Age: 20 (04/15/2004)

Birthplace: Pomona, CA

High School: Northview HS - Covina, CA

Height/Weight: 6’3” 218 lbs

Year: Sophomore

Dean Curley is a draft-eligible sophomore, and played a big role on the College World Series winning Tennessee team as a freshman just a year ago. His regular season performance earned him SEC All-Freshman Team honors while his performance in the World Series earned him a spot on the All-Tournament team. Now, in a season in which the Volunteers can certainly repeat, Curley is the top draft prospect on his team.

In his freshman campaign, Curley hit 12 home runs on his way to a .285/.386/.502 slash line. He has been one of the best hitters in college baseball thus far in 2025 as those numbers are now sitting at .385/.556/.731, good for a 1.286 OPS over 36 plate appearances. His bat is very well-rounded as he displays an above average feel to hit and can also use his 6’3” frame to tap into a good amount of power. Curley possesses a good combination of plate discipline and contact skills as he doesn’t chase all to often and swings and misses at about an average rate.

Defensively, there’s not much weakness in Curley’s game. He has a 55 grade glove with a 65 grade arm. While he has the tools to stick at shortstop long term and was just the shortstop on a World Series winning team, he probably fits better as a third baseman simply because of his size. Most shortstops his size typically end up in the outfield or at third base, and because of his elite arm, there’s no reason why he can’t play the hot corner.

Curley doesn’t stand out on the base paths, but he’s also not a bad baserunner by any means. He’s athletic enough and possesses enough baseball IQ to provide value on the bases, but likely won’t be a 20+ stolen base type of runner. All in all, this is a bat first shortstop with a lot of defensive upside making him one of the better multi-tool, first round potentials in this year’s draft.