2025 MLB Draft: Running analysis of Day 1

We offer our insights and analysis from Day 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft. (All times ET.) Follow the 2025 MLB Draft with theScore's live tracker to view all selections as they happen.

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10:36 p.m. - That's a wrap! The Los Angeles Angels select Nate Snead 105th overall as a compensation pick at the end of the third round to complete Day 1. That's eight Tennessee Volunteers taken.

The penultimate selection of Day 1 was an interesting one as well. The Dodgers nabbed Landyn Vidourek, who is unranked by Pipeline. The 21-year-old outfielder posted a 1.010 OPS, slugged 14 homers, and went 39-for-40 in stolen-base attempts with Cincinnati this year.

It should be noted, not having any prospects at the draft was a massive miss this year. MLB moved it to well after the College World Series and into the All-Star break so they could turn it into more of an event. This wasn't one.

The 2025 MLB Draft continues Monday at 11:30 a.m. ET with Rounds 4-20.

9:45 p.m. - While the draft continues toward its third and final round of the night, the Mariners have reportedly already agreed to an $8.8-million signing bonus with No. 3 pick Kade Anderson, according to Aram Leighton. That's roughly $700,000 below slot, which now represents additional money the Mariners can use elsewhere in the draft. There's a decent chance some or all of those savings go directly to their 57th overall selection, Nick Becker, a prep shortstop who is committed to playing for Virginia with his brother.

9:06 p.m. - The first round is over! Under three hours to make 36 picks - MLB deserves some credit for how quickly this moved along. I'm going to clean up some quick thoughts as things slow down:

Athletics draft Jamie Arnold 11th overall: It wouldn't surprise me if this ends up being the steal of the draft when we look back on this in a decade. Over his final two years in college, the lefty struck out 278 batters and issued 53 walks over 190 1/3 innings. This played out great for the A's, an organization that, historically, loves drafting college arms.

Phillies draft Gage Wood 26th overall: This feels like a pick made by a Dave Dombrowski team, without a doubt. Wood has star potential and that was on full display with his 19-strikeout no-hitter in the College World Series. He also has some bust potential in that he simply hasn't thrown many innings and might be destined for a relief role. The good news is a Dombrowski-run team always needs a closer.

8:56 p.m. - The Mets take two-way player Mitch Voit 38th overall! But don't get too excited, Voit doesn't even have Bryce Eldridge upside, let alone Shohei Ohtani ceiling. Even announcing Voit as a two-way player feels like malpractice, as he hasn't pitched since he was a sophomore when he posted a 5.49 ERA over 10 starts with Michigan. The Mets would be best to develop him solely as a hitter, where he can be a very good slugging second baseman.

8:44 p.m. - The Tigers go even further off the board by drafting Michael Oliveto, who was ranked No. 219 by Pipeline, 34th overall. It's hard to tell if they love his skillset or if this is an under-slot selection that ensures they can afford to sign their top selection in Yost. It's probably a little bit of both and we're a long way from figuring out what Oliveto is.

8:37 p.m. - The Orioles convert their third pick of the night into Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy at No. 31. Some teams that took those prep shortstops early are going to look foolish for passing on Aloy, who unequivocally has a higher floor than most of them. The 21-year-old posted a 1.107 OPS with the Razorbacks as a junior and also performed well in the wooden-bat Cape Cod League, hitting .309/.352/.642 with eight homers and three doubles over 21 games. He might not have the best defensive instincts, but he has the arm to manage third base and would fit great at second as well.

8:13 p.m. - We have a big reach alert. The Tigers added to the suspicion that teams will do anything to get a prep shortstop by selecting Jordan Yost out of Florida's Sickles High School at 24th overall. Yost entered the night ranked 50th by Pipeline, but he was expected to follow through on his commitment to Florida if he slipped that far. Detroit drafts again at No. 34 but may need to wisely utilize its $10.9 million bonus pool (17th in MLB), as Yost likely wants close to full slot value ($3.73 million).

7:52 p.m. - The Orioles, one of the more intriguing teams in this draft with three picks in the top 31, made their first selection of the night by choosing slugging catcher Ike Irish at 19th overall. The best guess here is that they wanted one of the prep shortstops to fall to them and use their ample bonus pool to sign them over slot. Instead, Baltimore ends up with the best player remaining on the board at the time, according to MLB Pipeline. Irish is a fascinating prospect with elite pop and improving swing decisions. The concerns around him are either about durability (if he hits his ceiling, his bat will play in a corner outfield spot anyway) or that he got eaten up in the wooden-bat Cape Cod League.

