2025 Under the Radar College Baseball Outfielders
A Blog by Will at Overdue Sports
As the 2025 MLB Draft approaches, many in the baseball world will already be familiar with the likes of top-projected picks in Jamie Arnold, Tyler Bremner, Jace LaViolette, and Cam Canerella. But like always, there are plenty of guys in the college circuit who will sky rocket up draft boards through the 2025 season, and I’m here to get them on your radar. I will have a few editions of this, so I’ll be focusing on outfielders in this one.
Nick Dumesnil/OF/Cal Baptist
One of the highest upside players in the country comes from mid-major Cal Baptist, Nick Dumesnil has full 5-tool potential, and has the baseball IQ to match. Slashed .362/.440/.702 with 19 HR and 45 RBI in 2024, spent his Summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League where he went 26/27 on stealing bags and led the league in doubles (12). Dumesnil may have some swing-and-miss concern once he hits pro-ball, though his 12.9% K% through 2024 wouldn’t indicate it. That number jumped to 21.7% in the Cape, and he showed some chase out of the zone, specifically on breaking balls.
Dumesnil is held in high regards by those who get eyes on him, and MLB scouts will be chomping at the bit to call his name come draft day. With a very simple swing and extreme bat speed, there is some resemblance of former North Carolina Tar Heel CF and 2024 1st-round pick Vance Honeycutt, with less strikeout concerns. Expect a massive season from him in 2025, and potential for a top-15 pick.
Paxton Kling/OF/Penn St
Paxton Kling started 39 games (61 GP) for the LSU Tigers in 2024 where he spent his freshman and sophomore year winning a National Championship in 2023. Kling slashed .222/.409/.317 with 9 2B, 1 HR, 21 RBI, and went 8-10 on SB in 2024, where he would enter the transfer portal at the conclusion of the season and find his way to Happy Valley with the Penn St Nittany Lions.
Paxton Kling shows plus speed and defense, where he patrolled CF for the Tigers in 61 games, making web-gems left and right. Kling has a quiet swing, especially in the lower half, but produces a lot of thump where he showed it off with multiple 400 foot home runs in his tenure in Baton Rouge. Head Coach Mike Gambino has raved about Kling, and he might just propel himself into the Big-10 and College Baseball spotlight with a full time position.
Cam Maldonado/OF/Northeastern
Cam Maldonado is one of my biggest bounce-back candidates for the 2025 season, and the extremely-toolsy outfielder should catapult his draft stock through the Spring. Led the CAA with 29 bags in 2024 despite having a down year, slashed .265/.411/.469 in 2024 with 6 2B, 8 HR, and 23 RBI, a significant dip from what we saw in his extremely impressive freshman campaign where he gained accolades as CAA Rookie of the Year, and First Team All-Conference.
He spent his Summer in the Cape Cod League with the Harwich Mariners, where he would finish in the top-10 in both RBI and stolen bases. A simple swing with no wasted movement, Maldonado has the pop to go gap-to-gap with ease, and drive the ball out of the yard at times. Could be a guy that sneaks into the 1st-round of the upcoming draft if he can bounce back in the way he’s capable of.
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