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Prep Baseball 2025 in Review

December 22, 2025
Seth Fromowitz
Prep Baseball Staff

 

From record-breaking moments and standout performances on a national stage, to keeping up with the frenzy of the MLB Draft, 2025 proved to be a landmark year for Prep Baseball. With marquee showcases, tournaments, draft coverage, rankings and player spotlights, the past calendar year highlighted the depth of coverage and opportunities that shape Prep Baseball. Setting up across the country, Canada and Taiwan, we recap the biggest events, prospects and storylines that made an impact in 2025 for Prep Baseball.

SUPER 60

The 23rd annual Super 60 Pro Showcase in Chicago, Illinois featured more than 60 of the top prospects in the 2025 class in front of over 100 MLB scouts. The talent on display and their results put the latest edition up for consideration as the best of All-Time with several record-setting performances:

Fastest 60-yard dash: William Patrick (St. Frederick HS, LA) - 6.29 seconds

Average fastball spin rate: Nate Schlote (Shawnee Mission East HS, KS) - 2729 rpm

Average slider spin rate: Luke LaCourse (Bay City Western HS, MI) - 3451 rpm

Max batted distance: Taitn Gray (Dallas Center-Grimes HS, IA) - 433 ft

Average bat speed (Blast): Taitn Gray (IA) - 83.2 mph

Along with the new record-holders, 2025 featured even more prospects cementing themselves in the top 10 on various leaderboards, especially in the speed category. This past year featured 14 total runners with sub 6.60 second 60-yard dash times, surpassing 2024’s total by eight. See more on record-breaking performances and leaderboards in the 2025 Super 60 Position Player Data Dive, Blast Motion Leader Analysis and full leaderboard.

At the end of the 2025 MLB Draft, the 2025 Super 60 saw 19 prospects selected shortstop JoJo Parker (Purvis HS, MS) selected eighth overall by the Toronto Blue Jays. Along with Parker, event leaders Taitn Gray (IA) was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays (86th overall), Luke LaCourse by the Los Angeles Angels (169th) and Parker’s brother Jacob (Purvis HS, MS) rounded out the group, drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks (573rd).

Following the event, Vice President, Scouting, Shooter Hunt went through his notes and leaderboards from the event to highlight prospects who showcased the raw talent and potential to make an impact at the next level. Read his takeaways for the nine position players to know and 10 impact pitchers.

Future Games

 

The 2025 Future Games returned to LakePoint Sports in Emerson, Ga; from Tuesday, July 22 through Sunday, July 27. Featuring the event’s foundation, 16U (class of 2027) division, the week also carried the 14U (2029 & 2030) Future Games division and the second year of the 17U (2026) Senior Future Games division during the first two days.

Overall, the 15th year of the event hosted over 400 college coaches throughout the week. It was the second straight summer that the week had over 400 coaches, emphasizing the Future Games’ importance to the recruiting cycle.

Having a front-row seat to some of the top uncommitted talent, over 400 of this year’s Future Gamers had committed to play at the Division I level. See the full Commitment Tracker from the Future Games and Senior Future Games.

Amongst the Division I commits from the week were 2025 Prep Baseball All-American’s Sebastian Castillo (Byron Nelson HS, TX) and Kaden Wasniewski (McHenry HS, IL), both committed to LSU. Castillo entered the week well known for his defensive ability to cover plenty of ground at shortstop and rose to be a high-profile junior with the bat. Totaling five hits with an opposite-field home run, the Texas native’s performance earned him the honors of being the Future Games MVP, the first-ever winner from the state.

Wasniewski was one of the top two-way talents across the entire event but his pitching performance in Team Illinois’ opening game stood out the most. Under the lights against Indiana, the right-hander sat in the low 90s with over 2,600 rpm on his fastball and retired the side in order in each of his two innings of work with four strikeouts. Against a left-handed-heavy lineup, Wasniewski used his changeup to offset timing to generate several whiffs. Setting the tone for Illinois and the overall week, the two-way prospect’s performance earned him the recognition as the Most Valuable Pitcher, the fourth recipient of the award and first of the state, similar to Castillo.

Read more on Castillo’s MVP week here.

Read more on Wasniewski’s MV-Pitcher performance here.

Along with the award-winning performances, 2025 also witnessed new event-records on the mound and in the field. With a sinker sitting in the 90-94 mph range, uncommitted right-hander Liam Dougherty (Beech HS, TN) topped the fastball-profile leaderboards at a max velocity of 96.7 mph.

