Talk Sox 2025 MLB Mock Draft 1.0: Red Sox Snag College Bat and Arm in First Round

[Jamie Cameron]

It’s mock draft season! Over the next two weeks in the buildup to the draft, we’ll be rolling out at least two mock drafts, covering the first round and the first batch of competitive-balance picks. For each of these, we’re doing our best to read the tea leaves and make picks based on the talent available at a particular slot, and considering each organization's drafting tendencies. Feel free to jump into the comments with disagreements and other preferred picks.

1. Nationals: Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
All the buzz here seems to be between Anderson and Ethan Holliday. If the LSU southpaw doesn’t go number one, surely, he won’t get past three.

2. Angels: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
Fast-moving college players is the Angels' trend until it isn’t, and we'll project them to take such players until they don't.

3. Mariners: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
Arnold is a quality arm for a system that’s become bat-dominant. The Mariners are outstanding at developing arms.

4. Rockies: Ethan Holliday, SS, Stillwater HS, OK
This appears to be the floor for Holliday. The organization for which his dad became a household name won't let him slide any further.

5. Cardinals: JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis HS, MS
If the board unfolds like this, the Cardinals will get their pick of a strong cluster of prep shortstops. Parker has a chance to be the best offensive profile of the bunch.

6. Pirates: Eli Willits, SS, Fort-Cobb Broxton HS, OK
Willits has been steady on boards all spring. This would be a good get at six overall. (And yes, he's the son of former big-league outfielder Reggie Willits.)

7. Marlins: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS, CA
The Marlins would be thrilled to have Hernandez here. They have consistently developed pitching talent well.

8. Blue Jays: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona HS, CA
The Blue Jays are in an interesting spot. There are plenty of good options here. It would be hard to pass on Aiva Arquette, the consensus top college bat available. Toronto has been linked heavily to the prep shortstop group, though. Carlson is the best defensive shortstop in the draft. There’s potential for good impact with the bat, too.

9. Reds: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
Arquette is currently ranked sixth, by consensus. The Reds would be thrilled with this outcome. He’s a physical hitter who should be able to move relatively quickly, despite some refinement needed in the hit tool.

10. White Sox: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma
Witherspoon is the consensus college starting pitcher number four. He shouldn’t last long outside the top 10, even if he slips past Chicago.

11. Athletics: Ike Irish, C, Auburn
The Athletics have found success with college bats recently (Jacob Wilson, Nick Kurtz), Irish is one of the strongest college hit/power combos in a class lacking them.

12. Rangers: Kayson Cunningham, Johnson HS, TX
Cunningham might have the best hit tool on the prep side (along with Parker), to go with plus speed.

13. Giants: Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest
Houston is shortstop 1-B to Billy Carlson’s 1-A. He’s a lock to stick at that spot, with a good approach and hit tool, despite (generously) fringy power.

14. Rays: Josh Hammond, SS, Wesleyan Academy, NC
Hammond is an outstanding athlete who made tremendous strides with the bat this spring.

15. Red Sox: Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee
Kilen ratcheted up the power with Tennessee, to go with the great hit tool. He should have plenty of suitors in the teens. There are a number of other college bats who could make sense here, including Brendan Summerhill and Wehiwa Aloy.

16. Twins: Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
The Twins are well-known for successfully developing mid-to-late college arms into viable MLB options. What if the starting ball of clay was more interesting? Bremner was a consensus top-five prospect coming into this season. It’s a metrically appealing fastball, an above-average slider, and a plus changeup. There’s work to do on the command, but he finished strong. The ceiling is a playoff-caliber starter.

17. Cubs: Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas
Wood’s surge this postseason is reminiscent of Cade Horton’s in 2022. Wood punctuated a strong stretch run with a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the College World Series. This is around his range. The Cubs system is bat-heavy, and Wood has an outlandish fastball shape on which to build.

18. Diamondbacks: Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville HS, AL
Hall has some of the best speed and athleticism in the entire class. This might be the low end of his range.

