Instead, he's with his family, as son Brady is a potential first-round pick tonight.
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With Dino guiding their way, Brady and Trey Ebel inch closer to a professional baseball future
One thing to watch during tonight's broadcast — are any of the draft picks actually in the building? MLB didn't send around a list of attendees this year and they haven't shown any players there in the pre-draft show thus far.
They moved the draft from June to July to try to give this event more national hype even though no one in the industry likes that move as it cuts into scouting for the next year's class, runs into the trade deadline and makes it hard for players (especially pitchers) to jump into pro ball with such a long break between the end of their seasons and the draft.
But if they aren't going to have players at the draft, what is the point of moving it to All-Star weekend?
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Round 1, Pick 10: White Sox take Tennessee LHP Liam Doyle
Pretty sure this would be a dream scenario for the White Sox. I’ve heard them with Seth Hernandez, Steele Hall, Kruz Schoolcraft and JoJo Parker too.
Round 1, Pick 9: Reds take Florida State LHP Jamie Arnold
I don’t know for sure if the Reds would take Arnold or Liam Doyle here in this very weird scenario where two of the best college pitchers in the draft fall to picks nine and 10.
Round 1, Pick 8: Blue Jays take Purvis HS (Miss.) SS JoJo Parker
The Blue Jays will either take a high school shortstop or college pitcher. In this scenario, I think they’d be debating between Parker and Liam Doyle.
Round 1, Pick 7: Marlins take Corona HS (Calif.) SS Billy Carlson
This could be Ike Irish’s floor. After hearing the Marlins all spring with high school players, I’ve heard them with a broader mix this past week that includes college and high school guys, hitters and pitchers, including Seth Hernandez. They appear to be the ceiling for JoJo Parker.
Round 1, Pick 6: Pirates take Corona HS (Calif.) RHP Seth Hernandez
I’ve actually heard the Pirates more with college guys, including Ike Irish and Liam Doyle and maybe Aiva Arquette, but they seem to be one of the clubs most seriously considering Hernandez up top.
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Round 1, Pick 5: Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (Okla.) SS Eli Willits
They might consider Ike Irish if he got here, and they might be Kyson Witherspoon’s only taker in the top 10 at this point. But as Katie reported below, St. Louis has done its homework on Willits.
Round 1, Pick 4: Rockies draft Stillwater HS (Okla.) SS Ethan Holiday
Nothing is a lock in this draft, but Holliday joining the franchise his father Matt was drafted by and helped to a National League pennant in 2007 (the year Ethan was born) might be the closest one we have.
Round 1, Pick 3: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
If Kade Anderson and Aiva Arquette are gone, I think they may do a deal with Ike Irish, or someone else under slot to go over at pick 35 as they did last year with Ryan Sloan. There’s some smoke Sunday morning that they might go after Seth Hernandez here.
