2025 MLB mock draft 2.0: Predicting the first 40 picks

With the combine underway and only a few more games in Omaha remaining, MLB draft season is winding down -- so it's time to take another stab at projecting the first round-plus of the 2025 draft.

The start of the MLB draft combine has become a sign that we're about to enter silly season, when rumors become less attached to reality by the day. Private on-field workouts for players mentioned below are over, so there won't be much more useful information collected -- and that means the rumors are tied to controlling perception more than reflecting a new reality.

The biggest trend to note compared withthe previous mock is the half-dozen or so rising college position players, which also corresponds to rumblings that the second cut of high school position players might slip a bit, often for overslot bonuses.

My "speculative" projection in the last mock was Arkansas right-hander Gage Wood at No. 17 -- I thought he could be this year's Cade Horton or Ty Floyd, rising late through the college postseason. Well, Wood threw a no-hitter earlier this week in the Men's College World Series and now looks to have a floor somewhere in the range I initially projected him in -- which was high at the time.

Now let's predict the first 40 players to come off the board when this year's MLB draft starts Sunday, July 13.

1.Washington Nationals

Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU