Jamie Cameron

I think that's maybe talking at cross purposes a bit. I'm assuming their 'hit first' phrasing is referring to what is carrying the offensive profile and taking defense off the table, if that makes sense.

I think it may have been a record setting year for SS taken in the first round, but prep infielders was one of the best two demographics in the draft this year (along with college pitching)

Throwing some Houston data in the mix that I think does a good job of capturing the solid overall offensive profile. Here are his percentiles in D1 baseball in 2025 (this isn't perfect because not all ballparks leverage the same tracking, or have it at all). xWOBA - 71st xBA - 70th AvgEV - 66th Chase% - 72nd Whiff% - 78th Z-Con% - 87th K% - 69th BB% - 86th Not a ton of power, but everything else is real solid.

Yeah agree with all that assessment. This is a notable tweak from previous classes of getting a higher starting bar of arm talent, which I think is simply leaning into the strength of the class. Quick and Ellwanger is an exciting pair.

The dust has settled on a frenetic day one of the 2025 MLB Draft. After 105 picks in an expanded opening day, the Twins have new prospects likely to join the organization soon. Here’s a rundown of their day one picks. 16. Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest (18th by consensus), slot value: $4,929,600 Here’s an excerpt of our write-up on Houston from the consensus board: It's plus defense at shortstop, with good lateral quickness, soft hands, a great internal clock, and a plus arm combining for a complete offensive profile. He's 1B to Billy Carlson's 1A defensively for shortstops in this class. There's plenty to like in the offensive profile, too. It's a hit over power profile, headlined by strong bat-to-ball metrics and a history of walking more than he strikes out wherever he plays, including an excellent stint on the Cape after the 2024 season. Houston's power numbers (under the hood) didn't really hold up in ACC play. He finished the season with a .354/.458/.597 (1.055) line with 15 home runs and identical 15.4% strikeout and walk rates. Even so, it's an above-average hit and run, with plus defense and a plus arm at shortstop. He's a first-half of the first-round type of guy in this class. 36. Riley Quick, RHP, Alabama (32nd by consensus), slot value: $2,692,000 Here’s an excerpt of our write-up on Quick from the consensus board: Quick is another riser in the 2025 cycle on the pitching side. A physically imposing frame at 6'6, 250, the stuff and the results are starting to come together for the Alabama righty after recovering from TJ surgery. Quick's fastball is a sinker that sits in the mid-90s. He can reach back for 98 mph. It generated a ground ball rate north of 60% in 2024, and it's easy to see why, with the pitch creating 20 inches or so of run. Quick has a relatively low release height for his size. He mixes in a sweeper, which is already above average and could be plus in time. His changeup, like his sinker, gets a ton of horizontal break. Quick delivery is relatively consistent for such a physical pitcher. It's easy to see him carrying a significant workload as a pro if he can stay healthy. Despite the size and stuff, Quick hasn’t missed the amount of bats you’d like to see. In 2025, he finished with a 3.49 FIP, 25.9 K%, and 8.9 BB% in 62 IP. If the right organization gets him, you can see him being a tweak or two away from being a monster. 54. Quentin Young, SS, Oaks Christian HS, CA, (51st by consensus), slot value: $1,761,100 Here’s an excerpt of our write-up on Young from the consensus board: At 6'5, 215, Quentin Young (nephew of Delmon and Dmitri) is a physical monster with a ton of projection in a super athletic frame. A right-handed hitter, there's a ton of raw power here, combined with some swing and miss concerns, particularly against off-speed stuff. It's a violent swing and aggressive approach at the plate that could be reined in to get to a little more refinement with his swing decisions and control of at-bats. He's easily got a plus arm, and with infield and outfield experience, that's likely a 3B/RF profile in time. How the hit tool develops and the pitch recognition, in particular, will likely govern Young's ceiling. He's committed to LSU, which may be a tough connection to break, depending on where he's taken. 88. James Ellwanger, RHP, DBU, (86th by consensus, slot value: $893,000 Here’s an excerpt of our write-up on Ellwanger from the consensus board: Ellwanger was a notable prospect prior to the 2023 draft and slipped due to signability concerns. He was taken by the Nats in the 19th round and is their type of prep power arm. It's an intriguing combination of size, stuff, and refinement needed, particularly on the secondary pitches and with his control. Ellwanger stands 6'5, 205, it's a lean frame with more strength to add. Even so, he can run his fastball up into the high 90s with good ride and armside run. There's a good curveball present too, an above-average pitch, with a slider and changeup that haven't proven to be as effective yet. Strike throwing has also been a challenge for Ellwanger at times. Despite too many free passes (13.5%), he's performed solidly in 2025. It's a 3.07 FIP and 33 K%. You'll need a drafting organization that knows what they're doing with pitchers, but the arm talent is considerable. Analysis We often talk about draft classes like financial portfolios. You want diversity in your class. The Twins accomplished that in some unique and fun ways on day one. In Houston, you have a high-floored, low-variance college shortstop who should stick at the position. If you’ve ever wondered what the Twins player development team could do with higher-octane starting arm talent, you’ll get that look with both Quick and Ellwanger. In Young, they’ve landed some of the best raw power in the draft class. The Twins haven’t recently drafted elite arm talent from college arms on day one. There are prep examples (Soto, Hill), but this represents a different approach. It also represents them leaning into one of the best demographics in the draft class. I wouldn’t expect to see Quick or Ellwanger pitch in 2026, and I’d equally expect to be blown away by the stuff in 2026. The Twins' recent pick most similar to Young is Brandon Winokur. Young has elite power for a prospect his age. His batting practice at the Draft Combine was nukes drilled into the seats at 112-115 mph. I’d expect to see rawness, refinement needed in the hit tool, and absolutely massive home runs when he debuts. Finally, there’s Houston. I didn’t love his profile, but that’s more of a personal preference. I like the pick plenty in the context of the other picks. So let’s dig in on some of his numbers from 2025. It’s an 86th percentile walk rate, 70th percentile strikeout rate, and 87th percentile in zone contact rate. Even if the power is fringe average, that’s a skill set that should provide solid value as he’s going to get on base and hit plenty. It’s a plus arm and above average speed, too (19/21 in stolen bases in 2025). If we’re looking at which tools will accrue value, for Houston, the org is betting on hit, run, defense, with 15 home run power at a premium defensive position. It makes sense. What are your thoughts on the Twins' day one? Share your thoughts in the comments. View full article

