Major League Baseball’s 2025 amateur draft opened Sunday night with clubs emphasizing middle-of-the-diamond talent and power pitching in the first and competitive-balance rounds. The St. Louis Cardinals made the highest-profile move of the evening, using the No. 5 overall pick on Tennessee left-hander Liam Doyle, regarded as one of the top collegiate arms available. High-school shortstop Daniel Pierce became the Tampa Bay Rays’ first selection at No. 14, and the club later added Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill at No. 42. The Boston Red Sox leaned on college pitching, grabbing Oklahoma right-hander Kyson Witherspoon at No. 15 and Tennessee right-hander Marcus Phillips at No. 33. Shortstop Marek Houston of Wake Forest went 16th to the Minnesota Twins, while the Arizona Diamondbacks secured Johnson High (Texas) shortstop Kayson Cunningham at No. 18 and Louisville right-hander Patrick Forbes at No. 29. Rounding out the opening-night action, the Detroit Tigers selected Florida prep shortstop Jordan Yost with the 24th pick. The draft continues Monday with the remaining 18 rounds.