Latest news with #KaysonCunningham
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Longhorns baseball commits Gavin Fein, Kayson Cunningham drafted in 1st round of MLB Draft
Two of the centerpieces of Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle's 2025 recruiting class are likely going pro before ever arriving onto the 40 Acres. Both Gavin Fein and Kayson Cunningham were drafted in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Third baseman Fein was drafted No. 12 by the Texas Rangers. Cunningham, a shortstop, was drafted No. 18 by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Fein, of The Temecula (Calif.) Great Oaks, has been committed to the Longhorns for nearly four years. As a senior, he hit .358 with 16 RBIs and five home runs. In 2024, his brother Dylan was drafted in the seventh round by the A's. Cunningham, a San Antonio Johnson product, committed to the Longhorns in June of 2024. He hit an astounding .509 as a senior, with 27 RBIs and 39 runs scored. He also stole 21 bases on 25 attempts. Cunningham was both the Gatorade Player of the Year and USA Baseball Player of the Year. Neither player is expected to end up playing for the Longhorns now. First round money in the MLB Draft is higher than any college baseball player could make via NIL. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @LonghornsWire. Advertisement This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Two Longhorns baseball commits drafted in first round of MLB Draft
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tigers projected to boost infield with latest mock draft selections
The 2025 MLB Draft is just a little under 24 hours away, and the Detroit Tigers have a chance to add some real firepower to their farm systems this season. As if their main roster isn't dominating enough. Advertisement The team has been blessed with two selections in the first 35 picks, the opportunity to ring in the new generation of Motor City baseball. The team's biggest need is a third baseman and also some more reliable arms in the bullpen, which they can take care of at the trade deadline if not during the draft. Baseball America, in their most recent MLB mock draft, projects that Detroit will go with shortstop Kayson Cunningham with the 24th pick in the first round. Even if they do select the top-ranked prospect out of the state of Texas, the shortstop just committed to the Texas Longhorns baseball team, which would make it even harder to officially land Cunningham in the draft, but would surely benefit the Tigers if they decide to take the high schooler and he decides to forgo his college play. Advertisement Cunningham currently sits at No. 14 in the MLB Pipeline rankings. And at No. 34 in the mock draft, the Tigers are projected to go with Alabama Crimson Tide pitcher Riley Quick, a second-team All-SEC pitcher, who went 8-3 with 70 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched and also held a 3.92 earned run average. The 2025 Major League Baseball Draft will take place on July 13-14 in Cumberland, GA.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tigers predicted to fix infield issues by landing Team USA infielder
There's no debating that if the Detroit Tigers could fix one area over the next few years, it'd be on the left side of the infield. The Tigers need some help offensively and defensively at that side, and will have an opportunity to address that in the MLB draft. The Tigers have the best farm system in baseball, so this will only be an opportunity for them to further improve it. Advertisement Unfortunately, these players won't have an opportunity to make their debut as quickly as many Tigers fans will hope, but that's a good thing given where the team stands. When searching for who the Tigers could select, recently predicted that they'll take Kayson Cunningham with the 24th overall pick. Cunningham is the fifth-ranked player in the 2025 high school class, according to Perfect Game, and the fourth overall-rated shortstop. He's committed to the University of Texas and hit .445 during his Perfect Game career. 'Cunningham was the best hitter on the high school showcase last summer but seems to be the prep shortstop dropping further than expected. Plan B could be de Brun with Neyens, Hammond and Gamble also in the mix,' they wrote. Advertisement His Texas commitment could play a factor in this decision, as Texas is one of the top programs in the country and often finds ways to retain talent. MORE: Tigers express interest in trading for Gold Glove third baseman However, even with NIL figures being much higher than some believe, the Tigers will have an opportunity to sign him because of the slot value. If Cunningham decides to enter the professional ranks, which many expect, he could fall to the Tigers at 24 and be a great pick. MORE MLB NEWS:
New York Times