Thanks for the kind words. I'll have plenty of words in the next few days for sure. I think the number of prep players being selected was already trending down prior to NIL. More and more teams moving to analytically driven approaches means risk mitigation is part of your calculus. PLUS, if you're a team who pay into revenue sharing like the Cubs, you are limited in terms of picks and capital, so you want to make safer choices. That said, there are major shifting college baseball roster rules this year. The hypothesis seems to be with limited roster space, we might see more prep players sign in the $750,000-$1 million range. We'll see if that actually pans out.

Appenzeller is a fun projectability lefty. It's a similar frame to Dasan Hill this time last year. I think folks were expecting him (App) to take a velo bump this spring that didn't emerge a ton. In general, I don't love the prep pitching in this class outside of Aaron Watson, Landon Harmon, and Angel Cervantes.

I think it's around 50/50 for prep vs college bat at 16, despite what the mocks say. Obviously depends on how the board shakes out in front.

There's definitely a ton of guys with steam. There's a few reasons I didn't include them: Mostly - this is a list of guys who I think are fits who I like a ton. Summerhill and Houston aren't my flavor, so I'm ignoring them lol. Both of those guys don't do a ton for me personally. Houston had fairly large home (band box) vs road splits and hit the majority of his home runs in non-conference play. Side bar but it's clear Culpepper's defense and overall profile was underestimated industry wide. Everything you said about Summerhill and Houston is true, they're logical fits. Just wanted to get some down board guys on the list so went with a couple preps (Fien, Pierce, Neyens) and a couple of college options for 16 (Bremner, Kilen, Taylor) to represent how the choice might play out. Thanks for reading and commenting on all this content during the draft cycle, really appreciate the engagement.

