Phillies Projected to Take Power-Hitting High School Infielder in Latest Mock Draft

The Philadelphia Phillies are playing some great baseball. They are in second place in the National League East division and slowly making their way to the top.

Philadelphia has made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and have lost in the World Series in one of those years. Because of their success, the Phillies have not picked very high in the last few MLB drafts.

In 2025, Philadelphia will have the 26th pick in the draft.

Jim Callis of MLB.com recently released his first mock draft of the year and he has the Phillies taking Xavier Neyens with their pick.

Who is Xavier Neyens?

Neyens is a high school infielder from Mount Vernon, Washington. He comes in at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, which is a similar size to potential No. 1 pick, Ethan Holiday.

Neyens is an Oregon State commit that profiles as a solid defender at the hot corner.

Per his scouting report, Neyens has a 65-grade arm. He will not be a pitcher at the next level, but he can run his fastball into the mid-90s. His ability to throw the ball hard means he has plenty of arm to play third base in professional baseball.

The reason there is a lot of hype with Neyens is his power.

The left-handed hitter has a smooth swing that generates a lot of power. He has good approach at the plate and he knows the strike zone pretty well. With his swing, size and strength, scouts think his power is well above average with a grade of 65.

Now, there has been some concerns about his swing and miss. However, his scouting report mentions the high school infielder played 100-plus games over the summer. No matter how young and fresh an athlete is, playing that many games in the span of a summer is going to take a toll on the body.

Still, if Neyens is the pick, the Phillies would be getting a high-upside third baseman with plenty of time to develop.

Who Were the Philadelphia Phillies Past Picks?

This would not be the first time Philadelphia has taken a high school player with their first pick.

In fact, the team has not taken a college-aged player with their first round pick since 2019 (Bryson Stott, UNLV).

Philadelphia seems to really like taking the high school players with high ceilings. The floor might be a little lower, but being able to develop the younger players and shape them into players that fit their system is something Philadelphia loves.

With Neyens being a 2025 high school graduate, it would not be a surprise to see him taken by the Phillies.