7:39 p.m. - Prep shortstops continue to be at a premium. The Nats set the tone by going a smidge off the board to nab Eli Willits, and here's how it's looked since:

It'll be fascinating to follow along with this class of high school shortstops as organizations take sizable risks on them in a relatively weak class. Pierce to the Rays at 14th overall is one of the more interesting ones to follow, as Tampa Bay adds another light-hitting prepster with speed to a system that loves to develop those types of players.

7:07 p.m. - We're jumping ahead a bit to the Blue Jays' pick of JoJo Parker at eighth overall. Teams seem to be favoring prep shortstops this draft. In a class with no slam-dunk star, it makes sense to take a big swing on a high-floor player like Parker. Scouts like his likelihood of sticking at short, and he's a polished left-handed hitter with an all-fields approach. But it's a bit odd to make this selection with Florida State lefty Jamie Arnold still on the board. Like Arjun Nimmala (selected 20th overall by Toronto in 2023), Parker is a long-term project. And, for now, the Jays have shown an ability to develop malleable, high-ceiling infielders.

7 p.m. - The Pirates continue to show no fear in drafting high variance high schoolers by taking right-hander Seth Hernandez sixth overall, which is odd because they're so bad at developing them. The Vanderbilt commit has incredible stuff for a prep arm, but he's a long way from the majors. The only thing Pittsburgh seems to excel at drafting is players who are already MLB-ready or close to it. The pick is a good one. The ability to develop? Inconclusive.

6:56 p.m. - Tennessee lefty Liam Doyle goes to the Cardinals fifth overall. Doyle may be the most MLB-ready pitcher, but only if St. Louis sees him as a reliever. The comparisons to Garrett Crochet are too easy to make. Both were Vols, both are southpaws, and Doyle could come out of an MLB bullpen later this season - his fastball is that good. If the Cardinals view Doyle as a starter, he must work on not throwing with maximum effort 100% of the time while also refining his repertoire.

6:44 p.m. - A pick that made sense since before the draft lottery even began - the Colorado Rockies get Ethan Holliday. As the son of Rockies legend Matt Holliday, Ethan will be beloved in Colorado. It's possible that the development of Jackson Holliday with the Orioles caused some to sour on Ethan, and that seems wrong, as they're not the same player at all. Even if Ethan doesn't land at shortstop for the Rockies, he could be a legitimate power-hitting third baseman, and that's pretty exciting.

6:30 p.m. - The rich get richer as the Mariners snap up Kade Anderson third overall. Despite being widely regarded as the best pitcher in the class, Anderson still has work to do to develop. His deep repertoire helps make him an incredibly interesting prospect, but no single pitch he features would be deemed a reliable out pitch in MLB. And that's fine, since the perfect organization has just drafted him to help him refine his craft. If you thought Anderson could be a frontline starter for any team, believe he can be an ace when the Mariners develop him.

6:18 p.m. - The Angels select right-hander Tyler Bremner second overall. If you yelled "WHO?" at your TV, you weren't alone. MLB Pipeline had four college pitchers ranked higher than Bremner. The 21-year-old is no slouch, though. If Bremner were eligible last year, he would've also heard his name called very early. This season was a bit tougher for him, but he still posted a 111-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio as a junior over 77 1/3 innings with UC Santa Barbara. This pick resembles the 2020 selection of Reid Detmers at 10th overall. While Bremner's ceiling might not be as high as his peers, his floor looks pretty strong. It wouldn't surprise me if he's the first pitcher from this class to reach the majors.

6:11 p.m. - It didn't take long for the first surprise of the night. The Nationals selected prep standout Eli Willits first overall. He's a 17-year-old switch-hitting shortstop with elite contact and plate discipline who reclassified from the 2026 cycle. This is a huge swing by interim GM Mike DeBartolo in an attempt to get his version of Bobby Witt Jr. But Willits' profile may be a bit more Bryson Stott, depending on how he develops.

5:40 p.m. - One pick that'll be fascinating is the Baltimore Orioles at 19th overall. Despite not picking until pretty late, the O's command the largest bonus pool. That's largely because they acquired the 37th overall selection from the Tampa Bay Rays for Bryan Baker earlier this week. Mike Elias and Co. likely believe they can pick someone who falls to them and comfortably sign them over slot.

5:30 p.m. - The Nationals are on the clock. Expect them to take either LSU pitcher Kade Anderson or high school infielder Ethan Holliday. The Nationals haven't had the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft since 2010, when they selected Bryce Harper. They've used their most recent first-round picks on college bats. With longtime general manager Mike Rizzo recently fired, it'll be fascinating to see how interim GM Mike DeBartolo puts his first fingerprints on the organization as boss.

5 p.m. - Here we go! The Nationals own the first pick, followed by the Angels, Mariners, Rockies, and Cardinals. The first night of the draft will cover the opening three rounds (105 picks). Washington won the draft lottery in December despite owning 10.2% odds.