The trend of throws in the upper 90s continued with uncommitted infielder Lucas Farrar (Berkeley Prep HS, FL) worked his way up to 96 mph to tie Gavin Pitts (2022, FL) and Matt Ponatoski (2024, OH). He also took to the mound for team Florida that ranked top-10 amongst the team at a max of 90.8 mph.

In the outfield, after reaching 100 mph at the 2025 Ohio Procase in February, Devlan Daniel (Indian Hill HS, OH) became the Future Games record-holder with a 99 mph throw. A Mississippi State commit, the outfielder ranks as the No. 1 prospect in Ohio’s class of 2027.

See more on workout day leaders, statistics and more from the 2025 Future Games on the Future Games Homepage.

All-American Game

 

On Saturday, September 20, the third annual Prep Baseball All-American Game returned to LoanDepot Park in Miami, Fla. for the second consecutive year. After falling to the Class of 2025 last year, the All-American Game experience 2026 class took care of the Class of 2027 6-3. With solid defense and clutch hitting, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class, Miami commit and hometown-star, Jacob Lombard (Gulliver Prep, FL, 2026) took home MVP honors and 2027’s No. 3 prospect and Mississippi State commit, Connor Salerno (Sun Valley HS, NC) earning MV-Pitcher as he struck out the side with six whiffs in his one inning of work.

The 2027’s would gain the first lead of the game in the third inning on a Max Hemenway (IMG Academy, FL, 2027; Tennessee commit) sacrifice fly with an immediate answer of three runs. In the eighth inning with the 2026’s ahead 4-1 and a runner on second, Dylan Seward (Norco High, CA, 2027) would scorch a liner into center and leg out an inside-the-park home run to bring the Class of 2027 within one. Two more runs from the AAG Home Run Derby champ Beau Peterson (Mill Valley HS, KS, 2026) would stretch the senior classes’ lead to the game’s final score.

Read the full recap from the 2025 Prep Baseball All-American Game here.

During the workout day, speed was king, similar to previous 2025 marquee events as Eric ‘EJ’ Booth Jr. (Oak Grove HS, MS, 2026) ran the fastest 60-yard dash time in All-American Game history at 6.25 seconds. The Vanderbilt commit and 13th ranked 2026 prospect was then followed and nearly beaten by Seward who ran a 6.26 second 60, a preview to his inside-the-parker in the game.

Combined between the All-American Game, workout and Home Run Derby, seven awards and recognitions were given out for the event’s top performers:

  • The Mizuno “Haga Hands” Defensive Standout: Rocco Maniscalco (Oxford, AL, 2026)
  • Top Athlete Award, Presented by PBSCCS: Grant Westphal (Blue Valley, KS, 2027)
  • 1st Phorm Workout Warrior: Dylan Seward (Norco, CA, 2027)
  • Standout Hitter Award, Presented by CamWood Bats & TwinTack: Will Brick (Christian Brothers, TN, 2027)
  • Prep Baseball AAG, Home Run Derby Champion: Beau Peterson (Mill Valley, KS, 2026)
  • Prep Baseball AAG, Most Valuable Pitcher: Connor Salerno (Sun Valley, NC, 2027)
  • Prep Baseball AAG, Most Valuable Player: Jacob Lombard (Gulliver Prep, FL, 2026)

Read more on the metrics and data from the 2025 Prep Baseball All-American Game:

While the 2025 All-American Game featured the classes of 2026 and 2027 going head-to-head, they’ll also compete against childhood cancer with Prep Baseball’s official charity partner, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Vs. Cancer program.

While the game may be months in the past, the fight continues and it’s never too late to donate. All the funds raised will go towards livesaving pediatric brain cancer research, family support resources and child life programs across the nation. You can support by donating directly or purchasing the ‘Limited Edition’ Prep Baseball Vs. Cancer T-Shirt where all proceeds go directly to the Vs. Cancer Program.

Check out the 2025 All-American Game Homepage for more on the nation’s top amateur baseball game and its history here.

NATIONAL PLAYER & TEAM OF THE YEAR

Towards the end of a high school career that featured plenty of buzz since the beginning, class of 2025 shortstop Ethan Holliday (OK) was crowned as Prep Baseball’s 2025 Player of the Year. The Oklahoma native became the third from the Sooner State to receive the award after Jackson Jobe (Heritage Hall HS) in 2021 and Ethan’s brother, Jackson Holliday (Stillwater HS) in 2022.

A two-time Prep Baseball All-American (2023 & 2024), Holliday finished the spring season hitting .611 with 19 home runs, leading the state and a share for the most in the nation, with 64 RBI, a .743 on-base percentage, resulting in an OPS of 2.308.

