Latest news with #2025MLBDraft
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
MLB Draft 2025 live tracker: Nationals take Eli Willits No. 1 in surprise
Eli Willits, son of former major league outfielder Reggie Willits, was picked first by the Nationals in Sunday's Major League Baseball draft, the club opting for the less-heralded Oklahoma prep shortstop coming into this season. In doing so, they bypassed Ethan Holliday, son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, who was aiming to follow in older brother Jackson's footsteps by getting selected first overall. "I'm excited, thankful to the Nationals organization for giving me this chance... I'm ready to get to work," Willits told MLB Network. Willits' selection comes one week after owner Mark Lerner signaled a massive shift in organization structure, firing president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez, who served as architect and shepherd, respectively, of their 2019 World Series champions. While such a drastic move might have seemed extreme one week before owning the No. 1 pick, the Nationals had narrowed their gaze for their selection considerably by then, with Holliday, collegiate left-hander Kade Anderson and Willits the industry consensus finalists. Ultimately, they chose Willits, who reclassified to this draft to be eligible at just 17 years old. It's possible the Nationals cut a deal with Willits to provide a bigger bonus pool for subsequent picks. "I'm a player that's going to give everything I've got," Willits said. "I feel like my power is up-and-coming, but I needed to get into an organization like the Nationals that could develop that and take it to the next level." Willits visited Nationals Park the first week of June as the club narrowed its field of potential picks. Ultimately, they chose a left-handed infielder who batted .473 with 14 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 34 RBI, 27 walks, 47 stolen bases and 56 runs scored while striking out just four times for Fort Cobb-Broxton High School, a squad that squared off with Holliday's Stillwater High School team earlier this season. The slot value of the No. 1 pick this season is $11.075 million. What time is the MLB Draft? The 2025 Major League Baseball draft begins at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13 How to watch 2025 MLB Draft TV channel : ESPN, MLB Network : ESPN, MLB Network Live stream: Fubo MLB mock draft: Final predictions USA TODAY Sports' final MLB mock draft has prep standout Ethan Holliday going first overall to the wWashington Nationals Washington Nationals: Ethan Holliday, INF, Stillwater (Okla.) HS Los Angeles Angels: Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU Seattle Mariners: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State Colorado Rockies: Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton (Okla.) HS St. Louis Cardinals: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee Pittsburgh Pirates: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (Calif.) HS Miami Marlins: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona (Calif.) HS Toronto Blue Jays: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State Cincinnati Reds: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma Chicago White Sox: Ike Irish, C/OF, Auburn Check out Gabe Lacques' full MLB mock draft here. First round Washington Nationals Los Angeles Angels Seattle Mariners Colorado Rockies St. Louis Cardinals Pittsburgh Pirates Miami Marlins Toronto Blue Jays Cincinnati Reds Chicago White Sox Athletics Texas Rangers San Francisco Giants Tampa Bay Rays Boston Red Sox Minnesota Twins Chicago Cubs Arizona Diamondbacks Baltimore Orioles Milwaukee Brewers Houston Astros Atlanta Braves Kansas City Royals Detroit Tigers San Diego Padres Philadelphia Phillies Cleveland Guardians Prospect Promotion Incentive picks Kansas City Royals Compensation picks Arizona Diamondbacks Baltimore Orioles Baltimore Orioles Milwaukee Brewers Competitive Balance Round A Boston Red Sox (acquired from the Brewers in the trade for Quinn Priester) Detroit Tigers Seattle Mariners Minnesota Twins Baltimore Orioles (acquired from the Rays in the trade for Bryan Baker) Continued first round (CBT penalties) New York Mets New York Yankees Los Angeles Dodgers Continued Competitive Balance Round A Los Angeles Dodgers (acquired from the Reds in the trade for Gavin Lux) Tampa Bay Rays (acquired from the Athletics in the trade for Jeffrey Springs and Jacob Lopez) Miami Marlins Second round 44. Chicago White Sox 45. Colorado Rockies 46. Miami Marlins 47. Los Angeles Angels 48. Athletics 49. Washington Nationals 50. Pittsburgh Pirates 51. Cincinnati Reds 52. Texas Rangers 53. Tampa Bay Rays 54. Minnesota Twins 55. St. Louis Cardinals 56. Chicago Cubs 57. Seattle Mariners 58. Baltimore Orioles 59. Milwaukee Brewers 60. Atlanta Braves 61. Kansas City Royals 62. Detroit Tigers 63. Philadelphia Phillies 64. Cleveland Guardians 65. Los Angeles Dodgers Competitive Balance Round B 66. Cleveland Guardians Compensation picks 67. Tampa Bay Rays (compensation for unsigned 2024 No. 66 overall pick Tyler Bell) 68. Milwaukee Brewers (compensation for unsigned 2024 No. 