Final Draft rankings: Who's up? Who's down?
We've done our final shuffling on MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 250 Prospects in advance of main event, which starts July 11 in Denver. We didn't add anyone to the list, but we did move 34 players around. Some of those adjustments were tiny, such as shifting Vanderbilt right-hander Jack Leiter from No. 3 to No. 2, while others were far more significant.
Five players jumped 35 spots or more, led by Stanford right-hander Brendan Beck rising from No. 164 to No. 99. Here's our explanation for those shifts:
Brendan Beck, RHP, Stanford (164 to 99)
Beck had a solid year as Stanford’s Friday night starter, finishing the year with a 3.15 ERA, a .200 batting average against and an impressive 143/26 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His 13-K performance in Super Regional play certainly didn’t hurt his stock and college performers with a plus feel for pitching always float up when teams consider risk in the Draft.
James Triantos, SS, Madison HS, Vienna, Va. (124 to 78)
Triantos has been about as big of a pop-up name as there’s been in this class since he reclassified from 2022 to this year’s Draft. Those who like the North Carolina commit believe he has the chance to be a plus hitter with pop, and his name has been coming up in conversations as high as the top two rounds.
Brock Selvidge, LHP, Hamilton HS, Chandler, Ariz. (176 to 131)
After the summer, Selvidge looked like he could make a leap to being one of the top high school lefties in the class, but he had a very uneven spring, with his velocity and overall stuff backing up. But the LSU recruit may have righted the ship with a very strong showing at the MLB Draft Combine, missing a lot of bats with a fastball up to the mid-90s and a renewed feel for his slider.
Jackson Merrill, SS, Severna Park (Md.) HS (123 to 79)
While he was seen a bit by some teams last summer, Merrill is in the same Mid-Atlantic region pop-up boat as Triantos. While he might have the same bat certainty as Triantos, more scouts feel Merrill has the chance to stick at shortstop and his upside as a 6-foot-3, left-handed hitting middle infielder has his name also coming up in the top few rounds now.
Jonathan Vastine, SS, Bartow (Fla.) HS (182 to 147)
While his commitment to Vanderbilt might create some signability issues, area scouts have long liked Vastine’s feel for the game, his plus instincts and his solid tools across the board. What’s really driven his rise up boards has been his impressive showings in a number of private workouts with teams.
Below is a complete list of all players who moved relative to their original Draft Top 250 rankings. Note that high school outfielders Daylen Lile and Camden Hayslip advanced ahead of other players but kept the same overall ranking because other prospects shifted as well.
2. Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt (3)
7. Jackson Jobe, RHP, Heritage Hall HS, Oklahoma City (8)
17. Anthony Solometo, LHP, Bishop Eustace Prep, Pennsauken Township, N.J. (20)
20. Will Taylor, OF, Dutch Fork HS, Irmo, S.C. (27)
25. Colson Montgomery, 3B, Southridge HS, Huntingburg, Ind. (29)
32. Will Bednar, RHP, Mississippi State (36)
40. Matheu Nelson, C, Florida State (54)
41. Carson Williams, SS, Torrey Pines HS, San Diego (50)
46. Ben Kudrna, RHP, Blue Valley Southwest HS, Overland Park, Kan. (47)
51. Andrew Abbott, LHP, Virginia (62)
56. Doug Nikhazy, LHP, Mississippi (61)
59. Cody Morissette, SS, Boston College (70)
78. James Triantos, SS, Madison HS, Vienna, Va. (124)
79. Jackson Merrill, SS, Severna Park (Md.) HS (123)
80. Daylen Lile, OF, Trinity HS, Louisville, Ky. (80)
84. Cooper Kinney, 2B, Baylor School, Chattanooga, Tenn. (90)
86. Zack Gelof, 3B, Virginia (96)
89. Jonathan Cannon, RHP, Georgia (98)
90. Landon Marceaux, RHP, Louisiana State (86)
98. Denzel Clarke, OF, Cal State Northridge (119)
99. Brendan Beck, RHP, Stanford (164)
100. Steven Hajjar, LHP, Michigan (107)
101. Luca Tresh, C, North Carolina State (84)
110. Caedmon Parker, RHP, The Woodlands (Texas) Christian Academy (111)
113. Christian MacLeod, LHP, Mississippi State (82)
131. Brock Selvidge, LHP, Hamilton HS, Chandler, Ariz. (176)
139. Grant Holman, RHP, California (108)
147. Jonathan Vastine, OF, Bartow (Fla.) HS (182)
148. Payton Green, SS, Pro5 Academy, Apex, N.C. (156)
149. Reed Trimble, OF, Southern Mississippi (172)
153. Dylan Ross, RHP, Northwest Florida State JC (106)
175. Camden Hayslip, OF, Friendship Christian HS, Lebanon, Tenn. (175)
176. Jac Caglianone, LHP, Plant HS, Tampa, Fla. (132)
236. C.J. Rodriguez, C, Vanderbilt (247)