Jamie Cameron

Welcome to the 2026 MLB Consensus Draft Board. This is the fifth version of the board, which began in 2022 as a top-30. Since then, it’s expanded to around 150 players on an annual basis, featuring at eight different team sites. So what is the Consensus Board? How is it made? How should it be used? The concept is loosely based on Arif Hasan’s NFL Consensus Board. It’s meant to be a tool for folks getting interested in the MLB Draft. As I was learning about the draft, I struggled to navigate wildly varied rankings and evaluations of players. The Consensus Board takes every major publicly available board and combines them into a consensus ranking, eliminating some of the noise and variance of an extremely challenging evaluation process. We’ve found this process to be useful in ranking players in appropriate ranges through around the first five rounds of the draft. On the board, you’ll find player names, handedness, listed height and weight, age, and a write-up, walking through their strengths and opportunities as a prospect. As we go through the cycle, these will be updated with tweaks, final college stats, etc. Every time a major outlet (Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic, etc.) releases an updated list, the consensus ranking shifts. As such, the board is a lagging reflection of what the industry thinks of the class and its key players. The final Consensus Board will incorporate at least 10 other boards as inputs. New MLB Mock Draft Board Features There are a few important features to point out to help you navigate the board. There’s a search bar to help you find players of interest. If you click ‘expand,’ the board will focus on the write-up you are engaged with, in addition to one immediately above it and one immediately below it. Additionally, you’ll find the logo of your team next to their draft slots to help understand where they are picking. There will be a player slotted there, based on their consensus ranking. Rather than using that ranking as an indicator of who they might actually pick, it’s more useful to use it as a proxy for what caliber of talent is available at that slot. We’ll dig in deeper to team-specific mock drafts later in the cycle. The last important note is that this year the board features ‘push’ updates. It updates automatically every hour. The board is typically updated with new write-ups five days per week, so check back regularly for updates. At #25, The Milwaukee Brewers Select: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas Entering the season, Helfrick was neck and neck with Vahn Lackey as the possible best college catcher in the class. That Lackey has established himself as a clear number one says more about his incredible season than any dip in performance from Helfrick. A notable prep prospect, Helfrick got to campus at Arkansas and has featured consistently in the Razorbacks' lineup ever since. Helfrick has a solid approach. He doesn't expand the zone too much, and while there's some swing and miss in his profile, it's not a real flaw in his offensive game. His skill set is built around dealing damage on contact. He hits the ball hard in the air and has a knack for finding the barrel. Defensively, there's a lot to like, too. Helfrick isn't the same caliber of defender as Lackey, but neither is he 'a hitter who does some catching'. He calls games effectively, receives and blocks well, and has an easy plus arm. Helfrick looks likely to set a career high in walks and home runs in 2026, in addition to a career low strikeout rate. That's a combination that will put him in the top 30 consideration when we get to July. View full article

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 86 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie do a full recap of the 2025 MLB Draft. They dig in on the primary picks for the Blue Jays, Padres, and Red Sox before spending some time on the Cubs. Is Chicago leaning into more college upside and volatility than other teams? The guys spend a good amount of time examining the Brewers draft, one of Jamie’s favorites, in which the Brewers took a typical power-hitting corner infield bat before loading up on interesting prep profiles. Finally, they review a tweaked approach from the Twins, who leaned into more volatility and upside with the college arms, digging in specifically on Riley Quick, James Ellwanger, Jason Reitz, and Matt Barr. 0:00 Intro 4:25 Housekeeping 7:50 Episode 86 coverage plan 8:30 Toronto Blue Jays 17:59 San Diego Padres 21:40 Boston Red Sox 27:53 Chicago Cubs 38:48 Milwaukee Brewers 52:11 Minnesota Twins 53:36 Marek Houston 1:00:19 Quentin Young 1:04:20 Riley Quick 1:11:00 James Ellwanger, Jason Reitz, Matt Barr 1:21:23 Closing You can support the show by downloading it from your preferred podcast platform, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review, and also share or retweet 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 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

Image courtesy of © Tim Heitman-Imagn Images Draft week is finally here! We’ll have a ton of coverage for you here at Brewer Fanatic. Here are a few important details to get you oriented to our coverage. Despite making the playoffs in 2024, the Brewers are well-positioned in the 2025 MLB Draft. They have the 10th-largest bonus pool overall, at $13,138,100. This is a function of several factors. They receive a compensation pick at 32nd overall for the free-agent departure of Willy Adames. They received an additional compensation pick at 68th overall for failing to sign Chris Levonas in 2024. The Brewers would have also had an additional pick in Comp Round A, but traded that pick (33rd overall) to the Red Sox as part of the Quinn Priester deal. The Brewers top 100 picks and slot values are as follows: Slot value for pick 20: $4,268,200 Slot value for pick 32: $2,970,900 Slot value for pick 59: $1,560,200 Slot value for pick 68: $1,254,400 Slot value for pick 94: $826,400 This combination of financial and pick flexibility puts the Brewers in a strong position ahead of a draft class shaping up to be uncertain in terms of top-tier talent, but with plenty of depth through around 75 picks, with prep bats a demographic of strength. 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 throughout 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

I don't, and I appreciate that angle. He's played at three different schools in three years, though. He slugged at Duke as a freshman, Ole Miss as a Sophomore, and put up a .827 OPS on the Cape with wood. So despite the field, I think the power will play anywhere.

