Tennessee baseball signee Billy Carlson was drafted No. 10 overall by the Chicago White Sox in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft on Sunday evening.
Carlson, a shortstop from Corona, Calif., is the highest ranked recruit in Tennessee’s 2025 signing class that is ranked No. 2 overall by Perfect Game. Carlson is ranked by the publication as the No. 3 overall player in the Class of 2025, the No. 2 shortstop and the No. 2 player from the state of California.
“The 2025 Draft class is deep in southern California and Corona High School has been a regular stop all spring, with three potential early-round picks on the team that won USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational last year,” MLB.com wrote about Carlson in its scouting report for the draft. “Carlson’s skills at shortstop that were on display at a variety of summer showcase events, including the Area Code Games and Major League Baseball’s High School All-American Game, have continued to show up during his senior year to allow him to float up to the top of the first round.”
The No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft was assigned a slot value of $6,240,000. The estimation provides a ballpark range for the amount Carlson could sign for in the coming weeks. Carlson is ranked as the No. 12 overall prospect in MLB.com’s 2025 prospect rankings.
“All summer, Carlson impressed with his athleticism and bat speed from the right side of the plate,” MLB.com writes. “It’s more of a line-drive approach at present with a good swing, but he has the chance to grow into more impact and average or better power, though not all evaluators were sold on his hit tool. There’s an up arrow next to his run tool as he’s worked to get faster and could be a plus runner in time. Even with all of his offensive upside, his glove might be ahead of his bat, with some scouts putting as high as a 70 on his arm strength and defensive actions at shortstop.
“At one point, Carlson was thought to be a legitimate two-way player, with a fastball in the mid-90s and feel for spinning a breaking ball. But it will be his five-tool potential at a premium position that will get the Tennessee recruit selected in the top half of the first round, though his age at Draft time (19) might rule out some teams.”