67 overall pick Chris Levonas) Competitive Balance Round B 69. Baltimore Orioles 70. Cleveland Guardians (acquired from the Diamondbacks in the trade for Josh Naylor) 71. Kansas City Royals 72. St. Louis Cardinals 73. Pittsburgh Pirates 74. Colorado Rockies Compensation pick 75. Boston Red Sox (compensation for Nick Pivetta. The Padres forfeited their second-round pick for signing Pivetta.) Third round 76. Chicago White Sox 77. Colorado Rockies 78. Miami Marlins 79. Los Angeles Angels 80. Washington Nationals 81. Toronto Blue Jays 82. Pittsburgh Pirates 83. Cincinnati Reds 84. Texas Rangers 85. San Francisco Giants 86. Tampa Bay Rays 87. Boston Red Sox 88. Minnesota Twins 89. St. Louis Cardinals 90. Chicago Cubs 91. Seattle Mariners 92. Arizona Diamondbacks 93. Baltimore Orioles 94. Milwaukee Brewers 95. Houston Astros 96. Atlanta Braves 97. Kansas City Royals 98. Detroit Tigers 99. San Diego Padres 100. Philadelphia Phillies 101. Cleveland Guardians 102. New York Mets 103. New York Yankees 104. Los Angeles Dodgers Compensation pick 105. Los Angeles Angels There are 20 rounds in the 2025 MLB Draft, which are set to include 615 total selections. A handful of requirements have to be met in order for a player to enter and be selected in the MLB draft. A prospect must either be a resident or have attended a school in the United States, Canada or a U.S. territory such as Puerto Rico. MLB has a separate period in which its teams can sign international players. Additionally, players are only eligible after they've graduated from high school. If they're at a four-year college, they are eligible only three years after they originally enrolled or after their 21st birthday, whichever comes first. Conversely, players from junior colleges are eligible to be drafted at any time. - Austin Curtright
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
MLB Draft 2025 live tracker: Start time, latest mock, how to watch, draft order
ATLANTA — A slew of left-handed pitchers, a handful of organizations ready to chart a new course and shortstops, shortstops and more shortstops: All are ready to fly off the board when Major League Baseball's 2025 draft tips off tonight at 6 p.m. ET. Coverage will be provided by ESPN and MLB Network and it will begin with commissioner Rob Manfred stepping to the podium inside the Battery's Roxy Theater to announce the Washington Nationals' first selection. The Nationals won the draft lottery in December and since then have been favored to select Oklahoma prep shortstop Ethan Holliday, son of All-Star Matt Holliday and brother of Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles in 2022. The Hollidays would join NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning as the only brothers to each be drafted first overall. Yet a rush of college standouts have threatened Holliday's standing, led by LSU left-hander Kade Anderson, who pitched the Tigers to the national title featuring a majors-ready mix of several pitchers. His SEC rival, lefty Liam Doyle and Holliday's friend and Oklahoma high school cohort Eli Willits are all expected to go within the first five to seven picks. The first three rounds of the draft - including compensation picks - will be conducted Sunday before rounds 4 through 20 are held away from the TV cameras Monday. What time is the MLB Draft? The 2025 Major League Baseball draft begins at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13 How to watch 2025 MLB Draft MLB mock draft: Final predictions USA TODAY Sports' final MLB mock draft has prep standout Ethan Holliday going first overallto the wWashington Nationals Check out Gabe Lacques' full MLB mock draft here. 2025 MLB Draft order First round Prospect Promotion Incentive picks Compensation picks Competitive Balance Round A Continued first round (CBT penalties) Continued Competitive Balance Round A Second round Competitive Balance Round B Compensation picks Competitive Balance Round B Compensation pick Third round Compensation pick
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Why is MLB draft held midseason? Draft coincides with end of college baseball season
This week, Major League Baseball's 30 teams will select the players they hope will one day lead them to World Series glory during the 2025 MLB Draft in suburban Atlanta. The event, which runs this year from July 13 and 14, is something of an oddity among the major American professional sports leagues. For one, MLB teams have extensive minor-league systems in which a prospect will work their way through, meaning that, unlike the NFL and NBA, it could very well take even a top draft pick years before they make it to the majors. Perhaps the biggest distinguishing characteristic isn't with the draft itself, but when it takes place. REQUIRED READING: MLB All-Star Game rosters 2025: Injury replacements, starters, pitchers and reserves Since its inception 60 years ago, the MLB draft has been held in the middle of the ongoing season rather than after it, as is the case with the NFL, NBA and NHL. Why is that? Here's a closer look at why the MLB draft is held midseason: Why is the MLB Draft held midseason? In three of the four major American professional sports