Four Florida baseball players invited to 2025 MLB draft combine

USA Today

5 hours ago

Four Florida baseball players invited to 2025 MLB draft combine
Florida right-handed pitcher Jake Clemente, left-handed pitcher Pierce Coppola, catcher Brody Donay and shortstop Colby Shelton accepted invites to the 2025 MLB draft combine this week.
The fifth annual combine "will take place from June 17-21 at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, for a third consecutive year," according to MLB. "The Combine will feature 322 Draft prospects, including 180 collegiate players and 142 high school athletes, as well as a decorated group of former Major League players and coaches, members of Club baseball operations departments, scouting directors and other Club personnel."
Shelton is the scout's favorite of the group. The junior shortstop improved his decision-making at the plate a ton this year, albeit at the expense of his power stroke. Still, scouts are going to be high on him if he flashes the kind of exit velocities they want to see.
Donay has the kind of raw power that warrants a closer look, and Coppola has always had the stuff and projectable frame to turn heads. The former has consistency questions after struggling against higher-level arms, and the latter has been injured more than he's been healthy while at Florida.
Clemente is perhaps the most interesting prospect of the four. He made a name for himself on the Cape last summer, but the numbers didn't translate as Florida's third starter. A move to the bullpen suited Clemente perfectly, and he became a three-inning guy to close out big games.
What makes Clemente so interesting isn't the mid-to-high 90s fastball or wipeout slider; it is the fact that he is a redshirt sophomore and has two years of eligibility left. With plenty of leverage in negotiations, Clemente can find out where teams value him and how to move up if it's not where he wants it. It's the same thing Shelton did last year, and it gives the player a direct line to MLB scouts and front offices.
Shelton attended the combine a year ago as a draft-eligible sophomore, alongside right-hander Brandon Neely, who went in the third round. In 2023, the eventual fourth overall pick, outfielder Wyatt Langford, shortstop Josh Rivera and right-hander Brandon Sproat attended. Both Rivera and Sproat heard their names called in the third round. First-rounder Sterlin Thompson was the only Gator at the 2022 event.
MLB Draft Combine Schedule
The 2025 MLB draft presented by Nike is planned for July 13-14 during All-Star Week in Atlanta. The draft will feature 20 rounds across the two days. The opening night of the draft, which will feature 105 picks in total, will include the first three rounds, compensatory rounds, competitive balance rounds and prospect promotion incentive rounds at the Coca-Cola Roxy in The Battery Atlanta.
Players will do on-field workouts from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET on the first day. Some of that action will air on the MLB Network, and the high schoolers will play a non-televised game in the evening. Workouts are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET on Day 2, and the final day of the combine is strength and conditioning from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
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