Image courtesy of © Saul Young/News Sentinel We’re almost there. Day one of the 2025 MLB Draft kicks off at 5:00 p.m. CT on Sunday. Our full Twins Daily Mock Draft Board is linked here, but ahead of the first round, I’ve compiled a list of 11 eligible prospects from the top 100 consensus rankings who align with the Twins’ tendencies. Each includes their consensus rank and my full write-up from the board. Drop your favorites in the comments. 13. Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara Bremner is a young-for-the-class right-hander with legit starter traits. At 6’2”, 190, he’s an elite mover with a high-upside frame and room to add strength. His fastball sits 94–96 mph (T98) with late carry (19” IVB), paired with a devastating changeup — arguably MLB-ready — that generates 20” of fade and over a 40% whiff rate. His slider is solid, though clearly the third pitch. After a slow start in 2025, he finished strong: 77.1 IP, 2.14 FIP, 35.8 K%, 6.1 BB%. There’s room for command refinement and maybe an expanded arsenal, but don’t let the early-season dip fool you — he has playoff starter upside. 14. Gavin Fien, INF, Great Oaks HS, CA Fien, a Texas commit, is a physical 6’3” third baseman/outfielder with one of the best prep bats in the class. His swing — high hands, toe tap into a leg kick — is unorthodox but consistently on time. It’s line-drive power now, with more to come. The glove, arm, and speed are average, so he’ll have to hit. Still, he’s an arrow-up bat in a draft light on polished prep hitters. 15. Gavin Kilen, INF, Tennessee Kilen is a compact, high-contact middle infielder who’s added pop in 2025. He traded a bit of contact for power and it worked — his EV90 jumped to 104 mph with a Max EV of 108. He’s patient, doesn’t chase, and can elevate pull-side. Kilen finished 2025 hitting .357/.441/.671 with 15 HR, 139 wRC+, 12.2 BB%, and just 11 K%. A high-floor, versatile profile with a chance to stick up the middle. 18. Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS, GA Daniel Pierce is a right-handed hitting prep shortstop prospect out of Georgia. He's one of the more polished defensive shortstop prospects in the class with smooth actions, quick lateral movement, and a plus arm that can make all the throws needed to stick there long term. The bat isn't yet as loud as some of the supplementary tools. It's solid bat-to-ball and pure hitting skills, with a good eye and approach at the plate. A drafting organization will be betting his hit tool develops to, at worst, above average. At present, the power is fringy. Pierce is a plus runner too, adding more avenues to accrue value for a drafting team. The ceiling will be determined by how the bat develops, but this is one of the better pro shortstop profiles in the class. 22. Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon HS, WA Neyens and Ethan Holliday have some similarities in their profiles, for me. Neyens has serious raw power and a patient approach, but there are hit tool and defensive questions. He starts from a wide base with a big leg kick and high hands. When he connects, the ball jumps, but breaking balls have given him fits. He’s a below-average runner but moves well and has a plus arm. If he makes enough contact, he could be one of the better power bats in the class. 28. Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana Taylor might be the safest hit/power bat in the college class. The lefty corner outfielder has average arm strength, below-average speed, and major offensive juice: .374/.494/.706 with 18 HR, 19.3 BB%, and 11.2 K% in 2025 for Indiana. He consistently barrels the ball (EV90 of 107, Max EV of 112) and doesn’t chase much. Taylor showed growth each year at Indiana and backed it up in the Cape. One of the most complete college bats available. 45. Charles Davalan, OF, Arkansas A compact Canadian-born outfielder, Davalan transferred from FGCU and broke out in 2025: .346/.433/.561 with 14 HR, 11 BB%, and 8.5 K%. Known for his bat-to-ball skills, he added impact this year, with EVs over 110 mph. He’s undersized but strong and athletic. The hit tool carries this profile, and his performance against better SEC pitching moved him up boards. 50. Angel Cervantes, RHP, Warren HS, CA One of my favorite arms in the class. Cervantes is a projectable 6’2” prep righty with a clean delivery and four-pitch mix. His fastball sits 90–92 (T94) with ride, and his changeup is elite — fade, depth, and swing-and-miss. The secondaries need refinement (curve and slider blur), but he has advanced feel for spin. He’ll still be 17 on draft day and checks a lot of boxes: projection, polish, athleticism. He’s a top-50 talent. 68. Joseph Dzierwa, LHP, Michigan State A 6’8” lefty with a breakout 2025 campaign. Dzierwa throws from a three-quarters slot with a slingy delivery. His fastball ticked up to 91.6 mph (T95) with decent spin (2600 RPM), and his changeup is his best pitch — 26% zone whiff with great separation. His breaking stuff lags behind — his slider and curve combined for just 11% usage — but his strike-throwing is elite: 73% strikes with the fastball, 69% with the changeup. He’s a moldable arm who fits an org that develops velo and pitch design. 75. Korbyn Dickerson, OF, Indiana I’ll die on this hill: Dickerson is under-ranked. Drafted by the Twins in 2022, he transferred from Louisville to Indiana and exploded in 2025: .314/.381/.632 with 19 HR, 123 wRC+, 9 BB%, and 18.8 K%. There’s some swing noise, but the raw tools are loud — 117 Max EV, 109.8 EV90. There’s hit tool risk (especially vs. offspeed), but he’s a plus athlete with a shot to stick in center. If a team can refine his swing decisions, he’s a potential star. 83. Mitch Voit, 2B, Michigan Voit, a former two-way guy, focused solely on hitting in 2025 and emerged as a solid hit/power college bat. He hit .346/.471/.668 with 14 HR, a 157 wRC+, 15.3 BB%, and just a 13 K%. His EV90 sat at 105.6 mph and he whiffed just 11.7% in zone. There’s plus speed and an above-average arm. With versatility and OBP skills, Voit could hit 15–20 HR as a pro — a well-rounded offensive profile that tends to rise in the draft. 92. Easton Carmichael, C, Oklahoma Carmichael surged into the second tier of college catchers in 2025. The righty swinger has solid bat-to-ball skills, a disciplined approach, and surprising pull power (17 HR). He boosted his walk rate from 6.9% to 9.1% and kept the K-rate under 16%. Defensively, he’s a work in progress — receiving, blocking, and arm strength are all a bit light. But if you value offensive skills behind the plate, Carmichael’s a legit name to watch. View full article