18-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB Draft Combine: Kayson Cunningham eager to compete; Bruin Agbayani flashes speed, hit tool
PHOENIX — One of the best pure hitters among the high school prospects in the 2025 draft class, Kayson Cunningham came to the MLB Draft Combine with very little to prove to evaluators. But don't tell him that. The 5-foot-10, 170 pound shortstop out of Johnson High School in San Antonio is currently ranked as the No. 20 prospect in the class by The Athletic's Keith Law. He and Purvis (Miss.) High School shortstop JoJo Parker were the only two top-25 prospects on Law's list to perform in the on-field workouts on Day 1 of the combine. With one of the best hit tools in the class, Cunningham put on a show in batting practice, posting an exit velocity of 99 mph or higher on 14 of his 27 hits. He topped out at 107.2. Advertisement The scouting consensus is that Cunningham will hit as a pro. The Texas Gatorade Player of the Year hit .509 as a senior. The biggest question is whether he will be able to generate any power from his smaller, though well built, frame. Cunningham hit two balls in BP over 400 feet, including a 420-foot blast. The session was impressive but probably didn't show scouts anything they didn't already know about Cunningham based on his high school track record. So why did Cunningham feel it was necessary to compete in on-field workouts, something many of the top prospects opt out of? 'I'm a ballplayer,' he said. His mom, Olivia, noted that her son had been antsy since his season ended and that getting back out on the field was like a lifeline for him. The family is planning a vacation for after the combine and Cunningham was already asking where he could do baseball workouts on the trip. Not surprisingly, Cunningham plans to put himself to the test again later in the combine when he runs the 30-yard dash. Bruin Agbayani, a shortstop from St. Louis High School in Honolulu and son of longtime big-leaguer Benny Agbayani, starred in the high school game that took place at the end of Day 1 of the combine. He showed plus speed on a triple and excellent at-bats overall. Agbayani hit .365 as a senior and also competed in the MLB Draft League for Frederick earlier this summer, collecting six hits in 35 at-bats as one of the youngest players in the league. He's committed to Michigan. Agbayani wasn't the only familiar name among the combine participants. Carsten Sabathia III, son of newly elected Hall of Famer CC Sabathia, had a solid round of batting practice. Sabathia, a junior first baseman from the University of Houston, hit one ball 420 feet and maxed out at 109.2 with his exit velocity. He hit .235/.333/.370 with two homers in 27 games for Houston this season. He also competed in the Draft League, hitting .171/.302/.304 for Trenton. Advertisement Manny Ramirez, Jr. (guess whose son he is) hit a 410-foot blast and maxed out at 104.8 with his exit velocity during his session. Ramirez hit .299/.435/,495 as a freshman for East Los Angeles Junior College this season. Perhaps the most intriguing 'bloodlines' prospect to participate in Day 1 of the combine was Quentin Young, nephew of former MLB outfielders Delmon and Dmitri Young. Young, who ranked 52nd in Law's latest ranking, hit 18 balls 100 mph or harder, maxing out at 115.4 mph. One drive went 426 feet. Quentin Young — nephew of Dmitri and Delmon — has the best hair at this Combine so far. Some BP from him: [image or embed] — Melissa Lockard (@ June 17, 2025 at 10:13 AM — Arizona State outfielder Brandon Compton generated significant buzz, hitting every ball except one at least 101 mph. His longest hit was 460 feet. Compton hit .271/.379/.486 with nine homers in 59 games for the Sun Devils this season. He had a .903 OPS in the Cape Cod League last summer. He was ranked 68th on Law's latest ranking. — Shortstop JoJo Parker hit back-to-back with his twin brother Jacob in batting practice. JoJo, who projects as a potential top-10 pick, hit all of his non-bunts at least 90 mph and topped out at 105.2 exit velocity. Jacob, a center fielder, is known more for his in-game power than his brother, who has one of the top hit tools in the class. Jacob hit all of his non-bunts 95 mph or higher except for one. He hit one ball 416 feet and topped out at 110.1 mph. — Switch-hitting catcher Taitn Gray, a high school prospect from Dallas-Center Grimes High School in Iowa who has been gaining helium leading into the draft, had an impressive batting practice from both sides of the plate. The 6-4, 220 pound slugger hit nine balls 110 mph or higher and had six home runs further than 400 feet. He's ranked 58th on Law's list. — The only home run hit in the high school game on Tuesday night was off the bat of Nathan Eisfelder, a product of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., who is committed to Tennessee. (Photo of Cunningham: Tracy Proffitt / Four Seam Images via Associated Press)
