Previous roundups:
- 2024: Draft Thoughts
- 2025: Round One Thoughts
- 2025: Let’s Talk Bats (Rounds 1-3)
- 2025: Let’s Talk Bats (Rounds 4-7)
I want to wrap up my 2025 Draft positional player series by exploring some of the many college performers this year who fall outside the national rankings but intrigue nonetheless.
These are the unranked and the under the radar, the pop-up guys and senior signs.
What holds them back from more authoritative recognition?
Age, school, size, conference, track record, you name it.
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Each year, several publications assemble their lists of draftable talent, drawn from the crowd-wisdom of national scouts, coaches, crosscheckers, former players, and front office executives. Baseball America’s Top 500 is arguably the most comprehensive – 7+ writers contribute to the player write-ups, and hundreds of talent evaluators from all regions contribute to the picture. MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 is reputably the next most prominent, with Mayo and Callis supervising deep profiles, featuring great video and tool grades. Other sites with useful lists include the top 300s of JustBaseball and Prospects Live, along with the more individualized lists of Kiley McDaniel at ESPN, Keith Law at The Athletic, and Eric Longenhagen at Fangraphs (though he seems rather late and under-resourced this cycle). Between these seven sources and D1 Synergy leaderboards and positional rankings, one can build up a good composite list of 600+ names that roughly correspond to the # of picks in the new 20-round draft.
But each year’s draft results rarely correspond to national rankings – if they did, we could just program an algorithm to select a diversified portfolio for each club based on consensus ratings, and plug in selections based on draft order and organizational depth charts. Instead, team draft room stock picking takes over pretty early, and beyond the top 3-4 rounds, teams deviate from the long-list consensus quickly. By Round 5-6, the majority of selected players fall outside the MLB Top 250, and by Rounds 7-10, maybe 10% of selections at most correspond to the former, and maybe 15-20% to the BA 500.
In later rounds of the Draft, it’s about the kids area scouts might have followed for years, or guys that model-heavy teams prize for a standout tool or two. This is the “fun” part of the draft, where contrarians rule, and while odds are long, occasionally some stars emerge.
Let me take a bit of your time to explore some of my favorites.
The Cajun Mighty Mouse: Cardell Thibodeaux
Let’s just start with Mr. Thibodeaux‘s stats for the season:
- .438 avg (#1 in SWAC, #3 in Div. 1 baseball)
- .550 OBP (#2 in SWAC, #4 in Div. 1 baseball)
- .875 SLG (#1 in SWAC, #1 in Div. 1 baseball)
- 1.425 OPS (#1 in SWAC, #1 in Div. 1 baseball)
- 207 wRC+ (#1 in SWAC, #1 in Div. 1 baseball)
- 18 home runs (#2 in SWAC, #31 IN Div. 1 baseball)
- 24 stolen bases, 16.4% BB rate vs 11.3% K rate
Cardell’s stats this year – both rate and counting – are ridiculous. God mode video game stuff.
He was named both Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year for the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and was the standout selection in this year’s HBCU 2025 Swingman Classic.
Now, coming from a smaller, largely Black school in Southern Louisiana, it’s hard to get seen – both by scouts and media. A smaller conference like the SWAC is hardly elite, and his early years in the Sun Belt Conference are nothing to write home about.
But the recent breakout is big and loud, and has not been confined to just this season. He’s currently continuing his reign of terror in the MLB Draft League, where he’s top 3 in avg, obp, slg and ops. There’s something happening here, and certainly something worth testing out as a 6th-10th round selection, should he be available.
Much like he’s done with Adell and Moore, should Ron Washington be healthy enough to coach next year, this is the sort of kid he could really mentor, and help surmount conventional barriers (size, school, background) to continue overachieving in pro ball.
But he’s also just downright inspiring and fun. The sort of player that if I were given a carte blanche selection from the Angels draft room for a player after the top five rounds, this would be my guy. He’s a character with lots of verve, and underdog’s underdog, and would be easy to bandwagon around as he ladders up pro ball.
Hot Corner Heroes
| School / Conference | Stats | Featured Stats | |
| Bobby Boser | Florida (SEC) | .336/.437/.613 18 HRs, 19 SBs | 130 wRC+ 9.8% BB, 25.1% K |
| Kerrington Cross | Cincinnati (Big 12) | .396/.526/.647 12 HRs, 15 HRs | 170 wRC+ 18.3% BB, 12.8% K |
| Anthony DePino | Rhode Island (A10) | .354/.505/.730 20 HRs, 21 SBs | 176 wRC+ 19.1% BB, 14.0% K |
| Brayden Simpson | High Point (Big South) | .389/.477/.774 22 HRs, 14 SBs | 172 wRC+ 8.6% BB, 16.5% K |
The Angels’ chronic 15+ year talent drought at third base is well-known, and Anthony Rendon solved nothing, regrettably. While we’ve explored other higher profile names in this series (Holliday, Arquette, Murf Gray, Ethan Hughes), here are some down-the-board guys who had massive years in 2025.
