This article originally appeared on MLBDraftLeague.com
NEW YORK - The MLB Draft League announced its Second Half All-Draft League Team, headlined by two positional players and a trio of pitchers who had their contracts purchased in the half. The team consists of two catchers, four infielders, six outfielders, two utility players and 12 pitchers.
CATCHERS
Zack Thompson, West Virginia: Thompson’s bat-to-ball skills were on display throughout the entire second half with a .302 average in July and .329 average in August. He finished top 10 in the second half in average (T-10th, .317), doubles (T-sixth, 11), home runs (T-eighth, 5) and slugging percent (seventh, .510). He also led second-half catchers in average, slugging percent, home runs, doubles and RBI. Defensively, Thompson cut down baserunners at a 17% clip.
38 G, .317/.387/.510 (.897 OPS), 5 HR, 3B, 11 2B, 31 RBI, 24 R, SB
Camden Ross, State College: After being named to the First-Half All-Draft League Team, Ross received Player of the Week honors for July 20-26 and finished third in the second half in on-base percentage (.456) and sixth in OPS (.952). Supporting his OBP numbers was this year’s longest on-base streak of 30 games, and he was a magnet in the box with a league best 19 hit by pitches. The former Western Kentucky backstop led second half catchers in OBP, OPS, triples and runs scored.
37 G, .311/.456/.496 (.952 OPS), 4 HR, 3 3B, 7 2B, 29 RBI, 29 R, SB
INFIELDERS
Drew Wyers, Trenton: Wyers dominated in the six second half games he played and became the first positional player to have his contract purchased when he joined the Houston Astros organization towards the end of July. His big MLB Draft League moment came on July 19 when he went 4-for-5 with a grand slam and two runs scored. The Mississippi State grad reached base in all six games he played in the half and was immediately assigned to Double-A when he joined the Astros.
6 G, .533/.650/.867 (1.517 OPS), HR, 2 2B, 8 RBI, 6 R, 2 SB
Matthew Williams, Williamsport: One of the premiere sluggers in the second half, Williams' ten home runs tied for the league lead while his OPS of 1.064 was second best. The right-handed hitter also finished top five in the second half in RBI (second, 42), on-base percentage (fourth, .450), slugging percent (third, .614) and total bases (fifth, 81). His season was highlighted with Player of the Week honors for Aug. 17-23 when he blasted home runs in three straight games and four in five games.
38 G, .311/.450/.614 (1.064 OPS), 10 HR, 10 2B, 42 RBI, 27 R
Maddox Mihalakis, Mahoning Valley: The Scrappers left-handed hitting power bat was one of the league’s hottest hitters in July, finishing the month with five home runs, 25 RBI and a .342 average over 19 games. The month included an eight-game hit streak with 15 hits in that span and three home runs in a four game stretch. In the second half, Mihalakis finished top five in home runs (fourth, 8), triples (T-first, 4), RBI (third, 41), slugging percent (fifth, .545) and total bases (third, 90).
45 G, .297/.399/.545 (.944 OPS), 8 HR, 4 3B, 9 2B, 41 RBI, 29 R, 4 SB
AJ Swader, Trenton: Swader finished the second half as hot as anyone in the league, earning Player of the Week in the concluding week and had hits in 20 of his final 21 games. Over his final nine games, he went 15-for-31 with six home runs, a double, 13 runs scored, 10 RBI and four walks. Swader led qualified hitters in the second half with a .365 average and finished top five in home runs (T-third, 9), hits (2nd, 54), slugging percent (second, .628), OPS (third, 1.023) and total bases (second, 93).
36 G, .365/.395/.628 (1.023 OPS), 9 HR, 3B, 10 2B, 33 RBI, 32 R, 3 SB
OUTFIELDERS
James McCoy, Williamsport: McCoy’s second half and three first-half games was one of, if not the best in league history. His 49 RBI is the most in a single half and would tie him for second all-time. With his first half, his total of 55 would bring him within one of tying the all-time single season best. Tied with Williams for the home run crown, he is one of four to slug 10 home runs in a season and third to do so in a single half. McCoy also led the second half in on-base percentage (.459), slugging percentage (.640), OPS (1.099), hits (62), doubles (16, tied), extra-base hits (29) and total bases (114).
