2025 MLB Draft Combine Standouts
Credit: (MLB Network)
The MLB Draft Combine was held this past Tuesday and Wednesday at Chase Field in Arizona, giving draft-eligible players a big stage to showcase their skills and potentially boost their stock ahead of next month’s draft. It’s the kind of event where strong performances and interviews can really move the needle for prospects — just ask former West Virginia outfielder Victor Scott II. He turned heads at the 2022 Combine and ended up being taken in the fifth round by the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Combine is especially valuable for high school players, who don’t always get opportunities like this to perform in front of so many scouts and executives. The high school game on Tuesday night, in particular, has helped several players in recent years climb draft boards. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most notable performances from this year’s event.
C/OF Tatin Gray (Dallas Center-Grimes HS, Iowa)
One of the more impressive bats in the morning session of hitting was 17-year-old Tatin Gray, who, with an impressive 6’4 220 220-pound frame, showed some of the best exit velocities of any high schooler all day. He had three of the seven hardest-hit balls in the morning session, only trailing Quentin Young with exit velocities up to 112.4 mph.
Gray looked to have a good feel for getting the ball in the air to his pull side and launched 4 balls over 400 feet during his session. A strong athlete, he should be able to stick in the outfield if a team doesn’t want to give him a shot behind the plate. I wrote about him in my third-round preview, though he could be more in the late second round or Comp B conversation after Tuesday’s standout performance.
OF Brandon Compton (Arizona State)
The most impressive hitting session of the whole day was Arizona State’s Brandon Compton. He was hitting the absolute cover off the ball, including the 12 hardest hits during the afternoon hitting session. That included three balls hit over 116 mph and multiple blasts over 440 feet.
Compton’s raw power ranks among the best in this draft class, and if he learns to elevate the ball more consistently, he has a chance to develop into a legitimate power threat. What’s especially encouraging is that, despite his slugging potential, he posted just a 21% strikeout rate in 2025 at Arizona — impressive for a hitter with his kind of juice.
RHP Parker Rhodes (Greenfield Central HS, Indiana)
The most impressive arm from Tuesday night’s high school game was Parker Rhodes. The right-hander dominated with a fastball that featured 15 to 18 inches of vertical break, sitting in the mid-90s and touching 96.5 — thrown from a low 4.9-foot vertical release height.
Rhodes also showed an 82–83 mph sweeper with 16 inches of glove-side movement, which he used effectively to record a strikeout. He mixed in a changeup as well, sitting around 89 mph with serious depth. Rhodes struck out the side in the second inning, generating two punchouts with the fastball and one with the sweeper — a performance that should enhance his standing on draft boards heading into July.
INF Bruin Agbayani (St. Louis HS, Hawaii)
In terms of position players who impressed during the game, the clear standout was Hawaii High School Player of the Year, Bruin Agbayani. He went 2-for-2 with a single, a triple, and two walks. Agbayani showed a strong feel for the strike zone, consistently laying off pitches out of the zone.
At the same time, he demonstrated a mature hitting approach, highlighted by a 106 mph triple to the right-center gap. He also flashed his elite speed, one of the most notable tools in his profile. It was an eye-catching performance, especially for someone who wasn’t listed on MLB Pipeline’s Top 200 Draft Prospects entering the event. He additionally showed well defensively. All around, it was likely the most complete performance of the night.
LHP Alex Barr (Kankakee Valley HS, Indiana)
Another standout on the mound Tuesday night was Alex Barr, who struck out all three batters he faced in his inning of work — each of them on his curveball. It’s one of the best loopy curveballs I’ve seen from a high school arm. The pitch sits in the 68–71 mph range, creating a nearly 20 mph separation from his fastball, making it extremely difficult for hitters to time.
His fastball was decent as well, sitting around 91 mph and touching 94.5, with average movement. Barr’s overall profile is highly projectable, and it’s easy to imagine a top-tier pitching development organization taking a chance on him. He may not fit the typical mold of a Cardinals pick, but that curveball alone made him one of the most memorable arms of the day.
OF Nathan Eisfelder (IMG Academy, Florida)
Only one player left the yard in the high school game, and that was IMG Academy right fielder Nathan Eisfelder, who launched a 407-foot home run to left-center field with a 99.5 mph exit velocity. While it wasn’t the hardest-hit ball of the event, Eisfelder’s ability to generate loft stood out — both during his batting practice session and, clearly, in game action.
RHP Jayden Stroman (Patchogue Medford HS, New York)
MLB’s coverage of Day Two was noticeably limited, so I turned to tweets and articles to get a sense of who stood out. One name that caught my attention was Jayden Stroman, the younger brother of Marcus Stroman. He touched 97.3 mph on the mound and consistently showed over 20 inches of induced vertical break. He also featured a solid slider, with command that improved as his session progressed. It was an eye-catching performance that could push him up draft boards beyond his current No. 129 ranking on MLB Pipeline.
RHP Zane Taylor (UNC Wilmington)
One of the more complete pitchers in the draft, Zane Taylor, showed off some of the most impressive stuff on Day Two of the Combine. His fastball sat 95–97 mph with 17 inches of vertical movement. The cutter was likely his second-best pitch, and both the curveball and changeup flashed solid movement traits as well. Taylor looked like one of the more well-rounded arms at the Combine. He could have a quick path to the big leagues and looks like a solid fourth- or fifth-round pick come draft day.
3B Sebastian Norman (Glendale HS, Missouri)
The hardest-hit ball during Wednesday’s BP session came off the bat of Missouri native Sebastian Norman, who registered a 113.8 mph exit velocity. It was one of three balls he hit over 111 mph and part of a group of six that topped 108. His average exit velocity of 109.9 mph ranked fourth overall at the event. Norman has the physical profile teams look for in a third base or corner outfield prospect, standing 6’2” and 215 pounds, per Perfect Game. He’s currently committed to Oklahoma State, but a solid mid-round pick could be enough to sway him toward the pro route. Regardless, his strong showing at the Combine should give his draft stock a meaningful boost.
OF Landyn Vidourek (Cincinnati)
Vidourek is one of the most underrated prospects in this year’s MLB Draft, and he made the most of his opportunity at the Combine. He recorded the second hardest hit ball of the day at 113.4 mph, one of two entries he had in the top ten, and launched the second longest home run at 424 feet. His 108.0 mph average exit velocity ranked fifth on Day Two, and he showed a strong feel for loft, consistently elevating the ball throughout his BP session.
He’s coming off a stellar junior season at Cincinnati, where he hit .304 with an OPS over 1.000, hit 14 home runs, and stole 49 bases. That intriguing power and speed combination makes him a likely mid round pick and a player who could outperform that draft slot with continued development.
