3 days ago
Liam Doyle and 6 other 2025 MLB Draft prospects who might reach the majors fastest
Last year's draft has already produced six big leaguers in less than 12 months, with five first-round picks already debuting and one second-rounder (Ryan Johnson) taking the Angels Express from the draft to the majors.
We'll probably see a few more before the 2025 season is out, as there are several others in Double A or Triple A right now who could at least get a September callup, all as teams are more anxious than ever to show off the fruits of their labors and also find cheaper reinforcements from within rather than having to pay the high cost of in-season trades.
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With that in mind, here are the players in this year's draft class who I think have the best chances to debut within a year of draft day, health permitting.
Doyle's fastball may be the best in the class this year in terms of how it plays, which should, at the very least, let him get through the minors quickly. He finished second in the NCAA Division I in strikeouts, thanks in large part to hitters whiffing on the fastball 40 percent of the time they swung at it, higher than Chase Burns' whiff rate on his fastball in his draft spring (36 percent).
A team could take him in July and either try to call him up as a reliever in September if they're contending, given the way the fastball played when he was starting, or more likely (and maybe more responsibly) put him on the same path that Burns or Paul Skenes took, eyeing a June-ish callup next year.
Anderson ended up leading Division I in strikeouts as he got an additional two starts due to LSU's College World Series-winning run, and he might have the most complete arsenal of any pitcher in the draft class. That's not always the ticket to move quickly through the minors, but given how well he pitched against the best competition in the country — the only knock is that he didn't have to face the LSU lineup — I expect him to start in Double A whenever he makes his pro debut.
Because he pitched into late June, and ended up with 119 innings (23 more than Doyle), I don't think Anderson will throw at all this year after the draft — nor should he — but he should see the majors inside of a year if he's healthy. (He worked harder than any of the other top pitchers in this draft, with two starts of 130 pitches or more.)
Arnold threw the fewest innings (84 2/3) of the big three lefties in this draft, and he utilizes the lowest-effort delivery of the trio, as well. He gets some comparisons to Chris Sale because of their similar (but not identical) mechanics and hard-to-hit fastballs.
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Sale was drafted in a different world entirely, but he was selected in June 2010. He threw 10 1/3 innings in High A and Double A and debuted in the majors on Aug. 6, 2010, out of the bullpen. The White Sox kept him as a reliever through 2011 and moved him to the rotation in 2012 — a much more conservative development arc than almost any team uses today with its top pitching prospects. Maybe that's part of why Sale stayed healthy for so long before his first significant arm injury.
Wood is an interesting case, as his fastball/slider combo would play in a major-league bullpen right now, and he only threw 37 2/3 innings this spring, nine of them in the no-hitter against Murray State. He missed half the spring with a shoulder impingement and then mainly worked shorter starts, with his top two pitch counts in any outing at 89 and 76 pitches.
Assuming his medical is clean enough for someone to take him high, could he have more left in the tank for 2025 than any of his peers? I wouldn't argue for him to reach the big leagues faster than the big three lefties, but they'll be gone inside of the top 10 picks. Perhaps at that point, someone will take Wood with the intention of using him this fall — maybe even in October — because he's now available, and it's unclear what his long-term outlook is anyway.
Shores lost his rotation spot in mid-April after giving up 22 runs in his nine starts for a 5.12 ERA, and his results weren't necessarily better when he moved to relief, but his stuff was, as he hit 100 mph 47 times in the NCAA Tournament. His main fastball is a two-seamer with significant tailing action, and his slider is at least a 55 on the 20-80 scouting scale, with a potential velocity of up to 91 mph, exhibiting solid tilt.
He can't start as is, as lefties had a .412 OBP against him this spring, but several of his postseason outings — including the one that closed out LSU's national championship — showed his upside in relief as a sinker/slider guy. Someone might select him and try to start him, so this only applies if someone takes him and immediately puts him in the bullpen with the specific goal of having him get to the majors quickly.
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I'm including one hitter on the list, even though this is probably the worst year for a so-called 'quick-to-the-majors' college bat. (I say so-called even though I use that phrase myself because sometimes those guys are very much not quick to the majors, or don't deserve to be, and we don't find that out until they reach Double A or so.)
The industry perception of Irish has changed throughout the spring. He was a potential everyday catcher who could hit, and now, after a fractured shoulder blade moved him to the outfield for most of the season, I think more teams view him as a guy who can really hit, so much so that maybe he should stay in right field and get to the majors faster for his bat.
He might not be the quickest to the majors, but when he gets there, he'll be Quick in the majors.
