2025 MLB Draft

[GataNats]

Harmon looks like Sykora

[zoom]

Syroka was a 3rd as well.  Seeing a draft strategy trend here. 

[Smithian]

I wouldn’t be surprised if this draft would be run the same with Rizzo. By a week before the draft, they’d have had a game plan. Especially since #1 pick. They set direction for the night.

[Slateman]

Again, what if it was DeBartolo the whole time?

[imref]

Zuck on Harmon:

The Nats then used their third round pick on a pitcher who might just fit into DeBartolo's strategy: Landon Harmon. The 6-foot-5 right-hander from East Union, Miss., was touted as the 48th best prospect overall this year by MLB Pipeline but fell tot he No. 80 slot because he's committed to pitch at Mississippi State. If the Nationals can lure the flamethrower with an above-slot offer made possible by savings on Willits, they might have themselves another high-upside pitching prospect along the lines of 2023 third round pick Travis Sykora.

"We try to avoid comps, but the projection part's definitely got the stuff," Haas said. "He's got a great arm. He already flashes a very good breaking ball and has a feel for a changeup, with reasonable strikes for his level. He's going to continue to get more consistent and add strength."

[imref]

Mariners have already reached an agreement with Anderson. $8.8M, about $700k below slot.

[tomterp]

Petry is an overdraft too, he wasn't projected as high as top 50 so far as I can tell.  Guessing he goes below slot also.  Harmon is going to get a significant share of the above slot allocation.

[Slateman]

Jack Bauer please

[tomterp]

In case anyone wants to see the slot at every pick in MLB, they are listed here:

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-draft-2025-bonus-pick-values

Nationals first 3 picks:

Total Bonus Pool - $16,597,800

1 - $11,075,900
49 - $1,984,200
80 - $1,010,600

[zimm_da_kid]

I figure about $8.5 for willits, $1.8 for Petry, and around $3.5 for Harmon. Should still have money to play with

[stoneghost28]

I hate what you people here have made me: what seems like a shill for the team.

Not even two weeks ago I was reading how Holiday was performing poorly against the best pitchers and that this was potentially an ominous sign.
Kiley McDaniel said the same thing. 
ESPN and McDaniel had Willits as number 3 prospect. Eric Longhagen at Fangraphs has him at 5.  Neither had Holiday as 1-1. I think the consensus is that Holiday isn’t a slam dunk 1-1, but has high risk and high reward potential. 

Also, as others have stated, money not spent on pick 1 can be spent on other picks. This is a strategy that other teams have used. It’s not necessarily the team cheaping out.

Willits is a completely reasonable pick. Holiday is not some slam dunk like Harper and has some red flags. I may have picked Anderson, but this pick certainly isn’t a reason for the wailing and gnashing of teeth I see here.

The team sucks. I haven’t been happy with how they have run things or performed. But come on, this is simply not that bad…

I definitely lean negative, and glass is poisoned, as a sports fan, but I was fine with this. Holiday bothered me because of Boras (and apparently other concerns were present I wasn't aware of) and I really didn't want Anderson. I wanted Seth or failing that Ethan, and not Anderson, and they went with another guy, typically ranked in the top 5. That's fine. I just don't understand the 2nd rounder. Love that we got a steal in round 3 at least. Overall feels like we managed to get two second rounders, two borderline top 50 type guys in round 2 and 3. Not bad. Overall, like the draft, can't say I LOVE it, but definitely loved the 3rd and was fine with the 1st. Not too bad.

[Smithian]

Again, what if it was DeBartolo the whole time?

DeBartolo was the #2. I imagine he was involved in everything.

I also would not be shocked if we eventually get a multiple thousand word article about the 23-24 offseason shakeup creating a situation where DeBartolo had “his” guys and Rizzo the others.

Either way, DeBartolo may deserve some Soto credit, but he earns blame for the bad as well.

Let’s see how the rest of this draft and the deadline goes. I’m of open mind to DeBartolo getting a promotion and a POBO being brought in to the the adult in the room.

[blue911]

I figure about $8.5 for willits, $1.8 for Petry, and around $3.5 for Harmon. Should still have money to play with

I think that’s an overlay for Petry. If they can’t sign him for $1M or less, then it’s just a poor pick.

