Top Vanderbilt baseball prospects to know for 2025 MLB Draft

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21-07-2025

Vanderbilt baseball has several players likely to be selected in the 2025 MLB Draft.
The Commodores have had at least four players selected in every draft since 2004. In 2024, Vanderbilt did not have a first-round pick for the first time since 2018 but had seven players selected overall, including six in the top 10 rounds.
Vanderbilt is likely to see 4-6 players selected from the 2025 roster. Several incoming high school signees could be selected as well.
Here are the top names with Commodores ties to watch for:
Top Vanderbilt baseball prospects for 2025 MLB Draft
LHP JD Thompson
MLB Pipeline rank: No. 66
Thompson was seen as a likely second-round pick entering the season and his stock remained there as he put up similar numbers to 2024, albeit this time in a Friday night role. In three seasons with the Commodores, Thompson put up a 4.28 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 164 career innings. In 2025, he tied for seventh nationally with 122 strikeouts.
Thompson's fastball, which gets up to 96 mph, is his best pitch, and he's an above-average strike-thrower as well. Most believe Thompson lands in the second round, the same range where teammates Bryce Cunningham and Carter Holton went a year ago.
OF RJ Austin
MLB Pipeline rank: No. 112
After a strong sophomore season that saw him hit .335 while leading the SEC in stolen bases, Austin regressed in his junior year to numbers more similar to what he put up as a freshman. He hit .257 with just two home runs. The good news is that he proved he can play center field, even winning the Rawlings Gold Glove award in his first year at the position.
Although that has hurt Austin's draft stock, most believe that Austin's athleticism and defensive ability will get him selected in the fourth or fifth round.
RHP Cody Bowker
MLB Pipeline rank: No. 187
Bowker's stock is a bit polarizing, as some analysts see him as worthy of a top-five round pick, while others think he belongs in the back half of the top 10 rounds.
After transferring from Georgetown, Bowker had a successful season in Vanderbilt's rotation. He took every turn in the rotation and had a 4.38 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 72 innings. His fastball is his best pitch, getting up to 95 mph from a low arm slot. But he had trouble going deep into games, as he completed five innings in just five of his 16 starts.
RHP Sawyer Hawks
MLB Pipeline rank: No. 225
Hawks is an under-the-radar prospect despite receiving multiple All-American nods after a season in which he had a 1.60 ERA, a 4-0 record and eight saves in 18 appearances, with a 59-11 strikeout to walk ratio.
After transferring from Air Force, then missing most of 2024 with injury, Hawks remade his pitch mix in 2025 to include a fastball, slider and changeup along with his curve. He likely fits in rounds 6-10.
1B Riley Nelson
MLB Pipeline rank: Unranked
Nelson has a decision to make, as there will certainly be pro teams interested in him, but will they be interested enough to buy him out of a senior year?
Nelson was Vanderbilt's best hitter in 2025, hitting .344 with a 34:36 walk-to-strikeout ratio, and he performed just as well in SEC play. But he doesn't have big power (eight home runs) and MLB teams often shy away from first basemen without double-digit homers.
ROSTER RESET What Tim Corbin's 2026 Vanderbilt baseball roster looks like before MLB draft, after transfer portal deadline
Top 2025 MLB Draft prospects among Vanderbilt baseball signees
RHP Seth Hernandez
MLB Pipeline rank: No. 3
Hernandez, a pitcher whose fastball touches 98 mph, is seen by some as a top-five talent and by others as a mid-first rounder. Either way, Hernandez won't make it to campus, barring an unexpected development.
OF Slater de Brun
MLB Pipeline rank: No. 24
de Brun is a 5-foot-9 center fielder who projects as a leadoff profile. He's a spark plug type that Vanderbilt has traditionally loved, but the pros love him too, and he's seen as a likely first-round pick. If he does go in the first round, he won't make it to campus.
OF Sean Gamble
MLB Pipeline rank: No. 27
Gamble is already 19 and is seen as being less polished than some of the other top high-school prospects, so he has a lower draft stock than de Brun and thus more likelihood of going to school. However, some still view Gamble as a first-round pick.
SS Cooper Flemming
MLB Pipeline rank: No. 82
Through most of the spring, Flemming has been viewed as likely to go to school, but he's risen late up draft boards with some even believing he could go in the first round. He's a 6-3, left-handed hitting shortstop, but he needs to add weight to become the best version of himself.
LHP Talon Haley
MLB Pipeline rank: No. 91
Haley is a polished left-hander with a low-90s fastball and a good curveball, but he is one of the oldest high-school prospects in the class and has an extreme injury history. He's a second- or third-rounder on talent, but age and concerns about the medicals could lead teams to shy away.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [e-mail] or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt baseball MLB Draft prospects to know for 2025