The MLB Draft Combine ended about a week ago, and now that the dust has settled, I’m back to give my full, well-rounded thoughts on the event. I’m going to start off by talking about what the event was at its core, and how my experience has changed my scouting life quickly. If you are short on time, please use the nifty navigation tool to skip ahead to risers, metrical leaders, or your favorite prospects!
Background
Never did I think I would be where I was last week. I touched down in Arizona to be greeted by 110-degree heat as I walked out the airport doors to my Uber. My Pacific Northwest roots had not prepared me for the pounds of sweat I would carry throughout this week, but sweaty or not, this event was one of the coolest things I’ve done in my baseball life. I joined Prospects Live about ~6 months ago as someone who simply loved baseball and was writing on my own personal baseball blog. I was freshly 22 years old and entering a transformative time in my life, ending my baseball playing career and graduating from college. Prospects Live has grown to be one of the most important things in my life, giving me an outlet for my baseball nerd talk and a like-minded community. They are supporting me in chasing my dreams to be involved in scouting or front office work in MLB, and I couldn’t be more thankful. My support system at PLive has been incredible, and was more apparent than ever when I took the solo journey to the combine, which was both my first ‘work trip’ ever and my first solo traveling experience.
I wouldn’t be writing this article without Drew Wheeler, because he was the man set to represent Prospects Live at the Draft Combine this year. Drew, being the charismatic guy he is, made some connections with MLB to get us credentialed for the event and was planning to attend himself. Unfortunately, sometimes life happens, and late in the process, Drew had to pull out, and the arrow somehow landed on me next. I had never done an in-person interview before, and I had never done any scouting except for my local pro and college games. Drew would sit on phone calls with me for hours, talking about what to do at the combine and how to approach everything. I am so thankful for Drew and our other podcast brother, Rhys, for their help in this experience.
My Pacific Northwest roots had not prepared me for the pounds of sweat I would carry throughout this week, but sweaty or not, this event was one of the coolest things I’ve done in my baseball life.
We got credential confirmation for me a couple of days before the combine was set to begin, but my bags were already packed, and my messy Google Doc content plan was filled. I flew to Arizona the night before the event started on a Tuesday and got to work.
We were able to set up roughly 15 interviews with attending prospects over the four days I was there. Some of the big dawgs in the space, like Baseball America and FanGraphs, had their own suites to conduct their interviews, but we did not, which was absolutely fair given the delay on our credentials and other factors. I set up shop in the writing press work room, where Conor Dorney from Just Baseball and I would share the room for the next few days. When requesting interviews for the combine, I asked for every Juco guy in attendance and anyone who wanted to do media that didn’t have anything scheduled. Sure, I could try and get Seth Hernandez and Jamie Arnold, but they had plenty going on, and the reality was that there is nobody better at shining light on unknown guys than Prospects Live. Our supercut of every combine interview just dropped on YouTube and can be found below.
Combine Experience
For most of my days, I was going back and forth between the little interview studio I had created and the seats behind home plate. While the interviews were great, getting to watch the in-person action and workouts was the best part of the trip. I believe I gained invaluable information on prospects at the combine. Being able to see prep and college guys next to each other is something that only the draft combine provides, and it went a long way toward my comparative rankings.
The combine is a closed-door event that has been in Arizona every year since its inception at the beginning of the decade. The only people inside the building are scattered parents and family members, and hundreds of scouts and front office personnel from every team. The crowds would come and go, but the majority of scouts would come down from their suites for pitcher bullpens so they could get a good look at pitch movement. The HS scrimmage was also a big draw for the scouts to identify some sleeper prep guys. The majority of players in the HS game will go to campus, with plenty of those guys attending the combine once again in 2028 when they are once again draft eligible.
The only people inside the building are scattered parents and family members, and hundreds of scouts and front office personnel from every team.
Despite my loud personality, I am a cautious individual. I spent a lot of my days sitting alone in silence, tweeting from the PLive account and writing notes on players. I would begin to talk to more team representatives as the days went on, gathering all the intel I could from some of the smartest baseball minds out there. I met a couple of great people who gave me some really good advice at the event, helping me build connections with scouts and team personnel while guiding me on how to operate somewhere I’d never been before. I think it's safe to say I was the youngest person there for scouting purposes by about 10 years. I heard some really interesting things from scouts at the event that I will talk about more as we get closer to the draft. At Prospects Live, we are planning an incredible MLB Draft Live Stream that I will be on, so mark your calendars to join the PLive crew on draft day ASAP.
The players have tight schedules at the combine, trying to fit in a bunch of meetings with teams in a short period of time. Every player has an app that shows them their minute-by-minute schedule with where they are supposed to be. The majority of the suite level was dominated by teams, where players would enter the room to go through pre-draft meetings with a plethora of team representatives. The first two days of the combine were for on-field workouts and team meetings, with the rest of the week being for medical evaluation and more team meetings. Every player who consents to a full medical evaluation, including blood draws, imaging, and a whole bunch more. If a player goes through this physical, they are guaranteed at least 75% of their draft slot's recommended bonus allotment. This doesn’t mean a player is going to get drafted, but it gives the player some financial security if red flags were to pop up during the exam.
Every player has an app that shows them their minute-by-minute schedule with where they are supposed to be. The majority of the suite level was dominated by teams, where players would enter the room to go through pre-draft meetings with a plethora of team representatives.