46 G, .348/.459/.640 (1.099 OPS), 10 HR, 3 3B, 16 2B, 49 RBI, 48 R, 14 SB
Isaiah Parido, Aberdeen: During the IronBirds second half, Parido has been the team’s leading bat and, at times, has been on top of the league, highlighted by his Aug. 11-16 Player of the Week award. He finished tied for first with his four triples and placed third in hits (53), runs (36) and stolen bases (26). Parido’s third-ranked hits helped him carry the fourth best batting average at .333, sixth in on-base percentage at .441, eighth in OPS at .944 and 10th in slugging with a .503. During his Player of the Week stretch, he led in batting average (.474), home runs (2), RBIs (10), slugging (.842) and OPS (1.407).
43 G, .333/.441/.503 (.944 OPS), 4 HR, 4 3B, 7 2B, 39 RBI, 36 R, 26 SB
JuJu Stevens, Trenton: Stevens was a standout in last summer’s first half and in just 22 games in this year’s second half, he established himself as one of the most talented hitters in the league. The right-handed hitter out of the University of Maine had hits in all but one game and reached safely in all 22 games. Led by an on-base percentage of .473, Stevens came around to score in 12 of his first 13 games for a total of 21 runs in 22 games. The Thunder outfielder came alive in August, slashing .457/.548/.800 over 11 games.
22 G, .385/.473/.641 (1.114 OPS), 4 HR, 3B, 6 2B, 21 R, 13 RBI, 8 SB
Jayden Hylton, Mahoning Valley: One of the most productive hitters in the second half, Hylton’s .411 on-base percentage was second in the half and his .323 average tied for sixth. The Scrappers leader in OPS (.945) earned Player of the Week for July 27-Aug. 2 when he went 10-for-18 over six games with a home run, triple, double, six runs scored and four RBI. Beyond the OBP and average, Hylton also finished top 10 in runs scored (T-seventh, 32), triples (T-first, 4), stolen bases (T-10th, 14) and slugging percent (ninth, .504). The Stetson University graduate had a pair of four hit games, including the final night when he also hit a leadoff home run.
34 G, .323/.441/.504 (.945 OPS), 3 HR, 4 3B, 7 2B, 32 R, 19 RBI, 14 SB
Justin Journette, State College: Journette’s 467-foot home run July 21 was the longest in the league this summer and furthest since 2022 and he was also just one of two players to hit a ball harder than 111 mph. Beyond his batted balls and distances, the traditional statistics were some of the best in the league, finishing top five in average (fifth, .326), home runs (fifth, 7) and RBI (fifth, 37). Journette was the only player in the second half to have a five hit game and he finished strong, going 12-for-19 over his final five games with a home run and five RBI.
38 G, .326/.399/.560 (.959 OPS), 7 HR, 2 3B, 8 2B, 37 RBI, 21 R, 2 SB
Max Galvin, Aberdeen: The University of Miami (Fla.) graduate had his extra-base power on display throughout the second half, leading Aberdeen’s second half hitters with a .509 slugging percent, good for eighth overall in the half. Galvin finished tied for sixth in home runs (6), sixth in triples (3) and third in doubles (14). The left-handed hitting slugger was one of just two players with 30+ games played to have more walks (30) than strikeouts (22). The highlight of Galvin’s second half came on Aug. 8-11, when he blasted home runs in three consecutive games.
45 G, .281/.397/.509 (.906 OPS), 6 HR, 3 3B, 14 2B, 34 RBI, 34 R, 13 SB
UTILITY
Owen Prince, Williamsport: In the Crosscutters’ quest to become the first team in league history to win both halves, Prince was key in creating opportunities on the base paths. Having his contract purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates, by his last game on Aug. 11, he was tied for first in walks at 24, contributing to his on-base percentage of .475 that ends the year first in the league. He turned his on-base abilities into runs, tied for eighth in the category while also running into second place in stolen bases.
22 G, .306/.475/.361 (.836 OPS), 3B, 2 2B, 21 R, 8 RBI, 17 SB
Cayden Gaskin, West Virginia: Gaskin ran his way into the record books with the most stolen bases over a single half in MLB Draft League history. Edging out Aaron Whitley’s (Trenton 2025) first-half total of 36, the utilityman’s season featured 11 multi-stolen base games with a four-steal game Aug. 8. Gaskin also had six stretches where he stole at least one base in three or more consecutive games, the most being five games and the highest stolen base total of nine swipes over four straight games from July 27 to Aug. 2. Flashing some pop at the plate as well, his sixth most hits (49) featured the fourth most doubles (12), added with a triple and three home runs for the seventh most extra-base hits and ninth most total bases (72). Gaskin’s plate production helped land him eighth in on-base percentage (.439), ninth in batting average (.320) and 10th in OPS (.910) with the fifth most runs (33) across the league in the second half.
