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Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top Vanderbilt baseball prospects to know for 2025 MLB Draft
Vanderbilt baseball has several players likely to be selected in the 2025 MLB Draft. The Commodores have had at least four players selected in every draft since 2004. In 2024, Vanderbilt did not have a first-round pick for the first time since 2018 but had seven players selected overall, including six in the top 10 rounds. Vanderbilt is likely to see 4-6 players selected from the 2025 roster. Several incoming high school signees could be selected as well. Here are the top names with Commodores ties to watch for: Top Vanderbilt baseball prospects for 2025 MLB Draft LHP JD Thompson MLB Pipeline rank: No. 66 Thompson was seen as a likely second-round pick entering the season and his stock remained there as he put up similar numbers to 2024, albeit this time in a Friday night role. In three seasons with the Commodores, Thompson put up a 4.28 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 164 career innings. In 2025, he tied for seventh nationally with 122 strikeouts. Thompson's fastball, which gets up to 96 mph, is his best pitch, and he's an above-average strike-thrower as well. Most believe Thompson lands in the second round, the same range where teammates Bryce Cunningham and Carter Holton went a year ago. OF RJ Austin MLB Pipeline rank: No. 112 After a strong sophomore season that saw him hit .335 while leading the SEC in stolen bases, Austin regressed in his junior year to numbers more similar to what he put up as a freshman. He hit .257 with just two home runs. The good news is that he proved he can play center field, even winning the Rawlings Gold Glove award in his first year at the position. Although that has hurt Austin's draft stock, most believe that Austin's athleticism and defensive ability will get him selected in the fourth or fifth round. RHP Cody Bowker MLB Pipeline rank: No. 187 Bowker's stock is a bit polarizing, as some analysts see him as worthy of a top-five round pick, while others think he belongs in the back half of the top 10 rounds. After transferring from Georgetown, Bowker had a successful season in Vanderbilt's rotation. He took every turn in the rotation and had a 4.38 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 72 innings. His fastball is his best pitch, getting up to 95 mph from a low arm slot. But he had trouble going deep into games, as he completed five innings in just five of his 16 starts. RHP Sawyer Hawks MLB Pipeline rank: No. 225 Hawks is an under-the-radar prospect despite receiving multiple All-American nods after a season in which he had a 1.60 ERA, a 4-0 record and eight saves in 18 appearances, with a 59-11 strikeout to walk ratio. After transferring from Air Force, then missing most of 2024 with injury, Hawks remade his pitch mix in 2025 to include a fastball, slider and changeup along with his curve. He likely fits in rounds 6-10. 1B Riley Nelson MLB Pipeline rank: Unranked Nelson has a decision to make, as there will certainly be pro teams interested in him, but will they be interested enough to buy him out of a senior year? Nelson was Vanderbilt's best hitter in 2025, hitting .344 with a 34:36 walk-to-strikeout ratio, and he performed just as well in SEC play. But he doesn't have big power (eight home runs) and MLB teams often shy away from first basemen without double-digit homers. ROSTER RESET What Tim Corbin's 2026 Vanderbilt baseball roster looks like before MLB draft, after transfer portal deadline Top 2025 MLB Draft prospects among Vanderbilt baseball signees RHP Seth Hernandez MLB Pipeline rank: No. 3 Hernandez, a pitcher whose fastball touches 98 mph, is seen by some as a top-five talent and by others as a mid-first rounder. Either way, Hernandez won't make it to campus, barring an unexpected development. OF Slater de Brun MLB Pipeline rank: No. 24 de Brun is a 5-foot-9 center fielder who projects as a leadoff profile. He's a spark plug type that Vanderbilt has traditionally loved, but the pros love him too, and he's seen as a likely first-round pick. If he does go in the first round, he won't make it to campus. OF Sean Gamble MLB Pipeline rank: No. 27 Gamble is already 19 and is seen as being less polished than some of the other top high-school prospects, so he has a lower draft stock than de Brun and thus more likelihood of going to school. However, some still view Gamble as a first-round pick. SS Cooper Flemming MLB Pipeline rank: No. 82 Through most of the spring, Flemming has been viewed as likely to go to school, but he's risen late up draft boards with some even believing he could go in the first round. He's a 6-3, left-handed hitting shortstop, but he needs to add weight to become the best version of himself. LHP Talon Haley MLB Pipeline rank: No. 91 Haley is a polished left-hander with a low-90s fastball and a good curveball, but he is one of the oldest high-school prospects in the class and has an extreme injury history. He's a second- or third-rounder on talent, but age and concerns about the medicals could lead teams to shy away. Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@ or on X @aria_gerson. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt baseball MLB Draft prospects to know for 2025
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brewers Add Tantalizing Trio of Pitchers To Finish Day 1 of MLB Draft
Brewers Add Tantalizing Trio of Pitchers To Finish Day 1 of MLB Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Milwaukee Brewers have a reputation around the league for their ability to develop pitching. When they select pitchers, the rest of the league has to pay attention because it won't be long until those pitchers start causing them headaches. Advertisement After starting off their Draft class with a pair of left handed hitters, the Brewers have now gone back-to-back left handed pitchers in the 2nd round with the 59th and 68th overall selections. They took Vanderbilt lefty J.D. Thompson at 59 overall and then New Jersey prep lefty Frank Cairone at 68 overall. Vanderbilt pitcher J.D. Thompson (22) throws to a Wright State batter during the first inning of the Nashville Regional NCAA Baseball Tournament game at Hawkins Field Friday, May 30, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Brewers select J.D. Thompson, LHP, Vanderbilt The Brewers are known for developing big league pitching and the Vanderbilt Commodores have a similar reputation for pitching at the college ranks. They've been a powerhouse for years. Thompson didn't put up the gaudiest numbers with his ERA at 4.00, but he did strike out 122 batters in 90 IP this season. Advertisement Thompson ranked 66th on MLB Pipeline and 61st on Baseball America. He's a more polished arm with a frame that's mostly filled out and good command. His pitch metrics do stand out, as they usually do for Brewers picks, with elite induced vertical break numbers. Even though his fastball doesn't have big velocity, sitting low 90s and reaching mid-90s, he generates a ton of swing and miss. It's a four pitch mix for Thompson and he should be a solid rotation arm. The changeup is his best secondary. He doesn't have ace upside, but the Brewers will find a way to maximize his ability. He has the traits they feel they can develop. Thompson is likely going to sign at slot value or maybe even a little below as a college arm. He's a safer pitching selection ahead of the high risk pitching pick... Brewers select Frank Cairone, LHP, Delsea Regional (NJ) HS The Brewers got the 68th overall pick this year because they were not able to sign New Jersey prep pitcher Chris Levonas in last year's Draft. So what did they do with their compensation pick? They drafted another New Jersey prep pitcher with lefty Frank Cairone. Advertisement Cairone is committed to Coastal Carolina and has the elite pitch metrics the Brewers absolutely love to target. Cairone's spin rates routinely reach 3,000 RPM and he's so good at it, he's been dubbed the "spin king" by evaluators. It's easy projection here with Cairone phsyically. His changeup will need some work, but the fastball-slider combination is elite. To stick as a starter, he'll need that third pitch. The Brewers have the ability to help him develop it. This is the type of high upside play the Brewers like to make in these later rounds on Day 1. They'll likely have to go over-slot here to sign Cairone away from his Coastal Carolina commitment. Hopefully for the Brewers sake, signing Cairone will go much easier than trying to sign Levonas went last year. Advertisement Brewers select Jacob Morrison, RHP, Coastal Carolina The Brewers go back to the Coastal Carolina well. After taking one of their top high school recruits, now the Crew selects one of their best arms from this year's CWS Finals team in Jacob Morrison. Milwaukee loves size with their pitchers and Morrison has size to spare. Standing at 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, Morrison is an intimidating presence on the mound. Morrison had Tommy John surgery already, missing the entire 2024 season. He has a high floor as a starting pitcher with a four pitch mix. He has the frame to hold up as a starter and command is not really a concern. He had just a 5.4% BB rate this season. Advertisement Morrison had a 2.42 ERA in 107.2 IP with 104 Ks and just 23 BBs. He gets a lot of extension down the mound with his big frame that allows his fastball to play up despite being mostly low-mid 90s. The Brewers started their draft with a pair of hitters, and they finish the first night with three pitchers. Day 2 of the Draft is Monday with rounds 4-20. Related: Brewers Draft Intriguing Shortstop with Willy Adames Compensation This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
