Five Intriguing Prep Left-Handed Pitchers for the 2025 MLB Draft
Left-handed pitching will be an interesting demographic in this year's draft.
There is no clear No. 1 player in the 2025 draft class. Additionally, college bats, usually a staple of a consistent, stable class, have been a bit of a mess.
There are other strong demographics in this draft class, however, including left-handed pitching. Over the next few weeks, we’ll profile some intriguing prep and college southpaws in the 2025 draft class. We’ll start on the high school side.
Cameron Appenzeller, Glenwood HS, IL
In terms of frame and projection, there’s a little Dasan Hill in Cameron Appenzeller. The latter is a 6’5, 190-pound left-hander out of Illinois, committed to Tennessee.
His frame and operation point to plenty of projection if he can continue to add more good weight. It’s a clean, repeatable delivery from the left side coming from a three-quarter slot.
Appenzeller gets good deception on his delivery with a slightly longer arm stroke and a relatively low release. His fastball typically sits 88-92 mph, but he can run it up to the mid 90s. It’s likely he’ll sit there long term as he fills out and hangs more weight on his frame.
There’s a good sharp slider in the making with two-plane break. Long term, it will need to firm up, as it currently sits in the high 70s. Appenzeller has shown feel for a changeup with some fade to it.
There’s development needed here, with the frame and the secondary pitches, but it’s easy to see how Appenzeller is an enticing draft profile. There are plenty of starter traits here in one of the best projection lefties in this class.
Jack Bauer, Lincoln-Way East HS, IL
Bauer went viral this week, hitting 101 mph six times and 102 mph once in his most recent outing. That’s rare arm talent for the 6’3 Illinois lefty and Virginia commit.
The fastball is a legit 70 grade pitch, it’ll sit 97 mph from a low launch. That’s already a velocity pop from the fall, and Bauer has got two other interesting pitches to boot. He shows an affinity for spin, his slider will sit 81-84 mph at 2900 rpm. There’s a changeup, too, that sits 85-88 mph with some good fade, but it’s a tertiary pitch at the moment.
Bauer has a long arm stroke that sometimes takes him offline and impedes his strike throwing. If he can get more consistent with his control, the sky’s the limit.
Briggs McKenzie, Corinth Holders HS, NC
McKenzie is a 6’2, 185-pound lefty out of North Carolina currently committed to LSU. It’s a lean, projectable frame and a buttery smooth delivery that’s repeatable with good deception.
His fastball has ticked up since last summer, sitting 90-92 mph and tickling 94 mph. He’s able to spot it consistently for strikes up in the zone with good carry.
McKenzie shows an affinity for spin; he throws a curveball in the high 70s to low 80s with good depth, in addition to a mid-80s changeup.
This is a classic projection lefty profile. A lean frame, solid but not yet overwhelming stuff, with pitchability and plenty of strikes. He’s an up arrow arm this spring and could make his way into the comp round, especially if he maintains his velocity gains, or even adds a tick more.
Briggs McKenzie = NASTY
— Tyler Jennings (@TylerJennings24) April 3, 2025
The @LSUbaseball commit has a ton of projection and quality pitchability.
FB – 88-92, carry up, run away from righties
CB – 74-77, tight spin with sweep/some depth
CH – 84-85, fading life against RHH
Potential high-end pick in July. pic.twitter.com/a5auaPtW9G
Johnny Slawinski, Johnson City HS, TX
Slawinski is a 6’3, 195-pound southpaw currently committed to Texas A&M. He’s another up arrow arm this spring.
It’s a little bit of a drift and drive action after his windup. Slawinski gets down the mound well and has some deception in his delivery from a bit of crossfire in his stride and his ability to hide the ball well. He doesn’t yet have overpowering velocity. His fastball will sit in the 90-93 mph range and has touched 94 mph. He consistently throws strikes with the pitch.
There’s also a low 80s changeup with good fade and ideal velocity separation from his fastball. His breaking ball is a bit of a work in progress. It’s a slurvy pitch in the upper 70s that he may need to manipulate the shape of and will need to add more firmness to over time.
Slawinski is an excellent mover on the mound with a quick arm. It’s easy to see the stuff taking a pretty significant step forward. He’s a top-100 type name in the class.
Aiden Stillman, Trinity Prep HS, FL
Stillman is another projectable left-hander in a class full of them. The Florida native is currently committed to Virginia and has plenty of starter traits.
It’s a relatively clean delivery and Stillman repeats well from his higher three-quarters slot. There’s some crossfire and deception in the delivery, and he creates an uncomfortable angle for hitters, especially left-handers.
His fastball will sit in the 90-93 mph range and has touched 95 mph with good action up in the strike zone. Stillman also spins the ball well; his breakers generate spin rates upwards of 2,800 rpm, although the curveball and sweeper shapes can become blurred at times. There’s an emerging changeup in the mix here, too, for another lefty with starter traits and projection in this class.
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