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 85 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie live stream an episode to get ready for day one of the 2025 MLB Draft. They walk through a mock draft of the first 36 picks and alternate picking for teams based on fit, industry steam, and value. The guys pause at each team we cover in more depth to talk about options from particular demographics that make sense with their picks. Destination: The Show will be live streaming throughout day one of the 2025 MLB Draft, breaking down every pick, kicking off at 4:30 CT on Sunday, July 13th. 0:00 Intro 3:59 Mock Draft preview 5:10 Picks 1-5 14:34 Picks 6-7 18:08 Blue Jays at 8 22:35 Picks 9-14 32:35 Red Sox at 15 35:00 Twins at 16 45:40 Cubs at 17 47:00 Picks 18-19 48:55 Brewers at 20 51:33 Picks 21-24 56:04 Padres at 25 58:00 Picks 26-31 1:07:52 Brewers at 32 1:09:45 Red Sox at 33 1:10:43 Picks 34-35 1:12:18 Twins at 36 1:16:43 Listener Questions You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Easton Carmichael! Carmichael has been a steady riser this season as has become part of a solid second tier of catching prospects ahead of the 2025 draft. A compact, right-handed stroke is the headline offensively here. Carmichael has a solid approach at the plate with good bat-to-ball skills. He increased his BB% in 2025 from 6.9% to 9.1% while maintaining a solid 15.7 K%. There's sneaky pull side power here too, Carmichael hit 17 home runs (31 XBH) and has above average foot speed for a catcher (average overall). There's plenty of work to do behind the dish; receiving and blocking both need work. Additionally, his arm is a little light for the position and he can, at times, struggle to control the running game. He's an ideal profile for a time that values a solid overall hitting skillset over current catcher skill.

