At the end of April, MLB Draft League alumni have continued to progress through the professional baseball system behind various breakout games and hot weeks.
At the Major League level, Nathan Church (State College 2021) showcased his power and defensive tools over the weekend with his first multi-home run game with another to follow a day later. He would also take one away to preserve the St. Louis Cardinals’ lead.
In the Minor Leagues, top-ranked prospect alumni have highlighted their weeks with breakout performances similar to Church’s as well as pitching dominance. Two pitchers from the 2025 second-half also joined organizations as they signed Minor League contracts. More on this week’s standouts, promotions and signings below.
Previous Alumni Reports: 2025 Recap | Offseason Update | Prospect Update | Opening Weeks | April 16 | April 23
Position Players
2022 State College Spikes | Cubs No. 10 Prospect (MLB Pipeline)
Week (AA): 5 G, .294/.455/.529 (.984 OPS), HR, 2B, 4 R, RBI
Season (AA/A+): 18 G, .324/.439/.691 (1.130 OPS), 7 HR, 4 2B, 18 R, 16 RBI, 3 SB
2023 Williamsport Crosscutters
Week: 5 G, .455/.455/.773 (1.228 OPS), HR, 4 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R, 5 BB, 2 SB
Season: 15 G, .288/.323/.492 (.815 OPS), HR, 3B, 7 2B, 6 RBI, 5 R, 4 SB
2024 Frederick Keys
Week: 3 G, .300/.533/.700 (1.233 OPS), HR, 2B, 7 RBI, 4 R, 5 BB, SB
2022 Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Week: 5 G, .412/.524/.706 (1.230 OPS), HR, 2 2B, RBI, 5 R, 4 BB, 7 SB
Season: 17 G, .281/.438/.404 (.842 OPS), HR, 4 2B, 16 R, 5 RBI, 14 SB
2022 Williamsport Crosscutters
Week: 5 G, .400/.429/.700 (1.129 OPS), HR, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB
Season: 19 G, .306/.393/.597 (.990 OPS), 5 HR, 6 2B, 16 RBI, 15 R, 2 SB
Joseph Sullivan (HOU, Double-A)
2023 Williamsport Crosscutters | Astros No. 12 Prospect (MLB Pipeline)
Week: 6 G, .286/.400/.619 (1.019 OPS), 2 HR, 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB, HBP
Season: 21 G, .213/.366/.427 (.793 OPS), 4 HR, 3B, 2 2B, 12 R, 10 RBI, 9 SB
To open the week for the Corpus Christi Hooks, Sullivan recorded his first multi-home run game of 2026 on Tuesday, April 27. The Astros’ 12th-ranked prospect (MLB Pipeline) doubled his homer total of the season. His third game with at least two long balls in his career, Sullivan went deep 17 times in 2025 and four times in the MLB Draft League.
2021 State College Spikes
Week: 6 G, .240/.231/.600 (.831 OPS), 3 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R
Season: 27 G, .238/.276/.438 (.714 OPS), 5 HR, 2B, 13 RBI, 12 R, 3 SB
Church had one of the more impressive individual performances across Major League Baseball on Saturday, April 25 with two home runs and taking one away defensively. The eighth Draft League alumni to reach the majors also homered in the following game, raising his OPS from a .659 entering the series to .818 after going 5-for-12 with the three home runs and five RBI.
Eddie Micheletti Jr. (TOR, Double-A)
2022 Williamsport Crosscutters
Week: 5 G, .286/.500/.500 (1.000 OPS), HR, 5 R, 3 RBI, 4 BB, SB, 2 HBP
Season: 19 G, .278/.409/.471 (.881 OPS), 3 HR, 5 2B, 20 R, 13 RBI, 3 SB
2021 West Virginia Black Bears
Week: .250/.250/.650 (.900 OPS), 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI
Season: 19 G, .271/.354/.629 (.983 OPS), 6 HR, 3B, 5 2B, 16 R, 11 RBI, 5 SB
2022 West Virginia Black Bears
Week (AAA): 6 G, .381/.409/.476 (.885 OPS), 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R, BB, SB
Season (AAA/AA): 18 G, .328/.413/.354 (.866 OPS), 2 3B, 4 2B, 16 R, 13 RBI, 2 SB
2021 Williamsport Crosscutters
Week: 6 G, .300/.364/.500 (.864 OPS), HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, SB
Season: 19 G, .203/.347/.339 (.686 OPS), 2 HR, 2 2B, 9 R, 7 RBI, 4 SB
Pitchers
2024 State College Spikes
Week: GS, 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 8 K, 0.40 WHIP, .125 BAA
Season: 4/3 G/S, 11.1 IP, 4.05 ERA, 17 K, 1.20 WHIP, .240 BAA
Hitt was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week his third start with High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps on Saturday, April 25. The Padres’ 2025 eighth-round pick worked five scoreless innings, striking out eight with no walks and two hits.
