(Cover photo: medium.com)

The 2025 MLB Draft is fast approaching. The draft will be 20 rounds over 3 days and starts on Sunday, July 13.

It will be a part of the MLB All Star Game festivities in Atlanta with the first 3 rounds on Sunday, July 13, starting at 5:00 p.m. (CDT) and can be seen on both the MLB Network and ESPN. Rounds 4-20 will begin on Monday, July 14, at 10:30 a.m. and will be streamed on MLB.com.

Just like previous years, the Sooner State will be well represented and this year it should be represented early. A total of 3 Sooner State alums are expected to go no later than the first 15 pick with 2 of them possibly going in the top 5 with some “experts” projecting either of those 2 going number 1.

Leading up the the draft, we will take a look at a total of 10 players projected to go in the draft from the state of Oklahoma, but expect more names from the Sooner State to be called over the 2 days. (Caden Powell was not talked about by anyone last year and he was taken in the 6th round by the Astros.)

Today’s player: Gabe Davis

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Gabe Davis was a standout pitcher for Choctaw High School (’22) before heading to Stillwater. He pitched 2 no hitters his senior year and had several pro scouts at his starts. In high school, Davis was already in the low to mid 90’s with his fastball and his huge frame is what some scouts look for.

While Davis’ fastball velo has increased in his time at OSU and has peaked in the 100 mph range, his slider has emerged as a plus pitch as well.

Davis’ development at OSU has been hindered with injuries and at times the results have shown. In his 94.2 IP at OSU, Davis has given up 93 hits and 69 earned runs. He has struck out 124 batters in his time at Stillwater, but his 60 walks for a WHIP of 1.62.

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Prospect Rankings

*Prospect Ranking: MLB Top 250 (MLB), ESPN Top 150 (ESPN), Keith Law Top 100 (Law)

• MLB: 147
• ESPN: N/A
• Law: N/A

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Scouting Grades Reports

*When looking at the scouting grades, MLB uses a “20-80” system: 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average, 70-80 is well above average.

MLB Pipeline

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

Davis has yet to put everything together at Oklahoma State, but as a 6-foot-9 right-hander who can reach triple digits with his fastball, his upside is obvious. His stuff improved and he made some progress with his control and command during his first two years with the Cowboys, but he still has a long way to go. He missed fall practice after breaking his collarbone in an off-field accident and has been roughed up this spring while losing a month to shoulder issues.

When he’s right, Davis’ heater parks at 94-97 mph and touches 100 with some mild armside run, and while his size creates very steep downhill plane, his velocity doesn’t overpower hitters as much as it should. He also misses bats with a tight upper-80s slider that reaches 92 mph, and he can turn it into a harder cutter. His mid-80s changeup lacks reliability but features quality fade and tumble at times.

Carrying 234 pounds on his huge frame, Davis could add even power once he gains some projectable strength. The biggest question is whether he can keep his long limbs in sync consistently enough to locate his pitches well enough to be a starter. If he winds up in the bullpen, he has the stuff for a high-leverage role.

Keith Law

N/A

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Outlook

Davis has all the tools that scouts love. Big frame, high velo, and another plus pitch. The question is how much do teams believe in his potential vs the results they’ve seen.

Davis has pitched well in limited innings at the Cape Cod League this summer, so hopefully that’ll help.

As the 147th rated player per MLB Pipeline, that puts Davis in the 4th-6th round range. Will a team be willing to draft him higher or could he slip a little past that range? His tools say he shouldn’t go past that range. Davis is one of the more intriguing prospects to come out of Oklahoma this year because of that.

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