According to a study conducted in 2023 by ‘Am J Sports Med’ on combine medical results, 80% of players who undergo testing have abnormalities in their UCL. Over 90% of players had abnormalities within their rotator cuff. 75% of pitchers had evidence of a labrum tear, and 50% of players had disk protrusions in their back. These numbers aren’t meant to scare you; they are meant to display how every baseball player has medical red flags, and only the largest of red flags will actually affect a player's draft stock. Very few currently injured baseball players undergo medical testing unless they are on the road to recovery already, with teams already knowing about their injury history.
The most important thing is and will be the meetings between players and teams. The structured setting of this meeting allows teams to pick a player's brain while allowing their whole combine crew to get to know the player in person. While the vast majority of players are well-mannered, there are stories of players who interviewed poorly at this event, which tanked their draft stock. The interviews are also imperative for high school prospects who are not surefire draft picks. If they interview well, showing the maturity to handle being a teenager in the minor leagues, they have a much better chance of getting drafted.
Metric Leaders
Maximum Exit Velocity:
1. Brandon Compton (116.9 mph)
2. Quentin Young (115.4 mph)
3. Taitn Gray (114.5 mph)
4. Sebastian Norman (113.8 mph)
5. Landyn Vidourek (113.4 mph)
Average Pitching Velocity:
1. Nate Snead (97.7 mph)
2. Zane Taylor (97.3 mph)
3. Dean Livingston (95.9 mph)
4. Jayden Stroman (95.9 mph)
5. Justin Mitrovich (95.3 mph)
Average Breaking Ball Spin Rate:
1. Reid Worley (3111 rpm)
2. Matt Barr (3017 rpm)
3. Ma’Kale Holden (2914 rpm)
4. Marcos Paz (2867 rpm)
5. Joe Ariola (2793 rpm)
30-Yard Dash Time
1. Jake Cook (3.509 sec)
2. John Stuetzer (3.533 sec)
3. Landyn Vidourek (3.547 sec)
4. Dax Kilby (3.553 sec)
5. Paxton Kling (3.569 sec)
Broad Jump
1. Jake Cook (128.25 in)
2. Landyn Vidourek (126 in)
3. Brandon Logan (125.25 in)
Jump Height:
1. Gavin Fien (32.2 in)
2. John Stuetzer (30.6 in)
3. Mason Estrada (29.9 in)
Concentric Mean Force / BM (Force Plate)
1. Mitchell Voit (25.7 N/kg)
2. Cardell Thibodeaux (25.4 N/kg)
3. CJ Gray (24.3 N/kg)
Player Notes
The player notes section will be the longest of this article, giving a report on what I saw from every player, including notable metrics and scouts' opinions. There will be some notable players missing from this list, as I did not get live looks at every player due to my interview schedule. Most of these players were detailed in my live looks article, where I have taken parts of my reports and added on to them for all of these players. I have also added more players that I did not get a chance to talk about while in Arizona.
Mitchell Voit, 2B/RHP (Michigan)
Mitchell Voit only worked out at the combine, but I think it’s important to include him in this discussion due to him producing the most force based on body mass. Essentially, this is a good way to say that Voit is the strongest/ most explosive player that worked out when accounting for a player’s frame. Voit had 14 home runs last year at Michigan at 6’0, 201 lbs. He also hit .346 with 14 steals in 16 attempts. We have Voit at number 122 on our Prospects Live big board. Voit is transitioning from being a two-way player, giving him a developmental edge, and finally being able to focus on just one side of the baseball. Voit notably did have UCL surgery, which caused him to slide to second base and stop pitching last season. There is 20/20 potential for Voit at second base, making him one of the more dynamic players in this class. After doing my own personal research, I think the late second round to third round is a good range for Voit, and could be a guy that teams look to take early to save some money and go overslot at the end of day one or early day two.
Jake Cook, LHP/OF (Southern Miss)
Jake Cook is a crazy story being out of the most tooled-up players in the draft this year. He was previously a pitcher at Southern Miss, but will be drafted as an outfielder and the fastest player in the draft. Cook topped both the 30-yard dash and broad jump during combine testing. Despite his 80-grade speed, Cook only swiped 3 bags in 8 attempts last year, without many technical skills within baseball, instead relying on athleticism. This year, Cook hit .350 with a contact-heavy approach while playing plus defense in centerfield with the most range in this class. There is a lot of development left for Cook, which should entice the right teams to draft him in the first 150 picks this year.
Brandon Compton, OF (Arizona State)
Brandon Compton shattered combine records, putting up the highest EVs Arizona has seen since they started doing the combine this decade. Compton undoubtedly had a down year at ASU, maxing out at around 114 mph with a metal bat. Well, Compton had three 116+ EVs yesterday alone, making me think a wood bat might just be best for him. Compton was also a consistent performer in the Cape, which is also a wood bat league. Compton has mastered a lift and pull approach, terrorizing the right field seats and the nearby pool at Chase Field. His long-term defensive home is likely a corner outfield position, where he will be below average until he develops some more. After today’s performance, I’d expect Compton to work his way into comp round conversations while being a round 2 lock for a team that could use a collegiate hitter. With the lack of college bats in this class, don’t be surprised if Compton goes earlier than expected, with all of the tools to be an offensive star. Compton was no slouch in the athleticism department either, running a 3.593 30 time, good for 12th at the combine. Compton is currently at 49 on our draft board, but I would expect him to get taken slightly earlier than that after his combine performance.