Since the summer of 2022, Holliday had been at the forefront of Class of 2025 National Rankings and was considered to be No. 1 one Draft HQ’s final draft board and projected to go fourth overall to the Colorado Rockies in its mock draft, which he did so come draft day. More>>

 

Following the announcement of Prep Baseball’s eighth National Player of the Year, the spring season was closed with the 2025 All-Prep Baseball Team. Featuring 26 prospects from across the country, the list includes Super 60 alumni, All-Americans, MLB Draft picks and Future Games alumni. Along with highlighting Players of the Year from each state, state directors came together to share the robust list of the nation’s top spring seasons. More>>

 

The 2025 high school season marked the third year where Prep Baseball ranked the top-50 programs in the nation from start to finish. Starting as a top-25 with regional rankings, the process expanded to 50 in 2024.

Initially, the first rankings of the season were weighted on the previous year, prospects and projections but once games began, production on the field was key. At the end of the high school season, no team produced more on the field than Stoneman Douglas HS (FL) who went 31-2 under coach Todd Fitz-Gerald.

The 2025 Eagles featured several nationally ranked prep prospects like 2025 Super 60 and 2023 Future Gamer Nick Diaz (2025, No. 94), 2023 Future Gamer Bennett Gary (2025, No. 356), 2024 and 2025 All-American Gio Rojas (2026, No. 3), Lorenzo Laurel (2026, No. 418) and Jackson Taylor (2027, No. 309).

See the full 2025 National High School Top-50 Rankings.

DRAFT HQ  

2025 MLB Draft: The 2025 MLB Draft saw 19 of the 43 first-round picks selected following their senior year of high school, eight of which were Prep Baseball All-Americans (17 total). Leading up to it, Director of College Scouting, David Seifert and Draft HQ worked diligently to provide detailed analysis via draft boards, mock drafts and more.

See the latest draft board and mock draft ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft:

Ahead of the draft, Seifert traveled across the country to take in elite NCAA matchups that consisted of 2025 draft prospects, future hopefuls and previous Prep Baseball marquee event attendees:

 

Fall College Crosscheck:

2026 MLB Draft: After the draft occurred in July, the focus quickly moved on as Draft HQ turned its sights on 2026. On display for the past two All-American Games, the upcoming draft-eligible prep talent is talented and deep with this past year seeing 46 high school draft picks receiving signing bonuses over seven figures. In the middle of October, Vice President of Scouting, Shooter Hunt analyzed the 2025 draft and its signing bonuses to help forecast what could be expected in 2026. More>>

Before the new year, Draft HQ unveiled its 2026 Mock Draft and Draft Board twice; at the end of the summer and beginning of winter. Initially, the first mock covered the first 30 selections prior to the Draft Lottery, and the board was 100 prospects deep. Following the lottery, which gave the Chicago White Sox the number one overall pick, projections shifted with an added fall season to chew on. Led with a strong group of shortstops and a healthy mix of prep and collegiate talent, the last mock draft of the 2025 calendar year has a new number one.

While the Mock Draft looks to predict how teams will select come draft day, the Draft Board serves as a ranking of prospects. The second edition of the Draft Board expands to 200 players with plenty of movement that can be outside of the typical single step shift. While the top of the list has been on the radars of Major League organizations for years, the depth of the 2026 draft class can make each pick a slam dunk regardless of where they fall in the order.

See the full top-200 Draft Board here.

See the latest Mock Draft of the first round here.

The War Room: ‘The War Room’ is Prep Baseball Draft HQ’s exclusive podcast with a focus on decision making and player procurement across all levels. Featuring Vice President of Scouting, Shooter Hunt and Director of College Scouting, David Seifert episodes range from discussing draft boards and mocks for the upcoming draft, exclusive interviews with Major League officials in scouting and development and more. Subscribe to ‘The War Room’ on YouTube, Spotify and Apple to watch today.

For all things draft-related at Prep Baseball such as mock drafts, draft boards, College Crosschecks and more, follow @PB_DraftHQ on X and on the Draft HQ homepage.

TOURNAMENTS

The 2026 Prep Baseball Tournament schedule is now live. From youth to high school, Prep Baseball Tournaments offer events for various age groups at premiere locations across the country. Find a tournament near you and sign up today at tournaments.prepbaseballreport.com.

THE ‘HOTLIST’

 

The ‘Hotlist’ is a series that provides weekly insight into the high school baseball scene spanning the country, curated by Prep Baseball’s state directors who are situated nationwide, with vital intel on the prospects who are in their own backyards. Each week, we’ve published our ‘Hotlist’ on varying topics that are timeliest to the national baseball calendar at that point in time.

