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The MLB season is rolling as we’re now fully a quarter of the way through the season. Crazy, right?

While we have tons of content around the league, which we’ll highlight later in the second half of this newsletter, our focus starts with our first MLB Mock Draft!

The MLB Draft is officially two months away and our branch of college baseball experts, On the Clock, have published our first of four mock drafts leading up to the draft.

Set to be one of the most unpredictable drafts in some time, with plenty of uncertainty starting at the very top, we’re in for an exciting time come July.

Mock Draft 1.0

Jamie Arnold is the safest pick at the top of the board. Over the past ten drafts, only one first overall selection has signed for slot value or higher. That player was Spencer Torkelson in 2020. Given that the slot value for the first pick has crept over $11 million, the Nationals will be looking for a haircut at this selection come July.

With this in mind, we'll lean towards the idea that a college prospect saves the Nationals the most money and we'll go with Jamie Arnold. Arnold has pitched rather well over his past five starts, posting a 1.42 ERA with a K:BB ratio of 44:10.

The Holliday pipeline returns to Colorado. The Rockies are in a clear and aggressive rebuild and should keep the Holliday pipeline alive and well with Ethan Holliday at fourth overall.

While there has been a fair amount of swing-and-miss in his game that has created question marks around the hit tool, there is clear raw power and with a 6-foot-4 frame he can easily add some more with age.

Unlike his brother Jackson, Ethan seems to be more of a high-risk, high-reward pick with a huge ceiling and skill-set that could feast in Coors Field, much like his father.

The A’s solidify their infield of the future. In the last two drafts, the Athletics have LOVED college players who are basically big league ready. Tennessee’s Gavin Kilen fits that mold of a college player who could be a quick riser to the big leagues.

Kilen has some of the best pure contact skills in the draft class and has shown significant strides in the power department in 2025. He’s also cut his swing and chase rates by a good margin. Kilen is a good defender with decent arm strength who could play shortstop, but might be more well-suited for second base.

Wake Forest continues to produce first rounders. Marek Houston has flashed elite plate discipline leading up to this year’s draft, a valuable tool for any player looking for an MLB future. He’s also flashed some better power potential this season, as he’s beaten his previous career high in homers this season.

Houston is one of the best runners in the first round, as his speed will give him plenty of value on the bases. Defensively, he’s going to stick at shortstop, as his glove is one of the highlights of his game. While the Diamondbacks may be tougher to project, Houston would be a great fit for them at pick 18.

MLB Draft Coverage on the Horizon

On the Clock is Just Baseball’s exclusive destination for all content related to college baseball and the MLB Draft! Here’s a preview of what we have in the works leading up to the draft:

• Mock Draft 2.0 in June, Mock Draft 3.0 in collaboration with The Call Up, and then Mock Draft 4.0 in collaboration with the Just Baseball Show the week prior to the 2025 MLB Draft

• Conference tournament coverage next week for numerous major college baseball conferences

• In-depth analysis throughout of regionals and the College World Series

• Way-too-early preview of the 2026 MLB Draft following this year’s draft

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Who was the first overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft?

A) Carlos Rodon

B) Brady Aiken

C) Dansby Swanson

D) Mark Appel

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Top Stories Around MLB

The halfway point of May has arrived and we are pumping out content on Justbaseball.com and all of our social channels!

Two Struggling Teams Let Go of Their Manager. The Rockies decided to move on from Bud Black as the team started the year 7-33 under his lead. Meanwhile, the Pirates relieved Derek Shelton of his duty during his sixth season at the helm.

Many Players are Finding Their Groove This Month. From established veterans to up-and-comers, Just Baseball has been covering it all. Read about players such Jacob deGrom, Kyle Schwarber, Andy Pages, Pavin Smith, and others.

A Few Teams Have Been Much Better Than Expected. The Mariners lead the AL West thanks to a much-improved offense. The Tigers are the cream of the crop in the American League (Welcome back to being awesome, Javy Baez!) while the Athletics have a plethora of offense talent showing out early this season.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is Taking Shape. Less than a year away, we’re starting to get confirmation on a variety of stars playing in the event. Paul Skenes and Aaron Judge both committed recently to play for Team USA. Read our full article here!

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Other Headlines

• Major League Baseball ruled that permanent ineligibility ends at death, which means players such as Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson are now off the ineligible list. This is a fascinating scenario that could lead to a well-known figure such a Rose being in consideration for the Hall of Fame.

• Evan Longoria signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a Tampa Bay Ray. One of the greatest to play for Tampa👏

Just Baseball Discord

We launched a Just Baseball community on Discord!

Our Discord channel is the ultimate baseball group chat while also providing exclusive access to Peter’s MLB best bets, Aram’s prospect content, giveaways, and direct connection to the entire Just Baseball staff.

Read all the details about our Discord community here.

Trivia Answer: B) Brady Aiken

The Astros selected Brady Aiken with the first pick in the draft, but he did not sign with the team after disagreement over health issues and his signing bonus.

Just Baseball Merch

Our newest line of merchandise features Adidas performance gear!

We have also restocked on all your favorites including our vintage World Series line, hats, hoodies, City Series line, spring line, and much more.

Check out the full collection of Just Baseball swag here!