Indiana baseball continues to prepare its players for the next level, sending a handful of players on to play professional baseball.
While Indiana’s core will look quite different next season, a few Major League teams were able to bolster their farm systems with the addition of some new prospects.
Devin Taylor - OF - The Athletics - No. 48 overall
Devin Taylor finished off his junior season at Indiana by permanently leaving his name in the program's record books.
Taylor, one of the most productive offensive players in team history, set the record for career home runs as a Hoosier, clubbing a total of 54 home runs across his three seasons of collegiate ball.
Taylor finished his Indiana career with an impressive .350 batting average across 655 at-bats, posing as one of the most threatening average and power hitters in the Big Ten conference each year.
Even with a strong junior campaign, Taylor’s initial first round projections didn’t live up to the expectation as Taylor fell to The Athletics at No. 48 overall in the second round.
Taylor, the No. 30 ranked prospect in the 2025 draft class according to MLB.com, will earn a signing bonus of $2.03 million.
Korbyn Dickerson - OF - Seattle Mariners - No. 152 overall
Korbyn Dickerson transferred to Indiana after having himself an underwhelming 2024 season at Louisville, where he saw just 17 at-bats. The change of scenery was everything Dickerson needed as he broke out at the plate, batting .314 while leading the team in home runs, 19, in addition to runs batted in, 77.
Dickerson’s strong abilities in the batters box showcases quick bat speed and a threatening high exit velocity on batted balls.
Dickerson’s breakthrough and development with Indiana allowed him to climb the MLB Draft lists, where he reached projections as high as the first to second rounds at times. MLB ranked Dickerson as the No. 83 overall prospect in the draft, but he ultimately fell to the fifth round to the Seattle Mariners.
At the No. 152 overall selection, Dickerson will receive a signing bonus of $461,100.
Cole Gilley - P - Philadelphia Phillies - No. 311 overall
After pitching in 26 games across a three-year span for Indiana State, Cole Gilley brought his arm over to Bloomington, where he tossed 68.2 innings across 18 games for Indiana this past season. Gilley served as arguably Indiana’s most consistent arm, finishing the season with a 10-3 record while holding a 3.54 earned run average.
High strikeout numbers and a low walk rate allowed Gilley to cruise throughout the season. His flexibility as a pitcher was showcased frequently as Gilley pivoted between usage as a starter and coming out of the bullpen for long relief.
Now, having four years of collegiate baseball and two years of summer collegiate baseball under his belt, Gilley is ready to eat innings professionally, as the Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the 10th round.
Gilley becomes the second player to come out of Indiana and get drafted by the Phillies in the last two drafts, joining Carter Mathison, who was selected by the Phillies last year in the fifth round. Mathison currently plays for the Clearwater Threshers, the Single-A affiliate of the Phillies.
Gilley is set to receive a signing bonus of $187,300.
Ben Grable - P - New York Yankees - No. 344 overall
Sidelined for the entire 2024 season due to an arm injury, Ben Grable made a full recovery and made a strong impact both as a starter and a reliever for Indiana this year. The Northwestern transfer appeared in 17 games this season at Indiana, owning a 4-3 record across 56.1 innings pitched. Grable threw 65 strikeouts to just 17 walks, allowing him to keep his earned run average at 4.31.
Grable seemed to find success in the late inning bullpen spot, earning two saves in his six relief appearances. In the bullpen position, Grable relies on his fastball, which he’s dialed up to as high as 95-96 miles per hour.
Selected in the 11th round by the New York Yankees, Grable is the sixth pitcher out of Indiana to be selected in the draft in the past three years.
Matthew Fisher - P - Philadelphia Phillies - No. 221 overall
Matthew Fisher, the 2025 Indiana High School Gatorade Player of the Year, initially committed to stay near home and bring his talents to play at Indiana. A strong senior season displayed Fisher’s abilities as he finished 6-0 with a 0.76 earned run average in his final season at Evansville Memorial High School.
Fisher marked the second year in a row that an Indiana Hoosier signee has won the Indiana High School Gatorade Player of the Year award, which was won by Indiana outfielder Hogan Denny in 2024.
Perfect Game ranks Fisher as the No. 17 right-handed pitcher in the country in his graduating class. Perfect Game scouting describes his abilities as a “big 2025 spring riser, +athlete who is also a football QB standout, has been steady mid-90’s with plus secondaries.”
Fisher’s high school coach Jeremy Jones applauded Fisher for how far he’s come as a pitcher.
“I can’t say enough great things about Matthew Fisher,” Jones said in a press release announcing Fisher’s Gatorade Player of the Year award. “He is a leader for Memorial, throws 93 to 95 miles per hour, developed a nasty cutter and his changeup has improved dramatically from a year ago.”
If Fisher chooses to honor the Phillies’ seventh-round selection, he’ll earn a slot value of $257,700. Should Fisher elect to stick with his commitment to Indiana, he’ll have the opportunity to develop his arm even further and become what could be one of the top pitching talents Indiana has recruited in recent years.
Alex Barr - P - The Athletics - No. 350 overall
Similar to Fisher, Indiana’s strong high school recruiting continues to show off as Alex Barr came in as Indiana’s second high school commit to get drafted this year.
Barr, a left-handed pitcher, ranks in as the second best lefty pitcher in his recruiting class from the state of Indiana according to Perfect Game.
The 18-year-old tends to throw a four-pitch mix, topping out his fastball at 95 miles per hour, a changeup at 86 miles per hour, curveball at 76 miles per hour and a slider at 84 miles per hour. With the spin rate Barr has on these pitches and the velocity at such a young age, Barr could become quite the pitcher at Indiana assuming he’s able to add a couple miles per hour to each of these pitches.
Time will tell as to whether Barr will or won’t honor his prior commitment to Indiana, but the idea of his untapped potential as a collegiate pitcher truly is fascinating. If Barr decides to sign with The Athletics, he’ll have the opportunity to move up through the ranks alongside Devin Taylor.
With the departure of both pitchers Gilley and Grable to the draft, it would be extremely beneficial for Indiana to see at least one of the two between Barr and Fisher stick with Indiana.
