When it comes to Major League Baseball’s amateur draft, sometimes it’s all about the timing.
Take the case of Arkansas right-hander Gage Wood. If you weren’t familiar with him heading into the summer, you probably know his name now, after his 19-strikeout no-hitter against Murray State on June 16. (He was denied a perfect game only by a hit batsman.) Now, Wood is likely to be viewed as a player on the rise, with that particular performance serving as the launching pad.
Is that the whole truth? Eh, not really. Wood was already well regarded within the industry — I ranked him 20th in the class days earlier and noted he could go higher if his shoulder checked out. But it makes for a convenient narrative and, better yet, for a great segue into today’s topic: prospects who I think could go earlier than expected when the draft begins on July 13.
Below are four players who I think could be described as potential risers.
2025 MLB Draft rankings: Top 30 players in class, including Eli Willits, Jamie Arnold, Ethan Holliday and more
R.J. Anderson
1. Andrew Fischer, 1B/3B, Tennessee
Fischer, a multi-time transfer who also logged innings at Duke and Ole Miss, was in consideration for the top 30 after an impressive platform season. He hit .341/.497/.760 with 25 home runs and more walks than strikeouts. Sometimes, overall seasonal lines are a mirage and players will have fattened up on the early portion of their schedule before hibernating through conference play. Not here. Fischer posted a 1.214 OPS and launched 11 home runs in 30 games against SEC foes.
I opted against ranking Fischer for a few reasons, but one stands out above the rest: I’m generally bearish on collegiate first basemen. The offensive bar is tremendously high at the cold corner, reducing the margin of error on offensive projection; that’s one thing when you’re talking about someone with clear plus-plus elements to their game, but it’s another when you’re analyzing a profile that hinges on the bat ending up on the right side of a 55-grade forecast.
Fischer has received a lot of comparisons to Billy Amick, another bat-first Volunteers corner infielder who went No. 60 last draft. I’ve had that in mind as Fischer’s likely landing spot, too, but the more I think about it, the more I could see a team looking at his performance against SEC opponents and his admittedly well-rounded advanced metrics and popping him earlier.
2. Charles Davalan, OF, Arkansas
Davalan just missed the top 30, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he sneaks into the back of the first round by the time draft night rolls around after he hit .346/.433/.561 with 14 home runs and 10 stolen bases over 65 games. I didn’t rank him because I’m not sure that a team will view him as a center fielder, and if that’s the case, his lack of power will work against him. At the same time, he’s an extreme contact hitter who walked more than he struck out on the season (though not during SEC play). In a draft that, again, is light on good collegiate bats, I could see a team growing sweet on Davalan by viewing him as an SEC-vetted hitter with a clearly plus skill.
3. Josh Hammond, SS/RHP, Wesleyan Christian HS (NC)
Yet another prospect who just missed the cut on my rankings but who I could easily see going in the top 30. (The secret about the draft is that, once you get past a certain point, there are more similarly graded players than spots on a top-30 list.) Hammond is technically a two-way player, though everyone I talked to expects him to end up as strictly a third baseman as a professional. He has plus raw strength and a strong arm (duh), though there are concerns about his approach. Hammond is a Wake Forest commit, suggesting he’ll need to go relatively early to sign.
4. Dax Kilby, SS, Newnan HS (GA)
Kilby is a lanky lefty hitter with an appreciable feel for contact and the zone alike. The scouts I spoke with don’t believe in his ability to stick at shortstop, but he should be able to stand elsewhere on the dirt. A club picking in the compensatory round could see his projectable frame and envision him turning into an above-average hitter down the road. In that likely event, he should go early enough to avoid having to step foot on the Clemson campus.
