The MLB Draft League announced its First Half All-Draft League Team, headlined by 12 MLB Draft picks and another three who signed UDFA contracts. The team consists of two catchers, four infielders, four outfielders and 11 pitchers.
Catchers
C Boston Smith, Williamsport - Smith was one of the most sought after positional players in the first half and put together a quality summer on both sides of the ball, highlighted by a strong showing against the Cape Cod League at Citi Field. The Crosscutters backstop was second in the league with three home runs and led the way with a 37.5 CS% (9/24). Smith’s SLG of .434 was third among qualified catchers and he walked as often as he struck out with 13 apiece. Smith was a sixth-round selection in the MLB Draft, heading to the Washington Nationals organization.
C Truitt Madonna, Frederick - Madonna’s was one of the premiere high school bats in the Draft League this summer and his Hard Hit% of 46.2% was second best among catchers and fourth in the league. The San Diego Padres 11th-round pick slashed .279/.360/.512 (.872 OPS), and his two home runs were tied for the most among high school products.
Infielders
INF Judah Morris, West Virginia - Morris finished as one of the top all-around bats within the league, finishing top 10 in nine categories through 26 games. Finishing first in OPS (.862), the first baseman from Illinois State ranked second in slugging (.462), doubles (9, tied) and total extra base hits (12, tied). He also placed third in RBI (21), fifth in walks (19, tied), sixth in OBP (.400) and seventh in total bases (42, tied).
INF Tyler Pettorini, West Virginia - Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies, Pettorini showed a league-leading bat-to-ball skill and speed that translated into extra bases, steals and runs. Four of the 10 categories he ranked amongst the best in led the league with a .327 batting average, .469 slugging percentage, 37 hits and 53 total bases. The Ohio State graduate also finished second in OPS (.858), runs (29), and triples (2, tied) while finishing top 10 in stolen bases (15, tied-fifth), extra base hits (10, seventh) and OBP (.389).
INF Bruin Agbayani, Frederick - Agbayani was the Draft League’s second HS prospect off the board in the MLB Draft, going to the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round. The Hawaii native played in just 10 games and had a top ten exit velocity at 108.3 mph. Agbayani had six hits, six runs scored, six RBI, six walks and two stolen bases.
INF Dawson Willis, Frederick - Willis, an undrafted free agent with the Padres, led the way with four home runs and was one of the top offensive players in the first half. The Frederick Keys shortstop slashed .307/.361/.557 (.918 OPS) and also led the first-half in extra-base hits (13). The former Oklahoma Sooner finished top ten in hits (27), RBI (20) and doubles (8) all while playing some stellar defense at the shortstop position.
Outfielders
OF JuJu Stevens, Trenton - Stevens paced the league in doubles with 11 across 24 games for the Thunder, featuring three games where he recorded two. From Georgia Southern, Stevens’ league-leading doubles would guide him to finish tied for second in total extra base hits with 12 and ninth in total bases with 41. He would also finish tied for sixth in RBI with 19.
OF Max Hartman, Mahoning Valley - Hartman’s OPS of .959 was tops among qualified outfielders and second overall in the league. The Washington State Cougar slashed an impressive .339/.475/.484 with all three of those statistics being top five in the league. Hartman walked 12 times to 14 strikeouts and his 15 stolen bases ranked fifth. He also added one home run, a triple and four doubles.
OF Aaron Whitley, Trenton - The Richmond product made history in the Draft League as he set not only the first-half record, but the all-time record of stolen bases in a single season with 34. Amongst qualified hitters, Whitley also finished first in runs with 33, tied third in hits with 32 and ninth in batting average at .276 through 29 games.
OF Cardell Thibodeaux, Mahoning Valley - Thibodeaux made the most of his seven games in the Draft League this summer, racking up 11 hits with four going for extra-bases. The San Diego Padres 16th-round pick slashed .423/.545/.654 (1.199 OPS) walked (7) more than he struck out (4). Thibodeaux averaged a run scored per game (7), more than an RBI per game (9) and also swiped five bases.
Pitchers
RHP Sam Cozart, West Virginia - Cozart opened the season winning back-to-back Pitcher of the Week honors and the incoming Texas freshman had a staggering 26 strikeouts to two walks over four starts and 19 innings. The Black Bears right-hander had a 2.37 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, both top five among starters.
