Alright, so I’ve been tracking MLB draft stuff forever, right? Today I figured, hey, the 2025 draft chatter’s heating up early – let’s dig into these so-called “top prospects” everyone’s whispering about. Grabbed my coffee, parked at the kitchen table around 7 AM with my crusty old laptop fired up.
Starting From Absolute Zero
First thing? I hit up MLB Pipeline completely blind. Like, zero prep work. Just typed “2025 MLB mock draft” and dove in. Big mistake. All these random high school kids’ names I’ve never heard before – felt like reading alphabet soup. Jackson Holliday’s cousin? Some pitcher from Florida with a 99mph fastball? My coffee went cold trying to untangle this mess.
The Notebook Strategy
Changed tactics real quick. Flipped open my battered spiral notebook and started scribbling categories at the top:
- Pitchers throwing gas
- Shortstops with slick gloves
- Big boppers (HR hitters)
- Wait-and-see guys (injuries/weird stats)
Made a rule: only write down names mentioned in at least TWO places. Killed like half the list immediately. Sorry, random Alabama high school kid Baseball America loves this week.
The Grind Phase
Next three hours were pure chaos. Split-screen between *, Baseball America, and this one nerdy prospect forum I shouldn’t even know about. Kept cross-checking stats from summer leagues and last season’s college numbers. Oh, and YouTube highlights – gotta see if they actually move like humans or swing like lumberjacks.
Noticed wild stuff too. Like LSU’s beastly 3rd baseman Tommy White getting buzz – but nobody’s sure if he’ll stick at third or end up at first. Wrote “DEFENSE???” next to his name in all caps. Then there’s Duke’s two-way guy Jonathan Santucci – everybody creams over his pitching, but I watched him absolutely mash a double off the wall. Circled that twice.
The Final Hand-Cramp List
Finally landed on five names I’ll actually remember tomorrow:
- Cam Caminiti – Lefty pitcher throwing 97mph as a HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR? Insane. Arm angle’s weird though – asterisked that.
- Konnor Griffin – Mississippi SS with Ozzie Smith glove vibes. Frame looks like he’ll grow into power.
- Ryan Waldschmidt – Kentucky OF. Bat speed pops off the screen. Worry: only 12 games last year after knee surgery.
- Hagen Smith – Arkansas pitcher. Stats jump off the page: 161 Ks in 103 innings? Absurd. Looks like college Randy Johnson.
- Jac Caglianone – Florida’s two-way monster. Saw video of him nearly snapping his bat on a swing. Still raw pitching-wise.
My Gut Says
Finished up around lunchtime, pages covered in coffee rings and scribbles. Truth bomb? These lists mean nothing today. Half these kids will implode by next spring, some no-name will rocket up boards. But tracking ’em now? That’s the fun part. Taping my messy notebook page to the fridge – gonna check back next month when these “future stars” either shine or totally faceplant.
