Growing up, many Little Leaguers® dream of one day making it to the big stage and playing Major League Baseball. While many Little League® graduates eventually go on to pursue fulfilling careers in something other than baseball, a select group of alumni get to live out their dreams each year as they hear their names called by the Baseball Commissioner at the MLB Draft.
Below is the list of 30 Little League graduates who were selected among the top 75 picks in the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft this year in Secaucus, N.J.
| Player Name | Little League | Draft Selection | MLB Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan India | North Springs LL (Coral Springs, Fla.) | 5 | Reds |
| Carter Stewart | Eau Gallie (Fla.) LL | 8 | Braves |
| Connor Scott | Tampa Bay (Fla.) LL | 13 | Marlins |
| Logan Gilbert | Apopka (Fla.) National LL | 14 | Mariners |
| Cole Winn | North Boulder (Colo.) LL | 15 | Rangers |
| Nolan Gorman | Deer Valley LL (Glendale, Az.) | 19 | Cardinals |
| Anthony Seigler | Cartersville (Ga.) LL | 23 | Yankees |
| Matthew McLain | Tustin (Calif.) Eastern LL | 25 | Diamondbacks |
| Mason Denaburg | North Merrit Island (Fla.) LL | 27 | Nationals |
| Shane McClanahan | Cape Coral (Fla.) National LL | 31 | Rays |
| Nick Schnell | Southport (Ind.) American LL | 32 | Rays |
| Daniel Lynch | Tuckahoe (Va.) LL | 34 | Royals |
| Gunnar Hoglund | Greater Hudson (Fla.) LL | 36 | Pirates |
| Cadyn Grenier | Paseo Verde (Nev.) LL – 2008 West Region Tournament | 37 | Orioles |
| Kristofer Bubic | Moreland District (Calif.) LL | 40 | Royals |
| Grant Lavigne | Bedford (N.H.) LL – 2012 East Region Tournament | 42 | Rockies |
| Griffin Roberts | Huguenot (Va.) National LL | 43 | Cardinals |
| Lyon Richardson | Jensen Beach (Fla.) LL | 47 | Reds |
| Braxton Ashcraft | Robinson (Texas) LL | 51 | Pirates |
| Osiris Johnson | Alameda (Calif.) LL | 53 | Marlins |
| Owen White | Rowan (N.C.) LL | 55 | Rangers |
| Jeremiah Jackson | Westside (Ala.) LL | 57 | Angels |
| Josh Breaux | Tomball (Texas) LL | 61 | Yankees |
| Alek Thomas | Morganton (N.C.) LL | 63 | Diamondbacks |
| Tim Cate | Manchester (Conn.) LL | 65 | Nationals |
| Jayson Schroeder | Kirkland (Wash.) National LL | 66 | Astros |
| Tanner Dodson | West Sacramento (Calif.) LL | 71 | Rays |
| Josiah Gray | New Rochelle (N.Y.) LL | 72 | Reds |
| Grant Little | Lubbock (Texas) Western LL | 74 | Padres |
| Luken Baker | Orwall (Texas) LL | 75 | Cardinals |
In addition to Little League graduates who were chosen among the top 75 picks, there were a handful of draft selections who had strong ties to the Little League World Series.
William (English) Holmes (Taylor (Mich.) LL), a standout player from the Central Region Champions at the 2014 Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division World Series, was selected in the fifth round (151st overall) by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Matthew Duce (Sierra Vista (Ariz.) LL), who’s father, Greg, was a member of Team Canada in the 1977 Little League Baseball World Series, was selected in the ninth round (273 overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Chris Holba (KMC American LL – Ramstein Air Base, Germany), drafted in the 11th round (333 overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals, represented the Europe Region at the 2009 Little League Baseball World Series, hitting a grand slam in his final at bat of a 14-13 loss to Canada.
Troy Montemayor (McAllister Park (Texas) American LL), drafted in the 25th round (753 overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals, played in the 2009 Little League Baseball World Series as the representatives of the Southwest Region.
Throughout the course of its history, Little League graduates have seen a large amount of success at the Major-League level. In total, 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 25 confirmed members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame who started their baseball careers playing Little League®. Last year, four Little League Baseball World Series alumni got the call in the first two rounds of the draft for the first time in history.
NOTE: If you know of a player that we have missed, please e-mail the information, including name, current Major League team and the name of the city or town 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.