RHP Merit Jones, Williamsport - Jones was strong from start to finish in the first-half with a .137 BAA (2nd) and WHIP of 0.81 (3rd) which led to Week Four Pitcher of the Week honors. The Twins 14th-round selection appeared in eight games, working 21 innings with a 2.14 ERA and led the league with 33 strikeouts, while allowing just seven walks.
RHP Austin Newton, Mahoning Valley - Newton led the way in the first half with a 0.56 ERA four starts and 16 innings, leading to a 10th-round selection by the Colorado Rockies. The Mahoning Valley right-hander’s 0.88 WHIP was good for fourth in the league, and he struck out 10 compared to two walks.
RHP Luke House, State College - House was one of the more dominant starters in the first half, led by his 2.11 ERA over four starts which was second best among starting pitchers. The Ouachita Baptist graduate secured three wins with a 0.98 WHIP (7th) and .190 BAA (5th) over 21 innings of work.
RHP Miguel Sime Jr., Trenton - Sime broke the MLB Draft League record on Opening Night when he touched 100.9 mph and the same night he threw four pitches at 100+ mph. Selected by the Washington Nationals in the fourth round, Sime also got the start against the Cape Cod League at Citi Field and allowed just one walk in the one inning. Sime was the highest drafted prospect in the MLB Draft League this summer with the 111th pick. The Thunder right-hander pitched 8.2 innings with a 1.04 WHIP, .161 BAA and 11 strikeouts to four walks.
RHP Sam Tookoian, West Virginia - The Ole Miss junior was as dominant as they come this summer in Morgantown, posting a 1.42 ERA (3rd), 0.47 WHIP (1st) and .100 BAA (1st) across 12.2 innings. A 20th-round pick by the Angels in this year’s MLB Draft, Tookoian struck out more than one per inning with his 16 strikeouts to just two walks.
LHP Joe Ariola, Trenton - Ariola joined the Draft League following Wake Forest’s postseason play and quickly established himself as a top left-handed pitching prospect in the league. The Diamondbacks seventh-round pick put together some quality numbers over three starts with a 2.45 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and .154 BAA. Ariola didn’t surrender more than two hits in any of his starts and struck out seven over 7.1 innings.
RHP Noah Edders, Trenton - Edders, a product of Troy University, didn’t surrender an earned run over four appearances and 10.2 innings, leading to a 15th-round selection by the Cubs. The Thunder right-hander’s 0.84 WHIP was 4th among pitchers with 10+ innings and he didn’t surrender a single walk while striking out nine.
RHP Denton Biller, Williamsport - The junior college product (Johnson County CC) worked just five innings for the Crosscutters but was tough on hitters with a .118 BAA and he allowed just one run over his two appearances. The Baltimore Orioles 16th-round pick allowed just two hits and struck more than one per inning with six.
RHP Ethan Storm, State College - Storm was a key part of the Spikes pitching staff on their first-half championship run, appearing in 12 games. The Rays 13th-round selection was able to generate whiffs with more than one strikeout per inning, punching out 15 over 12 innings of work.
RHP Dayne Pengelly, State College - Pengelly was one of the Spikes most reliable arms in the first-half and earned himself a UDFA contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. The former New Mexico right-hander worked 25.2 innings over six games and five starts, leading to a 3.16 ERA. Pengelly’s 30 strikeouts were good for second in the league and his peak fastball velocity of 98.6 mph was seventh best in the first half.
Players of the Week
June 4-8: Hitter - C Lance Trippel, FRE. Pitcher - RHP Sam Cozart, WV
June 10-15: Hitter - C Daniel Stewart, MV. Pitcher - RHP Sam Cozart, WV
June 17-22: Hitter - 3B Jakob Poturnak, TRN. Pitcher - RHP Roman Kimball, SC
June 23-29: Hitter - OF Matthew Bardowell, WIL. Pitcher - RHP Merit Jones, WIL
June 30-July 6: Hitter - INF Ryan Rivera, SC. Pitcher - RHP Ryan Calvert, TRN
July 8-12: Hitter - OF Ben Watson, MV. Pitcher - LHP David Shaw, FRE
For more information about the MLB Draft League, visit mlbdraftleague.com or follow @mlbdraftleague and @draftleaguedata on X, and @mlbdraftleague on Instagram.
