Perfect MLB Draft Fits for the NL East

Over the course of the past few seasons, the National League East has done a better job of luring top talent to the division. As a result, their division has become very competitive, as they produced three playoff teams last season. This included the New York Mets, who finished just shy of a World Series appearance.

With superstars such as Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuna Jr., and more all taking the field in this division, it can sometimes be hard to think about these teams’ farm systems. However, the NL East currently possesses two picks inside the top 10, which could make for an interesting draft in July.

Just Baseball’s recent mock draft featured our best guesses for the first 32 picks this summer. However, things remain relatively wide open. So, let’s also examine some other potential fits for these five teams.

Washington Nationals: Pick #1

Mock Pick: Jamie Arnold, LHP (FSU)

Why It Makes Sense

Back at the beginning of February, I wrote a piece on why I thought Jamie Arnold made perfect sense for the Nationals with the first pick in the draft. Now, in May, I still think this would be one of the better pairings we could see take place.

He’s been a dominant force as the ace of one of the best college teams in the country, impressing everyone no matter where he pitches. His release point allows for a lot of deception, making him one of the tougher pitchers to face in college baseball.

Over the past few seasons, the Washington Nationals have built one of the most lethal young cores in the sport. One defect of this group is that it consists almost entirely of offensive players. James Wood, Dylan Crews, CJ Abrams, Brady House, and Seaver King are some of these players.

The Nationals do have some pitching coming in: Jarlin Susana, Travis Sykora, and Alex Clemmey. The only problem is that none of these players possesses true ace upside.

Given their lack of a true ace in the farm system, Arnold is the perfect player for the Nationals to select with the number one overall pick. He brings an ace-level upside, as well as the ability to fly through the minor leagues, something their current core could benefit from.

Other Potential Fits

While it seems to me that Arnold is clearly the correct choice here for the Washington Nationals, there are two other players I could see landing here. Those players are right-hander Seth Hernandez and shortstop Aiva Arquette.

It seems likely the Nationals will elect to go with a starting pitcher with the first overall pick, and if they don’t feel great about Jamie Arnold, there’s a real chance this could be Seth Hernandez. Our own Tyler Jennings talked about how Hernandez is the most polished prep arm to appear in the draft since Jackson Jobe in 2021, which is very high praise.

He has smooth mechanics from a 6’4” frame, giving him the ability to throw the ball with authority. He’s been seen touching triple digits throughout his high school career, but tends to sit inside the high-90s. He’s also got devastating secondaries, which include a fantastic curveball. If the Nationals are looking for the best arm available who isn’t Jamie Arnold, Seth Hernandez makes a lot of sense.

The other player who jumps out to me as a potential fit here is shortstop Aiva Arquette. Although he may not be an arm, Arquette still comes with one of the most sound skill sets in this year’s draft. He’s flashed solid power potential, alongside a good hit tool and good defense. All of these abilities will support his efforts in professional baseball, making him one of the more MLB-ready players in this class.

The Nationals currently have two very good candidates for the shortstop position in their farm system in Brady House and Seaver King. However, House has shifted to third base during the last few seasons, and King is very versatile in the field. The Nationals could still be looking for their shortstop of the future, and Arquette could be the perfect fit for them.

Miami Marlins: Pick #7

Mock Pick: Kade Anderson, LHP (LSU)

Why It Makes Sense

This season at LSU, left-hander Kade Anderson has taken a massive leap forward, cementing himself as one of the better lefties in this year’s draft. The Marlins have taken pitchers with two of their last three first-round picks, and if they look to do it again, Anderson seems like the best fit.

His main pitch, his fastball, has impressed scouts this year. It’s gotten up to 96 MPH, but it plays up due to its unique shape. It misses barrels at an elite rate and regularly confuses hitters in the box. For these reasons, it’s been his go-to offering.

Anderson also throws a pretty good slider, which has also done a good job at missing barrels in 2025. Playing like a sweeper, the pitch has performed well against left-handed hitters. He’s also been throwing a curveball and a changeup, which both have the potential to play up once in professional baseball.

The Marlins have some experience with LSU draft picks, as they selected Jacob Berry from the school with one of their highest picks in recent memory. For the Marlins, Anderson looks like a perfect fit.

Other Potential Fits

We at Just Baseball feel pretty strongly that the Marlins are going to select a college pitcher with their first-round pick, which means the two other players who make sense here are also college-level pitchers. These two players are Liam Doyle and Kyson Witherspoon.

Liam Doyle has pitched like one of the best pitchers in college baseball this season, elevating his name quickly on draft boards. He’s been one of the best strikeout pitchers in the draft this year, as he leads college baseball in strikeouts.

He gets over 20 inches of vertical break on his fastball, making it a unicorn pitch. It’s incredibly difficult for hitters to put a good swing on the pitch, making it his most valuable offering. He’s touched the upper-90s on the radar gun with the pitch as well.

His secondaries could still use some work, but they’re pretty solid overall. He’s flashed a very good splitter, in addition to a good slider and cutter as well. If the Marlins want to select a college pitcher who isn’t Anderson, Doyle seems like the next best choice on the board.

Kyson Witherspoon also appears as an interesting candidate to be selected here, as he’s flown up boards recently as well. Just like Doyle, he’s a four-pitch pitcher who relies heavily on his fastball. It touches triple-digits, making it difficult to hit.

This is even more true when you factor in his slider, which tunnels very well off his four-seamer. Together, these two pitches combine for one of the toughest pitch mixes in the draft.

If the Marlins choose to select a college pitcher, they’ll have plenty of options on the board. When it comes to these three arms, they truly can’t go wrong with any of these picks.

