The first player drafted from the University of Virginia in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft is second baseman Henry Godbout, who was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the second round with the 75th pick. Godbout, who primarily played second base for Virginia, entered the transfer portal with the departure of longtime head coach Brian O’Connor last month after a stellar three-year career in Charlottesville. While Godbout is the first player selected from UVA, Cavaliers commit Nick Becker was selected by the Seattle Mariners earlier in the draft.

Godbout finished 2025 with a .309 average, eight home runs, 10 doubles, and 37 RBIs. Godbout was a stellar hitter throughout his collegiate career, finishing with a .321/.415/.514 slash line with 20 HR and 122 RBIs across 552 at-bats. His 2024 season was his best, finishing sixth in the ACC and leading the Virginia roster with a .372 average to go along with a ridiculous 1.117 OPS. His sophomore campaign earned him 2024 second-team All-American honors (Baseball America), and a 2025 Preseason First Team All-American nod (D1Baseball).

Godbout was ranked as the 72nd overall prospect by MLB.com, who described the second baseman as a “prototypical Virginia hitter” and “a solid all-around baseball player with tools that play up thanks to a high baseball IQ.” His scouting report further breaks down his presence at the plate; “He makes consistent hard contact from the right side of the plate and doesn’t chase or swing-and-miss much. He could end up with better than average power when all is said and done.”

After a strong career in Charlottesville culminated in Godbout’s departure for the transfer portal, Godbout will soon begin a career in the Boston Red Sox farm system. UVA continues to be a strong producer of Major League talent, adding Godbout’s name to a list of recent draftees that includes Kyle Teel, Jake McCarthy, Zack Gelof, Griff O’Ferrall, and Ethan Anderson.

Here is his scouting profile courtesy of mlb.com:

“The University of Virginia has consistently produced solid hitters who end up in the big leagues, most recently Jake McCarthy and Zack Gelof, and in 2024, Griff O’Ferrall and Ethan Anderson went in the top two rounds. The 2025 class has another pair of Cavaliers who could go in the same range in Henry Ford and Godbout, an infielder coming off a sophomore season that saw him finish with an OPS of 1.117 and earn second-team All-American honors from Baseball America.

In many ways, Godbout is the prototypical Virginia hitter, a solid all-around baseball player with tools that play up thanks to a high baseball IQ. He makes consistent hard contact from the right side of the plate and doesn’t chase or swing-and-miss much (14 percent miss rate in 2024). He could end up with better than average power when all is said and done, with most of it coming right now to his pull side. Godbout appeared to have added some strength this fall, but looked a little stiffer as a result. He’s a fringy runner and that might be trending in the wrong direction with that added bulk.

There was some hope Godbout would get time at shortstop this coming season; not that he’d be able to play there long-term but so scouts could see how athletic he could be, and he did play a few games at the premium position during his brief Cape Cod League stint. But he’s played second base almost exclusively and that added physicality has hampered his range at the keystone, making it unclear where he might profile best defensively long term.”