1B Riley Nelson, 5th round (162nd) – Cleveland Guardians - Signed $350,000

Hometown: Trophy Club, Tex.

Born: Toronto, Ont.

Height/Weight: 6’ 3” 222 lbs.

Bats/Throws: L-R

School: Vanderbilt Commodores.

Coach: Tim Corbin.

Slot money: $418,700.

Scout: Jonathan Martin.

Previous Teams: Yavapai College,

Previous Coaches: Ryan Hanigan, Patrick Woods, Gary Miller.

Rankings: Ranked 162nd by MLB Pipeline ... 290th on Baseball America’s top 500.

2025 spring at Vanderbilt _ Three hits, including a two-run homer, vs. Kentucky ... Went 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and two runs scored at #15 Tennessee ... Three hits, an RBI and two runs scored in win at #23 Ole Miss ... Hit go-ahead two-run homer in fifth inning vs. No. 5 Georgia ... Went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored at Oklahoma ... Reached base all five trips to the plate, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a pair of walks at Florida ... Hit three-run homer in seventh inning vs. Texas A&M ... Had three hits, two RBIs and two runs scored in win over Valparaiso ... Was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBsI and three runs scored vs. Xavier ... Hit go-ahead grand slam in eighth inning of win over UC Irvine ... Singled home a run in first at-bat as a Commodore in Opening Day win at Grand Canyon.

Good genes: Father ran cross country at Marshall and mother played rugby in Canada ... Uncle ran cross country at Texas and cousin ran cross country at Youngstown State ... Has a brother, Connor, and sister, Mackenzie.

2024 summer with Williamsport Spikes, Draft League _ Hit .330 with eight doubles and 12 RBIs ... Had an .857 OPS in 25 games.

2024 spring at Yavapai College _ Hit .412 batting average, with 21 doubles, two triples, 13 homers, 55 RBIs ... As well, he had 29 walks and a 1.283 OPS playing in all 54 games ... Led the Roughriders in batting average, hits (70), doubles, homers (tied for first), RBIs, walks, OBP (.305) and SLG% (.788) ... In conference play, was ninth in runs scored, fourth in hits, first in doubles, tied for first in homers, second in RBIs, third in batting average, fourth in OBP and first in slugging ... Defensively, made just one error in 311 total chances for a fielding percentage of .997

2023 spring at Western Texas College _ Led team in hitting with a .355 average ... Had nine doubles, two triples, three homers and 36 RBIs ... Had a .986 OPS in 43 games.

2022 spring at Byron Nelson High _ Batted .455 with 32 RBIs to break the school’s single-season record for both average and RBIs.

Honours: 2025 spring at Vanderbilt _ SEC All-Tournament Team ... 2024 spring at Yavapai College _ Earned first-team all-conference and first-team all-region honors ... 2022 At Byron Nelson High _ 6-A first-team all-state as a senior ... helped team reach the Bi-District finals … 2021 at Byron Nelson High _ Helped lead team to 2021 Bi-District championship.

Scouting report:

Baseball America

School: Vanderbilt Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.6

Nelson is a hitterish first baseman with a solid track record of pure hitting ability. He led his Western Texas JC team in hitting in 2023, moved to Yavapai (Ariz.) JC in 2024 where he hit over .400, then transferred to Vanderbilt for his 2025 junior season. He maintained his pure hitting prowess with Vanderbilt and slashed .344/.450/.526 with eight home runs, 13 doubles and just a 13.6% strikeout rate. Nelson’s numbers in conference play were actually better than his overall line. A 6-foot-3, 220-pound lefthanded hitter, Nelson competes in the box with a keen batting eye and a short, tight swing that comes from a crouched setup and a swing that is often closed off heavily in his stride. Nelson’s swing and approach limits his power output—he will flash solid pullside juice at times—but allows him to spray the ball to all fields on a line. Without showing more power, Nelson has a challenging first base profile. He could potentially fit in left field but will be challenged there given his athleticism and below-average speed.