In late April of 2022, things were looking up for Brandon Compton. He was finishing his senior season at Buckeye Union High School and was set to play college baseball at his dream school, Arizona State, as a two-way player, mainly as a pitcher.
That all changed on Compton’s senior night. In his home ballpark, Ellis Field, he suffered a UCL injury in his first inning of the game, causing him to undergo Tommy John surgery and miss his freshman year at Arizona State. Fast forward three years and change, Compton was selected by the Miami Marlins with the third pick of the second round (46th overall) of the 2025 MLB Draft as an outfielder.
B-Comp!!! @BrandonCompton_ congratulations kid!! Proud of you! @Marlins are getting a stud!!
— Willie Bloomquist (@williebloom) July 14, 2025
It was a long road for Compton to climb to the selection. After sitting out his freshman year, he played summer ball for the Duluth Huskies in the Northwoods League, slashing .320/.423/.563 in 284 plate appearances. He had significant power numbers with 17 doubles, 13 home runs and 71 runs batted in, making the Northwoods League All-Star Game.
The Arizona native came back to the valley and replicated his summer 2023 numbers in 2024 for the Sun Devils. In 213 plate appearances, Compton slashed .354/.427/.661 in his redshirt freshman year. The power numbers were still there as he raked 16 doubles, 14 home runs and 51 runs batted in. Those numbers were good enough for him to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American.
In the summer of 2024, Compton went to the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League, where he made the league’s all-star game. In 157 plate appearances, he batted .331/.414/.489. The power numbers were slightly down with three doubles, six homers and 30 runs batted in.
In his 2025 season, Compton had his numbers dip across the board. The redshirt sophomore batted .271/.379/.486 in 261 plate appearances. The power numbers were similar to what he produced in 2024 with 19 doubles, nine homers and 54 runs batted in.
Compton’s power was what drew scouts to him, and that was showcased in the 2025 MLB Draft Combine. He hit six of the seven hardest hit balls since 2022 at the combine, with all of them going over 114 miles per hour. He has the top three in history in the same stat as well, all over 116 mph. Only 19 MLB hitters slugged a ball over 116 mph in 2025. He hit four balls that went over 400 feet as well.
The one drawback to Compton is his fielding. He has a career fielding percentage of 0.972, exclusively playing left field. Freshman Landon Hairston took over his spot in left field in the middle of the 2025 season, moving Compton to the designated hitter role, which is where he played the majority of the 2024 season.
Brandon Compton was Arizona State’s 478th draft pick selected in the MLB draft. He was the highest pick under head coach Willie Bloomquist's tenure and the highest since 2019, when Spencer Torkelson and Alika Williams went first and 37th overall, respectively.
Now, in July of 2025, things are still looking up for Brandon Compton.