Image courtesy of © Brianna Paciorka/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 81 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie welcome Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo back to the show for their annual MLB Draft preview show. The guys dig into a ton of different draft topics and questions. They start by examining the case for 1:1, before talking college catching, college pitching, and unpacking a loaded prep shortstop demographic. Carlos pins down some developmental next steps for a thin crop of college bats, before picking preferences from similar players types and finishing the show with some listener questions 0:00 Intro - welcome Carlos Collazo 1:33 How many guys can go 1:1? 4:46 College catching 8:01 Prep shortstops 15:24 College arms 22:17 College bats 28:20 Injured crop of players 30:30 Who should be higher? 33:12 Either/Or 38:40 Listener Questions 45:11 Thanks Carlos 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 © Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK This draft cycle, we’re going to try something new. Every few weeks, I’ll post an article here listing who the Brewers would select based on their position on the consensus draft board. As the consensus board is updated, the players in those spots will be adjusted, and I’ll post another update. This is not a mock draft. Instead, I’m hoping it’ll give readers an idea of the caliber of talent in each of the team’s first few picks. Additionally, it should help readers who want to dig into draft coverage a bit more get familiar with the class. Here are the Brewers' first three picks by consensus draft ranking as of June 6, 2025. 1st Round (20th Overall): Jace Laviolette, OF, Texas A&M Laviolette was one of the preseason favorites to go number one overall coming off the back of a monster '24 season in which he put up a 1.175 OPS and hit 29 bombs in 68 games for a deep Aggies lineup. Laviolette is upright and quiet in the box, with a slightly open stance and an efficient load that allows for some serious bat speed. Laviolette ran a 109 mph EV90 in 2024 (max 116 mph) to go with a 92nd percentile chase rate (17%). He's a borderline passive hitter with some swing and miss in the profile (21.2% IZ-Whiff%). That could be a dangerous combination as he enters pro ball. Defensively, it's not a center field profile for me. He's made improvements defensively but it's just an average arm better suited to a corner. This is a power-reliant corner profile already maximizing his pulled batted-ball events. There's plenty to like but the fact that he’s now 20th overall by consensus after starting the season as number one in the class is indicative of the type of risk his profile carries. Free Agent Compensation (32nd Overall): Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas After two seasons at East Carolina, Root transferred to Arkansas and has posted consistently midway through the 2025 season. He's a more unusual college pitching profile as his current value is dependent on a high-quality and diverse arsenal of secondary pitches. Root throws from the left side and has a funky delivery. He hides the ball behind his head, turning so forcefully that his left throwing shoulder is almost facing the batter as he winds up. His fastball sits in the low 90s but has been as high as 96-97 mph. Despite the solid velocity, it doesn't have great shape and doesn't miss a ton of bats. Root has a ton of interesting secondary pitches. His changeup is exceptional and his slider is above average too, the changeup generating plenty of arm side movement. You don't see many lefties with such a well developed, diversified arsenal pre-draft. Root has performed consistently thus far in SEC play. He's cementing himself as a day one arm. 2nd Round (59th Overall): AJ Russell, RHP, Tennessee Russell is going to be a high risk, high reward proposition for an organization in the 2025 draft. He has a great frame at 6'6", 200 pounds and one of the most metrically appealing fastballs in the class. He can run it up to 98 mph (although it sits mid-90s) with an extremely low release height from a wide angle. It'll get run and carry up in the zone too, it's a bit of a unicorn pitch. Russell has a second plus pitch in his slider, a tight sweeper that, given his release traits, is an uncomfortable experience, especially for right-handed hitters. Russell gets decent extension too, adding to the overall appeal. Russell has a changeup too, more of a third pitch at present. So what's the catch? Russell had internal brace surgery to repair his elbow last June. There's a significant injury history here, and that, combined with the primarily two pitch mix, gives some reliever risk. It's some of the better stuff in the class, though. If he clicks, he'll give an org huge value. View full article

He's not on my board yet (~250 players at this point) so not yet familiar. However, that's not to say he won't be by the time we get a little closer. I'll keep an eye out.

