A total of 51 players from the state of North Carolina were selected in the three-day MLB Draft last week. Thirty nine players for colleges in the state were selected, along with 12 players who played high school ball in North Carolina.
Wake Forest, who lost in the championship round of the College World Series, was most represented, with a program-record 10 players selected, the second most of any NCAA school.
Three Deacs, Rhett Lowder, Brock Wilken and Sean Sullivan, were taken on Day One, which we recapped last week. A half dozen more were taken on Day Two:
Round 3, pick 84 – Seth Keener, RHP, Chicago White Sox
3/92 – Teddy McGraw, RHP, Seattle Mariners
6/170 – Bennett Lee, C, Detroit Tigers
6/174 – Camden Minacci, RHP, Los Angeles Angels
6/188 – Tommy Hawke, OF, Cleveland Guardians
10/289 – Justin Johnson, INF, Kansas City Royals
Lowder signed with the Reds for a $5.7 million bonus. McGraw ($600,000), Lee (undisclosed) and Minacci ($328,500) have also signed.
One final Deac was selected on day three: 20/613 – Pierce Bennett, OF/INF, Philadelphia Phillies.
NC State and Charlotte, the two schools that first-day pick Gino Groover played for in college, each produced another four draft picks on the final two days.
State’s contingent were all taken on day three:
12/356 – Carter Trice, INF/OF, Chicago Cubs
15/446 – Rio Britton, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
15/456 – Justin Lawson, RHP, New York Mets
18/527 – Kalae Harrison, INF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Charlotte’s draftees included:
4/123 Wyatt Hudepohl, RHP, New York Mets
4/131 Cameron Fisher, OF, Houston Astros
5/154 Jake Cunningham, OF, Baltimore Orioles
16/470 Donye Evans, RHP, Detroit Tigers
It’s the third time in school history that at least four 49ers have been drafted. The others were in 2017 and 2008.
Duke saw four former Blue Devils get their names called during the draft. It’s the fewest Duke draftees since two were selected in the COVID abbreviated 2020 draft, and the fewest in a full draft since three were taken in 2017.
6/191 – Jay Beshears, INF, San Diego Padres
7/218 – Alex Mooney, SS, Cleveland Guardians
10/303 – Adam Boucher, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
17/520 – Luke Fox, LHP/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Campbell also had four players drafted.
The Camels saw Cade Kuehler taken on the first day, followed by:
7/217 Ty Cummings, RHP, Seattle Mariners
14/427 Ernie Day, RHP, Seattle Mariners
16/476 Daniel Brown, LHP, Chicago Cubs
Cummings signed with the Mariners for an undisclosed bonus amount.
UNC had three players selected. It’s the third time in four years UNC has had three or fewer players taken in a draft after seeing 59 Tar Heels get drafted in the nine years between 2011 and 2019.
Mac Horvath was taken on day one, followed by:
12/358 – Max Carlson, RHP, Boston Red Sox
15/462 – Tomas Frick, C, New York Yankees
For the first time since 2011, Davidson had two players drafted.
5/149 Michael Carico, C, Chicago Cubs
9/281 Ryan Wilson, OF, San Diego Padres
Carico became the highest drafted Wildcat since Robert Eenhoorn in 1990. He signed for an undisclosed bonus.
ECU, Wingate and UNC-Wilmington each had two players drafted.
For UNC-W:
11/336 Brett Banks, RHP, New York Mets
18/553 Ethan Chenault, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
Banks was the highest drafted UNC-W player since Greg Jones was taken in the first round in 2019.
For Wingate, who had multiple players taken for the first time since 2005:
9/256 Corey Avant, RHP, Oakland A’s
14/429 Mitch Farris, LHP/1B, Atlanta Braves
Avant was the highest drafted player from Wingate since 1984 and signed for $185,100.
The following Pirates got the call:
11/342 Josh Grosz, RHP, New York Yankees
16/485 Tyler Bradt, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
Three schools each had one player drafted:
Xavier Meachem is the highest drafted NC A&T player since Al Holland in 1975, when he was taken in the 10th round at No. 293 by the Miami Marlins. The RHP signed for an undisclosed bonus.
Appalachian State had its first player drafted since 2020:
14/417 Xander Hamilton RHP, Minnesota Twins.
Hamilton signed for $100,000.
Western Carolina had a player taken for the third straight draft:
20/614 Pascanel Ferreras, SS, Houston Astros
High school player Walter Jenkins was taken on day one. The following North Carolina residents who played college out of state were taken in the last two days:
3/77 Jack Mahoney, RHP, Weddington (U of South Carolina) Colorado Rockies
3/91 Nolan McLean RHP/OF, Willow Spring (Oklahoma State) New York Mets 747,600
3/99 Jake Bloss, RHP, Greensboro (Georgetown) Houston Astros
4/125 Cooper Ingle, C, Asheville (Clemson) Cleveland Guardians
6/175 Philip Abner, LHP, Charlotte (Florida) Arizona Diamondbacks
10/299 Zach Franklin, RHP, Marion (Missouri) Chicago White Sox
12/352 Bryson Hammer, LHP, Stony Point (Dallas Baptist) Colorado Rockies
13/403 Martin Gair, RHP, Concord (Florida Southwestern State) Philadelphia Phillies
14/421 Michael Forret, RHP, Indian Trail (State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota) Baltimore Orioles
17/514 Sam Kulasingam, 1B, Holly Springs (Air Force Academy) Toronto Blue Jays
19/578 Josh Harlow, RHP, Garner (Mercer) Cleveland Guardians
McLean signed for $747,600. Bloss and Franklin signed for undisclosed bonuses.
