Pittsburgh, meet your potential future beast on the mound.
Again.
With the No.6 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Pirates selected Seth Hernandez, a right-hander from Corona High School who many scouts believed was the top overall pitcher in the class.
Hernandez, 19, didn’t pitch in front of crowds until his junior year — he was homeschooled until then. But once he joined head coach Andy Wise’s powerhouse program in Corona, he made up for lost time.
As a junior, he went 9-0 with a 0.62 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 56 innings. His senior year was even more dominant: 105 strikeouts in just over 53 innings, only seven walks, and a 0.39 ERA.
The accolades matched the numbers. He was named MVP of the National High School Invitational after throwing a complete-game shutout in the title game in 2024. Then 2025 High School Gatorade National Player of the Year.
“He wasn’t just one of the best pitchers in the country, but one of the best baseball players,” Wise said. “I call him the best I’ve ever been around.”
Hernandez also hit .352 with eight home runs as a junior, but Pittsburgh is betting on his future in the rotation.
It’s a team in turmoil. Pittsburgh, 39-58 at the All-Star break, sits 18.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs atop the division. Their roster sports just one notable name who made the all-star game, Paul Skenes. He’s widely regarded as the best pitcher in baseball and now serves as the leader of the path Hernandez will walk in the Steel City.
Hernandez could one day bring more star power and become a cornerstone in Pittsburgh’s push back toward league relevancy.
Billy Carlson selected by White Sox (No. 10)
Corona High School has now sent its top two prospects to the MLB in the top 10.
First, Hernandez went sixth to the Pirates, then the Chicago White Sox selected Panther shortstop Billy Carlson with the 10th pick.
The 19-year-old Tennessee commit soared up draft boards over his past two high school seasons, on the back of his consistent hitting.
His senior year, while Hernandez was shutting down offenses, Carlson was hitting .365 with a .517 on-base percentage, six home runs, and a .647 slugging clip.
Carlson was Corona, born and bred, having started on the freshman team for Wise’s program. His work ethic and drive spearhead his ascension to a first-round MLB pick.
“(Carlson) was a freshman who spent some time on the freshman team here,” Wise said. “It’s not like he walked in and demanded anything. He worked hard and believed in what we were doing, and his development went through the roof, and he’s turned himself into what he is today.”
Carlson is one of four prospects from Corona ranked in the top 250 of MiLB’s pre-draft rankings, along with Hernandez, third baseman Brady Ebel (No. 64, and right-handed pitcher/outfielder Ethin Bingaman (No. 150).
The school has produced four picks in school history: outfielder Mike Darr (2nd round, 1994), right-hander Joe Kelly (3rd round, 2009), infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor (10th round, 2016), and right-hander Tristan Beck (4th round, 2018).
Carlson has become the second in just the first round of potentially four alone in 2025 for the Southern California powerhouse.
The White Sox at 32-65 are struggling in last place of the AL Central and also had zero all-star selections for the 2025 All-Star Game.
Carlson was described on the ESPN broadcast as a “slightly toned down version” of Royals all-star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who is lauded as one of the best in the league. High praise and a hopeful translation for the White Sox organization, desperate for star power and better fortunes.
Brady Ebel selected by Brewers (No. 32)
Brady Ebel closed the first round for Corona High School with three prospects taken on Day 1.
With a conditional first-round pick at No.32, the Milwaukee Brewers selected third baseman Ebel, the third of the highly rated prospects from Wise’s team.
At 17 years old, Ebel is the youngest of the trio but lacks no less dynamism at the plate. Wise saw him as the offensive sparkplug for the Panthers.
After spending his first two high school seasons at Etiwanda High, he finished his senior season at Corona, hitting .341 with a .504 on-base percentage, 31 hits, 27 runs, and 17 RBIs.
He’s the son of the Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel and will look to eventually bring offensive prowess to a team that currently ranks 23rd in the league in total home runs hit at the All-Star Break.
Other Southern California Draft Picks…
No.12 Gavin Fien (3B, Great Oak) to the Texas Rangers
The Texas commit from Southern California will be going to the Lone Star State regardless.
He was widely considered one of the premier right-handers in the draft class.
Fien earned MVP honors at the MLB Develops High School All-American Game with two hits and two RBIs. Then batted .400 for Team USA during the 18U World Cup qualifier in Panama, squaring up arms from all over the world with proficiency.
Fien lit up his senior season at Great Oak, hitting .358 with 34 knocks, 24 runs, five homers, and 16 RBIs.
The bloodlines run deep. His father, Ryan Fien, was drafted by the Cubs in ’96 and quarterbacked at both UCLA and Idaho. His older brother, Dylan, a switch-hitting catcher from the same high school, signed an over-slot deal with the A’s after going in the seventh round last year.
It’s all been passed down, the baseball in Fien’s blood powering his bat to a top 12 pick in the MLB draft.
No.50 Angel Cervantes RHP (Warren, CA committed to UCLA) to the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates selected another pitcher to join Hernandez on the path to the big leagues.
The 18-year-old UCLA commit garnered attention last summer at the prestigious Area Code Games, when he struck out eight batters over three perfect innings.
The 6-foot-2 right-hander features a fastball that touches the low 90s and mixes in a sharp changeup that keeps hitters off balance. He’ll pair with Hernandez as a star arm in the farm system for Pittsburgh.
No.54 Quentin Young 3B/OF (Oaks Christian, committed to LSU) to the Minnesota Twins
The Twins added sizable bat power to their farm system in the slugger from Oaks Christian. The 6-foot-6-inch, 225-pound, 18-year-old hitter out of Camarillo, CA, grew up around Baseball. He’s the nephew of former big leaguers Dmitri and Delmon Young.
The 18-year-old LSU commit was supposed to be in the 2026 class but reclassified to join the draft a year earlier. He displayed his sizable hitting power at events like USA Baseball’s 18U team and MLB’s High School All-American Game.
Now he’s set on his way to helping one of the better teams, standings-wise, in the AL Central.
No. 64 Dean Curley SS (Tennessee) to the Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians picked up one of Tennessee’s top hitters in Curley, a La Verne, CA, native who broke out in 2024. He hit .315 with 14 home runs, 51 RBIs and 67 runs scored over 65 games, helping lead the Volunteers to the College World Series title.
A Southern California product turned national champion, Curley is joining a Cleveland system known for developing middle infielders like former Gold Glove winner Francisco Lindor.
No. 77 Ethan Hedges 3B/RHP (USC) to the Colorado Rockies
The Rockies grabbed a productive two-way talent in Hedges, who starred at USC as both a third baseman and late-inning reliever. The junior from Fountain Valley, CA, hit .346 with 14 home runs, 58 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases across 60 games in 2024. On the mound, he posted a 2.40 ERA and nine saves in 15 appearances.
Hedges earned All-Big Ten and All-Defensive honors this spring and became one of the few true two-way contributors at the Division I level.
No. 87 Anthony Eyanson RHP (LSU) to the Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox selected right-handed pitcher Anthony Eyanson with the 87th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. A Lakewood, California native, Eyanson transferred to LSU after two seasons at UC San Diego. In 2025, he ranked third in NCAA Division I in wins (12) and strikeouts (152 in 108 innings), and helped the Tigers claim the College World Series.
In San Diego, he was named to the All-Big West Second Team and was a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Eyanson was recognized as a Preseason All-American by Perfect Game in January 2025.
No. 89 Jack Gurevitch 1B (San Diego) to the St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals added a steady left-handed bat in Gurevitch, a Pacific Palisades native who starred at the University of San Diego. The 21-year-old hit .371 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs across 56 games in 2024, earning All-WCC honors in the process.
One of the most productive hitters on the West Coast, Gurevitch now heads to a St.Louis system feeding a team 6.5 games back in the NL Central.
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