Here are five area players to watch in the 2025 MLB draft

Each year, a handful of local players in college and high school are among those 600 selections in the Major League Baseball draft, and for the last two years, at least one local was drafted in the first round.

This year’s draft begins Sunday, with the first three rounds starting at 6 p.m. The remaining 17 rounds will begin Monday morning.

Bonner-Prendergast graduate Kevin McGonigle was selected 37th overall by the Detroit Tigers in 2023. (The shortstop has been crushing it.) He’s heading to the All-Star Futures Game this weekend.

Last year, Pottstown native Trey Yesavage, a righthanded pitcher, was picked 20th overall by the Blue Jays.

This year’s draft could see a local prospect taken even earlier. Here’s a look at five area players to watch.

Catcher, Haddon Heights

Bodine, a product of Haddon Heights High School, posted his best collegiate season as a junior this year with Coastal Carolina, which made a run to the College World Series title before falling to LSU in the final.

The catcher was named an All-American and won the 2025 Buster Posey award, which is given to the best collegiate catcher in the nation. He batted .318/.454/.461 with five home runs and 42 RBIs while appearing in 67 games.

In high school, the 5-foot-10 Bodine was ranked as the No. 1 catcher and No. 9 player in New Jersey in the class of 2022.

He’s projected as a first-round pick, and some mock drafts have Bodine as a top-20 overall selection, though MLB has him ranked No. 32.

Infielder, Penn State

Weingartner is a Berlin, N.J., native who played his first two years of college ball at St. Joseph’s before transferring to Penn State as a junior. He set a single-season program record there with 30 stolen bases.

The 5-11 shortstop also notched 56 hits, 11 homers, 40 RBIs, 52 runs, and 44 walks this year. He is ranked among the top 250 players in the draft.

With the Hawks, Weingartner was first-team All-Atlantic 10 as a sophomore and was named to the Atlantic 10 all-rookie team in 2023.

He’s a graduate of St. Augustine Prep in Atlantic County, where he won three South Jersey championships and a Diamond Classic title in his final year, 2022.

Infielder, Kansas State

Martin, a shortstop and graduate of Moorestown High, participated in the 2022 MLB draft but decided to pull his name out after eight rounds and turned down any offers he had with a pro team.

He spent his freshman year at Rutgers, where he played just 25 games. He then transferred to Georgia State and saw more time at the plate. Martin played in 44 games and batted .297 with three homers and 21 RBIs.

His breakout year, however, came this season with Kansas State, where he batted .320/.420/.612 with 14 homers. He was also named to the first-team All-Central region.

The 6-foot Martin is also ranked among the top 250 players in the draft at No. 223.

Pitcher, Delsea

Cairone, a left-handed pitcher, is a graduate of Delsea High in Franklinville, N.J., and is committed to Coastal Carolina.

However, he could forgo his college plans. Cairone participated in the draft combine, where he showed off his fastball. He’s considered one of top 20 lefties in the 2025 draft class.

With Delsea this past season, he struck out 94 in 44 innings, according to NJ.com. The Crusaders finished 21-5 and made an NJSIAA, Group 3 quarterfinal appearance, falling to Shawnee.

Pitcher, Old Dominion

Brown, a product of North Penn, played three years of college ball with Old Dominion.

The 6-5, 230-pound left-handed pitcher had a 4.06 ERA this season. He also struck out 102 in 82 innings, while allowing 76 hits, 37 earned runs, and 26 walks.