7 Vanderbilt Commodores picked in 2025 MLB Draft
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Seven Vanderbilt Commodores were selected in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Three of them were selected on Sunday night, which featured the first four rounds, and four more were taken on Monday, which consisted of the fifth round through the 20th and final round. Advertisement RELATED | Tennessee sets record with four Vols selected in MLB Draft first round It's the fifth consecutive MLB Draft that at least six Vanderbilt players have been selected. The program has had multiple players selected in every draft since 2004. Here's which Commodores were drafted and what organization they'll be representing: LHP JD Thompson, Milwaukee Brewers – Round 2, Pick 59 UTL RJ Austin, Baltimore Orioles – Round 3, Pick 93 RHP Cody Bowker, Philadelphia Phillies – Round 3, Pick 100 INF Riley Nelson, Cleveland Guardians – Round 5, Pick 162 RHP Sawyer Hawks, Arizona Diamondbacks – Round 6, Pick 183 LHP Levi Huesman, Washington Nationals – Round 16, Pick 471 INF Jonathan Vastine, San Diego Padres – Round 19, Pick 580 Vanderbilt's ace in 2025 in Thompson was the first Commodore off the board in the draft after tossing 219 strikeouts to just 61 walks in 164 innings over three seasons in Nashville. Austin's selection in the third round comes after he became the fifth Vanderbilt player to win a Gold Glove. Dominant in centerfield in 2025, he saved nearly 10 defensive runs while adding 14 home runs, 139 RBI, 54 stolen bases and 134 runs scored on offense. Advertisement Bowker was off the board to Philadelphia just seven picks later. He threw 99 strikeouts in 72 innings for Vanderbilt in 2025. Cleveland selected Nelson in the fifth round after he led the Commodores with a .344 batting average while adding eight home runs, 47 RBI and 13 doubles. Hawks is heading to the Diamonbacks organization after a 4-0 record and six saves in 2025 with a 1.6 ERA in 18 games, holding hitters to a .167 batting average with 59 strikeouts and 11 walks. He finished with several conference and national honors. ⏩ Read today's top stories on The Washington Nationals took Huesman in the 16th round. In 2025, he made 18 appearances, finsihing with a 2.81 ERA, 20 strikeouts, four walks and held opponents to a .228 batting average with five runs over 16 innings. Advertisement Vastine was the final Commodore selected in the draft, heading to the San Diego Padres organization. He played in over 200 games for Vanderbilt and finished with a .279 batting average, 24 home runs, five triples, 44 doubles and 117 RBI. On defense, he finished with a .970 career fielding average with 18 errors over four seasons. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tracking Vanderbilt baseball players, signees picked in 2025 MLB Draft
Vanderbilt baseball figures to have several players selected in the 2025 MLB Draft, along with likely multiple high school signees who will be picked. At least four Commodores have been selected in every draft since 2004, and the program's 151 total draft picks over the past 20 years are the most of any college program. Advertisement Vanderbilt's top draft prospects are JD Thompson and RJ Austin. Other players who could get selected include Cody Bowker, Sawyer Hawks, Riley Nelson and Levi Huesman. Players selected in the top 10 rounds are highly likely to sign with the teams that drafted them, while those drafted outside the top 10 rounds sometimes choose not to sign. The 2025 MLB Draft will be 20 rounds held over two days, down from the three days it has typically occupied. Day 1 on July 13 (5 p.m. CT, ESPN and MLB Network) consists of the first three rounds, while rounds 4-20 will take place July 14 (10:30 a.m. CT, Top prospects Top Vanderbilt baseball prospects to know for 2025 MLB Draft Advertisement Here are all the Vanderbilt players and signees selected. This story will be updated. Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@ or on X @aria_gerson. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt baseball: Tracking Commodores players, signees in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Post
31-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Riley Nelson hits go-ahead homer in 7th, top national seed Vanderbilt avoids upset against Wright St
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Riley Nelson hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, JD Thompson struck out 12 in eight innings and No. 1 national seed Vanderbilt completed its fifth straight come-from-behind victory at home with a 4-3 victory over Wright State on Friday in the Nashville Regional. Vanderbilt used three late home runs to avoid becoming the first national No. 1 seed to lose a regional opener since the tournament went to its current format in 1999. The top-seeded teams are now 26-0 in openers.
