This post was updated July 13 at 6:27 p.m.
When top high school prospects choose the collegiate path, they commit themselves to earning a degree while continuing to pursue their athletic dream – committing to three years of growth, improvement and development, while simultaneously pursuing their professional aspirations.
Now, five draft-eligible Bruins have the chance to join coach John Savage’s past 129 draft selections.
With the 2025 MLB Draft set to kick off Sunday, assistant Sports editor Gabriela Garcia, Daily Bruin senior staffer Kai Dizon and Daily Bruin contributor Bianca Peralta break down which Bruins could hear their names called this weekend.
Right fielder AJ Salgado
Garcia’s Pick: Fifth round
MLB Comparison: Jake Fraley, 2016 second-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays out of LSU
AJ Salgado had one year of NCAA eligibility remaining after not being taken in the 2024 MLB Draft.
One final opportunity to show all thirty teams what they missed out on.
And he followed up by having the best season of his collegiate career.
Salgado found himself in the middle of UCLA’s regular lineup, a place where he was able to thrive. In his final season, he finished the year with a slash line of .312/.418/.581, all higher than his two previous campaigns. The redshirt senior also raised his OPS from .784 to 1.000 in just a year, quickly becoming another go-to bat in Savage’s lineup.
In the Bruins’ inaugural Big Ten season, the Glendora, California, local was able to raise his walk rate from 7.4% to 12.7%. Salgado’s strikeout rate hit a career high 19.5% – just less than a 2% increase from the previous year – despite 80 more plate appearances.
At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Salgado saw improvement in every offensive category, raising his hit total from 54 to 73 and almost tripling his RBIs from 20 to 56. Salgado might have tapped into his power as well – something he hadn’t done last year, which could’ve deterred MLB teams – smashing 12 home runs and hitting double-digit long balls for the first time in his career.
Salgado’s 13 stolen bases were also his first-ever double-digit mark in that category. His development has shown how versatile he can be in any professional organization as he continues to evolve.
With two full years of Power Five play under his belt now, Salgado has proved his ability to play at the next level as a strong outfielder. After an offensive 2025, any MLB team could do with Salgado’s power.
Right-hander Michael Barnett
Dizon’s Pick: Ninth round
MLB Comparison: Kyle Hendricks, 2011 eighth-round pick by the Texas Rangers out of Dartmouth
2025 Stats: 12-1 record, 86.0 IP, 3.98 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 75 strikeouts
Michael Barnett doesn’t throw hard, nor does he strike out a ton of hitters.
But the rising senior induces poor contact and eats innings.
Barnett began his Bruin career as the midweek starter and ended it as the team’s game one guy. Alongside 2024 eighth-round pick Luke Jewett, Barnett helped anchor a staff deprived of arms two seasons ago, reaching triple-digit pitch counts on four occasions – often pushing himself into the fifth or sixth inning, even in blowup starts.
In 2025, Barnett trimmed his already low walk rate from 2.85 BB/9 to 2.30, while greatly improving his strikeout rate from 14.9% to 20.1%. A suspension that carried over from an ejection to close out Barnett’s 2024 campaign kept him in the bullpen to begin 2025, but the right-hander took the ball in game one of the Bruins’ NCAA regional, super regional and Men’s College World Series contests.
And sure, pitch-to-contact sinker ballers are a dying species – but they’re not extinct.
Kyle Hendricks, an eighth-rounder out of Dartmouth in 2011, won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016, took home an ERA title and received Cy Young and MVP votes in his 12-year MLB career – showcasing a repertoire and frame comparable to Barnett.
Barnett’s mix of an upper-80s sinker, sweeper and changeup – his best pitch – induces ground balls, which played into the team’s stellar infield defense in 2025. In what may be his final collegiate campaign, Barnett went 12-1 with a 3.98 ERA, 3.71 FIP and 1.40 WHIP across 19 games, 14 starts and 86 innings pitched.
He’s got an imposing frame at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, his mechanics appear repeatable and low stress and he’s never missed extended time with injury during his collegiate career.
Whether it be in rookie ball or in the bigs, all 30 teams could make use of an experienced innings eater.
Center fielder Payton Brennan
Peralta’s Pick: Sixth round
MLB Comparison: Mike Tauchman, 2013 tenth-round pick by the Colorado Rockies out of Bradley
2025 Stats: .303/.381/.487, 10 2B, 6 HR, 41 RBI
Payton Brennan arrived in Westwood with high expectations.
Finishing his senior year at Rocklin High School, he ranked as the No. 4 outfielder in California and No. 34 nationally before he even stepped onto the grass of Jackie Robinson Stadium. And two years into his collegiate career, he has already lived up to it.
Though he opted to redshirt in 2023 and struggled with plate discipline during his 2024 debut, batting .267/.333/.383 with a 32.1% strikeout rate, Brennan had a breakout season in 2025.
He appeared in 50 games and became a mainstay in the middle of UCLA’s lineup, despite missing nearly a month of action in April due to a hamstring injury.
He improved his slash line to .303/.381/.487, hitting 41 RBIs and six home runs, while cutting his strikeout rate nearly in half to 19.1%. Over the season, he also tallied 17 multi-hit games and strung together a 13-game hitting streak in mid-March.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound centerfielder also proved his reliability during UCLA’s postseason run, where he was named to the Los Angeles regional All-Tournament Team after hitting a team-high average of .455 along with 11 RBIs and 23 total bases.
In the super regional final against UTSA, he went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs, helping UCLA secure its ticket to the Men’s College World Series.
But Brennan’s offense is not the only asset he has to offer – his above-average speed and defense also add to his major league appeal, stealing 11 bases and committing just one error to post a .991 fielding percentage out of center field.
