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Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees predicted to bring power-hitting young catcher to New York
The New York Yankees have a lot of catching options already. In fact, the organization has become something of a catcher factory the last few years. New York has Austin Wells, J.C. Escarra, and Ben Rice on what's suddenly become a crowded depth chart. They've also lost Luis Torrens, Jose Trevino, Ben Rortvedt, Carlos Narváez, Gary Sanchez, and Kyle Higashioka to decent roles with other organizations. One might think the Yankees taking a catcher with their first draft pick this summer would be a foolish move, but in Major League Baseball, you don't draft on need. Prospects can become anything during their time in the minors, and if the Yankees see a catcher they think can be a game-changer, they'll grab him. One ESPN draft analyst believes they'll do just that. In a recent mock draft, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel predicted that the Yankees would select Hauppauge H.S. (NY) catcher Michael Oliveto with the 39th overall pick in the Jul. 13 amateur draft. "Oliveto is a local pick who played high school ball on Long Island and a late riser. Nobody in baseball knew his name until a standout event last fall, but he ended up choosing Yale over some blue-blood programs," McDaniel wrote. Follow The Sporting News On WhatsApp "He didn't face much top-end competition this spring, but a handful of teams saw a pretty swing with 65-grade power, which Oliveto put on display at the combine... Who was the last lefty-hitting high schooler from a cold weather state with that sort of profile who went around here in the draft? Jackson Merrill." Oliveto has a sweet left-handed swing, and at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, he's got a good frame with more filling out to do. All of the Yankees' current catchers bat lefty, so they clearly have a type. With only 11 days until the draft, we'll soon find out if the Yankees' thinking matches McDaniel's.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Breaking down every Detroit Tigers pick in Rounds 4-20 of 2025 MLB Draft
The 2025 MLB Draft continued from Atlanta on Monday, July 14, with Day 2 and Rounds 4-20. The Detroit Tigers had four picks throughout three rounds on Sunday, July 13, on Day 1. They selected high school shortstop Jordan Yost in the first round, high school catcher Michael Oliveto in Competitive Balance Round A, Oklahoma right-hander Malachi Witherspoon in the second round and Arizona State left-hander Ben Jacobs in the third round. Advertisement The Tigers had 17 more picks Monday to add to their organizational depth. They picked immediately following the Kansas City Royals and before the San Diego Padres in every round after Round 5. DAY 1: Why Tigers took some risky picks early in 2025 MLB Draft This is the third draft for Detroit president of baseball operations Scott Harris. Over the past two years on Day 2 of the draft, Harris has picked 20 pitchers, one second baseman, two third basemen, three catchers, one outfielder and five shortstops. Buy our book: The Epic History of the Tigers Here is a recap about all the players the Tigers took in Rounds 4-20: Advertisement Maine LHP Caleb Leys Caleb Leys allowed just one hit as Middletown clinched its first championship with a 10-0 win over Burrillville in 2021. Age: 22. Vitals: 6 feet 1, 190 pounds. Bats/throws: Left. Drafted: Fourth round (No. 129 overall). The buzz: Leys just finished his redshirt junior year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024. The Middletown, Rhode Island, native came back stronger than ever, dropping his ERA from 4.94 his sophomore year to 2.69 in 2025. He started 14 games with a 5-2 record. Over 67 innings pitched, he allowed 20 earned runs and walked 27 batters, halving his career walk rate. Sam Dykstra listed Leys as the best draft prospect out of Maine, writing he can reach 96 mph on his fastball while pairing it with a low-80s slider and changeup. Leys was named the American East Pitcher of the Year in 2025. He played quarterback at Middletown High. Advertisement North Gwinnett High School (Georgia) RHP Ryan Hall Age: 18. Vitals: 6-1, 175. Bats/throws: Right. Drafted: Fifth round (No. 159 overall). The buzz: A Georgia Tech commit, the teenage righty is the No. 17 prospect out of Georgia, according to Perfect Game. He comes out of North Gwinnett High, the same school that produced Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon. Hall also played quarterback at North Gwinnett. Hall's fastball — one of his strengths — touches 92-93 mph. His other strong suit is his low-80s slider. Hall marks the fourth straight pitcher the Tigers have taken in the 2025 draft. Advertisement Oregon LHP Grayson Grinsell Oregon pitcher Grayson Grinsell throws a pitch during the first inning against Texas A&M at Olsen Field, Blue Bell Park, June 9, 2024 in College Station, Texas. Age: 21. Vitals: 6-1, 195. Bats/throws: Left. Drafted: Sixth round (No. 189 overall). The buzz: A Reno native who plays at Oregon, Grinsell is a lefty whose diverse pitches, rather than any one pitch, make him dangerous. MLB ranked him the No. 190 prospect with his topped-out 92 mph fastball and his 80 mph changeup. His fastball is his most dangerous as it is an 'invisible' fastball. Hitters struggle to see it 'for two reasons: the impressive extension