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Former Futures Players in the 2018 MLB Draft

 It was a successful 2018 MLB Draft for the Futures League as 37 former and current rostered players heard their names called by Major League Teams this week. The first player taken was Grant Lavigne of Bedford, NH. He was taken by the Colorado Rockies during the CBA portion of the 1st Round with the 42nd overall pick.  A Wake Forest Commit, Lavigne was slated to play with the Nashua Silver Knights in 2018 but he’s expected to sign with the Rockies.

 He was followed by former Bristol Blue, Tim Cate, a left-handed pitcher from the University of Connecticut.  Cate was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 2nd round with the 65th pick.  Cate played with the Bristol Blues during the 2015 summer.  He also pitched for Team USA’s National Collegiate team during the 2016 and 2017 summers.  His curveball is considered one of the best in the 2018 draft.

Another Futures League 2015 alumni, Jeremy Pena, from the University of Maine was drafted in the 3rd round by the Houston Astros with the 102nd pick. Pena played for the Torrington Titans in 2015 and is known to be one of the top defensive shortstops in the country.

The draftee tenure spans as far back as 2014 all the way to the current season, covering a wide variety of generational talent that has come through the league over the years. The bulk of players selected in the draft had mostly played in the league during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The lone player from 2014 that was drafted was former Brockton Rox player Devlin Granberg, who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 6th round.

Granberg was actually the only player selected by the hometown MLB team, as there were many other teams in the MLB to select current and former Futures League stars. The New York Yankees were the team to select the most Future Leaguers with 5, followed by Arizona, Seattle, Colorado, and Oakland each drafting 3, and a multitude of teams drafting 1 or 2 each.

Other players of note in the draft include former Futures League All Star and MVP Mickey Gasper. The former Nashua Silver Knights catcher was selected in the 27th round by the New York Yankees. Gasper was also a 2016 champion with Nashua and was a standout player for Bryant University. Another selected player was Gasper’s teammate, Northeastern outfielder Charlie McConnell, who was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 13th round. Also included was 2016 Pittsfield Suns pitcher Austin Hansen from the University of Oklahoma, who was selected by the Houston Astros in the 8th round.

Many colleges were well represented with talent taken in the draft, as among drafted Futures players, Boston College and UConn each had 3 Future League players taken. This is followed by Northeastern, Wake Forest, and St. Thomas Aquainis each with 2.

Commissioner Chris Hall is ecstatic to just how far his league has come in just entering its 8th season. "This year's draft is a great testament to the increase of talent that continues to come through the Futures League and has us looking ahead to where we want to be several years down the road." says Chris Hall. He continues to say he has no doubt that the MLB would soon be scattered with Futures League alumni.

The Brockton Rox, Nashua Silver Knights, Martha’s Vineyard Sharks and Bristol Blues each had 6 players drafted. The North Shore Navigators and Worcester Bravehearts had 4 players selected while the former Futures League franchise Torrington Titans had 3 players taken. 

 

Draft List Attached Here