The 2025 MLB Draft will take place in Atlanta this year during the All-Star game festivities, starting Sunday, July 13 and wrapping up Tuesday, July 15. Whilst there are plenty of players with quality tools in this year’s draft class, there is not yet a clear consensus on the order of top picks.
Since the Detroit Tigers brought Mark Conner over from the San Diego Padres as Director of Amateur Scouting in 2022, they seemingly have a “type,” in the draft, however, are willing to stray depending on availability or for specific outliers that add considerable value.
They appear to favor big, strong, athletic, projectable, up-the-middle, left-handed hitters with plus-to-double plus arms who control the zone well, along with strong feel for outfield defense. As far as pitchers, high school left-handed pitchers or right-handed pitchers with outlier deceptors or advanced pitch mixes who throw plenty of strikes seem to be the preference.
The Tigers pick 24th and 34th in the first round this year (Their 34th pick being a competitive balance pick), and 62nd in the second round. Below is a compiled list of who I suspect the Tigers will be high on this year, and a summary of each player.
Ike Irish
Draft Age: 21
School/Commit: Auburn
Position: C/OF
Bat/Throw: L/R
Height/Weight: 6’2”, 201
A Michigan native, Irish is a left-handed hitting catcher who can also play corner outfield with his above-average arm. His defense, however, is still a work in progress. He has shown impressive numbers in the SEC, slashing .335/.451/.646 so far through the 2025 season with 12 home runs and 9 doubles. His peripherals are intriguing as well, as he has walked 13% of the time and struck out 15% of the time, 2% below average, in 193 PA. He has a 25% chase rate, and 14% in-zone miss rate (Both average). A minor concern with Irish is his injury history throughout the last couple of seasons.
Sean Gamble
Draft Age: 19
School/Commit: IMG Academy (FL)/Vanderbilt
Position: 2B/OF
Bat/Throw: L/R
Height/Weight: 6’1”, 188
Up-the-middle left-handed hitter Sean Gamble has a strong average hit tool, run tool, and arm and features a smooth, repeatable, lofty swing. He controls the zone and finds the barrel very well, making hard contact to all fields. He is a dynamic athlete who fits the profile of a center fielder and plays the position well, with his athleticism and arm playing nicely there. Evaluators speculate he could also have a future as an above-average defender at second base. So far in his 2025 season at IMG Academy (as of 5/6/25), he is slashing .413/.484/.840 with 4 HR, 8 doubles, and 6 triples in 91 PA. He currently strikes out 7% of the time and walks 11% of the time.
Slater de Brun
Draft Age: 18
School/Commit: Summit (OR)/Vanderbilt
Position: OF
Bat/Throw: L/L
Height/Weight: 5’10”, 187
De Brun is an excellent defender in center field. He features well above-average speed and plus range. His hit tool is above-average with impressive bat-to-ball-skills. He understands his role well of setting the table, and once he is on base, his speed makes him a threat. His power is fringy, with his future slug most likely being doubles and triples. If he doesn’t impact the ball, he will end up either a platoon player on a contending club, or a starting player on a non-contending club.
Body-wise he doesn’t have much projection left as he is a very muscular kid at 17. He grew up a soccer player who didn’t start playing baseball until he turned 13. Although he is a natural athlete, he still has room for development baseball-wise. In 2024 over the summer, he played for the USA Baseball 18U National Team, slashing .380/.573/.57 with a 12% strikeout rate and a 28.2% walk rate. His in-zone miss was an elite 18%, with an elite 15% chase rate.
Quentin Young
Draft Age: 18
School/Commit: Oaks Christian (CA)/Louisiana State
Position: 3B/OF
Bat/Throw: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’5”, 215
Young has great makeup and comes from a baseball bloodline as he is the nephew of both Delmon and Dmitri, both former Tigers. Quentin is a big, strong, athletic-bodied kid who is not only tooled up, but still has projection left. He has double-plus raw power and a well above-average arm. His hit tool is slightly inconsistent, but if he can continue to develop his bat-to-ball skills, his raw power should eventually translate to in-game power.
Over the summer in 2024, Young had 63 plate appearances between the Team USA trials, Perfect Game showcase, Perfect Game All-American, and Team USA 18U and slashed .224/.270/.414 with a 44% strikeout rate and a 6% walk rate. He missed in-zone 46% of the time and chased 18% of the time, raising questions about his bat-to-ball skills. He has since shown improvement in his overall swing decisions. In 2025 at Oaks Christian High School (as of 5/6/2025), Quentin is slashing .368/.546/.895 with 12 home runs and 4 doubles in 108 PA.
Nick Becker
Draft Age: 18
School/Commit: Don Bosco Prep (NJ)/Virginia
Position: SS
Bat/Throw: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’3”, 180
Becker is a right-handed hitting, up-the-middle player with an above-average hit tool, good bat-to-ball skills, and great instincts. He can barrel the ball, has good bat speed, and shows aptitude and athleticism in the box. Becker’s load can get a little deep at times – which will need to be monitored in order to keep him on-time with inside fastballs.