2025 Previews:

Spring Recaps:

Summer:

Fall:

Uncommitted:

For more on uncommitted content follow @PB_Uncommitted on X

JUCO:

MLB/NCAA:

RANKINGS

2026

Before the new year kicks off, Prep Baseball presents its latest rankings for the Class of 2026. The top features familiar names like two-time All-American Game alumnus Jacob Lombard (Gulliver Prep, FL, Miami commit), Gio Rojas (Stoneman Douglas HS, FL, Miami commit), Carson Bolemon (Southside Christian HS, SC, Wake Forest commit) and more. With the spring season and 2026 MLB Draft on the horizon, see who the top prospects in the senior prep class are nationally and in their respective states.

****CLICK FOR TOP 500****

Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Dakotas | Florida | Georgia | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland/Delaware | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Nebraska | Nevada | New England | New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Oklahoma | Ontario | Oregon | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Virginia/DC | Washington | Wisconsin

2027

 

Coming off of the 2025 Future Games and their first taste of the All-American Game, the Class of 2027 now enters the pivotal stretch to set them up for playing at the next level, whether it’s college or entering the MLB Draft. In the past year, new names have taken the scene by storm with others making the most of their opportunities on the national stage as Prep Baseball updates its top-500 for the junior class. More>>

****CLICK FOR TOP 500****

Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Dakotas | Florida | Georgia | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland/Delaware | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Nebraska | Nevada | New England | New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Oklahoma | Ontario | Oregon | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Virginia/DC | Washington | Wisconsin

2028

 

On Tuesday, December 2, Prep Baseball and the states unveiled the initial rankings for the class of 2028. For the group, the quest to the 2026 Future Games is on with the entire class fully uncommitted. A full year into close observation and rankings by scouts, the class capitalized on opportunities to be seen from events, workouts and tournaments. Broken down by Vice President, Scouting, Shooter Hunt, the top-300 features newcomers that rank the best amongst their respective states, risers and more. More>>

****CLICK FOR TOP 300****

Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland/DE | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Nebraska | Nevada | New England | New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Oklahoma | Ontario | Oregon | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Virginia/DC | Washington | Wisconsin

2029

 

On Monday, November 24, Prep Baseball and the states unveiled the initial rankings for the class of 2029. Already the class has shown to be deep and diverse with plenty to be excited for as Prep Baseball scouts follow their journeys. Far from concrete, the initial list serves as a base with more to be added via two-sport athletes, risers, developing prospects and more. From Vice President of Scouting, Shooter Hunt, 15 prospects are highlighted as top prospects and others that can be seen as future risers. More>>

****CLICK FOR TOP 200****

Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Florida | Georgia | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland/DC | Michigan | Mississippi | Missouri | Nebraska | Nevada | New England | New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Oklahoma | Ontario (Watch List) | Oregon | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Texas | Utah | Virginia/DC | Washington | Wisconsin

JUCO

 

The JUCO landscape remains a hotbed for talent that can make an impact at the next level. With the fall schedule wrapped up, Prep Baseball scouts have had plenty of action to sit on and help evaluate who’s the best of the best across the country. Ahead of the new year with under two months until the NJCAA season, Prep Baseball’s JUCO Wire ranks the preseason top-100 JUCO prospects entering the 2026 spring. More>>

For more on all things JUCO, check out the JUCO Wire Hompage and follow X at @PB_JUCO, Instagram at @pb_juco and Facebook at @PrepBaseballJuco

YOUTUBE

Follow Prep Baseball on YouTube and watch videos such as Draft HQ’s ‘The War Room’ and ‘Recruiting Essentials’, highlights, interviews and replay of the All-American Game, Future Games coverage, Coffee & Curveballs, shorts and more at @prepbaseball.

Check out Prep Baseball’s network of podcasts from the national level to state-specific at prepbaseballreport.com/Prep-Baseball-Podcasts.

MLB DRAFT LEAGUE

Year six of the MLB Draft League showcased more prospects with their sights on the MLB Draft and professional contracts. The league also saw new and exciting opportunities to broaden its reach, accessibility to scouts and chances for its prospects to be seen. In the league’s five years of ending the season with a championship game, the second-half champion West Virginia Black Bears claimed their third MLB Draft League title after defeating the first-half champs and host, State College Spikes, 12-5.

The 2025 MLB Draft featured the second-most picks in Draft League history with 48, only 4 away from 2024’s 52. However, this past season tied 2024 with 36 prospects selected in the same year they appeared in the league. Overall, 233 players have been selected with MLB Draft League roots since its inception in 2021. Following, 35 more prospects from the Draft League were signed as undrafted free agents, three players in the second half had their contracts purchased mid-season and four more were signed as MiLB free agents after the season.