Dickerson is my favorite player in the class relative to his current position on the board. It's a max EV of 117mph this year. I'm buying all of that stock. Lodise has cut his K% under the magical 20% line and added 100 points to his wRC+. Amazing season. He's a top 40 player now. Faurot still has a wide range of rankings. He's 133 on my board currently Williams I just wrote up. I don't love the swing but the ACC track record is really strong. He's a top 100 guy, for me. Neville is maybe most improved in college baseball. He still strikes out too much for me (in the B1G) but the production is undeniable. He's 42nd on the board but he'll keep climbing.

Image courtesy of © Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images This draft cycle, we’re going to try something new. Every few weeks, I’ll be posting an article here listing out who the Brewers would select based on their position on the consensus draft board. As the consensus board is updated, the players in those spots will be adjusted, and I’ll post another update. This is not a mock draft. Rather, I’m hoping it’ll give readers an idea of the caliber of talent in each of the team’s first few picks. Additionally, it should help readers who want to dig into draft coverage a bit more get familiar with the class. Here would be the Brewers' first three picks by consensus draft ranking as of 05.16.25 1st Round (20th Overall): Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas Aloy came to Arkansas by way of Sacramento State, where he bagged WAC freshman of the year in 2023. He put together a strong first season for the Razorbacks, smacking 14 home runs on his way to an .841 OPS. He followed that up with an incandescent stretch on the Cape, clubbing eight home runs and posting a .994 OPS in 21 games for Yarmouth. Aloy has good bat speed and legit pop, especially to the pull side. He's typically been a hyper-aggressive hitter with some swing and miss in his profile. He is susceptible to spin and off-speed pitches in general, with a few holes in his swing. He's tamped down some of the noise in his operation in 2025. He sets up quietly at the plate, with a neutral stance and a toe-tap timing mechanism. The expansive chase rate is a concern, and he'll have to continue to sure up his defense to stick at shortstop as a pro. In 2025, he carried over his incredible Cape stretch into the college season, cutting into his strikeout rate and putting up massive slugging numbers (1.137 OPS, 141 wRC+), while showing much improved defense at shortstop. There’s some risk to mitigate with the hit tool, but Aloy is an electric talent and one of the higher upside options in this years college class. Free Agent Compensation (32nd Overall): Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana Taylor might be one of the few college bats in the '25 class who checks the hit/power combo satisfactorily, although I'd argue there's still some areas for improvement in the former. Taylor is a left-handed hitting corner outfield with an average arm and below average speed. In other words, that bat has to play. He put up monster numbers in his sophomore season for Indiana (20 HR, 1.109 OPS) and backed it up with a big Cape summer for Cotuit (5 HR, .907 OPS in 29 games). There's serious bat speed here from the left side. Taylor does damage consistently (106 mph EV90). He finds the barrel with consistency and is already effective in maximizing pulled fly balls. There is some swing-and-miss in zone (16% in 2024), however, Taylor doesn't chase a ton (24%) and his bat-to-ball skills translate well out of the strike zone. He'll have to continue to mash in 2025 (he has). Doing so will cement his name somewhere in the first forty picks. 2nd Round (59th Overall): Briggs McKenzie, LHP, Corinth-Holders HS, NC McKenzie is a 6’2", 185 pound lefty out of North Carolina currently committed to LSU. It’s a lean, projectable frame and a buttery smooth delivery that’s repeatable with good deception. His fastball has ticked up since last summer, sitting 90-92 mph and tickling 94 mph. He’s able to spot it consistently for strikes up in the zone with good carry. McKenzie shows an affinity for spin, he throws a curveball in the high 70s to low 80s with good depth, in addition to a mid-80s changeup. This is a classic projection lefty profile. A lean frame, solid but not yet overwhelming stuff, with pitchability and plenty of strikes. He’s an up arrow arm this spring and could make his way into the comp round, especially if he maintains his velocity gains, or even adds a tick more. View full article

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo In episode 77 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie start with a slew of injuries to notable Twins prospects, including Luke Keaschall, Walker Jenkins, and Charlee Soto. The guys then give an overview of the bonus pool system in MLB, detailing how the different rounds of the draft work. They go on to dig into the bonus pools of the Brewers, Twins, Red Sox, Cubs, and Padres. Finally, they spend some time reacting to the most recent BA staff draft, digging into whether the picks made might make sense for the Padres, Jays, Cubs, Brewers, and Twins. 0:00 Intro 5:55 Housekeeping 6:37 Twins Prospect Injuries 14:59 Draft Bonus Pools 17:55 Brewers Bonus Pool 20:40 Twins Bonus Pool 23:31 Red Sox Bonus Pool 27:10 Cubs Bonus Pool 30:02 Padres Bonus Pool 35:58 Bouncing around the first round 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