Growing up, Little Leaguers® all around the world dream of one day having their names called by the Baseball Commissioner at the MLB Draft. For 16 former Little Leaguers®, that dream came true on June 3 as they were selected among the top 50 picks in the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft this year in Secaucus, N.J.
Below are the members of the 2019 Top 50 Draft Class who got their start playing in Little League:
Player Name | Little League | Overall Draft Selection | MLB Club |
Andrew Vaughn | Mark West Youth Club LL | 3rd | Chicago White Sox |
JJ Bleday | Titusville Area LL | 4th | Miami Marlins |
Nick Lodolo | La Verne LL | 7th | Cincinnati Reds |
Shea Langeliers | Cascade LL | 9th | Atlanta Braves |
Hunter Bishop | San Carlos National LL | 10th | San Francisco Giants |
Corbin Carroll | Queen Anne LL | 16th | Arizona Diamondbacks |
George Kirby | Rye LL | 20th | Seattle Mariners |
Michael Toglia | Gig Harbor LL | 23rd | Colorado Rockies |
Korey Lee | Vista National LL | 32nd | Houston Astros |
Sammy Siani | Oreland-Wyndmoor LL | 37th | Pittsburgh Pirates |
Davis Wendzel | San Clemente LL | 41st | Texas Rangers |
Cameron Cannon | Arrowhead LL | 43rd | Boston Red Sox |
Brady McConnell | Merrit Island LL | 44th | Kansas City Royals |
Joshua Mears | Federal Way American LL | 48th | San Diego Padres |
Rece Hinds | Niceville Valparaiso LL | 49th | Cincinnati Reds |
Ryan Garcia | Sierra Madre LL | 50th | Texas Rangers |
In addition to Little League graduates who were chosen among the top 50, there were a handful of draft selections who even made an appearance at the Little League Baseball® World Series.
- Griffin McLarty – North Oldham LL (La Grange, Ky.) – 2011 LLBWS – 8th Round (228th Overall) – Baltimore Orioles
- Chris Wright – Cumberland (R.I.) American LL – 2011 LLBWS – 12th Round (356th Overall) – San Francisco Giants
- Chad Knight – Westport (Conn.) LL – 2013 LLBWS – 31st Round (945th Overall) – New York Yankees
- Adrian Colon – Miguel Luzunaris LL (Humacao, Puerto Rico) – 37th Round (1,109th Overall) – Minnesota Twins
- Alex Garbrick – Keystone LL (Lock Haven, Pa.) – 40th Round (1,215th Overall)
Throughout the course of its history, Little League graduates have seen a large amount of success at the Major-League level, with more than 100 alumni currently playing on the biggest stage. In total, there are also more than 50 confirmed graduates who have played in the Little League Baseball World Series have gone on to play Major League Baseball and there are more than 25 confirmed members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame who started their baseball careers playing Little League.
NOTE: If you know of a player that we have missed, please e-mail the information, including name, draft information, and the name of the city, town, and league where they played Little League, to [email protected].
Feel free to share your Little League alumni story on social media by tagging @LittleLeague and by using #LLAlumni in your posts.