Read more on results from the 2025 MLB Draft and its trends here.

Read the 2025 MLB Draft Preview here.

Before the draft, on Monday, June 30, the MLB Draft League took to Citi Field in Queens, New York to take on the Cape Cod Baseball League in an exhibition in front of Major League scouts and officials. After nine complete innings, the Draft League came out on top 10-6 after a Harrison Didawick (State College) home run and various RBI-singles and scoreless innings.

Read more on the Citi Field exhibition here.

This year introduced new awards in the Draft League along with its Player of the Weeks via All-First Half, All-Second Half, Most Valuable Player and Pitcher. Consisting of 21 prospects from the first half and 24 players in the second half, the lists highlight the league’s top performers from their respective halves with draft picks, UDFAs, leaders and more.

Read more on the All-Half Teams: First | Second

Added to the All-Second Half Team, the first MVP and MV-Pitcher awards were given with shortstop Connor Maryniak (Trenton) and right-handed reliever Cameron LeJeune (West Virginia) winning the respective awards. Maryniak, a Charlotte graduate, ranked top-10 in the professional half in home runs, hits, total bases, batting average, OBP, OPS and SLG with 18 multi-hit games. LeJeune, from Virginia Tech, led all qualified second-half pitchers with a 0.67 ERA with top-10 finishes in wins, WHIP and batting average during the Black Bears’ championship run.

Read more on the first MVP and MV-Pitcher awards in league history: Maryniak (MVP) | LeJeune (Pitcher)

The MLB Draft League also featured new content this past season to engage scouts and fans across both halves as well as keep up with the league’s alumni, highlighted by six MLB debuts for a total of 10 to reach the Majors. Debuting this past season were Logan Vanwey (Astros, Trenton ‘21), Andrew Hoffmann (Royals/Diamondbacks, Mahoning Valley ‘21), Jonathan Pintaro (Mets, Frederick ‘21+’22), Nathan Church (Cardinals, State College ‘21), Jonah Tong (Mets, Frederick ‘22) and Hayden Harris (Braves, Frederick ‘22). The Alumni Report connected the Draft League to its alumni in affiliated ball as they continued their journey to the show. After the regular season, the Alumni Report continued to follow alumni in the Arizona Fall League, featuring 24 more prospects who appeared in the Draft League as well as MiLB free agent signings of second half standouts.

Read the final Alumni Report of 2025 here.

2024 introduced Data Darlings, highlighting the metric and analytical standouts across the league, from high velo, to whiff rates, consistent hard-contact, an elite plate discipline and more. With the help of Data Coordinators from each team; prospects, scouts and coaches have access to this information and data in real time to help evaluate, scout and develop their tools. With the collected data, the Data Darlings serves as a way to easily shout out some of the top performers who may not dazzle in the box score but have all the tools present to make an impact.

Along with the elevated Data Darlings, the Draft League began new series with the Prospect Report, Weekly Preview, and Roundup. The Prospect Report aimed to highlight prospects in the league from a more traditional scouting lens. Breaking down top performers and higher regarded prospects that can make the jump to the affiliated ranks through their traditional stats and finer metrics along with their approaches to the game and how its resulted in success.

Read all of the latest articles from the 2025 season here.

2025 was also a historic year on the field with several prospects breaking MLB Draft League records:

  • Fastest pitch: 100.9 mph - Miguel Sime Jr. (Trenton, Nationals’ 5th round pick)
  • Single-season stolen bases: 36 - Aaron Whitley (Trenton, first half only), Trey Lipsey (Frederick, full season)
  • Longest hit-streak: 21 games - Jace Rinehart (West Virginia), JC Collura (State College)

Looking ahead to 2026, the Draft League will have a different look as the Aberdeen IronBirds join the league. With a deep history of player development and the professional start of some of MLB’s biggest stars, the team will play against similar foes to its New York-Penn League days before 2020. The sixth season will also bring back the International Series that debuted last year as Baseball Canada’s Junior National Team will return to face the league’s teams as well as a new team representing Mexico.

Read more on the addition of the Aberdeen IronBirds here.

Read more about the 2026 season and schedule release here.

For more information about the MLB Draft League, visit mlbdraftleague.com or follow @mlbdraftleague and @draftleaguedata on X, and @mlbdraftleague on Instagram.

SHOP

Winter is coming and there’s no better place to stock up on than at the Prep Baseball Shop. Purchase beanies, jackets, sweatshirts, joggers and more for when you’re getting ready for the spring season. Get exclusive Prep Baseball merchandise from Mizuno, limited time sales and FREE SHIPPING on orders $50 or more at shop.prepbaseball.com.

 

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