[ayaghmour2]

With the first pick in the 2025 Amateur Draft, the Philadelphia Phillies selected SP Jorge Mota from Rice. He's one of the top guys on my list, but luckily, not number one.

1st Round, 24th Overall: SP Juan Mariscal (3.5): He's not great, but the St Ann's High School senior has middle of the rotation potential. He keeps the ball on the ground, and averages in the 90-92 range as a left handed sidearmer. He's got great stamina, three solid pitches, and solid movement. His sinker is his number one pitch, and his fastball is pretty solid as well. He'll sign for slot, and hopefully he pans out for me.

1st Round, 37th Overall: C Gabe Suppa (2.5): Good catchers are hard to come by, so the Catholic Central graduate is my supplemental pick. He's got an excellent eye, makes great contact, and has decent pop. He's calls a good game, but doesn't have the best arm behind the plate. The 18-year-old is likely to stay behind the plate and become a solid big league regular.

2nd Round, 61st Overall: SP Luis Nevi (3): The junior from Wichita State was origionally born in Puerto Rico, but moved to the states when he was 8. He throws a little harder then Mariscal, and also keeps the ball on the ground. He's got solid stamina, a plus fastball, and solid control and movement on all three of his pitches. He's not a top guy, but he can develop into a middle or back of the rotation starter.

2nd Round, 65th Overall: RF Dan White (3): The St. Anne high school senior isn't the best defender, and may end up in left, but he's got great pop and amazing plate discipline. He doesn't always make a lot of contact, but he won't strike out and does a good job of finding the gaps. He's not the fastest, but he's one of the few good players still available.

3rd Round, 99th Overall: SP Andy Neidig (3): He's from Arlington Christian high school, and boasts three plus pitches. His fastball and knuckle curve are equally effective, and like Mariscal, throws 90-92 while keeping the ball on the ground. He doesn't have the high stamina I like, but it's still starter worthy. He's a great example in the clubhous, gets great break on his offspeed pitches, and has solid control.

4th Round, 129th Overall: SS Nate Lewis (2.5): Selected out of Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, Lewis has the range and arm for short, but will never become a great defender. His value is from his bat where scouts differ on his power, but there is no doubt about his contact and plate discipline skills. He's a great teammate, and has all the tools to succed.

5th Round, 159th Overall: 2B Mike Merrill (2.5): The lefty from Cape Fear High School is a type of player I like, one with great speed. He's got a great eye, is a solid middle infielder, and has enough of a bat to get by. He's got great drive and work ethic, and will push himself to keep going to the next level.

6th Round, 189th Overall: C Butch Sewell (2.5): My scout says he has 1 contact, but I doubt that's accurate. He's got nice pop, a great eye, and is a solid defender behind the plate. Another high school pick, he's got a lot of potential, but a long way to go.

7th Round, 219th Overall: RP Alpha Yeboah (2.5): Lefties named Alpha have a good history so far in this organization, so he was worth the pick up. The Texas A&M junior does a great job keeping the ball on the ground despite not throwing too hard. His slider is devestating, and he can become a lefty specialist very soon.

8th Round, 249th Overall: SS Luis Romero (2): The part Cuba 17-year-old might have to move to second, but he can stick at short for now. He's got great speed on the basepaths, has a great eye, and makes solid contact. He's got great work ethic, and his floor is a nice utility guy off the bench.

9th Round, 279th Overall: CF Eric Hdgkins (2.5): He's committed to continuing his education, but he's a solid guy to pick up. He has the range for center, great speed, and a solid bat. He's a doubles hitter with nice pop and he makes enough contact to keep a respectable average.

10th Round, 309th Overall: RP Juan Rosales (2.5): If he works on improving his stamina, he could actually become a starter. The lefty came from UMKC in Kansas City, and has a great change up he gets batters to swing over. He's well rounded and doesn't have a significant plus-plus tool, but he's good enough to fill a pen spot.

11th Round, 339th Overall: SS Chris Knitter (2.5): Says he won't sign, but the speedy shortstop was worth taking a risk on. He's got great range, turns double plays well, and has a solid arm, but he makes a lot of errors. He's got a solid bat with a good eye and nice pop, but he's got to strengthen himslef mentally and physically.