leagues — NFL, NHL and NBA — the draft is held after the season is complete and a champion has been crowned. The 2025 NBA Draft began on June 25, three days after the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in Game Seven of the NBA Finals. The Stanley Cup Finals wrapped up 10 days before the NHL held its draft. In the NFL, that gap is even more pronounced, with nearly three full months separating the Super Bowl and the NFL draft this year. MLB, though, is staging its draft more than halfway through the regular season this year, and has held the event in the middle of the regular season every year since the first MLB amateur draft in 1965. While unusual among major American sports, the arrangement makes sense. Due to the eligibility rules governing who can be selected, the MLB draft is overwhelmingly made up of college and high school players. The college baseball season, which begins in February and ends in June with the College World Series, doesn't align in the same way that the NFL and college football seasons and NBA and college basketball seasons largely do, with the World Series concluding in late October. High school baseball seasons, too, have wrapped up by the time the CWS comes to a close. The MLB draft accommodates that timeline, with college players getting drafted at least a few weeks after their seasons have wrapped up, even though the MLB season won't end for another three months. It wasn't always that way. For much of its history, the MLB draft took place in early or mid-June, before the CWS ended. That changed in 2021, when leaders in baseball moved the draft back to July to coincide with the MLB All-Star Game. In each of the past five years, the draft has been held in the same city as the All-Star Game, with this year's festivities taking place in Cumberland, Georgia, across the street from Truist Park, the home venue of the Atlanta Braves and the host site of the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. The shift was beneficial for both MLB and its incoming players. For professional baseball, it was a chance to more effectively market draft prospects as potential future stars of the sport and bring and extend the spotlight of the Midsummer Classic to the draft. In recent years, the draft has begun the day after the annual MLB Futures Game and wrapped up the day of the All-Star Game (this year, it will finish the day before the All-Star Game). Additionally, the break between the end of the CWS and the draft gives clubs more time to scout and research players they're interested in selecting. For players, it guaranteed them at least the opportunity to attend the draft. Under the previous calendar, if a prospect's team was playing deep into the CWS, they were unable to be there in person to hear their name called. REQUIRED READING: MLB mock draft 2025: Will College World Series shake things up in first round? When is the 2025 MLB Draft? The 2025 MLB Draft will take place from July 13-14. The first night is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, with the first 43 selections airing live on ESPN and MLB Network. After those, only MLB Network will be providing live coverage of the picks. The first day will include the first three rounds of the draft, as well as compensatory rounds, competitive balance rounds and prospect promotion incentive selections. The second day will include rounds 4 through 20 and will be streamed on beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
How to watch 2025 MLB Draft: Time, TV channel, live streaming options
The 2025 MLB Draft is here. The first round is set to take place on Sunday, July 13 in Atlanta as part of MLB's All-Star week, with the Washington Nationals on the clock first as owners of the No. 1 pick once this annual event on the baseball calendar begins. This year's draft will take place over two days. The first three rounds of selections will be made on July 13 with rounds four through 20 scheduled for Monday, July 14. There are several options at the top of the draft and mock drafts vary more than usual. Promising high school options like shortstop Ethan Holliday or pitcher Seth Hernandez and dynamic players from the college ranks such as LSU ace Kade Anderson and Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette will go early, but in what order is still up for debate. Here's how to watch the 2025 MLB Draft: IN THE MINORS: MLB farm system rankings for every team entering 2025 draft When is the 2025 MLB Draft? The 2025 MLB Draft is scheduled to take place June 13-14 in Atlanta as part of MLB All-Star week. How to watch 2025 MLB Draft: TV, live streaming The 2025 MLB Draft will take place over two days (July 13-14) in Atlanta, with the first three rounds on Sunday, July 13 and rounds 4-20 on Monday, July 14. The first 43 picks, including the entire first round, will be televised by ESPN and MLB Network. The first round of the MLB draft is also available to stream on Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers. The second and third rounds on Sunday will be broadcast by MLB Network. Day 2 of the MLB draft, consisting of rounds four through 20, will be live streamed on Stream the MLB draft with Fubo