he gets when throwing the pitch so it gets on hitters in a hurry and the feel he has for his outstanding changeup,' according to MLB. Grinsell didn't struggle with the move to the Big Ten this year, garnering Big Ten Pitcher of the Year nominations as the Ducks' Friday night starter and posting a 3.01 ERA. He had 101 strikeouts over 98⅔ innings pitched in 2025. He needs to add more of his breaking balls into his pitch mix, but has the mechanics and the talent to become a full-time pitcher in the MLB. Advertisement Northern Oklahoma College-Enid RHP Cale Wetwiska Age: 20. Vitals: 6-2, 205. Bats/throws: Right/right. Drafted: Seventh round (No. 219 overall). The buzz: JuCo players are eligible to be drafted at any time, which is how Wetwiska was picked as a 20-year-old entering his junior year. Wetwiska is a two-way player out of Northern Oklahoma College-Enid, a junior college that has yet to produce an MLB player. Wetwiska smashed 18 home runs over 290 plate appearances with the Jets, but the Tigers may be more interested in him as a pitcher. Wetwiska went 7-1 with a 3.54 ERA in his sophomore season with the Jets, striking out more than 10 batters per nine inning and pitching two complete games in 13 starts. Advertisement Cal Baptist OF Nicholas Dumesnil Age: 21. Vitals: 6-2, 210. Bats/throws: Right. Drafted: Eighth round (No. 249 overall). The buzz: Dumensil comes out of Cal Baptist with monstrous hitting numbers. In his three seasons out of the WAC program, Dumensil slashed .358/.438/.6.32 with 29 home runs and 105 RBIs over 599 plate appearances, helping lift the Lancers to the conference's best record in 2024. This year, he led the team in 10 offensive categories, including average (.360), runs (53) and a 1.041 OPS with 57 RBIs. He was named 2025 WAC Player of the Year. He played primarily as a center fielder, but got time at all three outfield positions in college. He also played all three outfield positions during his stint in the Cape Cod summer league last summer with the Brewster Whitecaps. Advertisement St. John Bosco HS (California) LHP Trevor Heishman Age: 21. Vitals: 6-4, 225. Bats/throws: Right/left. Drafted: Ninth round (No. 279 overall). The buzz: Heishman was a top pitcher for the perennial powerhouse St. John Bosco team out of Bellflower, California, which won the 2025 CIF-SS Division 1 title in 2025 and was ranked No. 3 in the nation by MaxPreps. The big lefty stands 6 feet 4, 225 pounds, with a fastball that hit 91 mph at a recent showcase. The 18-year-old has committed to the University of Memphis and was ranked the 6th best lefty in California by Perfect Game. UCF C Edian Espinal UCF second baseman Edian Espinal celebrates after hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning of Tuesday's win over Florida. Age: 20. Advertisement Vitals: 5-8, 205. Bats/throws: S/Right. Drafted: 10th round (No. 309 overall). The buzz: The smallest player taken by the Tigers so far, Espinal is a switch-hitter out of Canovanas, Puerto Rico and Viera, Florida. He spent two years at Chipola College before transferring to the University of Central Florida. The Tigers drafted Espinal as a catcher, but he's spent most of his time in the field as an infielder rather than behind the plate. In the last year with the Knights, he played 33 games at 2B and 13 as designated hitter. 'The Tigers are going to convert him to behind the plate,' MLB draft analyst Jonathan Mayo said on the broadcast. 'He's got the right body and arm action and the leadership skills you like to see from there. … He has a chance to be a pretty decent catcher.' Advertisement While teams may not have seen Espinal play catcher, they've certainly watched him hit. Espinal slashed .335/.434/.470 with 41 runs, 47 RBI and 4 home runs, significantly improving on his sophomore year at Chipola. He finished third on the team in OBP with .434 and had a 28-game reached base safely streak at one point this year. Espinal is not the first in his family to join the MLB. His older brother, Alan, played at Vanderbilt and is now a catcher in the Rockies' system. Sam Barlow HS (Oregon) RHP River Hamilton Age: 18. Vitals: 6-3, 195. Bats/throws: Right/right. Drafted: 11th round (No. 339 overall). Advertisement The buzz: The Tigers might be getting a steal in Hamilton, the 99th ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline. Perfect Game had him as the #8 RHP in the country and the 39th best prospect. However, the Tigers will have to pry him away from his LSU commitment and convince him to turn pro early, which may prove a difficult task. If they do, however, they'll be getting themselves very strong pitcher. Hamilton has a fastball that reaches the mid-90s and a slider that gets plenty of batters swinging on the 'tight breaking ball with traditional two-plane break,' per MLB Prospects. He also has solid command of his changeup. Murray State College RHP Cash Kuiper Age: 20. Advertisement Vitals: 6-3, 170. Bats/throws: Right/right. Drafted: 12th round (No. 369 overall). The buzz: Cash Kuiper is a 6-foot-4 righty who just finished his sophomore season at Murray State College in Oklahoma, not to be confused with Murray State University in Kentucky. He studies architecture there. The Choctaw, Oklahoma native pitched to an 8-3 record in his most recent season, putting up a 4.92 ERA over 79 innings pitched in 15 starts for the Aggies. Northeastern SS Jack Goodman Age: 21. Vitals: 6-0, 185. Bats/throws: Right/right. Drafted: 13th round (No. 399 overall). Advertisement The buzz: The fourth-year junior Goodman has spent his last two college seasons at Northeastern, where he slashed .335/.406/.547 in 234 plate appearances in 2025 for the CAA champion Huskies. Goodman finished third on the team in home runs (10) and RBIs (51) over 52 games. He's split his college career between shortstop and third base, though he played all 52 games in 2025 for Northeastern at shortstop. Loyola-Marymount 1B Beau Ankeney Age: 21. Vitals: 6-4, 235. Bats/throws: Right/right. Drafted: 14th round (No. 429 overall). The buzz: The 6-foot-4 righty played his most recent college season at Loyola Marymount, where he set the program's single-season home run record at 22 in 2025. He wasn't just a power threat, either, leading the team with a .358 batting average and finishing second on the team with a .453 on-base percentage. Advertisement The Arizona native started his career at Grand Canyon University before transferring to the Southern California school, helping the Lions finish second in the WCC standings. Ankeney joins his older brother, Eli, in the big leagues. Eli was drafted in the 20th round by the Mets in 2022. The two played together at GCU. Central Arkansas RHP Charlie Christensen Age: 21. Vitals: 6-4, 190. Bats/throws: Right/right. Drafted: 15th round (No. 459 overall). The buzz: Christensen has pitched his last three years at Central Arkansas before committing to transfer to Florida State for the 2026 season. The righty pitches out of a relatively low arm slot with a fastball that sits in the low-to-mid 90s. Advertisement Christensen was 11-14 in his three seasons at Central Arkansas, pitching to a 6.39 ERA over 202⅔ innings in 46 appearances for the Bears, 33 of those as a 16 Belmont RHP Joe Ruzicka Age: 21. Vitals: 6-3, 200. Bats/throws: Right/right. Drafted: 16th round (No. 489 overall). The buzz: Ruzicka has spent his last three seasons at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, putting up a 4.39 ERA over 203 innings in 43 starts with the Bruins. He held opposing Missouri Valley Conference batters to a .230 batting average in 2024, the second-lowest among all qualified pitchers in the MVC. Advertisement The 6-foot-3 righty was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and improved to a 6-4 record with a 3.56 ERA in his most recent season at Belmont. Central Florida RHP Joey Wimpelberg Age: 20. Vitals: 6-1, 200. Bats/throws: Right/right. Drafted: 17th round (No. 519 overall). The buzz: Wimpelberg spent his freshman year at the University of Central Florida and transferred to College of Central Florida at the start of his sophomore year. He's played just three games combined over his college career: one at UCF and two at CCF. In his two games at CCF, he threw 12 strikeouts in five innings. Wimpelberg is a native of Winter Springs, Florida. Advertisement Lone Jack (Missouri) HS LHP Ethan Rogers Age: 18. Vitals: 6-1, 180. Bats/throws: Left/Left. Drafted: 18th round (No. 549 overall). The buzz: Rogers is a lefty with a 91-92 mph fastball, topping out at 93 mph. His curveball is also strong, with Sports Illustrated writer Levi Payton describing it as a 'knee-buckling 12-6 curve." Rogers was a crucial part of the Lone Jack Mules' success this year, going 8-1 on the mound with just a 0.53 ERA. He allowed only four earned runs across the entire season, and walked 33 batters in 52.2 innings pitched, striking out 118. He also batted .500 with a 1.169 OPS. Advertisement Rogers is committed to Wichita State. Perfect Game ranked him as the 33rd best LHP in the class and the second-best in Missouri. Gaston Christian HS (NC) SS Meridian Leffew Age: 18. Vitals: 6-2, 187. Bats/throws: Right/Right. Drafted: 19th round (No. 579 overall). The buzz: Leffew is a solidly-built shortstop with a good arm and strong athleticism. Perfect Game rated him a 9.5, indicating they believed he could go in the top-10 rounds. He was rated as the No. 3 shortstop in North Carolina and the 293rd best prospect by Perfect Game. Leffew has raw talent but a powerful swing that has good lift and solid barrel control. He was originally classified as a 2026 draft eligible, but reclassified to qualify for this year's draft class. Leffew is committed to UCF. Advertisement Alabama State OF Kameron Douglas Age: 21. Vitals: 6-5, 210. Bats/throws: Right/Right. Drafted: 20th round (No. 609 overall). The buzz: The last Tigers pick of the 2025 MLB Draft was Kameron Douglas, a right fielder and center fielder from Alabama State. Douglas spent two years at Georgia State before transferring to Alabama State for his junior year. In three years of collegiate play, the Woodstock, Georgia, native slashed .327/.410/.612 with 55 runs. He's also hit 17 home runs in his career; all of them came this past year at Alabama State. He had two home runs in three separate games. Advertisement While the Tigers drafted him as an outfielder, Douglas has been a two-way player for much of his collegiate career and is listed as a utility player by Alabama State. That has lessened over time, but he pitched 5⅓ innings this year, earning an 8.44 ERA. Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 500 player. Follow the Tigers all season long with the best coverage at Contact Matthew Auchincloss at mauchincloss@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers picks in MLB draft 2025: What to know on Day 2 players
