Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

Article By: Daniel Curren

Day one of the MLB draft has wrapped up. After two rounds and 70 picks, 29 current and former Cape Cod Baseball League players were selected to begin their careers in professional baseball.

Paul Skenes (Wareham ‘21) was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the number 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Skenes struck out 11 batters in eight innings pitched with the Gatemen in 2021. During his junior year at LSU, Skenes dominated with a 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings. He struck out 209 batters and walked just 20. He was a vital piece in LSU’s National Championship winning team in 2023. He is the 5th former Cape Leaguer in the last 6 years to be selected #1 overall pick.

Jacob Wilson (Orleans ‘22) was selected by the Oakland Athletics as the number 6 pick in the draft. Wilson hit .278 in 10 games played for Orleans in 2022 with 1 home run in 4 RBI. In his junior year at Grand Canyon, he hit .412 with a 1.096 OPS in 49 games played. He tallied 6 home runs and just 5 strikeouts in 217 plate appearances.

Nolan Schanuel (Hyannis ‘22) was selected by the Los Angeles Angels as the number 11 pick in the draft. In 36 games played for the Harbor Hawks in 2022, Schanuel got on base at a .342 clip. He tallied 1 home run, 11 RBI, and 4 stolen bases. In his junior year at Florida Atlantic, he hit .447 for a 1.483 OPS. He slugged 19 home runs and swiped 14 bases.

Tommy Troy (Wareham ‘21, Cotuit ‘22) was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the number 12 pick in the draft. Troy hit .299 with a .842 OPS in 133 plate appearances for Wareham in 2021, and he hit .310 with a .917 OPS in 127 plate appearances for Cotuit in 2022. In his junior year at Stanford, he hit .394 with a 1.177 OPS in 293 plate appearances. He tallied 17 home runs and 17 stolen bases.

Matt Shaw (Bourne ‘22) was selected by the Chicago Cubs as the number 13 pick in the draft. Shaw was the MVP of the Cape League in 2022, hitting .360 with a 1.006 OPS for the Braves in 155 plate appearances. In his junior year at Maryland, he hit .341 with a 1.142 OPS in 317 plate appearances. He posted 24 home runs and 18 stolen bases.

Kyle Teel (Harwich ‘22) was selected by the Boston Red Sox as the number 14 pick in the draft. In eight games played for Harwich in 2022, Teel tallied three hits, a double, and four walks. In his junior year with Virginia, Teel hit .407 with a 1.130 OPS in 297 plate appearances. He hit 13 home runs and 25 doubles.

Enrique Bradfield Jr. (Cotuit ‘22) was selected by the Baltimore Orioles as the number 17 pick in the draft. In 11 games played for Cotuit in 2022, Bradfield Jr. posted a .348 OBP in 46 plate appearances. In his junior year at Vanderbilt, Bradfield hit .279 with a .839 OPS. He tallied 6 home runs and 37 stolen bases in 299 plate appearances.

Brock Wilken (Harwich ‘21-22) was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers as the number 18 pick in the draft. In 68 games played between two Cape League seasons, Wilken hit .269 with a .873 OPS in 291 plate appearances. In his junior year at Wake Forest, Wilken slugged 31 home runs, hitting .345 with a 1.313 OPS. He also posted an impressive .506 OBP.

Brayden Taylor (Falmouth ‘21-22) was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays as the number 19 pick in the draft. In 37 games between two Cape League seasons, Taylor posted a .370 OBP in 162 plate appearances. In his junior year at TCU, Taylor hit .308 with a 1.061 OPS in 321 plate appearances. He tallied 23 home runs and 14 stolen bases.

Chase Davis (Wareham ‘22) was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals as the number 21 pick in the draft. In 15 games played with Wareham in 2022, Davis posted a .379 OBP in 66 plate appearances. In his junior year at Arizona, he hit .362 with a 1.231 OPS. He tallied 21 home runs and 74 RBIs in 278 plate appearances.

Former Cape League players that were taken in the 2nd round include Yohandy Morales (Wareham ‘21) from Miami to the Nationals at 40, Ryan Lasko (Brewster ‘22) from Rutgers to the Athletics at 41, Mitch Jebb (Hyannis ‘22) from Michigan State to the Pirates at 42, Max Anderson (Bourne ‘21, Wareham ‘22) from Nebraska to the Tigers at 45, Sean Sullivan (Harwich ‘22) from Wake Forest to the Rockies at 46, Gino Groover (Harwich ‘22) from North Carolina State to the Diamondbacks at 48, Luke Keaschall (Orleans ‘21-22) from Arizona State to the Twins at 49, Grant Taylor (Yarmouth-Dennis ‘22) from Washington State to the White Sox at 51, Mac Horvath (Bourne ‘22) from UNC to the Orioles at 53, Mike Boeve (Yarmouth-Dennis ‘22) from Nebraska-Omaha to the Brewers at 54, Brandon Sproat (Chatham ‘21) from Florida to the Mets at 56, Ben Williamson (Hyannis ‘23) from William and Mary to the Mariners at 57, Jake Gelof (Harwich ‘22) from Virginia to the Dodgers at 60, Andrew Walters (Wareham ‘21) from Miami to the Guardians at 62, Caden Grice (Chatham ‘21-22) from Clemson to the Diamondbacks at 64, Cole Carrigg (Yarmouth-Dennis ‘22) from San Diego State to the Rockies at 65, Carson Roccaforte (Bourne ‘22) from Louisiana-Lafayette to the Royals at 66, Joe Whitman (Cotuit ‘22-23) from Kent State to the Giants at 69, and Cade Kuehler (Brewster ‘22) from Campbell to the Astros at 70.

Tomorrow’s continuation of the MLB Draft will begin at 2 p.m. with rounds 3-10.