A number of picks from the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft debuted in the big leagues by the time the 2025 Draft finished up earlier this week.
Names like Cincinnati Reds right-hander Chase Burns, Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz and Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith already have asserted themselves as players to watch in this and coming seasons. In all, five players from the 2024 draft are playing in the big leagues today, and more are likely to arrive soon.
As for the 2025 draft that just completed, here’s a look at the players most likely to reach the big leagues by 2026:
Tyler Bremner, RHP, Los Angeles Angels
After the Washington Nationals surprised most analysts by picking high school shortstop Eli Willits first overall, the Angels followed with another surprise, selecting Bremner second overall as a junior out of UC Santa Barbara. His fastball touches 98 mph and he is said to have an elite changeup, but the consensus had him going later in the first round. Bremner pitched this season with the illness and death of his mother on his mind. The family held a memorial for Jennifer Bremner just this past week.
What the Angels have done well in recent seasons is identifying high draft picks and promoting them to the majors quickly. Infielder Christian Moore was the No. 8 overall pick a season ago. The No. 11 overall pick in 2023, first baseman Nolan Schanuel, came to the big leagues later that season. They also drafted shortstop Zach Neto 13th overall in 2022 and promoted him to the majors in 2023. He’s a budding star.
Kade Anderson, LHP, Seattle Mariners
Some analysts considered Anderson, 21, to be the best pitching prospect available because of his impressive mid-80s slider, which emerged as a key pitch in his second season at LSU. The Mariners won 85 games in 2024 but had good luck in the lottery, which enabled them to pick him third overall. His fastball sits 92 to 95 mph and gets up to 97, and he throws a plus curve. He has strong command and, yes, he has already had Tommy John surgery.
Ethan Holliday, SS, Colorado Rockies
A son of Rockies great Matt Holliday and a younger brother of former No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday, he went fourth overall from Stillwater High in Oklahoma. He was considered by many the best overall prospect in the draft and, like his older brother did the season after he was drafted in 2022, has a chance to play in the majors soon. Just 18, Ethan stands 6-foot-4 and is much closer to his father’s hulking build than Jackson. Most of his upside comes with the bat, Baseball America says, and he is likely to play a corner infield or outfield position in the majors.
Liam Doyle, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals
Doyle ranked first in strikeouts per nine innings among all NCAA Division I pitchers and throws 101 mph with a good splitter, which is what the Cardinals need right now. The Cardinals picked Doyle fifth overall but acknowledged that he might be better suited for a relief role in the majors, only as a fallback.
Jamie Arnold, LHP, Athletics
The Cardinals could have picked Arnold, ranked by some among the top five available players, but instead the no-longer Oakland Athletics took him 11th overall from Florida State. Based on his track record, stuff and control, Arnold is said to have the highest floor among the best lefties available, also including Anderson and Doyle. His fastball runs up to 97 mph and he got a 41 percent swing-and-miss rate on his mid-80s slider.
Aiva Arquette, SS, Miami Marlins
The top college hitter on the board, according to Baseball America, went seventh overall from Oregon State. The Marlins need help all over the field, but Arquette, who lists at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, is said to be a polished defensive player in addition to having a strong bat.
Ike Irish, C, Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles took him 19th overall because of his bat, and if they develop him as a catcher, he won’t be up in 2026. But they already have Adley Rutschman behind the plate in the majors, where he is struggling, and Samuel Basallo knocking on the door in Triple-A. So maybe he will be their first baseman of the future instead of Coby Mayo, who also is struggling.
Gage Wood, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
He went 26th overall after pitching a no-hitter in the Men’s College World Series for Arkansas. The Phillies think Wood already does a lot of things that prospects need to do in the majors, namely throwing strikes, to rise quickly. Worth noting: As an infant, Wood acquired the nickname “Fat Head” from his own father because of his large head.
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