It was an eventful first night of the 2025 MLB Draft for Tennessee with eight Vols going off the board in the first three rounds of the draft including a program record four players going in the first round.
Tony Vitello had a front row seat to it all. The Vols head coach was in the building and on the set with MLB Network during the draft and broke down the selection of his eight former players. Here’s what Vitello said about his players taking the step to professional baseball during the MLB Draft.
More From RTI: Chicago White Sox Select Tennessee Signee Billy Carlson With 10th Pick Of MLB Draft
Liam Doyle, No. 5 pick to the St. Louis Cardinals
“However it happened, I love it for him. What a phenomenal kid to be around, and I think he has a bright future on the mound. And here’s one reason why, last year, when he was pitching at Mississippi, he would often just kind of beat himself. Guys wouldn’t really get to him, he would run out of steam because he was flat-out out of shape, and also, he’d run out of pitches… He would run out of pitches because he didn’t throw enough strikes. This year, he loses 19 pounds of body fat, gets to work, gets in shape, throws a ton of strikes.
“Two of the things that showed up this year, oftentimes, other teams had his grips. Just like in pro ball, guys will look for that stuff. The other thing was again, that ‘Boston Strong’ spilled over into a little too strong sometimes. As he continues to evolve and mature, eventually, hitters are just going to have to flat out beat Liam Doyle and that is not going to be very easy to do because he’s got phenomenal stuff and is an unreal competitor.
“Quentin Eberhardt was our guy, and if you would’ve saw August and September when they first report to school, you would’ve thought this kid may transfer out of this place. It’s not going to work. He bowed up to our strength coach and Q and he now are best of friends because of the conditioning level that Liam is in. And he had to work for it. It’s a great story for kids that are out there. Everybody has got something to work at and, again, even though he was a good pitcher, he attacked his weaknesses and he elevated his status.”
Gavin Kilen, No. 13 pick to the San Fransisco Giants
“He can play anywhere. Second, short or third (base). He really might have been our best guy at each of those three spots. Going back to my babble about recruiting, we were talking about being around competition can only help you. The Parker family, the Carpenters, the Willets. Most kids in recruiting, or parents, they want to feel safe, which makes sense. You want to be in a spot where you’re comfortable, but being pushed is key. Gavin is from Wisconsin, a northern state, and in the last couple decades with these indoor facilities and some of the coaches that help these kids— Gavin’s coach was his father who knows a ton about hitting. Way more than I ever thought about it. They learn these skills at a young age, they compete against other great players at a young age and one of them for him was Gavin Lux. He was compared to Gavin a ton at a young age. He’s wanted to be the next Gavin Lux out of Wisconsin and as of today, to me, his is.”
On how they got him to Tennessee
“He was at Louisville, transfer portal occurs and the one positive about the transfer portal is sometimes guys just need to find their best fit and Louisville is a better fit for some kids than we are but for Gavin, I think he came into a new set of circumstances and it was truly a great fit for him. He’s an aggressive hitter who needs to be allowed to be aggressive but at the same time he was overly aggressive. He controlled the zone better this year and swung at pitches he could hit and it translated into power. It’s functional power, not physical power, but he’s a kid that has a loud bat for not being an imposing figure.”
On what type of leader he was
“A silent assassin. Ian Kinsler, who you know, he reminds me of Ian. Not going to say a lot or wear it on his sleeve like Liam (Doyle), his teammate. But he wants to make sure everyone is up for the kill because he is. He’s a tremendous competitor, he just doesn’t wear it on his sleeve as much.”
Andrew Fischer, No. 20 pick to the Milwaukee Brewers
“He can play third base. He would have played third base for us this year but a quirky thing happened at practice. We throw him at first and he just took to it. He took to it because he’s very confident. Obviously a strong confident kid. He and Murph (Brewers manager Pat Murphy) might end up sparring one of these days and they probably both would enjoy it too. My comp for him is (Entourage character) Vinny Chase because when he goes around the Jersey Shore crowd follows him. I hope his posse stays safe tonight. I know he will because he’s an ambitious kid. But he is Jersey Shore to a tee. Great personality but I think a bit of a misunderstood personality. He is a lovable kid. He’s just a big teddy bear on the field. He loves competing. Loves being around the guys. Loves being around the group.
“Some of his at-bats, our video guys— Sean McCann— said it best. Some of his at-bats are like watching a movie. Just one at-bat. He’s an entertaining kid but also talented.”
On if a Max Muncy comp is fair
“Absolutely. Both are very comparable in college. First, they both drove the other team nuts when they played against them. Part of it is, he’s just so comfortable in his own skin that he makes you feel uncomfortable. That leads me in to the next thing, when you draft these kids you’re obviously getting their physicality but your getting what’s between their ears. I know (Alex) Bregman a little bit. It reminds me of Alex Bregman. His brain is built for baseball. Whatever that is, I didn’t have it. Fisch has it and I think it’s a very unique version, but it’s going to be fun. And defensively, I think because of what is between his ears and his confidence level is so high, he’ll figure it out. Just like first base this year, first day we put him over there. He picks one and is like ‘this is easy. I got this.’ Jersey Shor attitude shines through. He’s a special one. I’ll miss him.”
Marcus Phillips, No. 33 pick to the Boston Red Sox
“A story of development. A kid that’s from the north, from the Dakotas. Goes to junior college. He was a two-way athlete. Wasn’t sure if he was a hitter or a pitcher. From the moment he decided he was just going to be a pitcher, and he was going to be a guy, you’ve seen a gradual progression in every single category. Whether it was getting his deliver under control, throwing more strikes, holding on runners which became an issue in the middle of the year and he literally fixed midseason. But the biggest thing is just the maturation process. The way he started talking different. The people he was hanging out with. Just an awesome, awesome development piece. A lot of these guys have been on the scene and done all these fancy events for a long time. This kid was on the outside looking in and he kicked the door down. Kudos to him.”
AJ Russell, No. 52 pick to the Texas Rangers
“Congrats to AJ. They might be dreaming (Zach) Wheeler here type comp if he can improve his secondary stuff. I think, for now, just focusing on who AJ is. Freshman year, he’s on a staff with (Seth) Halvorsen, (Chase) Burns, (Drew) Beam, (Chase) Dollander and he fit in. He was the type of guy we thought was getting squeezed out of innings because that staff is so talented. Kind of runs into an injury after exploding onto the scene as a prospect and potential top 10 pick in this draft.”
Dean Curley, No. 64 to the Cleveland Guardians
“I missed out on ole Deano (during a commercial break). I love Dean and I think Dean shouldered more weight than any player in the country this year and played well doing that.
Tanner Franklin, No. 72 to the St. Louis Cardinals
“Tanner Franklin is the opposite (of Curley). He came in. Not a great year last year (at Kennesaw State). Gets a fresh start though and Frank Anderson, our pitching coach, stripped everything down. Calmed down his delivery and the velo actually ticked up as the strikes went up, as well. You guys said it not me, it could be the steal of the draft because it’s an easy 100 mph arm.”
Nate Snead, No. 105 to the Los Angeles Angels
“A throwback type kid. Loves to compete. Always wants to be out there. Always wants the ball. I think in this day and age, to have an arm that has the type of velo he does but also as resilient of an arm, it’s about as good as a set for a bullpen arm but I don’t know why he wouldn’t go and start for these guys. Again, likes to compete. Big time arm, big time stuff. It was big for us down the stretch in the year you talked about when (Kaeden) Kent went off for A&M, he was a massive x-factor for that team in 2024.”
