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It feels strange that no Vanderbilt players or commits were selected in the 1st round of the MLB Draft, no? I can’t remember off the top of my head the last time that happened, nor how often that has happened, but it is a rare occurrence for the boys in the gangster pajamas.
Okay, I’ll actually do the research. As I told you in the first draft preview, since the Tim Corbin dynasty era began in 2007, the only years not even one current draft eligible Diamond Dore was taken in the 1st round was 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, and now 2024.
Beyond that, the only years during that era that a commit was not taken in the first round was 2009, 2010, 2013 (and Sheffield likely would have been one if not for the injury), 2017, and now 2024.
That means this has only happened in 2010, 2013, and 2024. Safe to say this is not what we have been accustomed to.
*Note that Perfect Game only goes back as far as 2009, so I’m not sure about the ‘07 and ‘08 recruiting classes, but seeing as I was only looking for years when both players and commits were not in the first round, that doesn’t matter for this exercise.
That is not to say none were drafted on Day One, of course, as two Diamond Dores and one commit were picked in Round Two.
Current Players Drafted on Day One (Round Two):
#97 Jr. RHP Bryce “Big Richie” Cunningham
2024 Stats: 7-4, 4.36 ERA, 10.20 K/9.
Here’s his MLB.com scouting report:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
Cunningham had sporadic success in his first two years at Vanderbilt, recording a 6.33 ERA as a swingman. He was much more effective as a starter in the Cape Cod League, making two all-star game appearances and winning a pair of championships with Bourne. The summer version of Cunningham has shown up more often this spring as he has taken a step forward with his stuff and command, secured a rotation spot and worked his way into the top two rounds.
While Cunningham’s mid-90s fastball velocity with a peak of 97 mph is nothing new, he’s doing a better job of locating his heater and keeping it off barrels with carry up in the zone. It plays extremely well with one of the best swing-and-miss changeups in college baseball, a hard upper-80s cambio that plummets at the plate. His sweeping mid-80s slider is an effective third offering.
Improving his strength and athleticism has helped Cunningham do a better job of repeating his clean delivery. He’s throwing more strikes and maintaining his stuff deeper into games. He exhibits the upside of a No. 2 or 3 starter and unlocking a better slider could help him get there.
Drafted: Round 2, pick 53, New York Yankees.
Was this expected/what this means for the 2025 team?: Yes, this was expected. In fact, he was picked between where ESPN and MLB.com had him ranked. As such, Corbs did not have Big Bryce in his plans for 2025, and it would have been a shocker for him to come back. This was a known known, I’m saying. While it would have been nice to have a big armed senior anchoring the staff, no one thought it was a realistic expectation.
#20 Jr. LHP Carter “Rev. Holton Heat” Holton
2024 Stats: 6-5, 5.19 ERA, 12.72 K/9.
Here’s his MLB.com scouting report:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
As a Georgia high schooler, Holton was a top-three-rounds talent but slid to the Brewers in the 19th round of the 2021 Draft because he was committed to Vanderbilt. He immediately thrived as a member of the Commodores’ weekend rotation, though he was shut down last May with an arm injury that hasn’t been fully clarified. He pitched well early in 2024 but faded down the stretch, saw his velocity drop sharply in an abbreviated final regular-season start and missed the Southeastern Conference tournament.
Holton’s fastball operates at 93-95 mph and tops out at 98 with some arm-side run. He misses more bats with a low-80s slider that features horizontal and vertical action and shuts down left-handers. His upper-70s curveball was a solid offering in the past before regressing in 2023, and he also owns a sinking mid-80s changeup.
Though scouts believe in Holton’s stuff and competitive makeup, there are questions about his viability as a long-term starter. He’s undersized at 5-foot-11 and missed time last spring, and he uses unorthodox tilt and a high arm slot in his delivery to create leverage. His mechanics can hamper his control and command, though he’s throwing more strikes than ever in 2024.
Drafted: Round 2, pick 62, Atlanta Braves.
Was this expected/what this means for the 2025 team?: Kind of. Holton’s arm talent and bulldog mentality on the mound made it possible for him to be taken in the top two rounds and receive a seven figure signing bonus. However, his junior year was less than stellar, and both his ‘23 and ‘24 were hampered by injuries and arm fatigue. I held out a small amount of hope that teams would be a bit spooked by the latter, he would fall, and we would be able to put the NIL money we had bookmarked for Kozeal (boo pig sooie) and the MSU pitcher than was, then wasn’t, a Dore (no, I’m not going to try to figure out how to spell his name now) to convince Holton to come back and be our Friday Ace for one last hurrah. It didn’t happen. I has a sad, but this dream was always going to be a long shot. There is still a chance Devin Futrell could come back and anchor the rotation, but if not, it’s likely going to be JD “Terror Lake” Thompson on Fridays, Georgetown Transfer Cody Bowker (who is holding his own on The Cape this summer) on Saturdays, and then either Ethan McElvain or Brennan Seiber on Sundays.
Commits Drafted on Day One (Round Two):
RHP Owen Hall
MLB.com scouting report:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50
Hall made a huge impression at the Area Code Games in August, when he struck out 10 of the 18 batters he faced, including nine with a fastball that had an event-best peak velocity of 97 mph. He’s a consensus second-round talent heading into his senior season, though there are some scouts who believe he’s on an upward trajectory that could make him the first prep pitcher drafted. He may have to go early to be lured away from a Vanderbilt commitment.
Hall relies heavily on a fastball that sits at 91-94 mph and reaches 98 with explosive life up in the strike zone. With his athleticism and projectable 6-foot-3 frame, he could regularly deal in the mid-90s once he gets stronger. He throws two distinct breaking balls, with his low-80s slider showing more promise and getting more chases than his mid-70s curveball, which lacks consistency but elicits swings and misses.
Though Hall barely uses his mid-80s changeup, it could become an average pitch once he employs it more and gains more velocity separation from his fastball. He moves well on the mound and works with a high arm slot that creates induced vertical break on his heater and depth on his breaking pitches. He already pounds the zone with his fastball but needs to improve his control of his secondary offerings.
...and here’s his Perfect Game report:
N/A
Drafted: Round 2, pick 49, Detroit Tigers.
Perfect Game Rating: N/A (though players like this are usually a 10). National Ranking: #62 overall; 19 RHP.
Was this expected/what this means for the 2025 team?: Again, kind of. Seeing as Hall was our only top 100 commit, I held out a reasonable amount of hope we’d be able to pull a 2017 and get all of our 2024 commits to campus. Would the ‘25 team be better with Owen Hall on it? Certainly. He could have had a role similar to what Brennan Seiber gave us in ‘24, with a chance to start as a sophomore and junior. That will not happen now. Bah. Beyond that, he’s more a Bryce Cunningham type of pitcher, so there would have been a lot of power-armed clay for Scott Brown to mold over the years. That will not happen now.
*Note: I will put up a Day Two Live Thread this afternoon, as Rounds 3-20 will be live streamed on MLB.com starting at 1pm CT today.
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