Image courtesy of © Tim Heitman-Imagn Images Draft week is finally here! We’ll have a ton of coverage for you here at Twins Daily. Here are a few important details to get you oriented to our coverage. Despite finishing with the 14th-worst record in 2024, the Twins will pick 16th in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft, courtesy of falling two spots in the MLB Draft Lottery. They will revert to picking 14th in all subsequent rounds. They have the 12th-largest bonus pool overall, at $12,653,000 (marginally more than 2024). This is primarily a function of their Competitive Balance Round A pick, 36th overall, which revenue-sharing recipient teams garner in either Comp Round A or Comp Round B on an annual rotation. The Twins' top-100 picks and slot values are as follows: Slot value for pick 16: $4,929,600 Slot value for pick 36: $2,692,200 Slot value for pick 54: $1,761,600 Slot value for pick 88: $893,000 This combination of financial and pick flexibility puts the Twins in a strong position to work with a draft class shaping up to be uncertain in terms of top-tier talent, but with plenty of depth through around 75 picks—and interesting prep bats, in particular. You can find our MLB Draft board here. This is a project I’ve been working on since February. The rankings are consensus rankings, taken from leveraging all of the major draft boards in the industry. The goal is to eliminate some of the noise in rankings for casual fans looking to get more interested and get to know the class better. You’ll find the logo from the team next to their pick positions in each round, to give folks an idea of the caliber of talent available in a particular portion of the draft. By Sunday, you’ll find a writeup for 136 player profiles, with biographical information, scouting reports, 2025 performance for college players, and potential fits. The board will be updated every day or so until day one. Additionally, we’ll be live-streaming an episode of Destination: The Show through the entirety of Day One. We’ll get started at 5:30 PM ET/4:30 PM CT. We’ll bring you information on all the picks, live reactions, and team-specific special guests. We hope you’ll join us. View full article

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 84 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie dive into a deep and diverse group of prep infielders, unpacking skill sets, opportunities, and best fits. The guys examine why profiles like Eli Willits are more valuable than their scouting report might read, and whether Billy Carlson makes sense as a fit to the Blue Jays at 8. They dig into potential fits for the Twins, including Gavin Fien, Steele Hall, and Xavier Neyens, and a bonus name. Finally, they talk through some of the prep pitching profiles that fit in the 30-50 range on most boards, including options for the Padres, Brewers, and Twins. 0:00 Intro 4:35 Draft Night Plans 6:02 Prep Infielders 6:51 Ethan Holliday 9:16 Eli Willits 13:10 Billy Carlson 16:38 JoJo Parker 18:56 Kayson Cunningham 22:14 Steele Hall 24:35 Gavin Fien 27:34 Xavier Neyens 35:00 Daniel Pierce/Josh Hammond 41:48 Kruz Schoolcraft 45:15 Aaron Watson 46:39 Briggs McKenzie 48:22 Angel Cervantes 50:28 Cam Appenzeller/Landon Harmon/Uni Fernsler/Jack Bauer 58:24 Listener Questions You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

He was kind enough to come on the podcast a year ago. We offered to sit in the draft room and not make a peep. He politely declined 🤣

