1 thing to know about each top 10 Draft prospect

On Sunday night, an impressive group of amateur players will make the leap from talented prospects to actual MLB Draft picks. So start getting to know them now ... before they become a key part of your favorite team's future.

The MLB.com research team dug into MLB Pipeline's top 10 Draft prospects, identifying five things to know about each. Here is one highlight from each of those lists, and make sure to check out the full stories for more.

No. 1: Ethan Holliday, SS/3B, Stillwater (OK) HS

He’s carrying on the family tradition
Yes, another Holliday is on the way. Just three years ago, the Orioles made Ethan’s older brother, Jackson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 Draft, also out of Stillwater High. Jackson debuted in the Majors last April, and at age 21 this season, is finding success as Baltimore’s everyday starting second baseman.

Of course, this is the second generation of Hollidays in the Majors. Ethan and Jackson’s father, Matt, set the family standard during a 15-year career -- mainly with the Rockies and Cardinals -- that included seven All-Star selections, four Silver Slugger Awards and a World Series title.

The family ties go beyond MLB. Matt’s father, Tom, was the head coach at Oklahoma State from 1997-2003, a position now held by Matt’s older brother, Josh. Ethan has a college commitment to Oklahoma State, though that’s unlikely to stand in the way of him starting his pro career. MORE >

No. 2: Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU

He made history at the College World Series
Anderson was a driving force behind LSU’s 2025 national championship, marking the program’s eighth title and second in three years. The left-hander was especially dominant at the Men’s College World Series, helping LSU advance out of the first round with seven innings of one-run ball against Arkansas before throwing a shutout on 130 pitches against Coastal Carolina in the first game of the championship series.

Anderson, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, became just the third pitcher to toss a shutout in the finals since the best-of-three format was introduced in 2003, joining Arizona’s JC Cloney (2016) and Oregon State’s Kevin Abel (2018). MORE >

No. 3: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona (CA) HS

He has a lot in common with a longtime MLB starter
When Hernandez saw himself compared to former Major League right-hander Josh Beckett, the high school star went straight to YouTube to dig deeper into Beckett’s game. It didn’t take Hernandez long to see the similarities. “Looking at it, it’s like, 'OK, that kind of really looks like me,’” he told MLB Network. “It’s kind of scary, just because he looks a lot like me.” Beckett, who had a 3.88 ERA in 14 seasons for the Red Sox, Marlins and Dodgers from 2001-2014, boasts a similar frame and delivery to Hernandez. He was the No. 2 overall Draft pick back in 1999 out of his Texas high school -- a range Hernandez could certainly find himself in. "I've got to outdo him now," Hernandez said. MORE >

No. 4: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State

He has drawn comparisons to a Cy Young-winning lefty
A left-handed starter from the state of Florida with an unorthodox delivery and a devastating fastball-slider combo -- does that sound like anyone familiar? Some scouts see Chris Sale when they look at Arnold on the mound. The incoming pro is five inches shorter than the Braves' All-Star hurler -- 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-6 -- but that kind of comp is why Arnold will likely hear his name called early in this year's Draft. MORE >

No. 5: Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton (OK) HS

He's the youngest prospect in the Draft
Willits will be 17 years and 7 months old on Draft Day, making him the youngest prospect by about two months. The reason? He reclassified from the class of 2026 to be available for this year's Draft. The next-youngest prospect in the Top 100 of this year's class is RHP Angel Cervantes, who ranks 49th. MORE >

No. 6: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State

He fits in with this generation of big shortstops
While big shortstops were once viewed as an anomaly (think Cal Ripken Jr. in the 1980s), that’s very much not the case anymore. This season, there are five primary shortstops in the Majors listed at 6-foot-3 or taller, headlined by Cincinnati’s 6-foot-5 Elly De La Cruz.

Arquette certainly fits the bill as a tall shortstop given his 6-foot-5 stature, which would put him in the De La Cruz territory of extremely tall shortstops. Arquette is no slouch at the position, either, as Pipeline says that “he should have the chops to play shortstop long-term, with easy actions, soft hands and more than enough arm with carry at every angle across the diamond.”

Arquette showed off his defensive chops at shortstop on several plays at this year's College World Series. MORE >

No. 7: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona (CA) HS

He’ll likely have familiar company on Draft day
Carlson is one of four players from Corona High School in Southern California who are listed among the top 250 Draft prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. The others are right-handed pitcher Hernandez, third baseman Brady Ebel (No. 64) and right-handed pitcher/outfielder Ethin Bingaman (No. 150).

The school has produced four MLB Draft picks so far -- outfielder Mike Darr (2nd round, 1994), right-hander Joe Kelly (3rd round, 2009), infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor (10th round, 2016) and right-hander Tristan Beck (4th round, 2018). MORE >

No. 8: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee

He's a strikeout machine
Doyle was college baseball’s foremost strikeout artist in 2025, leading all qualified Division I pitchers in strikeout rate (15.5 K/9). Only LSU’s Kade Anderson notched more strikeouts than Doyle (164), who shattered Tennessee’s single-season strikeout record. He surpassed the 154-strikeout mark held by Luke Hochevar, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 Draft.

Doyle’s knack for strikeouts has only grown over time. He posted an 11.0 K/9 ratio as a freshman at Coastal Carolina, then a 13.7 K/9 ratio as a sophomore with Ole Miss. MORE >

No. 9: JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis (MS) HS

He’s one half of a dynamic duo
Consider the odds of your 18-year-old being a ranked amateur prospect, then multiply them by two, because the Parker family expects to have two children selected in the early rounds of the 2025 Draft – JoJo is Mississippi’s top prep prospect, but right behind him is his twin brother, Jacob, Pipeline’s No. 109 prospect.

As if to remind us to always treat twins as individuals, the Parkers have very distinct profiles. Jacob, an outfielder, is bigger and stronger than his brother with more of a power swing and less upside as a pure hitter, accounting for their difference in rank. No worries, because JoJo being named the Gatorade Mississippi baseball player of the year and becoming a darling of their draft class mostly on his own hasn’t changed the twins’ relationship.

"We’re each other’s biggest fans, but also each other's biggest competitors,” JoJo said in a recent interview with MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince. MORE >

No. 10: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma

He ALSO has an inseparable twin
Growing up, Witherspoon and his twin brother, Malachi, did everything together. They played video games, watched cartoons, recited movie lines endlessly and played sports. That, of course, includes baseball. They’ve been teammates at the youth level and in high school, summer ball, junior college and Division I. They’re prepared for their paths to diverge for the first time, but that won’t break their bond.

Kyson Witherspoon has surpassed his brother as a Draft prospect, which is somewhat surprising because Malachi, also a starting pitcher, has already been drafted. He was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 12th round in 2022 but did not sign. After joining forces – again – at a junior college in Florida, the two had offers from the likes of Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Nebraska and Oklahoma. They committed to the Sooners in July 2023. MORE >