19. Orioles: Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas
The Orioles won’t be put off by the aggression in Aloy’s approach. This feels like the lower end of his range, but he’s a good fit in Baltimore.

20. Brewers: Gavin Fien, 3B, Great Oaks HS, CA
Fien is one of the least talked-about first-round prep profiles, and one of my favorites. He hit everything and everyone last summer. While his early spring was a little uneven, he turned it around down the stretch. He has a chance to be one of the better hit/power combos in this draft class. There’s a good chance he’s taken in the mid-teens. (No, he's not the son of ex-pitcher Casey Fien.)

21. Astros: Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest
The Astros love strong athletic traits. Conrad missed time due to injury but was mashing after transferring from Marist.

22. Braves: Riley Quick, RHP, Alabama
Quick is a good fit here for the Braves, who often lean toward arms in their usual late first-round range.

23. Royals: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS, OR
The Royals are a pitching organization, now. Schoolcraft has plenty of buzz here to land with them.

24. Tigers: Slater De Brun, OF, Summit HS, OR
Another steam pick here. De Brun is a table-setter type with good strength, outstanding speed and an excellent hit tool.

25. Padres: Brady Ebel, SS, Corona HS, CA
What’s the safest bet in the draft? That the Padres will take a prep player with their first pick. Ebel has a sweet left-handed swing with plenty of projection to grow into a solid hit/power combo. There’s a good defensive infield skill set at play here, too.

26. Phillies: Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon HS, WA
Neyens is another profile that has been less talked up this spring. It’s power to rival that of Ethan Holliday.

27. Guardians: Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona
Summerhill’s range likely starts in the teens. This feels low, and this is great value for the Guardians at 27.

Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks

28. Royals: Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS, GA
One of the smoothest defensive profiles at short in this class, but there’s legitimate offensive upside, too.

Compensation Picks
29. Diamondbacks: Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina
Bodine had a tremendous postseason. It’s a plus hit tool and outstanding receiving skills as a catcher.

30. Orioles: Jace Laviolette, OF, Texas A&M
The preseason consensus number-one player finds a home here. He feels like an ideal candidate for an organization with two or three picks in the top 40.f

31. Orioles: Sean Gamble, SS/OF, IMG Academy, FL
A left-handed hitting power/speed threat with the type of athleticism that could lend itself to the infield or outfield long-term.

32. Brewers: Andrew Fischer, 1B/3B, Tennessee
Fischer feels a little under-ranked to me. He has a patient approach, a track record with wooden bats, and just put up a .760 SLG in the SEC. This offensive profile will play anywhere. He’s a first round-caliber talent, and this represents good value. It would be a nice counterbalance to the Fien pick earlier in the round for the Brewers.

Competitive Balance Round A

33. Red Sox: Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville
The Red Sox brain trust has invested in their pitching infrastructure recently. Forbes is a high-octane arm who could develop into a monster with the right development behind him. It’s ace-caliber arm talent that’s a little rough around the edges.

34. Tigers: Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas
A ready-made diverse arsenal and a track record of performance in the SEC represent good value for a farm system stacked with talent.

35. Mariners: Cam Appenzeller, Glenwood HS, IL
The Mariners have money to spend in this draft. Appenzeller is one of the best prep pitchability arms in this draft class.

36. Twins: Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana
The Twins WILL get their bats in the first few rounds, and Taylor has been a tremendous college performer. It’s not a spectacular profile in terms of speed and defense but he mashes. He had a 169 wRC+ with 18 home runs in 2025. That was buoyed by a 19.3 BB% and a measly 11.2 K%. This is a fast-moving, high-floor college outfield bat.

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[TedYazPapiMookie]

To me drafting Gavin Kilen makes no sense.  We have an all-star quality 2B wasting time in the minors and we have far bigger needs at pitching.  Think about where our future weaknesses are!!

C - Narvaez in his first year doing well but no track record of success and Wong is a one-time wonder.  We need at least one catcher and we need for Narvaez to have sustainable success.