2021 Williamsport Crosscutters
Week: 2 G, 2.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 0.00 WHIP, .000 BAA
Season: 5 G, 7 IP, 0.00 ERA, 9 K, 1.29 WHIP, .160 BAA
Roel Garcia III (TB, Double-A)
2021 Frederick Keys / 2022 Trenton Thunder
Week: G, 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 4 K, 0.30 WHIP, .000 BAA
2022 West Virginia Black Bears
Week: GS, 3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, K, 0.33 WHIP, .111 BAA
2021 Trenton Thunder
Week: 2 G, SV, 2.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.43 WHIP, .000 BAA
2023 Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Week: 2 G, 4 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 4 K, 0.50 WHIP, .077 BAA
Season: 8 G, SV, 12 IP, 2.25 ERA, 11 K, 1.00 WHIP, .213 BAA
2021/22 West Virginia Black Bears
Week: 2 G, 4 IP, H, 2 R, BB, 2 K, 0.50 WHIP, .077 BAA
Season: 6 G, 10.2 IP, 2.53 ERA, 10 K, 0.47 WHIP, .059 BAA
2022 Williamsport Crosscutters | Athletics No. 6 Prospect (MLB Pipeline)
Week/Season: G, W, 3.2 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 5 K, 0.55 WHIP, .083 BAA
2022 Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Week: GS, 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, BB, 2 K, 0.60 WHIP, .118 BAA
2023 Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Week: 2 G, 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K, 0.82 WHIP, .000 BAA
Season: 6 G, 1-0, 9 IP, 3.00 ERA, 19 K, 1.11 WHIP, .000 BAA
2024 West Virginia Black Bears
Week: 2 G, 2.1 IP, H, R, BB, 4 K, 0.86 WHIP, .125 BAA
Miguel Sime Jr. (WAS, Single-A)
2025 Trenton Thunder | Nationals No. 16 Prospect (MLB Pipeline)
Week: 2 GS, 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 14 K, 1.11 WHIP, .174 BAA
Season: 5 GS, 14.2 IP, 3.07 ERA, 32 K, 1.16 WHIP, .125 BAA
2023 Frederick Keys | Cardinals No. 25 Prospect (MLB Pipeline)
Week: GS, 4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 1.00 WHIP, .133 BAA
Season: 4/2 G/S, 14 IP, 3.86 ERA, 20 K, 1.36 WHIP, .189 BAA
Signings
Another former State College Spike from the 2025 season inked a Minor League deal with the Baltimore Orioles as LHP Anthony Steele put pen to paper on Thursday, April 23. The Penn State graduate appeared in 11 Draft League games, making two starts and struck out nine. In five of his appearances the southpaw did not allow a run. Steele joins Brendan Parks (Trenton 2025) and Jason Shockley (State College 2025) as pitchers from the 2025 season who signed with the Orioles since the beginning of the minor league season.
After the final out of the 2025 season, a fifth member of the championship-winning West Virginia Black Bears signed a Minor League deal with RHP Jacob Weaver agreeing to a deal with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, April 28. The Austin Peay product made seven starts in the regular season plus the nod in the championship game. In three of those starts, Weaver made his way through seven innings and struck out a total of 31 batters, highlighted by a nine-strikeout performance in his second Draft League start. Weaver joins Judah Morris (Athletics), Trey Cooper (White Sox), Wes Burton (Guardians) and Alex Ungar (White Sox) as 2025 Black Bears who signed.
Draft History
The MLB Draft League has found success in the MLB Draft through its first five seasons with 233 players drafted and another 200+ signing as free agents for a total of more than 400 players placed in affiliated baseball. A complete list of MLB Draft League graduates who have moved on to the next level can be found here.