39 G, .320/.439/.471 (.910 OPS), 3 HR, 3B, 12 2B, 33 R, 22 RBI, 37 SB
PITCHERS
Carson Estridge, West Virginia: After making five first half appearances for the Black Bears, Estridge pitched five innings over three appearances in the second half before becoming the first player of the season to have their contract purchased. Going to the Houston Astros in July, the right-hander finished the final month of the season in Single-A Fayetteville. Estridge struck out one per inning in his limited action in the half and picked up his lone win in his MLB Draft League career.
3 G, 1-0, 5 IP, 5 K, 1.60 WHIP, .222 BAA
Finnegan Wall, Aberdeen: The second pitcher in the second half to have their contract purchased, Wall made just one start for the IronBirds before joining the Minnesota Twins organization. A right-hander and graduate of UC Irvine, he pitched four innings in his one start, allowing two runs on four hits, no walks and struck out five. In the first half, Wall made five starts and six appearances, pitching to a 4.15 ERA and 2-1 record over 21 2/3 innings.
GS, 4 IP, 4.50 ERA, 5 K, 1.00 WHIP, .286 BAA
Cam Padgett, West Virginia: The fourth contract purchased of the season, Padgett made five second half appearances and saved his best for last. In his final MLB Draft League appearance and only start, the right-hander allowed one run over five innings and struck out six before the Boston Red Sox purchased his contract in August. Overall, Padgett struck out 12 over his 14 2/3 MLB Draft League innings.
5/1 G/S, 1-0, 14.2 IP, 4.91 ERA, 12 K, 1.64 WHIP
Jake Geis, Aberdeen: As Aberdeen finished half a game behind the champion Crosscutters, Geis was one of their most reliant and efficient relievers in high-leverage. To begin the second half, the right-hander out of LMU didn’t allow a run in his first 9 2/3 innings, and surrendered just two hits in his first 10 2/3 frames. With giving up only 11 hits total, Geis’ batting average against of .153 ranked first amongst all qualified pitchers in the half. His four saves tied for the third most, 1.06 WHIP finishing fifth and 2.61 ERA ranking sixth amongst the second half.
14 G, 2-0, 4 SV, 20.2 IP, 2.61 ERA, 27 K, 1.06 WHIP, .153 BAA
Josh Willitts, Williamsport: The right-hander’s second half not only was highlighted by 3 2/3 innings of relief with zero earned runs, but by becoming the fifth pitcher in league history to be a multi-Pitcher of the Week winner. In July, he went back-to-back with scoreless six-inning starts striking out five and six respectively, combining to earn him his first weekly honor. In August, the first of back-to-back seven strikeout performances led to his second award in a month where all four of his starts were quality, finding his way into the seventh inning once.
8 GS, 4-0, 45.2 IP, 1.38 ERA, 42 K, 0.88 WHIP, .177 BAA
Hunter Holzemer, West Virginia: Holzemer was as reliable as they come for the Black Bears, pitching at least five innings in all seven of his starts and didn’t surrender a run or hit in his 5.1 innings out of the bullpen. One of the premiere left-handed starters in the half, Holzemer finished top 10 in innings pitched (T-seventh, 44.1), wins (T-fourth, 4), ERA (2.84) and strikeouts (ninth, 41). The peak of his summer came Aug. 9 when he struck out 10 batters over six innings while allowing just one run in the Black Bears 4-2 win over Trenton.
10/7 G/S, 4-2, 44.1 IP, 2.84 ERA, 41 K, 1.26 WHIP, .229 BAA
Billy Morris, Trenton: The league’s biggest workhorse in the second half, Morris led the MLB Draft League’s second half with 53 1/3 innings pitched and the majority came in a marvellous month of August. In the month, Morris went 4-1 over five starts with a 1.50 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and .185 BAA over 36 innings. The right-hander out of D’Youville University averaged over seven innings per start in the month. Aside from the innings pitched, Morris finished fourth among starters in ERA (2.70), fourth in WHIP (1.11) and sixth in BAA (.209). He was just one of two pitchers to throw a complete game, doing so Aug. 9 while allowing just three earned runs.
