Bat Cats Insider: Intel on UK's players and commitments to watch during the 2025 MLB draft

The latest on what to watch for with Kentucky's players and transfer portal and high school commitments in the 2025 MLB draft.

LHP Ethan Walker. Photo by Ethan Rand of UK Athletics.

College baseball rosters across the country will be one step closer to being finalized with the MLB draft set to begin on Sunday and conclude on Monday evening. MLB teams have until Aug. 1 at 5 p.m. to sign their draft picks, so Kentucky, along with other schools, will have a good idea of their roster by that point.

Although the transfer portal still has players available, Kentucky has been in a wait-and-see mode in recent weeks with the MLB draft before proceeding with the roster. The Wildcats’ last portal pickup was South Carolina lefthander Jackson Soucie nearly three weeks ago.

Kentucky fans who follow the MLB draft year after year know the wide range of outcomes and unpredictability that can occur during the draft. Two commitments last year — Trent Youngblood (Transylvania) and Jalen Hairston (State College of Florida) — were not thought of as strong draft risks but ultimately signed after being selected. The Wildcats also caught a tremendous break when Tyler Bell, selected No. 66 overall, did not reach an agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays and enrolled at Kentucky.

But this draft for Kentucky could take on a different feel than in recent years.

During the 2023 draft, Kentucky had no high school draft risks and only one transfer commitment who ultimately signed (Trey Paige). The draft risks that year were internal, but the Wildcats were fortunate to get RHP Mason Moore and catcher Devin Burkes through the draft. In 2024, Bell was the strongest high school draft risk but four other incoming transfer commitments were drafted and signed. And it was only fitting that in a record-breaking season on the field, the Wildcats saw two players (Ryan Waldschmidt and Emilien Pitre) selected in the top 60 picks for the first time in school history.

While there will likely be a few Kentucky players from the 2025 team without eligibility remaining who get selected, this year’s draft will likely have just one player on the current roster to closely watch. There will be a few transfer portal commitments to keep an eye on as well, but the bulk of draft risks come from the high school ranks. None of the signees in the 2025 class are as well-regarded as past draft picks like Bell, Jackson Merrill or Caden Dana, but the volume of players to watch is higher than usual.

Before we dive in, here’s a reminder of what you should know about bonus pools and slot values — along with the amount each team has in its bonus pool this year — courtesy of MLB.com:

Each selection in the first 10 rounds comes with an assigned value, with the total for a club's picks equaling what it can spend in those rounds without incurring a penalty. If a player taken in the top 10 rounds doesn't sign, his choice's value gets subtracted from his team's pool. Clubs near the top of the Draft often spend less than the assigned value for those choices and use the savings to offer more money to later selections.

Here’s a good video primer as well if you’d like to learn more:

This year’s players to closely watch in the top 10 rounds