By Billy Watkins

The 2025 Major League draft is done. Twenty rounds, 615 prospects. 

Some of them will be stars one day. Others will not. Injuries, the inability to adjust to top-line pitching, the mental wear of the baseball grind … life has a way of weeding some out.

And there will surely be two or three of those we’ve never heard of in the pre-draft predictions turn out to be rock-solid players, maybe even All-Stars.

The one that comes to my mind from past drafts is the New York Yankees’ Don Mattingly, who became a dominant player in the 1980s. 

He was selected in the 19th round. The Yankees weren’t expecting much out of him. Too slow. Not much power. Below average as a fielder at first base.

I was fortunate enough to interview Mattingly at spring training one year in Ft Lauderdale, Fla. I’ll never forget something he told me. “What I’ve done is taken my talent and stretched it just a bit,” he said. “There are a lot of guys in the big leagues who have more talent than I have, that’s for sure. But I’ve never allowed myself to be satisfied. Even after good years, I’ve looked at the things I didn’t do so well and tried to improve them.”

His number 23 hangs today in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park, beside the numbers of  legends such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra.

Mattingly refused to allow the draft to write his story. 

There was a player this year whose draft day experience wasn’t what he had hoped — Jacob Parker of Purvis High School. He was expected by numerous draft services to go somewhere in the third or fourth round. Instead, he slipped to the 19th round, chosen by the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

I have no inside knowledge as to what happened Monday regarding Jacob, but I do know this from talking to several people close to him and reading some of his interviews: He has the talent. He won’t be outworked. And he won’t be deterred by this.

Jacob’s high school coach Tony Farlow, who has seen players come and go for 37 years, raved about his power and defense when I interviewed him.

“Jacob has never missed a ball in centerfield that I can remember,” Farlow said. “Scouts have seen him run balls down gap to gap, then throw out a runner trying to tag and reach third.

      “And when he hits the ball, it’s almost dangerous to be on the infield. He’s just a big, strong kid (6-foot-3 1/2, 215 pounds) who can run and hit.”

As an 18-year-old  senior, Jacob batted .525 with 17 homers, 39 stolen bases and 53 hits in 36 games. During his career, he had 205 hits, 42 homers and 47 doubles. He also served as the team’s closer on thea  mound.

Jacob and his fraternal twin Jojo have decisions to make: Turn pro or attend Mississippi State and play for the Bulldogs.

My guess, and that’s all it is. A guess: Jojo won’t turn down life-changing money. He was taken No. 8 overall by the Toronto Blue Jays. His slot money is $6.8 million. And I expect Jacob to wind up at State and begin his career with new coach Brian O’Connor.”

I have another guess:  We haven’t heard the last of Jacob Parker. He’ll see to that. 

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A list of Mississippi players taken in the 2025 MLB draft

Round 1 (No, 8 overall)

*Jojo Parker    infielder.  Purvis HS   Blue Jays

Round 2

*JB Middleton   pitcher   Southern Miss    Rockies

Round 3

*Landon Harmon   pitcher      East Union   Nationals

*Jake Cook  outfielder  Southern Miss   Blue Jays

Mason Morris   pitcher    Ole Miss    Reds

Round 4

*Nick Monistere.  infielder  Southern Miss    Astros 

*Luke Hill.   3B   Ole Miss       Guardians

*Pico Kohn     P     Miss. State    Yankees

Round 7

Will McCausland    pitcher  Ole Miss    Guardians

Round 8        

Riley Maddox  P  Ole Miss     Nationals

Evan Siary    P      Miss. State      Rangers

Round 9

*Mason Nichols     pitcher      Ole Miss         Tampa Bay

*Karson Ligon      pitcher    Miss. State    Blue Jays

Round 10

*Hunter Hines   first base     Miss. State      Nationals

Round 11

*Jacob Johnson  pitcher   Pearl River CC    Rangers

*Luke Dotson     pitcher    Miss. State   Diamondbacks

Round 12

*Talon Haley   pitcher.  Lewisburg HS     Angels

*Connor Spencer   pitcher     Ole Miss   Cubs

Round 13

*Nate Williams    pitcher  Miss. State  Cubs

Round 15

*Jacob Pruitt     pitcher    Miss. State   Phillies

Round 17

*Patrick Galle   pitcher    Ole Miss    Red Sox

Round 18

*Brayden Jones   pitcher  Ole Miss    Rays

Round 19

*Jacob Parker     outfielder     Purvis HS    Diamondbacks

Round 20

*Sam Tookoian     pitcher    Ole Miss       Angels

*Jamaurion McQueen  outfielder    Brandon HS

Rangers.  

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