[The Chief]

So...  how are we feeling?

[Smithian]

So...  how are we feeling?

Rorschach test.

[imref]

So...  how are we feeling?

Happy with 1 & 3, scratching my head a bit on #2.

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

So...  how are we feeling?

Pretty disappointed that we cheaped out and chose a guy who wasn't even the best high school shortstop available with the first pick in the draft. Seems we're just the Pirates now.

[Kevrock]

He was the best HS shortstop in the draft and he has been called that. Holliday is most likely a 3B.

Also it’s not cheap because they are going to spend all the money.

[Slateman]

So...  how are we feeling?

Meh. Its hard to get amplified over the MLB draft. Who knows what anyone will be.

I'm most curious about how much of the bonus pool they spend.

[imref]

Kiley McDaniel:

The buzz ahead of the draft was that there were three players in play for the top pick and Willits was my third-ranked player in the class, so the same group is what I would've been considering -- and I love Willits as a player. The bonus will be a factor in evaluating how successful this pick will be viewed -- I'll guess it starts with an eight -- but I think this will be seen as a solid decision, as long as Kade Anderson or Ethan Holliday don't become stars.

[Slateman]

https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/draft/miguel-sime-jr-828137

Miguel Sime Jr.
6'4" RHP
Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 55 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45

Tall? Right handed? Power fastball?

Rizzo is back baby

[imref]

https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/draft/miguel-sime-jr-828137

Miguel Sime Jr.
6'4" RHP
Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 55 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45

Tall? Right handed? Power fastball?

Rizzo is back baby

18 years old with control issues too. Susana 2.0?

All summer long, Sime Jr. showed off what scouts like about him, namely his arm strength, and what concerns there are, namely his command. The New York City native who attends Poly Prep announced his presence with authority at events like East Coast Pro Showcase and PG National but often struggled with finding the strike zone. At the Area Code Games, he walked the bases loaded, then struck out the side, which looked like he was turning a corner. That trend continued when he largely filled up the zone and struck out two at Major League Baseball’s High School All-American Game and he showcased similar stuff, and a little better feel, this spring, including at USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational.

A participant in MLB Develops programs like the Breakthrough Series and Dream Series, Sime has been lighting up radar guns for some time. He averaged over 95 mph with his heater throughout the summer and is routinely up to 98-99 mph, touching triple digits at times, and he’s been reaching those elite-level velocities this spring. The pitch has serious life to it, and he can sink it, with one scout calling him a “pure rock thrower.” The pitch can be so devastating that he hasn’t always needed anything else, but he’s worked hard on his breaking ball. He has feel to spin a 78-81 mph hard slider, landed a good one in the zone in the All-American Game and seemed more comfortable with it during his senior season.

The biggest thing holding Sime back is his ability to consistently land his power arsenal in the zone. It was better at the end of the summer and for much of the spring, and it’s clear he understands he needs to improve that and the consistency of his secondary stuff to move up boards. Likened to a better-conditioned Armando Benitez, Sime is committed to Louisiana State should the Draft not work out.

incredible how fast this draft goes, do teams all have their preferences set and then they just run an auto-draft?

[Slateman]

Jack Bauer is still there. How much to entice him to forgo college?

[Slateman]

5th Round: https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/draft/coy-james-815983

Coy James - SS

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 45 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

One of the most impressive underclassmen on the showcase circuit and with the U.S. 18-and-under team in 2023, James looked like a slam-dunk first-rounder for 2025. That's now not the case after he struggled last summer at the plate and lost some quickness. He put on one of the best batting practice displays at the East Coast Pro Showcase in August, then went 1-for-12 with six strikeouts in game action.

James has gained some weight in the last year, adding strength but losing athleticism. His right-handed stroke doesn't look as smooth as it once did, and his swing decisions have regressed as well. Gatorade's North Carolina high school player of the year, he still shows 20-homer power but he's selling out more to get to it.

James now has fringy-to-average speed and isn't as dynamic on the bases or at shortstop. He still has good actions, reliable hands and a strong arm but he's covering less ground. He doesn't have much projection remaining in his 6-foot frame and may not go high enough to entice him away from his University of Mississippi commitment.

[imref]

Jack Bauer is still there. How much to entice him to forgo college?

he'll need 24 hours to decide.