1B - Casas will be back and Toro has proven to be an excellent reserve corner infielder

2B - Campbell is in the process of dealing with his first adversity in baseball and is wasting his time in the Minors.  He will be a fixture in the offense going forward.  Story makes for an expensive reserve going forward because he can't put together a good enough season to have value to other teams.

SS - Mayer needs to prove he can field and then he'll be a fixture in Boston for years with Story being his back-up as well.

3B - Bregman needs to be extended if the team is to compete before 2030.  Toro is an excellent reserve at 3B as well.

OF - LF - Anthony is a fixture going forward, CF - Duran should be a fixture going forward, RF- Rafaela will be an annual platinum glove winner in RF going forward since it's an incredibly weak field in RF in the AL.  Refsnyder/Abreu can play the role of DH/4th OF. 

Other than catcher, there isn't a great need for hitters, the current ones simply need to develop their skills to their full potential.

PITCHING

As of today, we have Crochet as the ace.  Giolito and Dobbins look like they might be keepers for 2026.  Chapman should be a keeper for 2026 because the chances of replacing him with a comparable closer is very low.  Wilson and Weissert look like keeper relievers.  Beyond that we have question marks.

This draft has to be all about pitching not hitting.  We need college pitchers that will arrive quickly or simply unicorn HS pitchers who can hit 100 regularly.  

Anderson and Doyle should be gone by the 15th pick.  Hernandez a HS unicorn will probably be gone too.  Jamie Arnold would be excellent but he's not likely to be there.  Tyler Bremner could fall to 15 so it's likely he will be one of the best SPs available at 15.  The challenging part about college pitchers is that a high-profile performance at the CWS can jump a guy far more than he deserves to jump.  That's why when a Cade Anderson or Liam Doyle come out of nowhere and leap to the top of the list you ask yourself is he a smart pick over the more consistent performers over time like Jamie Arnold or Tyler Bremner.  Frankly, if Arnold or Bremner are available, I would take them, but I don't think they will be.

So that means a unicorn HS pitcher or a guy who was incredible last year and has dropped significantly like Montgomery last year.  Jace Laviolette led the rankings for most of the off season and preseason leading up to this draft and now he's at 19 in the recent mock drafts on BA.  He may be the lone exception to drafting college SPs or unicorn HS SPs with the 15th pick.

Unicorn SP/SS in HS that should be available at 15 include Jack Bauer, Josh Hammond, Quentin Young and Steele Hall.  All have very high ceilings but will take longer to develop than college SPs.

Lastly, since catcher is a bit of an IFFY position without Teel, if Narvaez pulls a Wong and is also a one-year wonder, we will still need a more permanent solution at Catcher.  I believe Owen Jenkins may have the best upside, but nobody jumps out as a stud, so we really need Narvaez to be the catcher of the future for Boston.

[TedYazPapiMookie]

On 7/2/2025 at 2:57 PM, TedYazPapiMookie said:

To me drafting Gavin Kilen makes no sense.  We have an all-star quality 2B wasting time in the minors and we have far bigger needs at pitching.  Think about where our future weaknesses are!!

C - Narvaez in his first year doing well but no track record of success and Wong is a one-time wonder.  We need at least one catcher and we need for Narvaez to have sustainable success.

1B - Casas will be back and Toro has proven to be an excellent reserve corner infielder

2B - Campbell is in the process of dealing with his first adversity in baseball and is wasting his time in the Minors.  He will be a fixture in the offense going forward.  Story makes for an expensive reserve going forward because he can't put together a good enough season to have value to other teams.

SS - Mayer needs to prove he can field and then he'll be a fixture in Boston for years with Story being his back-up as well.

3B - Bregman needs to be extended if the team is to compete before 2030.  Toro is an excellent reserve at 3B as well.

OF - LF - Anthony is a fixture going forward, CF - Duran should be a fixture going forward, RF- Rafaela will be an annual platinum glove winner in RF going forward since it's an incredibly weak field in RF in the AL.  Refsnyder/Abreu can play the role of DH/4th OF. 

Other than catcher, there isn't a great need for hitters, the current ones simply need to develop their skills to their full potential.

