Marlins go big in MLB Draft, select 6-5 shortstop from Oregon State with No. 7 overall pick
So much so, that the day after last Christmas, one of their scouts cut his vacation short to go see the Oregon State University shortstop at his home in Kailua, Hawai'i.
Arquette was a priority, and Sunday night, the Marlins made the 21-year-old their first selection — the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
'Very excited right now because we just drafted the best college position player in the draft,' Marlins' president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said on a Zoom video call with reporters after the pick.
Arquette (6-5, 220 pounds() is ranked the No. 5 overall prospect by Baseball America and the No. 6 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline.
He was selected by Arizona in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of high school.
After two seasons at the University of Washington, he transferred to Oregon State and delivered a breakout junior year — batting .354 (90 for 254) with career highs in runs (73), doubles (17), home runs (19), and RBI (66) — to help the Beavers reach the College World Series.
The right-handed hitter also posted a career-best 16.5 strikeout rate (15 in 310 plate appearances) while recording a 12.6 walk rate (39 in 310 plate appearances).
'He's a guy who can do a lot of different things — somebody that really is exactly what we were looking for and hoping for in this draft,' Bendix noted.
The Marlins had three remaining picks in the first three rounds Sunday — numbers 43, 46 and 78 — before Rounds 4 through 20 on Monday.
As for Arquette, 'This is a player we're extremely excited about that has both performance presently in college and upside,' said Marlins' director of amateur scouting Frankie Piliere, who spoke after Bendix. 'This is going to present a lot of fun opportunities for the Marlins. All of us here just couldn't be more thrilled. I'll echo what Peter said. Our scouting staff did an unbelievable job on this player.'
Wearing a vibrant lei around his neck, a smiling Arquette said he celebrated the draft with close friends and family at his home in Hawai'i.
'We're all grateful to be drafted by the Marlins,' he said during a Zoom video call with team media. 'I'm just so excited to get my career started.'
Arquette grew up playing football and basketball as well as baseball, and that shows in his athleticism. He said his favorite player growing up was Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith. Arquette is seven inches taller than Smith, but he moves with much more fluidity than expected from a player of his height. And the Marlins aren't looking to move him to another position.
'Where he ends up ultimately, we'll see, but we're drafting him as a shortstop,' said Piliere, adding that Arquette's combination of 'physicality' and 'athleticism' is especially impressive. 'That's a rare combo, and I'll probably end up saying that a lot over the next few days, a few weeks here, but it's rare, and that's why we're so excited.'
Said Arquette: 'I'm just excited to get to work, to continue playing the game I love, and just continue my development.'
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