I wrote this same piece last year and some of these names have already been making noise. Miguel Sime is a part of the Futures Game, Samuel Cozart is a potential first rounder next year after going to college instead of signing, and one of the honorable mentions (Cardell Thibodeaux) recently signed with the Braves after being released. It was also the first look many had at some of this year’s top prospects in Robert Omidi and Elliot Lascelles, who were a part of the Canadian Junior National Team.
In last year’s piece I wrote this about the Braves and how they view the MLB Draft League:
“As a reminder the MLB Draft League started play in 2021. The Braves selected Andrew Hoffmann and Samuel Strickland from there in 2021, Cedric De Grandpre, EJ Exposito, and Keshawn Ogans from there in 2022, Isaiah Drake and Riley Gowens in 2023, and in 2024 selected Jacob Kroeger. In addition Top 30 prospect Hayden Harris is an undrafted free agent who played there, and 2023 pick Sabin Ceballos played there the year prior to being drafted by the Braves. That’s 10 Braves draftees over the four year period the league has existed.”
Since then they have drafted Kade Woods in the 10th round and Nico Wagner in the 16th round. They have also added Cardell Thibodeaux as a minor league free agent. That takes the number up to 13 guys the Braves have added in the MLBDL’s five year history.
Aberdeen – Jui-Chieh Lin, RHP, Taiwan
Unheard of to many before he came over from Taiwan to join the MLB Draft League as a soon to be 24-year-old, Jui-Chieh Lin has the stuff to be a significant pick in the draft. His sinker up to 98.1 MPH got up to 2847 RPM and gets significant inverted vertical and horizontal movement. It’s no surprise that he picks up tons of whiffs with it. He also has a slider that had touched 2775 RPM which also gets plenty of whiffs. This is a player who despite the age has the stuff to move quickly into a big league bullpen role.
Honorable Mention – Owen Clyne, SS, George Mason; Bishop Quarles, OF, Florida JUCO; Chase Williams, OF, Florida State; Jordan Garza, RHP, Texas HS; Lyndon Glidewell, RHP, Miami; Frank Menendez, LHP, Miami; Daniel Nienaber, RHP, Virginia HS
Mahoning Valley – Jarren Purify, 2B, Clemson
While Clemson had a disappointing season this spring, Purify did not. He set new high marks for each part of his triple slash and had his fewest strikeouts in a season. That has only continued to the MLBDL, where he has slashed .316/.459/.579 with three doubles, four homers, 5-9 steals, 15 walks, and 18 strikeouts over his 74 plate appearances. Purify has worked almost all at second base, with a few games at short. He is showing the improved hit tool with a bit more power and fewer strikeouts. Add in that he’s still just 20, and there is something to like about him.
Honorable Mention – Tommy Harrison, OF, Miami(OH); Ryan Nelson, 3B, Mississippi JUCO; Carlos Sanchez, C, LSU Shreveport; Nick Williams, OF, Michigan State; Chris Billingsley, RHP, Mississippi State; David Lally, RHP, Michigan; Colton Semmelmann, LHP, Wisconsin HS; Ethan Stade, LHP, Bowling Green; Tommy Szczepanski, RHP, Michigan State; Hunter Watson, RHP, Oklahoma HS
State College – Dominic Pellegrin, SS, Louisiana HS
Dominic Pellegrin has been the best high school performer this year in the MLBDL. The 19-year-old shortstop has shown off his solid all around game while posting a .375/.569/.525 slash with four doubles, a triple, 11-13 in steals, and 13 walks to 13 strikeouts over 58 plate appearances against pitching a couple of years older than him. His contact and on base ability have really made him stand out here despite being among the younger players in the league. He’s going to get a chance to stick at short defensively, but he has split time here between short and second – showcasing his versatility. The Tulane commit may not have the loudest tools, but he also doesn’t have many holes either. JUCO arm Parker Burgess made this a tight competition for this spot.
Honorable Mention – Tyree Reed, OF, Jackson State; Parker Burgess, RHP, Florida JUCO; Max Hamilton, RHP, Kansas HS; Chase Meyer, RHP, formerly West Virginia; Garrett Shearer, RHP, Northwestern
Trenton – Brett Patten, OF, Florida Atlantic
An outfielder with a nice frame, Patten had a decent first season in D1 this year after coming from JUCO. Then after the season he came to the Draft League and has taken it to another level. So far he is slashing .281/.471/.500 with six doubles, four triples, 18-19 in steals, 18 walks, and 18 strikeouts over his 87 plate appearances. He’s played all three outfield spots and first base, with his most action coming in left – nearly half of his innings are there. He got this spot over ASU star Dominic Longo (1.119 OPS, more walks than strikeouts) because he’s got considerably more playing time and has an on base of nearly .500.
