Valley League alums well-represented in 2017 MLB Draft

The Valley Baseball League was well represented in the 2017 MLB Draft, with a first round selection and eight alums taken in the top eight rounds.

Overall, at least 44 former VBL players were drafted, easily eclipsing last year’s total of 26.

Nate Pearson, who had a brief stint with the Staunton Braves in 2016, went in the first round at #28 overall to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Staunton also had former pitcher Garrett Cave go in the fourth round to San Francisco, and Nick Margevicius in the seventh round to San Diego.

2015 Valley Leaguers Michael Gigliotti (Covington) and Wills Montgomerie (Waynesboro) were selected in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively.

Harrisonburg alum Ben Breazeale came off the board in the seventh round, one of three Wake Forest/Turks players to be selected (along with Donnie Sellers and Jonathan Pryor).

The Charlottesville Tom Sox had their first-ever draft selection when Seattle took Billy Cooke in the eighth round. Two others from that inaugural Charlottesville team were also chosen – Kyle Davis and Brett Pope.

After just one VBL player went in the top eight rounds last year, 2016 MVP Zach Sterry became the eighth this season when he was chosen by the Boston Red Sox.

Current players selected included Purcellville’s Tyler Ratliff and Will Reed (who did not make an appearance in 2017), and Front Royal pitcher Ted Andrews.

(1-28) Nate Pearson, RHP, Central Florida, Toronto Blue Jays (Staunton ‘16)
(4-120) Michael Gigliotti, CF, Lipscomb, Kansas City Royals (Covington ‘15)
(4-126) Garrett Cave, RHP, Tampa, San Francisco Giants (Staunton ‘15)
(6-190) Wills Montgomerie, RHP, Connecticut, Los Angeles Dodgers (Waynesboro ‘15)
(7-198) Nick Margevicius, LHP, Rider, San Diego Padres (Staunton ‘15)
(7-218) Ben Breazeale, C, Wake Forest, Baltimore Orioles (Harrisonburg ‘14)
(8-243) Billy Cooke, CF, Coastal Carolina, Seattle Mariners (Charlottesville ‘15)
(8-251) Zach Sterry, 1B, Oakland, Boston Red Sox (Waynesboro ‘16)
(11-321) Ryan Gridley, SS, Mississippi State, Oakland A’s (Waynesboro ‘15)
(11-338) Trevor Craport, UTIL, Georgia Tech, Baltimore Orioles (Harrisonburg ‘16)
(11-339) Donnie Sellers, RHP, Wake Forest, Toronto Blue Jays (Harrisonburg ‘16)
(13-385) Kevin Williams, LF, Samford, Los Angeles Angels (Front Royal ‘16)
(13-398) Reed Hayes, RHP, Vanderbilt, Baltimore Orioles (Staunton ‘15)
(15-451) Kyle Davis, 2B, West Virginia, Houston Astros (Charlottesville ‘15)
(15-458) Juan Escarra, 1B, Florida International, Baltimore Orioles (Staunton ‘14)
(17-524) Tyler Ratliff, 3B, Marshall, Texas Rangers (Purcellville ’16-‘17)
(18-551) Dominic LoBrutto, LHP, Florida International, Boston (Winchester ‘16)
(19-574) Irving Lopez, 2B, Florida International, St.Louis (Staunton ‘16)
(19-583) Jonathan Pryor, OF, Wake Forest, Washington Nationals (Harrisonburg ‘16)
(20-598) Will Reed, RHP, Harford CC, Pittsburgh Pirates (Purcellville ’16-‘17)
(21-618) Greg Lambert, CF, S. Illinois Carbondale, San Diego (Front Royal ‘15)
(22-655) James Ziemba, LHP, Duke, Arizona (Harrisonburg ‘14-‘15)
(22-658) Brett Pope, SS, Western Carolina, Pittsburgh (Charlottesville ‘15)
(23-681) Malik Jones, RHP, Missouri Baptist, Oakland (Purcellville/Harrisonburg ‘16)
(24-732) Riley Echols, RHP, Freed Hardeman, Cleveland (Charles Town ‘15)
(24-734) Brooks Wilson, RHP, Stetson, Texas (Waynesboro ‘15)
(25-765) Mitch Stophel, RHP, King, Chicago Cubs (Front Royal ‘16)
(26-772) Abraham Almonte, LHP, Philadelphia, Arizona (Strasburg ’16)
(26-776) Aubrey McCarty, RF, Florida A&M, Colorado (Waynesboro ‘15)
(26-785) Drew Crosby, LHP, Memphis, Detroit (Winchester ‘15)
(26-793) Kameron Esthay, OF, Baylor, Washington (Harrisonburg ‘15)
(27-808) David Lee, RHP, Florida, Pittsburgh (Winchester ‘15-‘16)
(27-810) Nick Hutchins, C, S. Illinois Carbondale, Kansas City (Front Royal ‘15)
(27-812) Alex Mauricio, RHP, Norfolk State, New York Yankees (Waynesboro ‘15)
(28-835) Bernabe Camargo, SS, Galveston, Arizona Diamondbacks (Front Royal ‘16)
(28-848) Zach Jarrett, OF, UNC Charlotte, Baltimore (Woodstock ‘14)
(29-876) Frank Rubio, RHP, Florida, San Francisco (Front Royal ‘16)
(30-891) Cody Puckett, LHP, Middle Tennessee, Oakland (Front Royal ‘15)
(31-936) Keenan Bartlett, RHP, Richmond, San Francisco (Winchester ’15)
(33-996) Peyton Maddox, C, VMI, San Francisco (Charles Town ‘15, Staunton ‘16)
(34-1019) Karl Craigie, LHP, UT San Antonio, Miami (Charles Town ‘14)
(35-1060) Colby Nealy, RHP, Washington State, LA Dodgers (Strasburg ‘15)
(37-1107) Ted Andrews, RHP, Tulane, Chicago White Sox (Front Royal ’17)
(39-1185) Cooper Coldiron, INF, Houston, Chicago Cubs (Charles Town ‘15)