12th Round, 369th Overall: 2B J.J. McCarthy (2): He's a great baserunner, turns the double play well, but isn't the best defender. He's got a great eye and is zeroed in at the plate, but he needs to stay focused on baseball when not hitting.

13th Round, 399th Overall: 3B Jamie Stogner (2.5): He won't sign, but the 17-year-old is interesting. He's got a great eye, will hit his fair share of homers, and has a nice arm at the hot corner. He'll never be a solid fielder, but he won't kill you there. His best shot is to finish at first base.

14th Round, 429th Overall: SP Wally Kennedy (1.5): The Pepperdine senior throws a great change up, and then an average cutter and slider, but can pitch deep into games. He has a deceptive 3/4th armslot with a 90-92 cutter, but doesn't stand out too much. He's a solid pitcher, but don't expect too much.

15th Round, 459th Overall: 2B Jonathan Jones (1.5): He's got great speed, great range, and he makes a lot of contact. He's got a good eye and decent power, but his value is with his glove. He can play a little outfield too, but second is his position.

16th Round, 489th Overall: CF Dave Kimbo (1.5): The CF from Cincinnati finished his senior season with a confrence leading 31 steals to exemplify his great speed. He can stick in center, and has had a ton of experience in the middle of the outfield. He doesn't have the best bat, but doesn't chase out of the strike zone.

17th Round, 519th Overall: CF Danny Tripp (2): He won't sign, but he's an intriguing prospect. I see him ending up in right because of his arm, and while he's fast, he doesn't steal too much. He's got great pop, a great eye, and he doesn't strike out much, but he doesn't always make contact. He hits a lot of 400 feet foul balls and could even walk more then he strikes out.

18th Round, 549th Overall: SP Marc Vella (1.5): He may not end up a starter, as he needs to work a bit more on his endurance, but his stuff is big league quality. He's got a knee buckling curveball that he spots well and throws a decent amount of the time. He may end up a spot starter, but the Florida native shows promise.

19th Round, 579th Overall: CF Jared Morrison (1.5): He could stick in center, but he might be better suited for a corner. He's got great speed and runs the bases well, and has a decent bat to back it up. He lacks the determination to push himself to the next level, so chances are he's just a career minor leaguer.

20th Round, 609th Overall: SS Arturo Castro (1.5): He's headed to the states for college, but the Puerto Rican native owns a great glove and is brilliant on the field. He can play all around the infield, and can end up at short. He's got decent speed and a great eye.

21st Round, 639th Overall: 1B Devin White (1.5): He's got mega power as a lefty, but doesn't have much positional versatility. His bat will have to cary him to the bigs, but he's got the tools to pave a career for himself.

22nd Round, 669th Overall: CF Josh McKenzie (1.5): The speedy centerfielder has a great eye and great pop, but needs to work on his contact abilities. The Glenbard South youngster isn't the best defender and needs to work on improving every day.

23rd Round, 699th Overall: C T.J. Salinas (1.5): He's off to college and also is rated with 1 contact, although I know that's not true. He's not the best defender, and the extra years in college will help with it. He does have nice pop and discipline, but needs to improve the 1 rated contact.

24th Round, 729th Overall: CF Mike Allen (1.5): He's not signing. He's got solid speed and a cannon, and could end up in either of the three outfield spots. He even plays a little first, and could possibly learn third. He's got a solid bat as well, and the lefty has decent potential.

25th Round, 759th Overall: SP Nate Resnick (0.5): He won't sign, but this is to show the talent left. The lefty is nothing special, although he does have great control. I doubt he's going to become much, but he'll get another shot later.

26th Round, 789th Overall: SS Zoello Demopoulos (1): He may get the nod because of his name, but he's an awesome defender with a great makeup. He works his hardest and will eventually get better. He's not the best hitter, but he's got enough of a bat to recieve a big league cameo.

27th Round, 819th Overall: SS Naquan Stiggers (1): He's not going to sign, but he's an elite defender. His range is a little limited, but he's got a cannon and is smooth in the field. He's got average speed, but gets his share of steals. He's got good contact and eye abilities, but has his work cut out for him.

28th Round, 849th Overall: 2B Joel Ramsey (1.5): He's an all right infielder with a great eye, but he needs to work on improving his bat. He's got good power, but I don't know how well it will transalte to the pros.