His run tool and range are strong average as well, possessing good enough hands and actions to stick long-term at shortstop. Some evaluators see him moving to center field which keeps his future profile intact. He still has room for projection body-wise. Over the summer in 2024 at Perfect Game, he slashed .239/.402/.343 with a 29% strikeout rate and a 21% walk rate and 5 doubles in 87 plate appearances. He only missed in-zone 10% of the time, and chased 17% of the time, both elite peripherals.
Landon Harmon
Draft Age: 18
School/Commit: East Union (MS)/Mississippi State
Position: RHP
Bat/Throw: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’5”, 190
Harmon is a tall, slender, athletic high school right-handed pitcher with plenty of projection left to add muscle. He pounds the strike zone from a ¾ arm slot and can reach back for 99 MPH on his fastball, usually sitting 93-96 with good carry. He throws two different strong average sliders – a low 80s sweeper and an upper 80s slider that cuts.
He also possesses a fringe changeup which he doesn’t use much. He has a repeatable delivery and throws plenty of strikes, his height making for excellent extension for added deception. He has the makings of a top-of-the-rotation starter as he continues to polish his breaking and off-speed pitches. So far in 2025 at East Union High School (as of 5/6/25), he has a 1.17 ERA with a whopping 60 strikeouts and 12 walks in 30 innings pitched.
Angel Cervantes
Draft Age: 17
School/Commit: Warren (CA)/UCLA
Position: RHP
Bat/Throw: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’3”, 195
Cervantes is one of the top high school right-handed arms in the country. He is a big, strong-bodied kid. His arsenal features an above-average four-seam fastball that touches 97 MPH with excellent carry and feel for spin, and lives in the top of the zone. He spins his breaking pitches very well – a high-spin slider and curveball, each featuring distinct shapes.
The shape of the slider is good, but lacks slightly in power. His best pitch is his changeup, which generates plenty of swing-and-miss and has excellent depth. At the area code games, Cervantes struck out 8 consecutive batters. So far in 2025 on his high school team, he has thrown a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts and one walk, touching 97 with his fastball. He also threw a 72 pitch complete game shutout with no walks and two hits in just an hour and four minutes.
Cameron Appenzeller
Draft Age: 18
School/Commit: Glenwood (IL)/Tennessee
Position: LHP
Bat/Throw: L/L
Height/Weight: 6’6”, 180
Appenzeller is one of the top high school left-handed arms in the country. He generates plenty of carry and can touch 94 MPH with his four-seam fastball. His two-seamer has arm-side run/sink. His strong-average slider has plenty of tilt, and his changeup plenty of fade. His 6’6” slender body certainly has room for projection and added strength.
His delivery is repeatable, and his mound presence is undeniably confident. He throws from a low, wide arm angle which helps him to be deceptive to hitters. His delivery is reminiscent of a taller Andrew Heaney. One concern with Appenzeller is his risk of injury. So far in 2025 at Glenwood High School (as of 5/6/25), he has a 0.37 ERA, 74 strikeouts, and 10 walks in 38.1 innings pitched.
Mason Neville
Draft Age: 21
School/Commit: Oregon
Position: OF
Bat/Throw: L/L
Height/Weight: 6’3”, 210
Neville is a big, strong, left-handed hitting, top-of-the-lineup center fielder for Oregon. Evaluators have considered his raw power to be double-plus, and if he continues to polish his bat-to-ball skills, could translate to in-game power in the future. He is an above-average runner with an above-average arm and average range, giving him the profile to stick in center field long-term.
In his 2024 season at Oregon, he struck out 33.5% of the time. Following his season with Oregon, he played 12 games in the Cape Cod league and slashed .125/.282/.156 with a 49% strikeout rate and an 18% walk rate. Historically, players who go from amateur baseball to professional baseball experience a 13% jump in strikeout rate – making swing-and-miss a concern for Neville. He has, however, cut his strikeout rate significantly since. So far in 2025 (as of 5/6/25), he is slashing .329/.475/.826 with a college baseball leading 23 home runs and 14 doubles in 221 plate appearances. He currently has a 20% strikeout rate (down 13% from 2024), and a 21% walk rate. His in-zone miss rate is still a tick below what evaluators like to see at 20.6%, and his chase rate is a comfortable 20.3%.
I had the pleasure of watching Neville live during the second game of Oregon’s series vs. MSU earlier this season. He started out by showcasing his ability to hit line drives to center and opposite (left) field during batting practice.
I took note of his confidence, athleticism, and adjustability in the box. After walking in a 3-2 count his first at-bat and striking out his second, he crushed a pull-side home run well over 400 ft on a 3-1 count. He hit a single his next at-bat and crushed another pull-side home run in his final at-bat. Neville has undeniable swag, and I like his ability to make adjustments when needed and find the barrel.
Draft Slot Value:
24th pick – $3.7 million
34th pick – $2.8 million
If I had to guess, I have the Tigers taking Sean Gamble 24th for $3.7 million. He fits the Mark Conner mold – a dynamic, up-the-middle athlete who can hit and has great range – making him a great fit for second base or center field. Cervantes would be my 34th pick for $2.5 million. Cervantes has been dominating the best high school teams in California since he was 15 years old. He is large, strong-bodied, and spins the ball outstandingly well.
Jerry McKennan 
Chris Brown 
Emily Waldon