News

OTTAWA – The Washington Nationals are on the clock with the first overall selection in the 2025 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on July 13th and 14th with 20 rounds scheduled for the two-day event.

Baseball Canada will be providing live updates each time a Canadian player gets selected via X with coverage also planned on Instagram and Facebook with a recap of the day’s action on baseball.ca.

WHAT/WHEN: The annual Major League Baseball Draft (or Rule 4 Draft) will take place in Atlanta as part of MLB All-Star Week in 2025. MLB Network and ESPN will provide live coverage of the Draft's opening night beginning at 6 p.m. ET. The first night will feature the first three rounds, compensatory rounds, competitive balance rounds and prospect promotion incentive selections. Coverage of Day 2 of the Draft -- consisting of rounds 4 through 20 on July 14 -- will be streamed on MLB.com beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Draft Order

Draft Tracker

WHO: There are generally three groups of players that are eligible for the MLB First-Year Player Draft:

High School — Only those high school students in the United States or Canada who have completed their fourth school year following the date that the student’s class entered its freshman year of high school (i.e., ninth grade).

College — Generally, a student at a four-year college is eligible after completion of their junior year or if the student is at least 21 years old.

Junior College — All junior college students are eligible for selection. The applicable Major League Rules are more specific than this general answer. Players with specific questions about eligibility should consult a Major League scout or Office of the Commissioner of Baseball.

"Regions" eligible for the draft include Canada, Puerto Rico, the United States and US territories. Players from other countries are considered international free agents and must adhere to MLB’s international signing rules.

CANADIAN MLB DRAFT FACTS:

Canada has been a “draft region” since 1991. Prior to that, Canadians playing in Canada were Free Agents, while Canadians playing at US Colleges or Universities were eligible for the draft.

The first player drafted out of Canada was Jason Wuersch from Leamington, Ontario when the New York Yankees used their 11th round selection (282nd overall) to take the outfielder in 1991. A record 48 Canadians were selected in the 2002 MLB First-Year Player Draft, marking the highest total since Canadians became eligible for the draft in 1991.

 10 years ago

Ten years ago, in 2015, Canada featured a strong Draft Class with a total of 30 Canadians being selected, led by Mississauga’s own Josh Naylor who was the first Canadian to hear his name called when the Miami Marlins used the 12^th overall pick to secure the future MLB All-Star in the first round. Sixteen picks later, Calgary native Michael Soroka became the second Canadian selected when the Atlanta Braves utilize the 28^th overall pick to secure another future MLB All-Star.

One year ago

In 2024, Toronto-born Dante Nori earned himself a first-round selection when the Philadelphia Phillies used the 27^th overall pick to lock-in the outfielder. Junior National Team alum and Repentigny’s own Émilien Pitre was the lone other Canadian drafted on opening night as the Tampa Bay Rays selected the infielder with the 58^th overall pick in the second round.

Another 14 Canadians were selected across day two and three including Junior National Team alums Nathan Flewelling (Red Deer, AB), Josiah Romeo (Caledon, ON), Connor Caskenette (Duncan, BC), Ryan Magdic (Beamsvile, ON), Micah McDowell (Coldbrook, NS), Brendan Lawson (Toronto, ON), Vincarte Domingo (Vancouver, BC), and Eric Hartman (St. Albert, AB).

 2025 NAMES TO WATCH:

Canadians on Baseball America’s Top 250 draft prospects list:

#62                           OF           Charles Davalan (St-Bruno-De-Montarville, QC)

#87                           RHP       Cam Leiter (Langley, BC / Bayville, NJ) *

#125                       3B           Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, BC)

#166                       RHP       Will Hynes (Mississauga, ON)

#230                       RHP       Blake Gillespie (Arva, ON / Clermont, GA) *

*Dual Citizens

Canadians on MLB Pipeline Top 250 draft prospects list:

#54                           OF           Charles Davalan (St-Bruno-De-Montarville, QC)

#114                       RHP       Cam Leiter (Langley, BC / Bayville, NJ) *

#131                       RHP       Micah Bucknam (Abbotsford, BC)

#160                       3B           Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, BC)

#163                       RHP       Will Hynes (Mississauga, ON)

#196                       LHP        Antoine Jean (Montreal, QC)

Canadian Baseball Network Top 10 Canadians:

#1                              RHP       Tyler Bremner (San Diego, CA) *

#2                              OF           Slater de Brun (Bend, OR) *

#3                              OF           Charles Davalan (St-Bruno-De-Montarville, QC)

#4                              LHP       Antoine Jean (Montreal, QC)

#5                              OF/IF   Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, BC)

#6                              RHP      Will Hynes (Mississauga, ON)

#7                              RHP       Micah Bucknam (Abbotsford, BC)

#8                              RHP       Blake Gillespie (Arva, ON / Clermont, GA) *

#9                              LHP       Shane Brinham (North Vancouver, BC)

#10                           RHP      Carson Latimer (Delta, BC)

*Dual Citizen

Junior National Team Alum