Another week of the College Baseball season is now in the books. We will be diving into the MLB Draft-eligible College Baseball standouts for week six. These prospects are building their draft stock each week in preparation for the MLB Draft in July. As the draft draws closer with each week, we take the opportunity to dive into each prospect to get a better understanding of their abilities prior to the draft as well as post-draft in preparation for the off-season’s FYPD. Let’s dive into some of week six’s draft-eligible standouts from College Baseball
Standout College Pitchers
Lincoln Sheffield, LHP Jr. Kansas State
(6 GS, 34.1 IP, 39 K, 4.46 ERA, 1.3 BB/9, 10.2 K/9)
Standing at 6’1” and 220 pounds and throwing from the left side, Lincoln Sheffield might not stand out as a typical starter build, but he has been solid in his first season with Kansas State. Sheffield originally signed with Hinds Community College in Mississippi, where he had a career 4.24 ERA with 122 strikeouts over 129.1 innings pitched across his two seasons. The stuff is not overpowering with a 90 mph fastball paired with a slurvy curveball that sits 76 mph with horizontal movement and a low 80s change-up. All offerings have done a good job inducing weak contact and are helped by pinpoint control and command of his offerings.
In his first season with Kansas State, Sheffield has put up solid numbers against formidable competition. The two best outings of the season have been in his second start of the season against a solid TCU team as Sheffield went seven, striking out eight while allowing five hits and one earned run. In his start against Utah, Sheffield went seven, striking out a season-high of nine batters, allowing six hits and two earned runs. Due to the size and low velocity stuff Sheffield feels like a deeper draft prospect that relies on location over the high strikeouts, leading me to think he could be a solid long reliever someday.
Braeden Sloan, LHP Jr. TCU
(7 GP, 25.1 IP, 34 K, 1.07 ERA, 1.4 BB/9, 12.1 K/9)
TCU has had success developing pitchers in the past but one that seems to be going under the radar with huge upside this season has been Braeden Sloan. Standing 6’4” and 215 pounds, Sloan has been dominant, but do not let the lack of starts this season deter you from adding him to your draft cards. Sloan’s upper-70s change-up is the star of the show, coming in at 78 mph and is filthy as a projected double-plus offering. There are two fastballs in the four-seam coming in at 92 mph and the two-seam at 87 with arm-side sink.
📈📝TCU LHP Braeden Sloan has been excellent this season in 6GP out of the bullpen but has been long outings. 21.1 IP, 30 K good for a 12.7 K/9 with a 💪 1.7 BB/9 & a 0.84 ERA! Low 90s FB (4 FB & 2 FB) & a true 60 grade CH. avg 3.2 IP per ap@Fantrax @BraedenSloan @TCU_Baseball https://t.co/dxq641xIkf
— Richard Haake (@Mustbethehawk) March 21, 2025
Despite coming out of the bullpen, Sloan has averaged 3.2 innings per appearance. Sloan’s longest outing came on a masterful performance against Fresno State, striking out seven over his five innings pitched with no earned runs and five hits allowed on 75 pitches. To me, this is a prospect that Major League teams love to draft and get more out of, like the Cleveland Guardians or, recently, the New York Mets. Sloan could be an interesting day 2 draftee for the right organization if he continues to dominate.
Chase Shores, RHP Jr. LSU
(6 GS, 27.2 IP, 30 K, 4.88 ERA, 3.9 BB/9, 9.8 K/9)
Coming out of high school, Chase Shores was impressive for more than just his 6’8” and 252-pound frame. It was the high velocity on the fastball coming in at 98 mph that had scouts’ attention. The pitch mix for Shores is simply a four-seam fastball that has reached 100 mph in his freshman season but sits at 95-96 mph on average. Coming in at 84 mph, the slider has solid movement profiling as an above-average offering. As for the change-up, it can be firm coming in at 88 mph and lacking consistency and depth.
👀 This will be fun to watch the next two years! Straight gas for Chase Shores and the LSU Tigers 🐯 #CollegeBaseball #LSU @LSUbaseball @ChaseShores @Fantrax @WeeklyStreamer https://t.co/ObP4z3qqJ2
— Richard Haake (@Mustbethehawk) March 26, 2023
In his first season with the LSU Tigers, Shores appeared in seven games, starting four with 15 strikeouts over 18.1 innings pitched, good for a 1.96 ERA. Unfortunately, Shores went down with Tommy John, missing the remainder of the 2023 & 2024 seasons. This season, Shores seems to be getting back up to speed, but he is still shaking the rust off. Blow-ups against Sam Houston and Missouri have blown up his ERA but the strikeouts have been solid in his starts, and the walks have not been out of control, something we have seen from returning TJ pitchers.
If Shores can finish the season strong in the SEC he could be a steal for the team by the fourth round and potentially higher if the results kick up.
Standout College Batters
Jake Munroe, 3B Jr. Louisville
(23 GP, .432/.523/.705, 5 HR, 27 R, 25 RBI)
Louisville might have gotten an excellent steal this season with Jake Munroe transferring from Jon A. Logan College. Standing 6’2” and 230 pounds, Munroe has some above-average pop in his bat as he crushed 12 home runs in 52 games played at JALC as a freshman. We also saw solid bat-to-ball skills as he slashed .339/.466/.661 in 2023 and .415/.510/.881 in his final season in 2024.
📝📈LOU 3B Jake Munroe has been getting it done with the bat! 20 GP with a .447/.533/.697, 4 HR, 24 R, & 23 RBIs. The power looks above average with solid exit velos and the bat to ball skills are impressive. Watch his stock climb 🆙@Fantrax @JakeMunroe15 @LouisvilleBSB https://t.co/fErMYRd0Qb
— Richard Haake (@Mustbethehawk) March 21, 2025
Thus far, Munroe has continued to show excellent bat-to-ball skills at the hot corner. Across 23, Munroe is slashing .432/.523/.705 with five home runs, 27 runs scored, and 25 RBIs. Despite only five home runs to this point in the season, Munroe has popped 12 extra-base hits in 88 at-bats, which hints at more power to come. Munroe seems like a solid second-round selection, but he could push to comp rounds if the power starts to come through.
Skylar King, OF Jr. West Virginia
(22 GP, .414/.512/.514, 1 HR, 14 R, 15 RBI, 8 SB)
One of the standouts this season from West Virginia University has been Skylar King, an outfielder with excellent bat-to-ball skills and a propensity to get on base. Standing at 6’1” and 180 pounds batting from the left side of the plate, King is no power threat, but the defensive and bat-to-ball skills with solid speed on the basepaths. Each season, the bat has gotten better with this year King taking it to a new level.
After the 2024 season, King went out to the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he saw success slashing .294/.294/.471 with one home run, three runs scored, and two RBIs, over 11 games played. This success in the CCBL has carried over into the season, across 22 games played, King is slashing .414/.512/.514 with one home run, 14 runs scored, 15 RBIs, and eight stolen bases in 12 attempts. If these results continue, look for Kings’ stock to climb as the MLB Draft nears.
Max Belyeu, OF Jr. Texas
(22 GP, .348/.448/.618, 5 HR, 19 R, 18 RBI, 3 SB)
The University of Texas has seen some prolific power hitters come out of their organization, but Max Belyeu might be one to watch. Standing 6’2” and 215 pounds, hitting from the left side of the plate, Belyeu started to show big power in his swing back in 2024. Across 59 games played, Belyeu slashed .329/.423/.667 with 18 home runs, 50 runs scored, 53 RBIs, and three stolen bases. In 210 at-bats, we saw 34 extra-base hits, giving us a glimpse into what could be around the corner. After the season was through, Belyeu made an appearance in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The focus is on how the college players perform with wooden bats as opposed to the metal ones used in college.
Across 18 games played for Cotuit in the CCBL, Belyeu slashed just .222/.307/.352 with two home runs, nine RBIs, and one stolen base in three attempts. The underwhelming numbers did not stop Belyeu from getting off to a solid start in 2025 with the Longhorns. In 22 games played, Belyeu is slashing .348/.448/.618 with five home runs, 19 runs scored, 18 RBIs, and three stolen bases in five attempts. There is still a lot of work to be done if Belyeu wants to push into the first round of the MLB Draft, but his profile thus far settles him into a second-round value play.
