Stanford Baseball's Top MLB Draft Prospects: Who's On the Board

Stanford baseball;s postseason dreams are seemingly over, but they have plenty of players to keep an eye on with the MLB Draft looming

Mar 1, 2025; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal first baseman Rintaro Sasaki (3) gestures before batting against the Xavier Musketeers during the fourth inning at Sunken Diamond. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Another season for Stanford baseball ends in disappointment. Eager to return to the College World Series for the first time since 2023, the Cardinal entered the season with the expectation to make it back, but a slow start put them in a big hole that they never really dug out of.

While a brief winning streak in April helped the Cardinal revive their postseason hopes to a certain degree, a sweep at the hands of Notre Dame over the weekend all but put an end to their postseason aspirations.

In the midst of their struggles, the Cardinal still managed to develop talent at a high level while also signing big-name recruits.

The college baseball season ends in June once the College World Series concludes. After that, the focus shifts to the MLB Draft where several big name high school and college prospects will be eligible for selection by any of the 30 MLB teams. For the Cardinal, multiple representatives could hear their names called in the July draft.

Rintaro Sasaki

Mar 1, 2025; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal first baseman Rintaro Sasaki (3) bats against the Xavier Musketeers during the eighth inning at Sunken Diamond. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Rintaro Sasaki, the Japanese phenom out of Iwate, headlines the list of draft eligible Stanford players. Joining the program in 2024 but missing the season, Sasaki debuted for the Cardinal in 2025 and despite a slow start to his career, he has started to establish himself into a major power hitter at the college level.

He came to Stanford as the all-time leader in home runs by a high schooler in Japan with 140, so his power has always been there, but this season he has started to put it on display. The question could become if he plans to stay in school to improve his draft stock. While he's eligible in 2026, he's still a sophomore, and could delay a little longer if he chooses.

This season, his second full season playing games for the Cardinal, Sasaki leads the team in home runs (15) and RBI (41) while hitting a very respectable .276. Expected to be highly touted in the draft, Sasaki's main skill is his bat, while his defensive limitations as a first baseman/DH ding his draft positioning a little bit.

Trevor Moore

Trevor Moore, a senior right-handed pitcher from Golden, Colorado, has put together his best college season and is the Cardinal's most reliable reliever this season.

A D1 Baseball Preseason Top 100 reliever heading into the 2025 season, Moore struggled to a 6.24 ERA last year, but bounced back nicely this season, which should significantly help his draft stock.

Recording a 5-2 record and a 3.24 ERA in 20 appearances, Moore proved he can shine in high leverage situations. He's struck out 39 in 33 1/3 innings, while walking 19. There may be enough there to work with for a team in the late rounds of the draft.

Jimmy Nati

Mar 1, 2025; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal second baseman Jimmy Nati (6) reacts after hitting a home run against the Xavier Musketeers during the eighth inning at Sunken Diamond. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

One of college baseball's top fielders, Jimmy Nati is another player to watch from Stanford in the MLB Draft. A gold glove finalist last season, Nati has manned second base all season for the Cardinal and was one of the program's most efficient stars.

He's made plays look effortless while providing major support for his pitching staff. A capable hitter as well, hitting .258 with six home runs and 25 RBI, Nati is an all-around star. While he may not be an early round pick, any team in need of an elite fielder at second base should give Nati a look.

The Cardinal commit

When it comes to incoming recruits that could get drafted, look no further than current De La Salle star Tyler Spangler.

Despite being committed to Stanford, Spangler is currently ranked as the No. 33rd prospect for the MLB Draft by MLB Pipeline, and if he is drafted at that spot, or even if he sneaks into the first round, he will be in for a nice signing bonus. Where is ends up being selected could have an impact on whether or not he ends up making it to the Farm.

Suffering an undisclosed injury prior to De La Salle's season, Spangler has been out for his entire senior year, which has seen him drop in the rankings from a surefire high first rounder to a fringy first rounder.

The Cardinal are a very young team with a lot of freshmen and sophomores filling out the roster, which is one reason for their struggles in 2026. But if recent seasons have taught us anything, it's that the Cardinal know how to develop talent capable of playing baseball at the highest level, and they won't stay down for long.