Ike Irish

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #12 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: Auburn Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.6
  BA Grade: 55/High
  
  Irish was a high-profile high school catcher who formed a talented battery at St. Mary’s Prep in Orchard Lake, Mich., with 2022 Rangers fourth-rounder Brock Porter. Instead of turning pro, Irish headed to Auburn, where he has been a potent, middle-of-the-order bat for three seasons and is one of the most well-rounded college hitters in the class. He’s a career .350/.435/.625 hitter with Auburn who homered 19 times in his draft year, has a lengthy wood bat track record and in 2025 his 1.332 conference OPS ranked second in the SEC. Irish has a strong frame at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and uses a wide, open setup in the box. He has good rhythm and a solid understanding of the zone, with a swing that can get long at times but typically stays in the hitting zone and comes through with impressive bat speed. He has hammered 92+ mph velocity and has a solid blend of contact ability, on-base skills and power with a chance to be an above-average pure hitter who hits 20-25 home runs per season. Irish is a fringe-average runner who played more right field than catcher in 2025. Scouts are mixed on whether he will stick behind the plate—with most viewing him as a likely corner outfielder or first baseman. Irish has an easy plus arm that would be a weapon at the position, but he needs to make real strides as a receiver and blocker and to tighten up his footwork to catch. His bat should still make him a safe first-rounder, with a shot to go in the top 10 picks.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 55. Run:45. Field: 45. Arm: 65.
• Ranked #6 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: Auburn Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.6
  
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Irish is a bat-first catcher with an incredibly advanced offensive skill set. In 2024 he hit .319/.403/.627 with 11 doubles, 14 home runs and 59 RBIs. Irish has a wide base with an open front side and medium-high handset. With two strikes, he gets deeper into his base and eliminates his stride. Irish has a short, direct swing with plus bat speed and sprays the baseball all over the yard with a gap-to-gap approach and power to the pull side. He’s shown strong collegiate bat-to-ball skills with great feel for the barrel and the ability to handle high-end velocity. Defensively, Irish split time between catcher and the outfield in 2024. Irish’s defensive skills are a work in progress and his catching needs polish. He is on track to be Auburn’s every day backstop during the 2025 season and getting consistent reps will go a long way in maximizing his defensive ability, where his plus or better arm strength would be a real weapon. While he could move to first base or a corner outfield spot, Irish could still have the hitting chops to profile at either if necessary.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Field: 45 | Arm: 65
• Ranked #173 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: St. Mary’s Prep, Orchard Lake, Mich. Committed/Drafted: Auburn
  Age At Draft: 18.7
  BA Grade: 40/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Field: 50 | Arm: 60
  Irish formed one of the best batteries in the country this spring at St. Mary’s Prep with righthander Brock Porter. Because of that he had plenty of scouting attention but is a strong draft prospect in his own right. A 6-foot-1, 193-pound catcher and lefthanded hitter, Irish can really throw and has shown raw power from the left side. Currently, he is more of a power-over-hit bat, despite showing an ability to use the opposite field naturally at times. What holds scouts back from putting a more aggressive hit tool on Irish is a bat path that gets a bit lengthy and a bit too steep at times. He showed solid discipline at times over the summer showcase circuit, so even if he never gets to an average bat he could provide on-base ability and power. Defensively, he has plus arm strength and a chance to stick behind the plate and control a running game. He will need to improve the finer details of catching, like receiving and blocking, but there’s nothing about his game that should prevent him from catching at the next level and he has proven his ability to handle premium stuff regularly. Irish is committed to Auburn.