2025 MLB draft prospects: Top college players in NCAA baseball tournament

USA Today

06-06-2025

2025 MLB draft prospects: Top college players in NCAA baseball tournament
Show Caption
Hide Caption
UNC baseball's Gavin Gallaher, Tar Heels talk winning Chapel Hill Regional
Following UNC baseball's win vs. Oklahoma in the finale of the Chapel Hill Regional, Gavin Gallaher and the Tar Heels broke down the clincher.
Sixteen teams remain in the NCAA baseball tournament, with plenty of high-end talent remaining in contention.
Players will have the chance to become household names in the coming weeks, looking to make one last impression before the 2025 MLB Draft on July 13.
REQUIRED READING: College baseball tournament super regionals: Ranking the 16 teams left in the field
The 2025 class is loaded with college pitchers near the top of the best available board, with LSU's Kade Anderson, Florida State's Jamie Arnold and Tennessee's Liam Doyle all vying for a CWS berth. Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette is also among the top projected players in the class, with the 6-foot-5 slugger hoping to lead the Beavers back to the CWS.
MLB Pipelines' top two prospects are Stillwater High School's Ethan Holliday, the son of Matt Holliday and brother of former No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday, and right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez, who attends Corona High School in California.
Here's a look at the top MLB draft prospects remaining as college baseball prepares for super regional action:
Top MLB draft prospects in super regionals
Note: This section only includes college players eligible for the MLB draft that are still alive in the NCAA tournament.
1. LHP Kade Anderson, LSU
One of a trio of college left-handed pitchers available in 2025, LSU ace Kade Anderson ranks second nationally in strikeouts (156) and fifth in innings pitched (96) this season.
The draft-eligible sophomore has a wide arsenal and limits walks, making him a seemingly polished option for MLB teams. Anderson tossed seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts in his lone Baton Rouge Regional outing and will look to continue his hot streak against West Virginia in the super regionals.
2. LHP Liam Doyle, Tennessee
Tennessee left-hander Liam Doyle burst onto the scene as perhaps the best pitcher in college baseball this season after transferring from Ole Miss.
Doyle finished the 2024 season with a 5.73 ERA. One of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award this season, Doyle took his game to a new level with the Vols, with 158 strikeouts in 92 innings heading into super regionals, along with a 2.84 ERA.
The SEC Pitcher of the Year in 2025, Doyle will be near the top of the draft boards, alongside Anderson and Jamie Arnold. His best offering is his fastball, which is a 70-grade pitch, according to MLB Pipeline.
3. LHP Jamie Arnold, Florida State
Florida State's Jamie Arnold opened the 2025 season as the top-ranked college pitcher, and hasn't done much to change that sentiment with the MLB draft just over a month away.
Arnold hasn't been quite as good as he was in 2024 when he finished the season with a 2.98 ERA in 105 2/3 innings, but he has still been one of the top arms in the country. Arnold has a 3.12 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 78 innings this season.
Arnold, Anderson and Doyle are all expected to be drafted around the same range of picks, with team preference likely being the differentiating factor between each left-hander pitcher.
4. SS Aiva Arquette, Oregon State
The top-ranked college position player in 2025, Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette could hear his name called early on due to his unique profile.
Arquette stands 6-foot-5 but could potentially stick at shortstop at the pro level. His bat is his top attraction, though, as he's hitting .352 this season with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs for No. 8 Oregon State.
The former Washington transfer was drafted in the 18th round out of high school by the Arizona Diamondbacks, which shows he has been on MLB draft radars for a few years now. Arquette is one of the best athletes in the 2025 MLB Draft and could development into a true five-tool player one day.
5. 2B Gavin Kilen, Tennessee
Tennessee infielder Gavin Kilen transferred to the Vols from Louisville ahead of the 2025 season, and established himself as one of the best hitters in the SEC.
Kilen projects as a contact-over-power hitter as a professional, although he slugged 15 home runs in 2025, six more than his 2024 mark at Louisville. Kilen batted .363 with a .686 slugging percentage in the SEC, which is a feat in itself.
Kilen was selected in the 13th round by the Boston Red Sox in the 2022 MLB Draft out of high school, with MLB Pipeline projecting him as a high-floor player that can field and hit for average one day.
6. OF Brendan Summerhill, Arizona
Brendan Summerhill stands 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, but hasn't shown a ton of power in the college ranks yet. However, he supplements that with a knack to get on base (.492 OBP in 2025) and strong contact numbers (.370 batting average this season).
Summerhill can run and field and could grow into more power with a few tweaks at the next level, although he was already one of the best players in the Cape Cod Summer League prior to the 2025 season.
MLB Pipeline compares Summerhill to Jake McCarthy, who has turned into a valuable outfielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
7. C Luke Stevenson, North Carolina
Luke Stevenson likely could've gone in the top five rounds as a high schooler in 2023, but he opted to attend school at North Carolina.
Stevenson is now the consensus top-ranked catcher in the 2025 MLB Draft class and hit for lots of power in 2025. The draft-eligible sophomore hit .254/.422/.555 this season with 18 home runs, and also boasts a strong arm from behind home plate.
He adds little-to-no value on the basepaths and will need to cut down on his chase rate in future seasons, however.
8. OF/C Ike Irish, Auburn
Ike Irish was a phenomenal hitter in the SEC this season, batting .362 with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs with a whopping .700 slugging percentage.
Irish fractured his scapula in March, mostly limiting him to playing in the outfield instead of catcher, his natural position. MLB Pipeline projects Irish to potential develop into an average defender at catcher, but could also stick in a corner outfield spot at the professional level.
9. SS Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas
The SEC Player of the Year in 2025, Aloy is also a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is essentially the Heisman Trophy of college baseball.
The 6-foot-2 shortstop started his career at Sacramento State in 2022 before transferring to Arkansas, where he developed into one of the top players in college baseball. Aloy is hitting .355 this season with 20 home runs and 64 RBIs, facing some of the nation's top pitchers in the SEC.
Aloy has impressive raw power for a middle infielder, and he has the tools to stay at shortstop going forward.
10. 1B/3B Andrew Fischer, Tennessee
Another first-year transfer from Ole Miss, Andrew Fischer joined Liam Doyle at Tennessee for the 2025 season.
Fischer was an All-SEC second team selection in 2024 with the Rebels after slugging 20 home runs, and followed up that season with a .343 batting average and 24 home runs with the Vols this season. Fischer has mostly played first base this season after starting most of his games at third base at Ole Miss.
Fischer can really hit but is going to have to provide a lot of value at the plate to find a role in the MLB. Still, his batting numbers speak to themselves, and he's expected to be a fringe first-round pick in 2025.