Atlanta Braves: Pick #22

Mock Pick: Daniel Pierce, SS

Why It Makes Sense

Ever since Dansby Swanson left the Braves in free agency a few seasons ago, they’ve been searching for another franchise shortstop to take his place. If everything goes to plan, they could find that player with Daniel Pierce.

Pierce previously had some questions around his bat, but he’s put those to rest this season. He’s hitting the ball extremely hard to all fields, finding a decent amount of power. Despite a lot of movement in his swing, he stays direct to the baseball, something that’ll come in handy in professional baseball.

He’s elite both in the field and on the bases, making him a very well-rounded player, all things considered. While there appear to be multiple shortstops around the Braves’ selection, they could very easily develop Pierce into one of the best players in the class.

Other Potential Fits

The Braves have shown the tendency to pursue prep-level talent heavily over the past few seasons, which gives us faith they’ll do it again in 2025. If they continue this trend, two-way star Kruz Schoolcraft is the main player who stands out to me as being a perfect fit.

When it comes to Schoolcraft, there’s plenty to like on both sides of the baseball. On the mound, he’s been seen up to 97 MPH, getting a lot of help from his elite extension. This is a product of his 6’8” frame, which makes him one of the taller players in the class.

Schoolcraft also mixes in a pretty good slider, but it does need some more work. If he continues to make strides in professional baseball, this pitch could very easily become a plus offering on the mound.

At the plate, Schoolcraft regularly makes loud, hard contact, giving him an impressive power profile. His ability to consistently find barrels makes him a valuable asset for any club. Whether it’s as a pitcher or a hitter, Schoolcraft could provide plenty of value to the Braves.

Philadelphia Phillies: Pick #26

Mock Pick: Ethan Conrad, OF

Why It Makes Sense

The Philadelphia Phillies have been a little more unpredictable in recent MLB drafts, making their pick a little harder to project. With a pair of talented pitching prospects on the way, the Phillies need to find some bats to complement them. To us, outfielder Ethan Conrad made the most sense.

At the dish, Conrad has shown flashes of elite power, although he hasn’t fully tapped into it just yet. His swing is built more for line drives, but if he pulls the ball in the air, we could be looking at a 25-homer threat in Conrad.

Conrad has shown a pretty good eye at the plate, as he doesn’t miss pitches to hit often. When opposing hitters come inside the strike zone, he doesn’t miss opportunities to do damage. This approach strikes me as one that a lot of Phillies hitters possess, making this pairing make even more sense.

Other Potential Fits

Given the Phillies’ need for some supporting bats, one other name sticks out to me for them at this pick. That player is Indiana left-handed outfielder Devin Taylor. Taylor has played very well this season, making him a surefire target late in the first round.

While Taylor does almost everything well on the field, the main tool that’s gotten the attention of scouts has been his power. Taylor is a physical specimen, as his strong, left-handed swing gives him the ability to hit the ball over the wall often.

Despite his power being the best part of his game, Taylor doesn’t sacrifice his plate discipline to hit the ball out of the ballpark. He’s got a good eye, which has helped him record 20 more walks than strikeouts this season at Indiana. His quick bat speed makes it tough for him to be beaten by velocity as well.

Taylor is a much better base runner and fielder than he’s given credit for, but he’ll still likely land in a corner once he reaches professional baseball. He’ll still be a reliable outfielder, though, which will support him for the rest of his career.

New York Mets: Pick #38

Mock Pick: N/A

The final National League East team to select on day one of the MLB Draft will be the New York Mets, who don’t even have a selection in the official first round. As a result of their egregious spending on the major league roster, the Mets were one of three teams to receive a 10-pick penalty, sliding their first pick into the first competitive balance round.

Due to this, the Mets landed outside of our mock draft, meaning we didn’t predict a player to land with the club just yet. So, let’s examine some potential fits for the Mets at pick 38 instead.

Potential Fits

Outside of a few outliers, the Mets have aggressively pursued college players in the last few MLB Drafts. It seems as though they may be trying to build an internal group of solid prospects to avoid spending as much money externally. It’s logical to assume this trend will continue in 2025.

When looking at draft boards, the two best fits I think make sense for the Mets appear to be RJ Austin and Cam Cannarella. These players are both very different, but similar in the same regard.

Before he eventually decided to withdraw his name from the 2022 MLB Draft, Austin was one of the most exciting prep prospects in that class. Now that he’s developed at Vanderbilt, this has become even more true.

He originally came into Vanderbilt as an infielder, but has since transitioned to the outfield due to his speed and the sheer strength of his arm. He’s found a home in center field, where he could become a plus defender once in professional baseball.

His approach at the plate is advanced, as he can hit the ball for some true power without sacrificing any contact abilities. While he may never be a true power threat, Austin could still hit plenty of long balls in the future.

As for Cam Cannarella, he’s another very toolsy outfielder who has immense potential. Once regarded as one of the top players in the class, Cannarella has fallen due to his glove-first game, but he still remains a very talented prospect overall.

He’s such a good fielder that he’s gotten some immense praise from opposing coaches and scouts all throughout the 2025 season. He’s been called the best defender in college baseball, with one scout even calling him the best defender ever. Yes, this is very high praise for a player who hasn’t even played professional baseball yet, but it speaks to his defensive abilities.

Aside from flashing potential 80-grade defense, Cannarella has one of the best contact tools in this year’s draft. He lacks some of the power you often see from front-line college hitters, but he could still find his power stroke once he’s worked with professional coaches.

However the Mets decide to go with their pick will be incredibly interesting. But, both of these outfielders will be in the mix.