Image courtesy of © Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images It’s mock draft season! Over the next two weeks in the buildup to the draft, we’ll be rolling out at least two mock drafts, covering the first round and the first batch of competitive-balance picks. For each of these, we’re doing our best to read the tea leaves and make picks based on the talent available at a particular slot, and considering each organization's drafting tendencies. Feel free to jump into the comments with disagreements and other preferred picks. 1. Nationals: Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU All the buzz here seems to be between Anderson and Ethan Holliday. If the LSU southpaw doesn’t go number one, surely, he won’t get past three. 2. Angels: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee Fast-moving college players is the Angels' trend until it isn’t, and we'll project them to take such players until they don't. 3. Mariners: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State Arnold is a quality arm for a system that’s become bat-dominant. The Mariners are outstanding at developing arms. 4. Rockies: Ethan Holliday, SS, Stillwater HS, OK This appears to be the floor for Holliday. The organization for which his dad became a household name won't let him slide any further. 5. Cardinals: JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis HS, MS If the board unfolds like this, the Cardinals will get their pick of a strong cluster of prep shortstops. Parker has a chance to be the best offensive profile of the bunch. 6. Pirates: Eli Willits, SS, Fort-Cobb Broxton HS, OK Willits has been steady on boards all spring. This would be a good get at six overall. (And yes, he's the son of former big-league outfielder Reggie Willits.) 7. Marlins: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS, CA The Marlins would be thrilled to have Hernandez here. They have consistently developed pitching talent well. 8. Blue Jays: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona HS, CA The Blue Jays are in an interesting spot. There are plenty of good options here. It would be hard to pass on Aiva Arquette, the consensus top college bat available. Toronto has been linked heavily to the prep shortstop group, though. Carlson is the best defensive shortstop in the draft. There’s potential for good impact with the bat, too. 9. Reds: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State Arquette is currently ranked sixth, by consensus. The Reds would be thrilled with this outcome. He’s a physical hitter who should be able to move relatively quickly, despite some refinement needed in the hit tool. 10. White Sox: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma Witherspoon is the consensus college starting pitcher number four. He shouldn’t last long outside the top 10, even if he slips past Chicago. 11. Athletics: Ike Irish, C, Auburn The Athletics have found success with college bats recently (Jacob Wilson, Nick Kurtz), Irish is one of the strongest college hit/power combos in a class lacking them. 12. Rangers: Kayson Cunningham, Johnson HS, TX Cunningham might have the best hit tool on the prep side (along with Parker), to go with plus speed. 13. Giants: Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest Houston is shortstop 1-B to Billy Carlson’s 1-A. He’s a lock to stick at that spot, with a good approach and hit tool, despite (generously) fringy power. 14. Rays: Josh Hammond, SS, Wesleyan Academy, NC Hammond is an outstanding athlete who made tremendous strides with the bat this spring. 15. Red Sox: Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee Kilen ratcheted up the power with Tennessee, to go with the great hit tool. He should have plenty of suitors in the teens. There are a number of other college bats who could make sense here, including Brendan Summerhill and Wehiwa Aloy. 16. Twins: Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara The Twins are well-known for successfully developing mid-to-late college arms into viable MLB options. What if the starting ball of clay was more interesting? Bremner was a consensus top-five prospect coming into this season. It’s a metrically appealing fastball, an above-average slider, and a plus changeup. There’s work to do on the command, but he finished strong. The ceiling is a playoff-caliber starter. 17. Cubs: Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas Wood’s surge this postseason is reminiscent of Cade Horton’s in 2022. Wood punctuated a strong stretch run with a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the College World Series. This is around his range. The Cubs system is bat-heavy, and Wood has an outlandish fastball shape on which to build. 18. Diamondbacks: Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville HS, AL Hall has some of the best speed and athleticism in the entire class. This might be the low end of his range. 19. Orioles: Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas The Orioles won’t be put off by the aggression in Aloy’s approach. This feels like the lower end of his range, but he’s a good fit in Baltimore. 20. Brewers: Gavin Fien, 3B, Great Oaks HS, CA Fien is one of the least talked-about first-round prep profiles, and one of my favorites. He hit everything and everyone last summer. While his early spring was a little uneven, he turned it around down the stretch. He has a chance to be one of the better hit/power combos in this draft class. There’s a good chance he’s taken in the mid-teens. (No, he's not the son of ex-pitcher Casey Fien.) 21. Astros: Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest The Astros love strong athletic traits. Conrad missed time due to injury but was mashing after transferring from Marist. 22. Braves: Riley Quick, RHP, Alabama Quick is a good fit here for the Braves, who often lean toward arms in their usual late first-round range. 23. Royals: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS, OR The Royals are a pitching organization, now. Schoolcraft has plenty of buzz here to land with them. 24. Tigers: Slater De Brun, OF, Summit HS, OR Another steam pick here. De Brun is a table-setter type with good strength, outstanding speed and an excellent hit tool. 25. Padres: Brady Ebel, SS, Corona HS, CA What’s the safest bet in the draft? That the Padres will take a prep player with their first pick. Ebel has a sweet left-handed swing with plenty of projection to grow into a solid hit/power combo. There’s a good defensive infield skill set at play here, too. 26. Phillies: Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon HS, WA Neyens is another profile that has been less talked up this spring. It’s power to rival that of Ethan Holliday. 27. Guardians: Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona Summerhill’s range likely starts in the teens. This feels low, and this is great value for the Guardians at 27. Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks 28. Royals: Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS, GA One of the smoothest defensive profiles at short in this class, but there’s legitimate offensive upside, too. Compensation Picks 29. Diamondbacks: Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina Bodine had a tremendous postseason. It’s a plus hit tool and outstanding receiving skills as a catcher. 30. Orioles: Jace Laviolette, OF, Texas A&M The preseason consensus number-one player finds a home here. He feels like an ideal candidate for an organization with two or three picks in the top 40.f 31. Orioles: Sean Gamble, SS/OF, IMG Academy, FL A left-handed hitting power/speed threat with the type of athleticism that could lend itself to the infield or outfield long-term. 32. Brewers: Andrew Fischer, 1B/3B, Tennessee Fischer feels a little under-ranked to me. He has a patient approach, a track record with wooden bats, and just put up a .760 SLG in the SEC. This offensive profile will play anywhere. He’s a first round-caliber talent, and this represents good value. It would be a nice counterbalance to the Fien pick earlier in the round for the Brewers. Competitive Balance Round A 33. Red Sox: Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville The Red Sox brain trust has invested in their pitching infrastructure recently. Forbes is a high-octane arm who could develop into a monster with the right development behind him. It’s ace-caliber arm talent that’s a little rough around the edges. 34. Tigers: Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas A ready-made diverse arsenal and a track record of performance in the SEC represent good value for a farm system stacked with talent. 35. Mariners: Cam Appenzeller, Glenwood HS, IL The Mariners have money to spend in this draft. Appenzeller is one of the best prep pitchability arms in this draft class. 36. Twins: Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana The Twins WILL get their bats in the first few rounds, and Taylor has been a tremendous college performer. It’s not a spectacular profile in terms of speed and defense but he mashes. He had a 169 wRC+ with 18 home runs in 2025. That was buoyed by a 19.3 BB% and a measly 11.2 K%. This is a fast-moving, high-floor college outfield bat. View full article

