Major League Baseball reached out to its next generation of players with the 20-round MLB Draft, last week in Texas. As we reported last week, Wake Forest took center stage in the first round, with three Demon Deacons—Chase Burns, Nick Kurtz and Seaver King—selected in the first 10 picks. ECU’s Trey Yesavage and UNC’s Vance Honeycutt were also taken in the first round.
The first day of the draft went through the second round, which saw Duke’s Jonathan Santucci and NC State’s Jacob Cozart taken.
The draft went on for two more days, and a total of 46 athletes who played high school or college baseball for a team in the state were selected, with at least one in-state player going in each of the first 19 rounds.
Here’s a look at the North Carolina to MLB pipeline from this year.
North Carolina High Schools:
In addition to Honeycutt (Salisbury) and Cozart (Wesleyan Chrisitan Academy), another 25 alumni of high school baseball across the state were drafted.
Among current high school players, East Rowan shortstop Cobb Hightower was the first taken, getting drafted by San Diego in the third round, No. 88 overall.
The draft has put a premium on college experience, and only one other high school player from the state was drafted, and it took until round 19. Cox Mill High’s Braylon Whitaker was taken by the Orioles. The outfielder was selected No. 579 overall.
The other 23 former N.C. high school players went on to play in college, either in or outside of the state.
Fuquay Varina produced a pair of draftees. Righthander Daniel Eagen, who played in college at Presbyterian, was taken in the third round, 102 overall, by Arizona. Catcher Ryan McCrystal, who played at ECU, was taken in the ninth round, No. 269, by Cincinnati. The pair were teammates at Fuquay Varina in the class of 2021, winning a pair of state championships.
Reagan’s Josh Hartle, who pitched at Wake Forest, was taken by Pittsburgh in round three, No. 83.
Cary Green Hope shortstop Payton Green, who played at Georgia Tech, went No. 184, in the sixth round, to Miami. Kernersville Glenn’s Garrett Horn, a lefthander who pitched at Liberty University, went to Texas later in the round, at 195.
Here are the rest of the high schoolers:
Luke Craig, LHP, Southern Lee, UNC-W, Round 7, No. 224, Arizona
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart, OF, Southeast Guilford, ECU, Round 8, No. 244, Miami.
Sam Garcia, LHP, E.A. Laney, High Point and Oklahoma State, 8, 245, Milwaukee
RJ Sales, RHP, Pinecrest, UNC-W, 10, 296, Detroit
Merritt Beeker, LHP, North Davidson, Ball State, 11, 320, Washington
Dalton Pence, LHP, Cherryville, UNC, 11, 345, Texas
Brandon Butterworth, SS, Sun Valley, NC State, 12, 360, San Diego
AJ Wilson, LHP, East Surry, East Carolina and Charlotte, 12, 372, Philadelphia
Sam Kulasingam, 3B, Holly Springs, Air Force, 13, 377, Kansas City
Dillon Lewis, OF, Ardrey Kell, Queens, 13, 391, NY Yankees
Austin St. Laurent, 3B, Western Alamance, Appalachian State, 14, 423, Seattle
Jordan Little, RHP, Hickory Grove, Christian, Virginia Tech, 15, 449, Cincinnati
Jonathan Todd, RHP, Rockingham, Western Carolina, 15, 457, Toronto
William Gervase, LHP, Harnett, Wake Forest, 16, 472, LA Angels
Aidan Haugh, RHP, East Wake, UNC, 16, 488, Minnesota
Jacob Shafer, RHP, SW Guilford, UNC-W, 17, 521, Atlanta
Gus Hughes, RHP, Grimsley, High Point, 18, 541, NY Yankees
Logan Whitaker, RHP, Ledford, NC State, 19, 578, Minnesota
Lefthander Brandon Clarke, a Cary native who played high school and college ball out of state, was taken in round 5, 148 overall, by Boston.
North Carolina colleges
In addition to Burns, Kurtz, King, Hartle and Gervase, Wake Forest saw righthander Michael Massey taken by Detroit in round four, No. 114.
UNC had six players taken: Honeycutt, Pence and Haugh, as well as
Casey Cook, OF, 3, 103, Texas
Anthony Donofrio, OF, 10, 303, Seattle
Shea Sprague, LHP, 13, 387, Boston
After Santucci in the second round, Duke had four more players taken:
Charlie Beilinson, RHP, 5, 154, Seattle
Nicholas Conte, RHP, 8, 227, Kansas City
Fran Oschell, RHP, 12, 352, LA Angels
Jimmy Romano, RHP, 16, 479, Cincinnati
The remaining college players in the state drafted are:
NC State (4 total)
Eli Serrano, OF, 4, 111, NY Mets
East Carolina (6)
Carter Cunningham, OF, 10, 307, Toronto
Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman, RHP, 16, 483, Seattle
Erik Ritchie, LHP, 19, 582, Philadelphia
High Point (3)
Peyton Carr, 3B, 10, 308, Minnesota
Charlotte (2)
Ryan Degges, RHP, 17, 522, Philadelphia
Campbell (2)
Grant Knipp, 2-way player, 6, 183, Seattle
Cole Peschi, RHP, 15, 458, Minnesota
Davidson (1)
Jacob Friend, C, 6, 179, Cincinnati
NC A&T (1)
Canyon Brown, C, 9, 257, Kansas City
Lenoir-Rhyne (1)
Zach Evans, SS, 9, 270, San Diego
Wingate (1)
Sean Barnett, 2-way player, 11, 330, San Diego