PITCHING

As of today, we have Crochet as the ace.  Giolito and Dobbins look like they might be keepers for 2026.  Chapman should be a keeper for 2026 because the chances of replacing him with a comparable closer is very low.  Wilson and Weissert look like keeper relievers.  Beyond that we have question marks.

This draft has to be all about pitching not hitting.  We need college pitchers that will arrive quickly or simply unicorn HS pitchers who can hit 100 regularly.  

Anderson and Doyle should be gone by the 15th pick.  Hernandez a HS unicorn will probably be gone too.  Jamie Arnold would be excellent but he's not likely to be there.  Tyler Bremner could fall to 15 so it's likely he will be one of the best SPs available at 15.  The challenging part about college pitchers is that a high-profile performance at the CWS can jump a guy far more than he deserves to jump.  That's why when a Cade Anderson or Liam Doyle come out of nowhere and leap to the top of the list you ask yourself is he a smart pick over the more consistent performers over time like Jamie Arnold or Tyler Bremner.  Frankly, if Arnold or Bremner are available, I would take them, but I don't think they will be.

So that means a unicorn HS pitcher or a guy who was incredible last year and has dropped significantly like Montgomery last year.  Jace Laviolette led the rankings for most of the off season and preseason leading up to this draft and now he's at 19 in the recent mock drafts on BA.  He may be the lone exception to drafting college SPs or unicorn HS SPs with the 15th pick.

Unicorn SP/SS in HS that should be available at 15 include Jack Bauer, Josh Hammond, Quentin Young and Steele Hall.  All have very high ceilings but will take longer to develop than college SPs.

Lastly, since catcher is a bit of an IFFY position without Teel, if Narvaez pulls a Wong and is also a one-year wonder, we will still need a more permanent solution at Catcher.  I believe Owen Jenkins may have the best upside, but nobody jumps out as a stud, so we really need Narvaez to be the catcher of the future for Boston.

Recommended players Bremner and Arnold went 2nd and 11th; Steele Hall went 9th so they weren't available.  LaViolette dropped to 27th and could have been taken at 15 but not 33, Hammond went 28th so he too could have been at 15 but not 33, Since we needed College Pitching, things seem to have worked out well.  Quentin Young went 54th and could have been taken at 15th or 33rd.  Jack Bauer told teams he was committed to Mississippi State where coach Brian O'Connor had landed after leaving Virginia, so he was NOT drafted.  

It will be fun to see how well Breslow did in this draft.  Witherspoon was a solid pick that dropped significantly from 7 to 15 similar to Mayer's smaller drop to 4th when Bloom got him.  Let's hope the drop wasn't justified.

Checking Witherspoon's history shows him ranked 500 by Perfect Game in 2022 and he was considered a SS not a pitcher as his primary skill.  In 2023 he played in a Florida Collegiate Summer League but only played ONE game and he threw 3.1 innings and gave up 2 hits, 3 walks and 3 earned runs while striking out six.  None of that is impressive BUT in 2024 things began to click.

In 2024, last year, he played for Oklahoma University and started 11 games with 3.71 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP due to walking 4.5 per 9 IP.  His 90/40 K/BB rate was good for his 80 IP except the BBs needed to improve.

He played for Chatham in the Cape Code League in 2024 but only pitched in two games for 9 total innings but did well.  He gave up 8 hits and NO WALKS which was a huge improvement and struck out 10 batters.  This year at Oklahoma he got 16 starts with a 2.65 ERA and 1.01 WHIP.  He struck out 124 in 95 innings while only walking 23 and hitting 10.  That was good for a 10-win season so he's come a very long way since 2022.  Hopefully he'll stay on the steep upward trajectory.

Marcus Phillips was the #2 Starter behind Doyle at Tennessee.  His history is short but very solid.  A South Dakota born SP who played limited seasons up north in HS then went to a JC in Iowa before ending up at Tennessee for his 2024 and 2025 seasons.  Advanced SPs from college is what we needed and what we got so that's good.  Now we need to hope Breslow chose well.