Handful of Sun Devils selected in the second day of MLB Draft

In the 2025 draft, Arizona State was expected to add to its lead of 477 all-time draft picks over schools like Texas and Arizona. The expectations were met, as nine Sun Devils were selected. Outfielder Brandon Compton and left-handed pitcher Ben Jacobs became the 478th and 479th selections from the university, and were selected on day one of the draft. Day two’s action saw the final 17 rounds and nine players who played at or announced plans to play at Arizona State.

Lucas Kelly, right-handed pitcher, Pick No. 182 - Seattle Mariners

In fall ball, the pitcher that impressed me most was right-hander Lucas Kelly. His velocity was near the top of the charts, and he constantly fooled batters with his three-quarter delivery. He continued that in the season, with his fastball sitting in the high nineties. 

Kelly redshirted his freshman year at Texas A&M before moving to McLellan Community College for his sophomore year, where he posted a 4.46 ERA in 40 and a third innings. Kelly then transferred to Arizona State, where he posted a 4.05 ERA in 26 and two-thirds innings for the Sun Devils from the bullpen. Kelly has back-end of the bullpen potential for the Mariners, as in his first ten innings he pitched this season, he did not allow a run.

Isaiah Jackson, outfielder, pick No. 229 - Los Angeles Angels

Isaiah Jackson took a huge step up last fall, reportedly with home run numbers in the high teens. It took a while for that to translate in the spring, but when it rained, it poured as he slugged 12 homers in the final 17 games of the season.

The southern Arizona native spent all three years of his collegiate career with the Sun Devils. His career slash line is .277/.365/.516, with his junior season being his best, going .310/.402/.630. He stole 14 bases as well in his junior season. He has a good glove in center field as well, making him a complete player.

Jack Martinez, right-handed pitcher, pick No. 243 - Arizona Diamondbacks

In his collegiate career, Jack Martinez progressed from Division 3 to Division 1. He started his career at Trinity University for two years. He had a 4.37 ERA in 101 innings with the Tigers, splitting time as a reliever and a starter. He then transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette for his junior season, posting a 4.40 ERA in 45 innings with mixed use as a starter and reliever.

Martinez had only started 13 of his 60 appearances before transferring to Arizona State for his senior season. He won the Saturday starter role for the Sun Devils, which he would not relinquish all season. The Texas native had a 5.47 ERA in 77 and a third innings. In his career, Martinez has a 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings ratio.

Kyle Walker, infielder, pick No. 246 - Houston Astros

Entering March, Kyle Walker was batting 2-for-24. The Grambling State transfer was at his statistical low point all season. He then went on an on-base streak that lasted until May 9th. Walker is a complete player who can do everything well.

Walker has a career slash line of .369/.483/.557 with two seasons at Grambling State and one at Arizona State. The Louisiana native scored 192 times in his collegiate career and 57 stolen bases as well. He has a great eye for the zone with 93 walks and only 72 strikeouts. Walker also plays a solid second base, making him a dynamic player.

Kien Vu outfielder, pick No. 264 - Cincinnati Reds

Kien Vu was a walk-on for the Arizona State team in his freshman year in 2023. Vu had his breakout season in 2024, going .413/.497/.793.

Vu has a career slash line of .351/.453/.609. His 2025 season was hampered by a leg injury. He plays a must-watch defense, frequently making exciting plays in right field. His speed helps create his solid defense as he stole 21 bases last season and six in a game, setting a Sun Devil program record.

Will Koger, right-handed pitcher, pick No. 280 - San Diego Padres

Reliever Will Koger was slated to be the Sun Devils closer coming into the season, but he did not have the season that many were expecting. He was coming off three seasons at Louisville, where he had an 8.84 ERA in 55 innings.

Koger had a solid year with the Sun Devils with an ERA of 6.38 in 18 and a third innings. He has an elite fastball that can reach triple digits. 

Matt King, infielder, pick No. 293 - Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates might have had one of the steals of the draft with shortstop Matt King. King is a great player as he just won the Big 12 co-newcomer of the year. His 2025 season saw him hit .403/.464/.593 was his best year in college.

King spent three years at UTSA before his senior season at ASU. His career slash line is .330/.408/.487. He only struck out in eight percent of his collegiate plate appearances, and struck out and walked the same number of times in 2025. King also has a solid glove at shortstop.

George Bilecki, outfielder, pick No. 370 - San Diego Padres

George Bilecki is an incoming transfer who has signed with the Sun Devils from DII Lewis University. The rising senior has a .315/.399/.650 slash line.

He had his best season last year, going .356/.432/.797, with 23 home runs. The outfielder is great on the basepaths with 18 stolen bases in both of the past two season. It is unclear if he will sign with the Padres or move to Tempe.

Finn Edwards, right-handed pitcher, pick No. 555 - Los Angeles Dodgers

Finn Edwards is an incoming transfer who has yet to sign with the Sun Devils from junior college, Iowa Western Community College. Edwards is a rising sophomore and was eligible for the draft because he played JUCO.

Edwards had a 3.67 ERA in 34 and a third innings. It is hard to tell where he will sign at this point.

Who was not picked

There were a handful of notable guys who were not picked. Nu’u Contrades is the most interesting player who was not selected. He has a career slash line of .303/.373/.501 in three years at Arizona State with solid speed and decent power. He has missed portions of two seasons with injuries. The Sun Devils have brought in two third basemen and three other infielders from the transfer portal, making it harder to get playing time for Contrades if he wanted to return. 

Jonah Giblin, Josiah Cromwick and Jacob Tobias are all players who are out of eligibility and will likely sign undrafted free agent deals. There are a handful of guys who are eligible to sign deals that still have eligibility remaining, but I expect them all to stay with the Sun Devils. None of the incoming freshmen were drafted as well, and they will likely don the Sun Devil uniform for fall ball.

The deadline for players to sign is July 28th. At the end of the day, this draft shows that head coach Willie Bloomquist can develop players, whether they are transfers or are Sun Devils for their whole collegiate careers. Only Florida State, Arkansas and Georgia had more players selected.