Top 5 High School Pitching Prospects in the 2025 MLB Draft
The 2025 MLB Draft season is upon us, and it’s about that time of the season where draft boards really start to take form. The high school class this year is stronger than it has been in recent seasons. The high school pitching demographic is the least successful group at the big league level, but this year’s class offers some interesting young arms that may end up with their names called on day one of the draft.
1. Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS (CA)
This ranking shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone that has been following draft news up until this point. Seth Hernandez has a real shot at being the first overall pick on July 13th in Atlanta. If he comes off the board within the top ten, which seems to be inevitable at this point barring injury, Hernandez would be just the fourth high school arm drafted within the top ten since 2020. His team - Corona High School - is a school you’ll likely hear a lot over the next couple of months as it also features two of the top high school hitting prospects, Billy Carlson and Brady Ebel.
Hernandez is a 6’4” 190 pound right handed pitcher committed to Vanderbilt, and is ranked as the fifth overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline. He came in to the 2025 season as the clear-cut top high school arm in the draft large in part due to a big summer last year on the showcase circuit. Hernandez is a very projectable starter because of his physical attributes and pitch mix. He features a very smooth, repeatable delivery with long levers that create great extension.
It’s roughly a four-pitch mix, but his fastball and changeup is his bread and butter. A changeup as the main secondary is rare for a high school arm which speaks to Hernandez’s pitch-ability. He has ran his fastball up as high as 100 mph but sits anywhere from 95-98 mph. It has a lot of juice and he may even be able to add a tick on it as he’s expected to fill out his 6’4” frame further. He is regarded as having great feel for his changeup and it may be his best offering in the long-term considering how good it is now. The curveball is his main breaking ball and is a super high spin, traditional 12-6. He recently started using the slider and it’s development will be a huge addition to the arsenal if he can really fine tune it.
2. Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS (OR)
If the first overall pick was decided based on how cool a player’s name is, Kruz Schoolcraft would undoubtedly be taken first overall. While it’s unlikely he’s the first overall pick this July, Schoolcraft has a shot at being one of the first pitchers - high school or college - off the board. He’s a Tennessee commit and he’ll be one of the younger prospects on draft day as he reclassified from the 2026 draft, not turning 18 until April 18th.
Schoolcraft is one of the more imposing figures on the mound, standing in at 6’8” and 230 pounds. At the moment, Schoolcraft is actually one of the top two-way players in the draft, but it’s expected that he will focus on pitching at the next level as that’s where he shows more projection. However, his success on the other side of the ball only speaks to how skilled he is as an athlete which is always a positive mark on any profile. For a lean 6’8”, Schoolcraft is praised for how well he moves. Comparisons shouldn’t be thrown around too much when it comes to scouting, but it’s hard not to draw some similarities between Schoolcraft and Noah Schultz - another 6’8” left handed arm drafted out of high school a few years ago. Schoolcraft features a similar deceptive lower arm slot delivery from the left side.
Schoolcraft’s arsenal features a fastball, slider, and a changeup. His fastball has topped out at 97 mph, but sits roughly in the mid-90s at the moment. His delivery and extension helps it to play up as it doesn’t have the characteristics of a high-octane fastball. His slider is a 60 grade offering which plays more like a cutter but he throws it in the low to mid-80s. He has thrown a changeup as well which he has shown great feel for which really completes his arsenal as a potential front line starter at the next level.
3. Cameron Appenzeller, LHP, Glenwood HS (IL)
Cameron Appenzeller is a pitcher that is likely going to be compared to Kruz Schoolcraft for the entirety of draft season due to his similar profile from the left side of the mound, and the fact that he’s also a Tennessee commit.
Appenzeller stands in at 6’6” 180 pounds with a lot of projection to his frame, and as is the theme with most of these top pitching prospects - he’s an athletic mover. He’s a two-sport athlete at Glenwood High School in Illionis as he was a standout player on the basketball court as well. He’s expected to add more to his athletic 6’6” frame that made him so good on the court. His delivery is very easy and repeatable as he comes from a low, three-quarters arm slot. Low release point lefties that can genuinely throw the ball have become hot commodities over the last couple of years, which leads me to believe he’ll rise up the ranks leading up to draft day.
Appenzeller features a three pitch mix. His fastball works in the low to mid-90s, topping out at 95 mph as of last summer. His secondaries are a slider with sweeping action in the high-70s and a changeup that sits in the mid-80s with plenty of fade. He shows great control and command with his pitch mix which helps his projection as a starter at the next level even though his stuff isn’t quite yet elite.
4. Aaron Watson, RHP, Trinity Christian Academy (FL)
Pitchers with physical projection and athleticism will always be the foundation of the high school pitching class in every draft, and Aaron Watson is yet another arm that fits the mold. Watson is a Virginia commit out of Jacksonville, Florida and his stock has grown at a pretty steady rate throughout his high school career at Trinity Christian Academy.
Watson stands in a 6’5” 205 pounds, featuring a true starters frame. He’s regarded as having very easy mechanics that come at low-effort with great pitch-ability. These characteristics give him a pretty high floor as a starter at the next level, and his ceiling will be dependent on just how good his stuff can be. As is with most high school pitchers, he’s expected to get bigger and stronger, regardless of the fact that he’s already north of 200 pounds. At 6’5”, one can only dream of how much power he can add to pair with his command and feel for the mound.
It’s a three pitch mix for Watson at the moment. His fastball sits in the low-90s and has topped out at 96 mph, but the movement profile on it is more of a sinker which helps to miss barrels. I would imagine whatever team drafts him would work on adding a more traditional four-seam offering to his arsenal since he already has a built-in horizontal 90+ mph pitch. His slider and changeup are both above-average offerings, making him one of the few pitchers in the entire class with plus pitches across the board. Watson is certainly an intriguing arm that can continue to climb draft boards.
5. Angel Cervantes, RHP, Warren HS (CA)
Angel Cervantes is the youngest player on this list as he will still be 17 on draft day and won’t turn 18 until August 21st. He’s a UCLA commit that actually possesses a similar skill set to Watson. He’s praised for his pitch-ability and arsenal that features multiple above-average offerings from the right side of the mound.
Cervantes stands in at 6’3” 200 pounds, so he doesn’t have quite as much projection as these other pitchers, but is still a great athlete that should mature with age and experience. His delivery is smooth with little effort even though he creates a lot of power down hill.
Cervantes throws four pitches, all of which are solid offerings with potential to be elite at the next level. The fastball sits in the low-90s and has topped out at 96 mph and has great ride through the top of the zone. His changeup is his best offering as it sits in the high-70s to low-80s and has a lot of diving action that is a nightmare for left handed hitters. He has both a slider and curveball to turn to when it comes to breaking balls. His slider is more of a sweeper while the curve is more of a 12-6 offering, which provides great separation between the two pitches. Both of those pitches still need some refinement, but the vision is certainly there. He already has been regarded as having some of the best command in the class, so Cervantes may have the best shot at sticking as a starter at the next level with the least amount of reliever risk among these five pitchers.