With two years of NCAA eligibility remaining, the rising redshirt junior already possesses much to attract major league teams wanting an all-around outfielder with the offensive power, defensive range and speed needed to make it to the big leagues.
Left-hander Ian May
Peralta’s Pick: 19th round
MLB Comparison: Aaron Bummer, 2014 nineteenth-round pick by the Chicago White Sox out of Nebraska
2025 Stats: 8-3 record, 70.2 IP, 4.97 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 47 strikeouts
As one of just three transfers joining the Bruins for the 2025 season, redshirt junior Ian May established himself as a key piece in Savage’s pitching staff.
May’s versatility and workload on the mound – his most defining features coming into the draft – allowed him to make 12 starts and 15 relief appearances, while also logging the third-most innings on the team.
He notched eight wins – the second-most on the pitching staff – and held opposing hitters to a .244 batting average. In postseason play, he recorded a 3.24 ERA in five relief appearances and allowed just six hits across 8.1 NCAA tournament innings.
Coming to UCLA as a starting pitcher, May secured a win in his first appearance as a Bruin, giving up just one earned run over five innings of work in a Saturday start against Cal Poly. He recorded three strikeouts and held the Mustangs to three hits.
But the Laguna Niguel, California, local failed to sustain this success over his next three weekend starts, posting a 5.74 ERA across 15.2 innings. After struggling as a starter, May found a more stable footing out of the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever.
May’s sweeping breaking balls, coupled with his left-handed delivery, might have some major league teams interested in developing him as a relief pitcher. Still, his inconsistencies and below-average velocity will be a hurdle to overcome to fully earn a shot at the show.
Right-hander Cody Delvecchio
Garcia’s Pick: 17th round
MLB Comparison: David Berg, 2015 sixth-round pick by the Chicago Cubs out of UCLA
2025 Stats: 1-4 record, 37.0 IP, 6.81 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 39 strikeouts
Cody Delvecchio was slated to be yet another one of Savage’s relief pitchers turned weekend starters entering the 2025 campaign.
The rising senior right-hander was the Friday night opener to begin the season, where he combined for 33 innings pitched, allowing 36 hits, 25 earned runs and 36 strikeouts. Although he struggled to produce outs, Delvecchio made it through five-plus innings in five of his seven outings.
But when spring quarter rolled around, Delvecchio would find himself academically ineligible for possibly the rest of the season, filling the rest of his junior season with what-ifs.
With the Bruins advancing to the Men’s College World Series, Delvecchio was able to rejoin the team in Omaha, where he took the mound against No. 3 seed Arkansas after nearly three months away from play. The San Marcos, California, local fought through four innings, allowing seven hits, including a three-run homer, while registering three strikeouts.
Though his time as a starter didn’t produce the most appealing results, his sophomore campaign, where he came out of the bullpen or closed games for the Bruins, showed glimpses of dominance any MLB team could use.
He ended his sophomore season with a 2.42 ERA and only allowed seven earned runs and 11 walks in 16 relief appearances. Delvecchio also had a 9.30 K/9 and 3.80 BB/9, proving he can get punch outs when needed.
Without a full junior campaign to his name, MLB teams might be waiting for more from Delvecchio, which could keep his name from being called in the draft. With more time to come out of the bullpen to develop, however, Delvecchio looks every bit like a reliever who could be playing professional baseball.
2025 recruiting class
Dizon’s names to watch: RHP Angel Cervantes, RHP Zach Strickland and C Truitt Madonna
The MLB Draft is different from its professional counterparts.
Baseball players can get drafted directly out of high school, players don’t jeopardize their NCAA eligibility by entering the draft and the draft is 20 rounds long – not to mention a plethora of competitive balance and compensation picks.
Plus, given the extended development necessary to turn draft picks into MLB players – often spending three to six years in the minor leagues before getting a shot with the big league club – teams are far more likely to take the best player available instead of simply drafting a position of need.
And while college rosters will be trimmed from 40 to 34 by the House v. NCAA settlement, I think it’s far more likely that collegiate baseball becomes more attractive to aspiring professional baseball players – not less.
The settlement raises each program’s allotment of scholarships from 11.7 to 34 and allows schools to pay athletes directly, in addition to the benefits of name, image and likeness. There just isn’t a whole lot that’s still attractive, for most, about playing your age 18-21 seasons at middle-of-nowhere, USA, making below minimum wage.
Still, the Bruins are more than likely to lose a few names from their 2025 recruiting class – which currently stands at 13 – to MLB franchises.
Incoming freshman right-hander Angel Cervantes is MLB Pipeline’s No. 48 prospect, which would land him early in the second round with a signing bonus of around $1-3 million, based on last year’s draft.
Standing at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, the Warren High School graduate features a mid-90s fastball, mid-80s changeup, low-80s slider and low-80s curveball, according to Prep Baseball.
Zach Strickland, MLB Pipeline’s No. 71 prospect and Perfect Game’s No. 20 right-hander in the nation, was assigned to the Corvallis Knights of the West Coast League for summer ball, according to a UCLA Athletics spokesperson on June 21.
However, Strickland is nowhere to be found on the Knights’ roster page, suggesting he may be expecting to sign with a team and pitch in rookie ball.
Notably, Cervantes wasn’t given a summer assignment from UCLA.
Strickland, out of Maranatha High School, can get up to 96 miles per hour on his fastball but sits around 91 to 94, according to Prep Baseball. His curveball is 20 miles slower in the 69 to 73 range, with his slider clocking in the upper 70s.
Catcher Truitt Madonna is spending his summer in the MLB Draft league with the Frederick Keys and is battery mates with former Bruin southpaw Ryan Rissas.
Madonna is slashing .279/.360/.512 in 43 at-bats with the Keys and is ranked as the nation’s No. 54 catcher by Perfect Game and the No. 1 backstop out of Washington.
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