CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Guardians selected outfielder Jace LaViolette of Texas A&M on Sunday with the 27th overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball first year player draft.
LaViolette, 21, was born in Pensacola, Florida, but prepped at Tompkins HS in Katy, Texas before joining the Aggies in 2023. He had a breakout season in 2024, leading Texas A&M to a runner-up finish at the College World Series while batting .305 with 29 home runs and 78 RBI.
In 2025, LaViolette saw his projected top-15 status slide as he batted just .258 with 18 home runs and a respectable 61 runs driven in. Complicating matters was a late-season injury suffered in the SEC tournament as Laviolette sustained a broken hand that required surgery.
Despite the injury suffered against Auburn in the second round on May 22, the left-handed hitting slugger had surgery and was in the lineup for the Aggies in their next game against LSU.
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Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 230 pounds, LaViolette boasted a .285 career average at Texas A&M, drawing a team-high 57 walks and posting a 1.003 OPS in his final season. He holds Texas A&M school records for career home runs (68) and walks (169).
According to scouts, LaViolette brings elite power, patience, size, and grit — a prototypical corner outfield profile. His keys to finding success in the professional ranks will be refining his contact skills and handling off-speed pitches. If LaViolette can make improvements in those areas his ceiling is a middle-of-the-order bat with regular 30-homer seasons.
For a franchise that values contact rates, Laviolette’s swing-and-miss potential is a departure for a top pick. LaViolette posted about a 25% whiff rate in college and regularly struggled with pitches off the plate and breaking balls.
LaViolette was rated as one of the draft’s top power bats, and a consistent extra-base threat. He showed advanced plate discipline with high walk totals and the ability to work deep into counts. For a power hitter, LaViolette has shown that he will not chase bad pitches outside of the zone.
Despite his big frame, LaViolette has shown surprising mobility, playing solid defense and running the bases with good instincts.
Prior to the draft, Guardians Senior Vice President of Amateur Scouting Paul Gillispie said the franchise was focused on one consistent philosophy: finding the best player available, regardless of position.
“It’s less about the position and more about our assessment of the player and his fit for the Guardians,” Gillispie said.
This year, Cleveland has a significant opportunity to add talent with five selections in the top 101 picks. Gillispie said he believes this year’s draft class offers exceptional depth compared to recent years.
“It’s a deep draft,” Gillispie said. “Our ability to add some quality talent to the organization is exciting.”
When evaluating prospects, the Guardians’ scouting department looks for specific athletic qualities that translate across positions. This is particularly evident when assessing middle infielders who might have positional versatility.
“When you’re shortstop, a lot of times those players do have athleticism, coordination, balance all those types of things, life to their body, twitch,” Gillispie said. “But the versatility certainly helps.”
Generative AI was used to organize information for this post.
