Tennessee commits and signees selected in MLB Draft

Tennessee baseball was well represented in the 2025 Major league Baseball Draft and it wasn’t just by players on the roster.

Five Tennessee class of 2025 signees and three transfer portal commits were also selected in the draft, bringing the grand total of Tennessee-related draft picks to 18 for the summer showcase.

Below is a list of Tennessee high school signees, junior college and portal commits, who were selected in the MLB Draft. Note: not all of the below mentioned will go professional.

1st Round (No. 9 overall) Steele Hall (SS) – Reds

Tennessee signee Steele Hall, a shortstop from Trussville, Ala., was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Hall was always considered a longshot to make it to campus as one of the top-rated draft prospects in the class.

Hall was one of the top-rated players in the 2026 recruiting class. He instead chose to reclassify and sign with Tennessee on National Singing Day in November. At 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Hall is known for his athleticism, speed and defense. Perfect Game reports he has ‘tools across the board.’

Perfect Game sports Hall as the No. 17 overall prospect in the 2025 class and the No. 11 shortstop. MLB Pipeline ranked Hall as the No. 12 draft prospect while Baseball America slated him at No. 15 ahead of draft weekend. The slot value assigned to the No. 9 overall pick is $6,513,800.

1st round (No. 10 overall) Billy Carlson (SS) – White Sox

Tennessee signee Billy Carlson, a shortstop from Corona, Calif., was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the first round with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Carlson was always considered a longshot to make it to campus as one of the top-rated draft prospects in the class.

The Vols made some big recruiting noise on October 25 last fall when Carlson made his public commitment to Tony Vitello and the Tennessee baseball staff. The shortstop, who also starred as a pitcher at the prep level, was previously committed to Vanderbilt ahead of the flip. The slot value assigned to the No. 10 overall pick is $6,238,400.

Perfect Game sports Carlson as the top defensive player in the 2025 class with ‘elite arm strength and plus agility/actions.’ The publication rated Carlson as the No. 3 overall prospect in the class and the No. 2 ranked shortstop. MLB Pipeline ranked Carlson as the No. 7 draft prospect while Baseball America slated him at No. 9 ahead of draft weekend.

1st Round (No. 25 overall) Kruz Schoolcraft (LHP) – Padres

Tennessee signee Kruz Schoolcraft, a left-handed pitcher from Sunset, OR., was selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Schoolcraft, despite being mocked as high as No. 11 overall, was considered an extremely high draft risk in the class due to his two-way ability to impact the game at the collegiate level.

The southpaw was on campus for an official visit the weekend of the Third Saturday in October when the Vols’ football team defeated Alabama last fall. He chose Tennessee over the likes of Texas A&M, Florida, Oregon State, Oregon and many more. Schoolcraft was always viewed as a huge draft risk throughout his recruitment. The slot value assigned to the No. 25 overall pick is $3,606,600.

Schoolcraft was slated as the No. 9 ranked player in the 2025 class by Perfect Game and the No. 1 left-handed pitcher. Like fellow Tennessee signee Steele Hall, the hurler reclassified from the 2026 class with ‘ultra-high ceiling talent,’ according to the publication. There’s two-way potential here at the college level, if he were to end up making his way to Knoxville.

Not only was Schoolcraft viewed as one of the top-rated southpaws in the recruiting class at the prep level, the hurler was viewed the same in MLB Draft circles. Coming into the weekend, Schoolcraft was slated as the No. 19 draft prospect per MLB Pipeline and No. 21 by Baseball America. Due to questions surrounding his signability, Schoolcraft was mocked as high as No. 11 overall and into the second round in recent weeks.

5th Round (No. 149 overall) Matt Barr (RHP) – Twins

Tennessee junior college commit Matt Barr, a right-handed pitcher from SUNY Niagara, was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round with the No. 149 overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. The hurler was considered a serious draft risk throughout the process.

As a freshman for the Thunder Wolves this past spring, the hurler started all 10 of the games he appeared in, standing out with a 10-0 record and a 1.74 ERA across 57 innings pitched. He struck out 94 batters, walked 21 and owned a WHIP of 0.75. He allowed just one extra-base hit (double) of the 22 hits total he surrendered on the campaign.

Barr is from Cheektowaga, NY where he attended Cheektowaga High School. He was considered the No. 1 ranked Junior College pitcher in the country in the midseason rankings.

