ATLANTA – Seventeen Team USA alumni were selected in the first round of the 2025 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Sunday night at the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, Georgia, including first overall pick Eli Willits. USA Baseball has now had 603 total athletes drafted in the first round since 1972, and 2025 marks the 21st time in the last 25 years that the first overall pick played for Team USA.
Willits (No. 1, Washington Nationals) becomes the 38th USA Baseball national team alumnus to be selected with the first overall pick. The 2024 18U National Team alumni joins an impressive list of former Team USA players to be selected No. 1 overall, including Paul Skenes (2023), Jackson Holliday (2022), Adley Rutschman (2019), and Bryce Harper (2010). Washington has now selected a USA Baseball alum three times with the first overall pick (Harper, 2010 and Stephen Strasburg, 2009).
Willits was followed by Tyler Bremner, who went second overall to the Los Angeles Angels. USA Baseball alumni continued to come off the board with the next two picks, as Kade Anderson (No. 3, Seattle Mariners) and Ethan Holliday (No. 4, Colorado Rockies) were the following two selections. Holliday landed in the same spot as his father, Matt, who played for the 18U National Team in 1997 before being selected by the Rockies in 1998.
A trio of Team USA alumni then went consecutively from picks No. 11 to 13. Jamie Arnold (No. 11, Athletics) became the second player from the 2024 Collegiate National Team chosen before two-time U.S. alum Gavin Fien went No. 12 to the Texas Rangers. 2021 18U National Team alum Gavin Kilen was then selected 13th overall by the San Francisco Giants.
Kyson Witherspoon (No. 15, Boston Red Sox) was the next USA Baseball alum off the board and was followed immediately by 2024 Collegiate National Team teammate Marek Houston, who went 16th to the Minnesota Twins. At No. 18, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected 2024 USA Baseball Richard W. “Dick” Case Award winner Kayson Cunningham.
The next USA Baseball selection after Cunningham was Collegiate National Team alum Jace LaViolette (No. 27, Cleveland Guardians). He was followed by Josh Hammond (No. 28, Kansas City Royals) and 2024 Collegiate National Team members Patrick Forbes (No. 29, Arizona Diamondbacks) and Caden Bodine (No. 30, Baltimore Orioles). 2022 15U National Team gold medalist Brady Ebel was selected with the 32nd pick by the Milwaukee Brewers, and Luke Stevenson followed at No. 35 to the Seattle Mariners. Slater de Brun (No. 37, Baltimore Orioles) wrapped up Team USA’s first round selections.
In total, all four amateur USA Baseball national teams were represented in Sunday night’s first round. Eight players from both the 18U and Collegiate National Teams heard their names called, as well as two 15U National Team alumni and one former 12U National Team player. Six players from the gold medal-winning 2024 18U National Team were selected, including top five picks Willits and Holliday.
Fourteen players chosen in the opening round have participated in USA Baseball’s national team development programming. Ten players competed at the 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP), while three selections played at the 13U/14U Athlete Development Program (ADP). Additionally, 34 players chosen in the first 43 picks participated in the 2025 MLB Draft Combine.
In addition to the 17 alumni selected, USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award winner Wehiwa Aloy was chosen with the 31st overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles. Aloy was named the 47th winner of the Golden Spikes Award in June.
The full list of USA Baseball alumni selected in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft is as follows:
Round-Pick; Name; MLB Team; USA Baseball National Team(s)
1-1; Eli Willits; Washington Nationals; 2024 18U
1-2; Tyler Bremner; Los Angeles Angels; 2024 Collegiate
1-3; Kade Anderson; Seattle Mariners; 2021 18U
1-4; Ethan Holliday; Colorado Rockies; 2022 15U, 2024 18U
1-11; Jamie Arnold; Athletics; 2024 Collegiate
1-12; Gavin Fien; Texas Rangers; 2019 12U, 2024 18U
1-13; Gavin Kilen; San Francisco Giants; 2021 18U
1-15; Kyson Witherspoon; Boston Red Sox; 2024 Collegiate
1-16; Marek Houston; Minnesota Twins; 2024 Collegiate
1-18; Kayson Cunningham; Arizona Diamondbacks; 2024 18U
1-27; Jace LaViolette; Cleveland Guardians; 2023 Collegiate
PPI-28; Josh Hammond; Kansas City Royals; 2024 18U
1C-29; Patrick Forbes; Arizona Diamondbacks; 2024 Collegiate
1C-30; Caden Bodine; Baltimore Orioles; 2024 Collegiate
1C-32; Brady Ebel; Milwaukee Brewers; 2022 15U
CB-A-35; Luke Stevenson; Seattle Mariners; 2024 Collegiate
CB-A-37; Slater de Brun; Baltimore Orioles; 2024 18U
