In 1985, University of Hawai‘i pitcher Mike Campbell was selected with the seventh overall pick of the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Later in that same draft, ‘Iolani alumnus and 6-foot-9 University of California righty Dave Masters was taken 24th overall by the Chicago Cubs. It was the first and only time two players with Hawai‘i ties were selected in the first round in the same MLB Draft.
Forty years later, a new type of history is set to be made regarding players from the Islands in the MLB Draft.
Saint Louis alumnus Aiva Arquette and Baldwin alum Wehiwa Aloy are both poised to become first round selections when the 2025 MLB Draft gets underway on Sunday at noon HST. The duo would become the first from Hawai‘i high schools to do so.
Arquette and Aloy both had stellar seasons in the spring, leading their respective college teams to the College World Series in June.
Following his senior season at Saint Louis, Arquette was taken in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft but instead chose to play collegiately at the University of Washington. After two years with the Huskies, Arquette entered the NCAA transfer portal and transferred to Oregon State, where he slugged 19 home runs while committing just six errors as the team’s starting shortstop. All the while, his .354 batting average led the Beavers.
Aloy began his collegiate career at Sacramento State. After earning Freshman All-American honors, he entered the transfer portal and played the final two seasons of his collegiate baseball career at the University of Arkansas.
In 2025, Aloy took home the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the country’s top amateur baseball player. He started all 65 games for the Razorbacks in 2025, hitting 21 home runs with a .350 batting average.
Although Aloy was awarded college baseball’s top individual honor, the 6-foot-5 Arquette is viewed as the slightly better pro prospect. Arquette is viewed as a Top 10 pick, while Aloy is also expected to be off the board by the time the first round ends.
The 2025 MLB Draft begins on Sunday with rounds 1-3 and wraps up on Monday with rounds 4-20 beginning at 5:30 a.m. HST. Although Arquette and Aloy are viewed as Hawai‘i’s headliners in the draft, a handful of other names remain on the radar for teams making selections.
Not far behind Arquette and Aloy as a prospect is Saint Louis shortstop and 2025 Hawai‘i Gatorade Player of the Year Bruin Agbayani. Although he signed a scholarship agreement with the University of Michigan, he is likely to get selected within the first five rounds.
Throughout various showcases and tournaments, Agbayani’s bat has proven to travel well. He turned heads in June’s MLB Combine in Arizona, stacking up hits against some of the top arms in the country.
‘Iolani senior Mana Lau Kong signed with the University of Hawai‘i, but there’s also a chance he doesn’t make it campus after being monitored by various MLB organizations.
With the increasing amount of pro scouts taking in regular season high school baseball games in Hawai‘i, the two that appeared to receive the most interest from pro scouts in 2025 were Kamehameha’s Elai Iwanaga and Kaiser’s Bryson Toner. Iwanaga is set to play collegiately at UCLA, while Toner will play at Loyola Marymount if he does not go pro this summer.
Mililani senior shortstop Malosi Mata’afa-Alferos also received pro looks over the course of his high school career, though he is considered more likely to move on to the University of Oregon in the fall rather than turn professional.
In the local collegiate baseball scene, Hawai‘i Pacific University’s Bronson Rivera caught the attention of scouts with his 2025 season in which he hit a program record 19 home runs while maintaining a .377 batting average.
As for the University of Hawai‘i, sophomore Itsuki Takemoto is viewed as the program’s top draft-eligible prospect. Utility player Ben Zeigler-Namoa has received pro interest dating back to his days as a junior college player at Yavapai College in Arizona, and his passion for the game has been lauded by scouts.
Matthew Miura, Jordan Donahue, Jared Quandt and Kamana Nahaku are other draft-eligible names for UH that have previously received pro interest.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.