MLB local draft tracker: Corona's Lo Re leads HS picks; Arizona State players chosen

The Arizona Republic is tracking local players taken in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Check back for updates.

Lo Re goes to the Orioles

Tempe Corona del Sol shortstop Jaiden Lo Re was the first Arizona high school baseball player from the past season taken in the 2025 MBL Draft.

The Baltimore Orioles took him in the fifth round with the 154th overall pick. Lo Re helped key Corona del Sol's 6A state championship season, hitting .418 with 46 hits, 14 doubles and four home runs. He was the Central Region Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-Arizona selection. He signed last November with BYU.

Corona del Sol coach David Webb said he was not surprised Lo Re was taken so high.

"Jaiden was born to play baseball," Webb said. "His work ethic is off the charts, as is his competitive spirit. His motor is always running."

Gavin Turley goes in 4th round

Outfielder Gavin Turley, who starred at Chandler Hamilton High before emerging as one of the top players in college baseball at Oregon State the past two seasons, was chosen in the fourth round by the Oakland Athletics. He was the 110th overall pick.

Turley helped lead OSU to the College World Series this season, a two-time All-American, who had 53 home runs and 189 RBIs in his college career. He hit 20 home runs and had 69 RBIs this past season.

GCU pitcher taken in 6th round

Left-hander Grant Richardson, who pitched at Scottsdale Horizon High School, suffered an arm injury that caused him to have Tommy John surgery and miss all of the 2025 Grand Canyon baseball season.

But that didn't derail his draft status. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior was taken by the Oakland A's in the sixth round, the 170th overall pick. Oakland has had great fortune with former GCU shortstop Jacob Wilson, who became GCU's first MLB All-Star this week during his rookie season.

"I'm extremely happy for Grant," GCU coach Gregg Wallis said. "His high selection did not come as a surprise. He is a power left-handed pitcher that is a real competitor on the mound."

In the 2024 season, Richardson became part of the weekend rotation midway through, helping the Lopes reach the Tucson Regional final in the NCAA Tournament. He went 5-1, held opponents to a .194 batting average and had a strikeout rate of 12.43 over nine innings, the best in GCU history.

"His fastball metrics were some of the best in the country during the 2024 season," Wallis said. "He's worked incredibly hard throughout his rehab on getting back to 100%. I think the A's got another Lope who has a chance to move quickly to the big leagues."

More GCU players taken

The Miami Marlins chose Grand Canyon shortstop Emilio Barreras in the eighth round, and starting pitcher Isaac Lyon went to the Seattle Mariners in the 10th round.

Lyon was part of the Lopes' weekend rotation the past two seasons, finishing his career with 2.08 walks per nine innings, the eighth-best in program Division I history. His 175 strikeouts were the seventh most in the Division I era.

Barreras, who played at Vista Grande High in Casa Grande, was named to the All-WAC second team and All-WAC Defensive team last season. He led the Lopes in hitting with a .358 batting average and a .462 on-base percentage. He started at shortstop in all 41 games he played. He missed more than a month of the season due to an injury.

ASU players selected

Former Buckeye star Brandon Compton, an outfielder at Arizona State, went in the second round of the draft, taken by the Miami Marlins with the 46th overall pick.

The Detroit Tigers took ASU left-hander Ben Jacobs in the third round with the 98th overall pick.

Right-hander Lucas Kelly was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the sixth round.

Outfielder Isaiah Jackson went to the Angels in the eighth round. The Diamondbacks took pitcher Jack Martinez later in the same round. Second baseman Kyle Walker went to the Houston Astros in the eighth round.

Pitcher Will Koger was taken by the San Diego Padres and outfielder Kien Vu by the Cincinnati Reds, both in the ninth round.

Shortstop Matt King was taken in the 10th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. King hit .403 with 18 doubles and 55 RBIs in his only season with the Sun Devils.

Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Corona del Sol SS goes in 5th round to Orioles