Among these names, Boser (BA: 283, MLB: 188) and Cross (JustBaseball: 182) are the only ones who have made appearances on any national lists, both falling into the region of picks largely reserved for pool-saving senior signs. They are also the only ones facing power conference competition. All four hit double digit marks in home runs and steals, sketching power/speed profiles playing third base most of the season.
All but Simpson are seniors, aged 22 or 23 at draft time, without much leverage – they’re late-rounders or UDFAs, or their careers likely end with college. DePino and Simpson did big things at small schools in less competitive conferences, accounting for the lesser attention.
Bobby Boser is the first Florida Gator to hit three home runs in a game since Jac Caglianone. “Boser has quietly built one of the more complete offensive profiles in the country. He’s one of just four Division I hitters with a hard-hit rate north of 65%, a mark that underscores his ability to do damage to all fields. With advanced strength, discipline and power, Boser (was) a stabilizing force in the heart of Florida’s lineup and a key piece in its push toward postseason form.” (BA)
Boser can handle all infield positions and maybe even CF in pro ball, and his above average speed has made him a basestealing threat (19 in 2025). He has a good track record in two gos at winter ball on the Cape. But that said, despite massive exit velocities, he can struggle with in-zone contact, has maintained high K rates throughout his college career, and had “a 38% miss rate against breaking balls and offspeed pitches in 2025.”
Kerrington Cross: “A fifth-year senior, Cross was named the Big 12 Player of the Year after hitting .396/.526/.647 with 12 home runs, 10 doubles and more walks (50) than strikeouts (35). Having already turned 23-years-old, what you see is what you get with Cross, but he has an advanced approach to go along with average bat-to-ball skills and some pullside impact.” (BA)
“He hammers fastballs, plus he very rarely expands the strike zone with a chase rate under 15%. The power likely never grows more than average, but the approach will help his offensive profile immensely. On the defensive side, Cross has turned into a steady presence at the hot corner. He has great range with fluid motions and a quick first step, playing with aggression toward the ball. He’s a lock to stick there in the future and has the makings of an above-average glove there.” (JustBaseball)
Anthony DePino: “DePino was the centerpiece of Rhode Island’s offense—and one of the better bats in the Atlantic 10—in 2025. He hit .354/.505/.730 with 20 home runs, 21 doubles, 20 stolen bases and more walks (57) than strikeouts (42). DePino has a rather compact frame with plenty of strength and physicality packed into it. He’s a bit of a data darling, and this spring he posted an average exit velocity of 92.9 mph to go along with an impressive 90th percentile exit velocity of 111. DePino can drive the baseball to all fields, though his highest quality of contact comes to the pull side where he has plus power.” (BA)
Brayden Simpson was one of the nation’s top ten WAR leaders at any position among draft-eligible collegiates. He has strong DRS numbers speaking to a solid glove, with 22 HRs from the corner. He did it in a less competitive conference, but is also the youngest of this group, and has carried his promising season into summer ball, where he’s slashing .375.545/.750.
Outfield Data Darlings
| School / Position | Stats | Featured Stats | |
| Matthew Bucciero | Fairfield, RF/LF | .345/.462/.633161 wRC+ | 15 HRs, 21 SBs 17.4% BB, 19.1% K |
| Jake Cook | Southern Miss, CF/RF | .350/.436/.468131 wRC+ | 10.9% BB, 6.7% K |
| Jack Moroknek | Butler, CF/LF/RF | .372/.443/.702157 wRC+ | 18 HRs 10.3% BB, 16.2% K |
| Owen Prince | VMI, CF/C | .385/.504/.474142 wRC+ | 46 SBs 16.9% BB, 9.2% K |
| Boston Smith | Wright State, C/3B/OF | .332/.500/.774189 wRC+ | 26 HRs, 16 SBs 20.2% BB, 18.4% K |
| Landyn Vidourek | Cincinnati, RF | 304/.434/.576130 wRC+ | 14 HRs, 39 SBs 17.7% BB, 26.7 K |
Of this crew, Boston Smith is the most intriguing, a national stats leader in several categories, and part of the overachieving crew from Wright State who made this year’s field of 64. He was the regular catcher on that team, but also has played plenty of OF and 3B. Smith tied Mason Neville for the national lead in HRs (three of those 26 came against Vanderbilt in the Regionals), he carried a 20%+ walk rate and .500 OBP into the playoffs, and was the national leader in WAR among college catchers.
He was featured in D1Baseball’s “All-Undervalued Team” as a noisy bat flying under the radar at present. 22 yo senior sign all the way, probably selected in rounds 7-10.
Jake Cook and Owen Prince are both lefty centerfield contact merchants with little power to speak of, but when they swing, they rarely miss. Cook has a 90% contact rate and finished the season with a K rate south of 7%. BA: “He’s a slappy hitter who softly hits the ball the other way more frequently than he’ll leave the park, but with a 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame, there might be more to dream on physically than with many college hitters.” His footspeed is exceptional.
Meanwhile Prince is a more classic leadoff contact profile, undersized at 5’9”, top 3 in the nation in stolen bags with 46. Elite overall contact rate (89%) and in-zone contact rate (94%), in the cellar when it comes to impact exit velocity.
Bucciero, Moroknek and Vidourek are all small school guys who stood out in-season and at the Combine for their quality contact and batted ball data.
Bucciero is the youngest of the group, and was productive out of right field for Fairfield all season. BA: “Bucciero is a data darling who makes a ton of contact, hits the ball hard and also has a strong batting eye. About the only thing he doesn’t do from an analytical perspective is hit the ball in the air with frequency to the pull side—which could be viewed as a positive for teams who believe there’s some untapped power potential to be found.”
Both Moroknek and Vidourek showed some of the highest max exit velocities of any D1 hitters this season, pushing north of 111mph. Vidourek does that while being highly selective with an excellent chase rate of only 12.3%, though his in-zone contact rate is lower than Moroknek’s, who is an aggressive swinger with above-average contact rates, but who chases out of the zone too much.
Vidourek was an absolute beast in batting practice at the MLB Combine, posting the highest average and max exit velocities of any college hitter. Plus power, plus speed, plus arm, solid walk rates, but the K rate is scary, and enough to push an otherwise compelling player into the later rounds.
Georgia on My Mind
| School / Position | Stats | Featured Stats | |
| Slate Alford | Georgia, 3B/2B | .331/.440/.649 135 wRC+ | 19 HRs 13.3% BB, 17.1% K |
| Robbie Burnett | Georgia, 2B/RF | .307/.477/.693 150 wRC+ | 20 HRs, 17 SBs 16.4% BB, 20.3% K |
| Ryland Zaborowski | Georgia, 1B/DH | .370/.500/.788 171 wRC+ | 17 HRs 15.8% BB, 21.7% K |
| Kaleb Freeman | Georgia State, 2B/RF | .349/.504/.732 193 wRC+ | 16 HRs, 15 SBs 22.1% BB, 20.7% K |
I had a blast watching the Georgia Bulldogs much of the season, as they had arguably the most formidable offense in the SEC, leading the conference by far in most power metrics (HRs, SLG, OPS). They flirted with #1 position for several weeks, but faded a bit down the stretch and didn’t quite have the pitching to run deep to Omaha, exiting early in the regionals. Much of their success was due to the massive bats of Robbie Burnett, Slate Alford and Ryland Zaborowski. Each has his flaws, but also thrived much of the season in the nation’s toughest conference.
Slate Alford played the hot corner most of this season, after manning the keystone for much of last year. Coincidental to this article, he made the top of BA’s Top 50 Senior Sign list today, reserved for players who missed their Top 500, but may still be highly targeted for later rounds this coming weekend. Alford had a very well-rounded season. BA: “At 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, Alford has a physical build with no shortage of natural strength. He possesses plenty of bat speed and regularly generates quality contact. Alford posted a 90th percentile exit velocity of 107.6 mph and has plus power to the pull side.”
Robbie Burnett was second on that same list of late round targets. Burnett’s a lefty with an intriguing speed/power package who has hit everywhere he’s gone in college ball. But some park factor amplification and concerning platoon splits (he struggles against better LHP) lead to some skepticism as to how his tools may translate in pro ball. BA again: “Burnett isn’t overwhelming from a raw impact standpoint, but his batted ball data—particularly his average hard hit launch angle—played well at Foley Field. Burnett runs well and his speed plays in both the outfield and on the bases.”
Ryland Zaborowski is a massive 6’5” 250lb masher with lots of raw power, and lots of swing and miss. BA: “While Zaborowski has posted some of the best average exit velocities in college baseball, he’s done so as one of the older players in the class (23) and with a swing that comes with its holes. Zaborowski has plenty of miss tendencies and worse production vs. spin and off-speed pitches than fastballs, and his strikeout rate pushed closer to 30% against SEC pitching.” Zaborowski is on the Rooker-Jones-DiChiara spectrum. YMMV.
As a bonus, I’m throwing in Georgia State’s turf rat outperformer here in Kaleb Freeman, who terrorized the Sun Belt Conference while playing a role for the team similar to Robbie Burnett’s over in Athens. He made D1Baseball’s First Team All-American at 2B, and was tied with Mitch Voit and LSU’s Daniel Dickinson as the national 2B leader in WAR. His is an interesting case, as he’s both older (22) and has entered the college transfer portal, destined for Texas A&M. He’d probably require the sort of overslot bonus the team gave to David Mershon last draft to pry him out of the commitment.