Coming into draft weekend, Barr was tabbed as the No. 136 prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 223 prospect by Baseball America.

7th Round (No. 225 overall) Mason Estrada (RHP) – Dodgers

Tennessee transfer portal commit Mason Estrada, a right-handed pitcher that began his collegiate career at Division III’s MIT, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh round with the No. 225 overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. The hurler was considered a serious draft risk throughout the process and a tossup for if he would make it to campus.

The hurler committed to Tennessee baseball on May 14 with the intentions of going through the draft process. Estrada stands in at 6-foot-0 and weighs 200 pounds. He was an aerospace engineering major from Covington High School out of Georgia.

In 2025, Estrada compiled a 6-0 record and 2.21 ERA over 10 appearances (all starts) and 40.2 innings pitched. The righty struck out 66 batters, walked 23 and allowed just seven extra-base hits (no home runs). Opponents tallied a .154 average against him as he surrendered just 22 hits and 10 earned runs in the campaign.

As a true freshman in 2024, Estrada did not appear in any games.

14th Round (No. 430 overall) Clay Edmondson (RHP) – Padres

Tennessee transfer portal commit Clay Edmondson, a right-handed pitcher via UNC Asheville, was drafted by the San Diego Padres with the No. 430 pick in the 14th round of the MLB Draft.

The sidearm hurler from the right side confirmed to Volquest that he will sign and begin his professional career. Edmondson had originally committed to Tennessee in late April via the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Edmondson, from Greensboro, N.C., is 5-1 this season with a 2.01 ERA over 62.2 innings pitched, with 65 strikeouts. The sidearm pitcher could have ben a starter or reliever for the Vols in 2026.

Edmondson started one game as a junior in 2024 before missing the rest of the season due to injury. He was 5-3 with a 5.50 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched as a sophomore in 2023, appearing in 14 games.

15th Round (No. 456 overall) DJ Newman (RHP/OF) – Astros

Newman was a two-way star for Bowling Green the past three seasons, logging most starts as the club’s designated hitter with a few appearances in the outfield. The right-handed pitcher also shined on the mound prior to a pair of season-ending injuries that cut short both his 2024 and 2025 campaigns.

As a hitter, Newman appeared in 25 games this past spring, posting a team-best .419 batting average with career-high marks in on-base percentage (.495), slugging percentage (.645) and doubles (9). His nine stolen bases in 25 games was good enough for third on the squad as he finished with four home runs and 16 runs batted in. The right-handed hitter struck out 16 times and walked on 14 occasions in 2025.

Newman was named Second-Team All-MAC in 2024 as a designated hitter, logging a .371 batting average and 1.119 OPS (third in the conference) in 35 games. He scored a career-high 45 runs, blasted 10 homers and stole 10 bases while driving in 37 runs. The two-way player racked up a 15-game hitting streak during the season, which was the eighth-longest in program history.

Newman was named the MAC Freshman Pitcher of the year in 2023, to go along with Freshman All-American honors from Baseball America, D1 Baseball, NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball.

18th Round (No. 534 overall) Ethan Moore (INF) – Reds

Tennessee signee Ethan Moore, a middle infielder from River Forest, Ill. has turned down the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft and will play for Tennessee baseball at the collegiate level despite being drafted in the 18th round.

Moore is a 6-foot-0, 190-pound infielder that projects well at the next level. He was considered a top-100 prospect by Perfect Game for the Class of 2025, ranking No. 94 overall and as the No. 35 shortstop. The Tennessee signee is a switch hitter who possesses good strength in the box.

Coming into draft weekend, Moore was tabbed as the No. 100 prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 140 prospect by Baseball America.

19th Round (No. 572 overall) Cameron Appenzeller (LHP) – SEA

Appenzeller is a 6-foot-6, 180-pond southpaw that projects well at the next level. He possesses a fastball in the mid-90s with a plus curveball and changeup. Perfect Game ranks the lefty as the No. 22 prospect in the 2025 class and the No. 3 left-handed pitcher.

Appenzeller was always considered a toss up to make it to campus heading into draft weekend and made the call to pitch in Knoxville earlier on Monday. Coming into draft weekend, Appenzeller was tabbed as the No. 58 prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 52 prospect by Baseball America.

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