29th Round, 879th Overall: CF Jorge Mosqueda (1): He's got a cannon and will probably end up in right, although he's got the range for center and of course he can play left. He's got decent power and decent speed and can hit from both sides of the plate.

30th Round, 909th Overall: C R.J. Nidever (0.5): I like him more as a starting pitcher, and the sidearmer has far more upside on this side of the battery. He's got a wicked slider and an average change and fastball.

31st Round, 939th Overall: SP Joe Cox (0.5): He won't sign. He's got four pitches and could end up a starter, but his best chance is in long relief. He needs to work a lot in college, improve his velocity, and make himself more well rounded.

32nd Round, 969th Overall: 2B Dusty Grant (0.5): He's got great speed and the middle infielder makes good contact. He's not the best fielder, but most of the guys at this part of the draft aren't very special.

33rd Round, 999th Overall: CF Danny Humphreys (0.5): Selected from the University of Southern Florida, Humphreys can play five positions, and is a solid bench option. He's got great speed and great range, as well as solid contact ability.

34th Round, 1,029th Overall: 1B Ameirin Amilakhvarov (0.5): He won't sign, so this pick was purley name based. He's got a good eye, but this is one of those ceremonial picks.

35th Round, 1,059th Overall: SP Chris Brummel (0.5): He's not going to sign, but he's got pinpoint control. He's got a nice change and curve, but doesn't throw very hard.

36th Round, 1,089th Overall: CF Danny Squires (0.5): He won't sign. He's not the best defender or hitter, but the lefty does enough to get recognition. College will help him develop better.

37th Round, 1,119th Overall: SP Ernie Mote (0.5): He's got 100 stamina and 65 control, so you can ignore the rest of his poor stats. It's a tools pick, and he has two notable ones. The 18-year-old has a lot of work, but he's got great work ethic.

38th Round, 1,149th Overall: 2B Luis Robles (0.5): He'll head to the state for college, but his bat is worth watching. He's a poor fielder and will porbably move to first, but he's a great leader.

39th Round, 1,179th Overall: CF Jonathan Trytek (0.5): The Desert Christian junior can flat out fly on the basepaths, and has gold glove potential in the outfield. He doesn't have the best bat, but his value is off the bench as a fourth outfielder.

40th Round, 1,209th Overall: SP Steve Caporicci (0.5): The UC Riverside senior can throw a knuckleball that's acutally pretty good. Knuckleballer's are always interesting, and who knows, the 22-year-old can surprise.

There goes the Class of 2025! It's not the best, but who knows what it will turn into.

Looking at the unsigned guys from 2022 and where they ended up:

5th Rounder: SS Arturo Sepulbeda (0.5/0.5): Selected by St. Louis in the 25th Round and then released.
12th Rounder: 2B Sam Holt (0.5/0.5): Selected by Colorado in the 34th Round and then released.
18th Rounder: C Jeff Bryant (0.5/0.5): Returned for his senior year.
23rd Rounder: C Josh Palmer (0.5/0.5): Returned for his senior year.
27th Rounder: 2B Harland Jauregui (0.5/0.5): Selected in the 32 Round by Washington and then released.
28th Rounder: C Kevin Kendrick (0.5/0.5): Returned for his Senior year.
32nd Rounder: CF Brad Maynard (0.5/0.5): Returned for his Senior year.
33rd Rounder: SP Brad Roberts (0.5/0.5): Returned for his Senior year.
38th Rounder: SP Mike Wood (0.5/0.5): Selected by the Yankees in the 25th Round.
39th Rounder: SS Kevin Charles (0.5/0.5): Selected by the Cardinals in the 39th Round and then released.

I hate how all these guys get drafted and then released...

I'm also going to start doing a 5 and 10 year (when it occurs) review of the classes.

In the 2020 class, a pair of righties have made big league debuts. Josh Weske is 2-8 with a 5.48 ERA in 64 innings with 72 strikeouts and 39 walks. Doug Daniels is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 14 innings with 14 strikeotus and 7 walks.

No other 2020 draftee is in AA or AAA. 2nd Rounder Joe Brewer is on Toronto's AA team, 3rd Rounder T.J. Paskert is in Batavia, and 5th Rounder Frederico Soto is in the Brewers organization.

We get tomorrow off before getting back to games!