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 83 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie unpack an underwhelming group of college outfielders in the forthcoming draft. They dig into how quickly to pull the trigger on Ike Irish in addition to the level of concern around Brendan Summerhill’s power production at the college level. The guys disagree on whether Jace Laviolette is a risk worth taking in the late teens, before digging into some additional top 50 profiles. Jeremy and Jamie cover Ethan Conrad, Devin Taylor, Cam Cannarella, Mason Neville, and Charles Davalan before finishing up with some listener questions. 0:00 Intro 8:26 Housekeeping 9:21 Draft Night One Plans 13:21 Ike Irish 21:37 Brendan Summerhill 26:55 Jace Laviolette 37:55 Ethan Conrad 44:35 Devin Taylor 49:02 Cam Cannarella 53:45 Mason Neville 56:45 Charles Davalan 57:45 Max Belyeu and Ethan Petry 1:00:14 Listener Questions You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 82 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie unpack a deep and diverse group of college pitchers currently occupying consensus top 50 spots on our draft board. The guys dig into the case for college SP1, unpacking the strengths and opportunities for Jamie Arnold, Kade Anderson, and Liam Doyle. They work through the next cluster of arms, asking if Kyson Witherspoon and Tyler Bremner would be too good to pass up for teams picking in the mid-teens if they got there. Finally, they examine the third tier of college pitching, including Riley Quick, Patrick Forbes, Zach Root, and an epic end to the season for Gage Wood. 0:00 Intro to college pitchers 6:00 Jamie Arnold 13:15 Kade Anderson 16:31 Liam Doyle 22:22 Kyson Witherspoon 25:48 Tyler Bremner 34:30 Riley Quick 38:30 Zach Root 42:25 Patrick Forbes 47:20 Gage Wood You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article