Honorable Mention – Cade Climie, INF, Houston; Dominic Longo, INF/OF, Arizona State; Augie Lopez, C/1B, USC; Joek Rivera, INF, New Mexico JUCO; Teagan Scott, C, Oregon HS; Andrew Berg, RHP, Army; Cole Fehrman, LHP, Saint Joe’s; David Hinojosa, RHP, New York HS; Alex Kranzler, RHP, Vanderbilt; Luc Rising, RHP, Northeastern
West Virginia – Grayson Fitzwater, 1B, VMI
Fitzwater didn’t spend long in the MLBDL, but he made his impact. In three games he hit 5-10 with a double, three home runs, a steal, and three walks to one strikeout. Beyond the stat line he has a 95.1 MPH average exit velocity, 33.3% barrel rate, and hard hit % of 66.7. It’s a tiny sample size, but it still means something because scouts wondered how he would translate against better competition than he faced in the SoCon, where he is a career .305/.432/.636 hitter with 10+ HR and a 1.010+ OPS in each of his last three seasons. He might be a senior, but he’s got enough bat that he isn’t likely looking at true senior sign money. If not for Fitzwater’s loud three game stretch, this spot probably would have gone to JUCO arm Trenton Lape, a former LSU player.
Honorable Mention – Owen Henne, SS, Seton Hill; Kahanu Martinez, 2B, Hawaii HS; Derrick Tarpley, OF, Pitt; Gabe Barrett, RHP, San Francisco; Taz Butler, RHP, Kansas State; Trenton Lape, RHP, Florida JUCO; Collin McKinney, RHP, Arizona
Williamsport – Maddix Dalena, 1B, UConn
Through his first 87 plate appearances Dalena is hitting .233/.448/.417 with two doubles, three homers, 4-4 in steals, and 23 walks to 19 strikeouts. Dalena’s batting average might be a bit low, but the lefty has been a standout in terms of hard contact and not swinging and missing often. He has also been splitting his time between first and third base – though his future is likely to be at first. Dalena isn’t likely to be a very high selection, but he is showing something to work with for a 22-year-old prospect with some success at UConn.
Honorable Mention – Kyle Schuppman, 3B, Illinois; Chris Stanfield, OF, LSU; Ben Tryon, 1B, Dallas Baptist; Owen Price, OF, VMI; Chris Guillory, RHP, Georgia HS; David Horn, RHP, Middle Tennessee State; Myles Meyer, RHP, McNeese State; Dallis Moran, RHP, Stetson; Jackson Nash, RHP, Longwood; Enger Paulino, RHP, Saint Bonaventure; Brendan Sweeney, RHP, Mississippi State; Joe Webb, RHP, East Carolina
Team Canada – Elliot Lascelles, SS
It can’t be anyone else, as for the second straight year Lascelles stood out here against older competition. Lascelles slashed .394/.523/.545 with a double, two triples, 10 walks to just three strikeouts, and a perfect 8-8 in steals in 44 plate appearances. For a kid facing college competition, with a league average age of 2.8 years older than him, he didn’t just hold his own. It wasn’t just the slash line, he took at bats like a professional and showed his solid glove at both short and second. You can see from last year’s article that he was one of the honorable mentions from this team as an underclassman as well, speaking to just how mature he is as a young player. It should be noted that he outperformed teammate and fellow potential Top 100 pick Robert Omidi by a considerable amount over their nine game stint, though the top Canadian prospect (LHP Sean Duncan) missed playing due to injury.
Honorable Mention – Sam Ellis, OF, Jalen Jacob, 1B (2027)
Team Mexico – Jose Almeida, INF
Team Mexico struggled in their time up north in the MLBDL, going 0-9 and being outscored 86-33 in that time. Their prospects are also a little different, as they aren’t draft eligible and able to sign as international free agents. Infielder Jose Almeida was the biggest standout as a solid defender with infield versatility that hit .313/.500/.438 with two doubles, one steal, and six walks to four strikeouts over 22 plate appearances. Almeida only turned 17 in the middle of May
