Ranking the best and worst picks of the 2025 MLB Draft ft. Kade Anderson and Seth Hernandez

The first round of the 2025 MLB Draft concluded on Sunday with a ton of surprises. No. 5 prospect Eli Willits was selected as this year's top overall pick by the Washington Nationals amid projections of Ethan Holliday going to the nation's capital. Willits became just the third first overall pick in team history, following Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2010.

Holliday, on the other hand, fell to No. 4 and was selected by the Rockies. Interestingly enough, his All-Star father Matt was also selected by Colorado where he spent the first five seasons of his career.

With a plethora of talent across the board, some picks were graded as a steal — while others were dubbed as a reach. Let's now take a look at the best and worst picks of the first round.

---

Best and worst picks of the 2025 MLB Draft

Best: Seattle Mariners - Kade Anderson (LHP, LSU)

No. 2 prospect Kade Anderson fell into the unassuming arms of the Mariners when he was selected as the third overall pick in this year's MLB Draft. Representing the College World Series champion LSU Tigers, Anderson propelled the squad after posting a 12-1 record, 3.18 ERA, and 180 punch outs across 119 innings.

For his sensational performances, he was voted as the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series and was awarded the Baseball America Pitcher of the Year honor.

With the plethora of success that the Mariners have garnered when it comes to collegiate pitchers, it would be interesting to see how and when Anderson slots into the team's rotation in the future.

Worst: Chicago Cubs - Ethan Conrad (OF, Wake Forest)

The Northsiders picked No. 28 prospect Ethan Conrad as the 17th overall selection in this year's MLB Draft. Conrad was projected to even go unpicked in the first round due to the injury that he suffered earlier this year. With the plethora of choices in college sluggers, it was indeed puzzling to see the Cubs make such a move.

Best: The Athletics - Jamie Arnold (LHP, FSU)

The Athletics are on the prime spot in making Arnold as the fastest debutant in the majors amongst all draftees this year. With their knack of developing talent on both sides of the field, No. 4 prospect Arnold is poised to join names such as Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, and Tyler Soderstrom as the next cornerstone of what has been an ailing franchise.

Worst: Pittsburgh Pirates - Seth Hernandez (RHP, Corona, Calif.)

Talent-wise Seth Hernandez is one of the brightest stars in this year's MLB Draft. However, the Pirates made another puzzling move by selecting the high school pitcher at number six.

Although they've had the Midas touch when it comes to drafting hurlers in the first round proven by Paul Skenes, Gerrit Cole, and Shane Baz — everyone in the baseball sphere knows that what they need at the moment are prolific bats for run support.

Best: Washington Nationals - Eli Willits (SS, Fort-Cobb Broxton, Okla.)

The Washington Nationals have once again found a way to search for value as they selected No. 5 prospect Eli Wilits as the top overall pick in the draft. Due to the slot value for the pick, they've now saved money while taking the talented shortstop/outfielder.

Upon his selection, Willits became the third-youngest player to be slected as the first overall pick in the MLB Draft. He posted a .473 batting average with eight homers, 14 doubles, one triple, 34 RBIs and a 1.514 OPS in his latest campaign.

Worst: Milwaukee Brewers - Andrew Fischer (1B/3B, Tennessee)

The Brewers' decision in selecting Fischer certainly raised some eyebrows as they previously picked Brock Wilken and Blake Burke in the past iterations of the MLB Draft. With talents such as as Caleb Durbin and Sal Frelick manning the hot corner, it would be interesting to see how Fischer would be utilized in the grand scheme of things.