Billy Carlson

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #30 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: Corona (Calif.) HS Committed: Vanderbilt
  Age At Draft: 19.0
  Carlson grabs attention immediately during infield. His actions are quick, smooth and clean with soft hands and nimble footwork as one of the best defensive shortstops in the country, moving around the position with bounce and grace. An average runner, Carlson is adept on both ends of the double play turn, has a quick release and a plus arm that could still tick up another grade given his arm speed and strength projection left in his lean, athletic build. At the plate, Carlson typically has a selective approach, and while he tends to hit a lot of balls on the ground, he has one of the lower swing-and-miss rates among top 2025 players, shooting line drives with gap power and the bat speed that suggests more extra-base damage should come as he gets stronger. Carlson’s athleticism and arm strength make him a promising pitching prospect as well. He has been up to 93 mph, with the arm speed and physical projection to develop mid-90s or better velocity. He throws strikes at a high clip and shows feel for two secondary pitches, including a mid-to-upper 70s curveball with tight rotation and a low-80s changeup that he doesn’t use much yet.
• Ranked #5 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: Corona (Calif.) HS Committed: Vanderbilt
  Age At Draft: 19
  A lean, athletic two-way player, Carlson grabs attention immediately during infield. His actions are quick, smooth and clean with soft hands and nimble footwork as one of the best defensive shortstops in the country, moving around the position with bounce and grace. An average runner, Carlson is adept on both ends of the double play turn, has a quick release and a plus-plus arm. At the plate, Carlson typically has a selective approach and one of the lower swing-and-miss rates among top 2025 players. There are times where he hits too many balls on the ground, but his offensive game took a step forward in the 2024 spring season, with a line-drive approach and more power showing up in games and a chance for bigger extra-base damage to come given his bat speed and strength projection. Carlson’s athleticism and arm strength make him a promising pitching prospect as well. After touching 93 mph in 2023, Carlson this year has touched 96 mph. He throws strikes at a high clip and shows feel for two secondary pitches that flash above-average, including a mid-to-upper 70s curveball with tight rotation and a low-80s changeup with impressive fade.