Liam Doyle transferred to Tennessee in hopes of transcending his game to the next level after three seasons at Coastal Carolina and Ole Miss, and improve his MLB draft stock in the process.

That is just what happened for the 6-foot-2 southpaw, as he became one of the top starting pitchers in the country this season who struck out 42.6% of batters he faced and finished tied for 11th in wins among Division I starters at 11.

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For that success and production, Doyle has positioned himself to be the highest drafted Tennessee player since Nick Senzel went No. 2 overall to the Cincinnati Reds in 2016, and become the highest drafted pitcher in the Tony Vitello era since Garrett Crochet went No. 11 overall to the Chicago White Sox in 2020.

Here’s a look at Doyle’s latest MLB draft projections:

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Liam Doyle MLB draft projections

Doyle is considered a top first-round draft pick going into Day 1 of the MLB draft on July 13 by draft experts. He is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft class by The Athletic’s Keith Law. Here’s a closer look at where experts have Doyle going in the first round, including their evaluations of him:

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USA TODAY: No. 5 overall to the St. Louis Cardinals

Here’s what USA TODAY’s Gabe Lacques wrote about Doyle going to the Cardinals:

“In this scenario, the Cardinals have their choice of remaining elite college lefties and opt for Doyle’s greater swing-and-miss upside over Florida State’s Jamie Arnold, though they may prove us wrong come draft night.”

MLB Pipeline: No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Angels

Here’s what MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis wrote about Doyle going to the Angels:

“The Angels love to expedite their first-rounders to the Majors and could do so with any of the top college southpaws (Anderson, Doyle, Arnold), all of whom are in their sights.”

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The Athletic: No. 2 overall to the Angels

Here’s what Law wrote about Doyle going to the Angels:

“Everyone expects them to take Liam Doyle or Kade Anderson here, although our own Melissa Lockard has heard they at least have done their due diligence on Seth Hernandez as well. I’d be very surprised if this wasn’t a pitcher.”

Liam Doyle stats

Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of Doyle’s collegiate stats:

2023 (Coastal Carolina): 3-1 record with 4.15 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings of work while allowing 43 hits, 28 runs (26 earned runs) and 20 walks

2024 (Ole Miss): 2-4 record with a 6.35 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings of work while allowing 42 hits, 35 runs (32 earned runs) and 18 walks

2025 (Tennessee): 10-4 record and one save with a 3.20 ERA, 164 strikeouts and a save in 95 2/3 innings of work while allowing 63 hits, 37 runs (34 earned runs) and 32 walks

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Where is Liam Doyle going in MLB draft? Latest MLB draft landing spots