Story by
Texas Tech baseball 2025 MLB draft outlook: Damian Bravo among top 200 prospects
- Story by
- Texas Tech baseball 2025 MLB draft outlook: Damian Bravo among top 200 prospects
The Texas Tech baseball team slogged through a 20-33 season this year, matching a program single-season record for losses and recording the fewest wins since the 1985 team went 18-33.
Nevertheless, one or more Red Raiders are likely to be selected this week in the annual Major League Baseball draft. The two-day event originates from Atlanta in conjunction with MLB All-Star week. It begins Sunday, July 13, with rounds 1-3 and concludes Monday, July 14, with rounds 4-20.
Advertisement
Right fielder Damian Bravo, who was first-team all-Big 12 , and first baseman Robin Villeneuve and pitcher Jack Cebert, who were second-team all-Big 12, are draft eligible. Big 12 home-runs leader and first-team all-conference left fielder Logan Hughes is not draft-eligible, being a sophomore nine months away from turning 21.
More: MLB mock draft 2025: Who's going No. 1? Final breakdown of top prospects
More: MLB farm system rankings for every team entering 2025 draft
Bravo, at No. 186, is the only Texas Tech player on the MLB.com list of the draft's top 250 prospects . The 186th pick falls in the sixth round.
Advertisement
Bravo and Tech pitcher Mac Heuer were among the 332 invitees to the MLB draft combine conducted last month at Chase Field in Phoenix.
Here's a look at the Tech players with the best chance to be drafted.
MLB.com ranks Texas Tech baseball player Damian Bravo (31) among the top 200 prospects for the annual Major League Baseball draft that starts Sunday. The two-day event originates from Atlanta in conjunction with MLB All-Star Week.
RF Damian Bravo, 6-2, 195, Jr.
Bravo won the Big 12 batting title in 2024, when he hit .378 with 4 home runs and 41 runs batted in. This season, he batted .330 and increased his power with 13 homers and 51 RBIs. Bravo has positional versatility. He notched 11 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings as a pitcher in 2023 and worked a lot at second base in preparation for this season.
RHP Mac Heuer, 6-5, 265, So.
Heuer's only two years out of high school in Georgia, but draft eligible, having turned 21 on July 7. He was in the Red Raiders' starting rotation from the beginning, going 4-5 with a 5.94 earned-run average his freshman year and 2-4 with a 6.28 ERA this year as a sophomore. The two years combined, he pitched 100 innings with 94 strikeouts.
Advertisement
The Cleveland Guardians drafted Heuer in the 16th round two years ago.
RHP Jack Cebert, 6-3, 209, Sr.
The first-year transfer from South Florida was removed from the starting rotation after two turns this season, then emerged as arguably the team's most valuable pitcher as a long reliever. Called on almost exclusively in close games, Cebert went 7-3 with a 3.45 ERA, striking out 54 in 60 innings. Cebert's ERA and opponent batting average (.259) were easily the lowest of his four-year college career, and he set career highs in wins and strikeouts.
RHP Zane Petty, 6-1, 165, Jr.
Petty went 2-4 with a 5.92 ERA in his third season with the Red Raiders. Though underwhelming statistically, Petty usually gave his team a chance to win as the Sunday starter. Nine times, he went at least 4 innings while allowing 3 or fewer runs, including lines of 8-innings, 3-runs in a win at Arizona State and 6-innings, 1-run in a win at Brigham Young. The Milwaukee Brewers drafted him in the 13th round out of high school.
Advertisement
1B Robin Villeneuve, 6-2, 208, Sr.
Villeneuve batted .365 with 12 homers and 49 RBIs this season, his first with the Red Raiders after two years at Weatherford College and one with national champion Tennessee. He led the team in average, on-base percentage (.447) and doubles (18) and tied for team high in OPS (1.108), walks (26) and sacrifice flies (5).
The French Canadian could play for the Red Raiders again in 2026 on the blanket waiver the NCAA extended to athletes who, 1) were in their last season of eligibility in 2024-25, and 2) began their careers at non-NCAA programs.
Others
Former Maryland first baseman Hollis Porteris a Texas Tech commitment from the transfer portal, but he's draft eligible. Porter batted .303 this season with 21 homers and 64 RBIs. ... Three Texas Tech high-school signees are ranked among the top 50 in Texas by Perfect Game: Mineral Wells RHP Holden Heringat No. 9, LHP Jesse Rusinekfrom Brock at No. 35 and LHP Wolfgang Braaschfrom Plano Prestonwood at No. 36. Two Tech signees are in the Perfect Game national top 100: Hering at No. 90 and SS Linkin Garciafrom Bradenton, Florida, at No. 91. ... Perfect Game ranks Tech signee Adam Hayesas the No. 1 high-school RHP in Colorado . ... Among other Texas Tech signees, New Mexico Junior College RHP Donovan Becerra(6-2, 4.31 this season) and Florida Southwestern middle infielder Luke Orfi(.341-6-42 and 45 stolen bases this season) were ranked No. 3 and No. 9 among junior-college players by Perfect Game. ... San Antonio Johnson middle infielder Kayson Cunningham, a son of former Texas Tech outfielder Marco Cunningham, is a consensus projected first-round pick.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech baseball 2025 MLB draft outlook