Ten for “Day Three”
| School/Position | Stats | Featured Stats | |
| Kyle Fossum | Youngstown, OF | .382/.496/.777 | 23 HRs, 191 wRC+ |
| Jonathan Hogart | Murray State, OF | .338/.446/.700 | 22 HRs, 156 wRC+ |
| Eddie King Jr | Louisville, OF | .367/.435/.750 | 17 HRs, 148 wRC+ |
| Logan Maxwell | Arkansas, OF | .356/.454/.605 | 13 HRs, 132 wRC+ |
| Andrey Martinez | Bethune-Cookman, OF/3B | .353/.424/.725 | 20 HRs, 140 wRC+ |
| Matt King | SS/3B, Arizona State | .403/.464/.593 | 8% K rate, 144 wRC+ |
| Bryce Hughes | SS, Texas Southern | .353/.455/.544 | 44 SB, 134 wRC+ |
| Matt Schark | 3B/1B, Southern Illinois | .340/.419/.732 | 24 HRs, 148 wRC+ |
| Jacob Walsh | Oregon, 1B | .332/.435/.651 | 19 HRs, 143 wRC+ |
| Dominic Hellman | Oregon, DH/1B | .326/.426/.567 | 13 HRs, 128 wRC+ |
Don’t let the header fool you – there are only two days to this year’s draft. But there used to be three, and day three was reserved for rounds 11-20, where outside of occasional overslot deals in rounds 11-13, most teams are stocking up on players roughly equivalent in talent to UDFAs signed for $125k or less after the draft is over. Some organizational players, alongside few JuCo and prep kids who made it known they are signable at lesser rates.
Some of the players on this list may sign in the 7-10 range as pool-saving picks, but many may also be interesting 11-15 guys, due to outperformance on competitive clubs, or a big tool or two with some more conspicuous flaws.
Eddie King Jr, Logan Maxwell, and Jacob Walsh made BA’s list of Top 50 College Senior Sign MLB Draft Targets, and come from vaunted programs in power conferences.
Fossum is a small school masher with some loud power but with a short track record.
Hogart was the face of Murray State’s Cinderella run, clobbering 22 HRs out of centerfield – standout performer, but is age 23 on draft day.
Eddie King Jr is “a big, physical righthanded hitter who led Louisville with a 1.185 OPS this spring. Listed at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, King is an aggressive hitter who has big raw power that mostly plays to the pull side, with top end exit velocities north of 110 mph. This spring he hit .367/.435/.750 with 17 home runs and 19 doubles while primarily playing left field and DH.” (BA)
Logan Maxwell was a key part of Arkansas’ big boy offense. “Maxwell has a feel for the barrel and routinely did damage against pitches in his go zone. His power projects as below-average professionally, but his ability to optimize his launch angles this spring enabled him to have a reasonable power output. Maxwell uses the entire field, though his highest quality of contact comes to the pull side.” (BA)
Martinez is a mid-majors pop-up guy who led the SWAC in HRs and XBHs, but will be a long-in-the-tooth 24 on draft day.
Matt King was one of the national leaders in batting average, with a tiny 8% K rate, as Arizona State’s everyday shortstop. Not a power threat, but a lot of solid average tools, and he puts the ball in play.
Bryce Hughes is a diminutive baseburner who was among the national leaders in stolen bases with solid defensive work at shortstop.
Matt Schark showed big power at the infield corners (.391 ISO), leading the Missouri Valley Conference in all power metrics (HRs, SLG, OPS).
Jacob Walsh “set new career highs (as Oregon’s everyday first baseman) in every major statistical category this spring and hit .332/.435/.651 with 19 home runs and 17 doubles. Perhaps most importantly, his hit-ability and bat-to-ball skills took a step in the right direction and he posted both a career-best strikeout rate and a career-high walk rate. Walsh’s carrying tool is undoubtedly his double-plus raw power, especially to the pull side. That’s long been his calling card and this spring he posted a 90th percentile exit velocity of 110.5 mph.” (BA)
Hellman’s strong raw power didn’t result in significant HR volume for Oregon this season, but his 90% exit velocity was among the highest in the game, and he made strong improvements to contact % from his 2024 season, with a contact rate north of 75%.
As the old saying goes – there’s more where these came from!
But I think, four installments in, I may already be testing the patience and attention of even the most dedicated college baseball and draft enthusiasts.
My hope, time-willing, is that I can squeeze in one last installment to survey a few pitching options I like in this draft outside the first round, ahead of the first podium calls on Sunday, July 13. The weekend approaches, and all of this will just be retrospective groans and giggles soon enough.