10/9 G/S, 5-2, 53.1 IP, 2.70 ERA, 39 K, 1.11 WHIP, .209 BAA
Tyler Kaltreider, West Virginia: One of the league’s most used arms in the second half, Kaltreider pitched five or more innings in seven of his nine starts, leading to a tie for the league lead in wins at five. The right-hander logged 50 innings, good for second in the league and his 48 strikeouts also ranked second. A dominant month of August was highlighted by Pitcher of the Week honors for Aug. 4-9 when he allowed no runs, one hit and one walk over seven innings while striking out eight. Kaltreider went 4-0 in August with a 2.96 ERA and 31 strikeouts over five starts and 27.1 innings.
9 GS, 5-1, 50 IP, 3.24 ERA, 48 K, 1.28 WHIP, .271 BAA
Haden Luke, State College: The second half strikeout king with 53 in 41 innings and nine outings, Luke was superb from start to finish, allowing more than two runs on just one occasion. In three straight games in July, he had a scoreless start with eight or more strikeouts, including a three inning start where he struck out eight. Luke’s 1.76 ERA was second amongst starting pitchers, his WHIP of 1.22 was fifth and his batting average against of .205 was fifth. Luke’s impact on the Spikes is evident as the team went 8-1 in games that he appeared in. His best start of the summer came July 27 against Williamsport when he pitched six shutout innings on one hit, three walks and struck out eight.
9/8 G/S, 4-1, 41 IP, 1.76 ERA, 53 K, 1.22 WHIP, .205 BAA
Lynden Bruegman, Mahoning Valley: The Scrappers most reliable option in the bullpen and one of the league’s top left-handed relievers, Bruegman allowed runs in just three of his 16 appearances and struck out well over one per inning with 30 over 18 1/3. While he didn’t qualify for league leaderboards, his .136 batting average against was the best in the league amongst pitchers with 18 or more innings. Bruegman was one of eight relievers to strike out 30 or more and he pitched the least amount of innings among those pitchers.
16 G, 18.1 IP, 2.95 ERA, 30 K, 1.15 WHIP, .136 BAA
Patrick Morris, State College: Morris had the best strikeout rate in the second half, punching out 44 batters in 26 1/3 innings, helping guide him to a league best nine saves. The left-hander out of the University of Arizona held a 3.08 ERA, good for fourth among relievers, and surrendered a run in just three of his 19 appearances. Over his final nine appearances, Morris didn’t allow a run over 10 innings, had 16 strikeouts to two walks and was 4-for-4 in save opportunities.
19 G, 3-1, 9 SV, 26.1 IP, 3.08 ERA, 44 K, 1.25 WHIP, .242 BAA
Jeremiah Newman, Mahoning Valley: The Scrappers right-hander was one of just two pitchers this summer to pitch a complete game and the only one to hurl a complete game win. Newman’s complete game earned him Pitcher of the Week honors for Aug. 17-23 when he also pitched a seven inning shutout. His 48 innings pitched were good for fourth in the half and his 47 strikeouts ranked third. Among starting pitchers, Newman’s .193 batting average against was third best.
14/7 G/S, 3-2, 2/2 SV, 48 IP, 3.75 ERA, 47 K, 1.31 WHIP, .193 BAA
Players of the Week
July 8-12: Player - OF Nyan Hayes, SC. Pitcher - LHP David Case, WIL.
July 14-19: Player - OF Jackson Rains, SC. Pitcher - RHP Joe Colucci, TRN.
July 20-26: Player - C Camden Ross, SC. Pitcher - RHP Josh Willitts, WIL.
July 27-Aug. 2: Player - OF Jayden Hylton, MV. Pitcher - LHP Evan Grimes, WIL.
Aug. 4-9: Player - OF Max Galvin, ABD. Pitcher - RHP Tyler Kaltreider, WV.
Aug. 11-16: Player - OF Isaiah Parido, ABD. Pitcher - RHP Josh Willitts, WIL.
Aug. 17-23: Player - 1B Matthew Williams, WIL. Pitcher - RHP Jeremiah Newman, MV.
Aug. 24-30: Player - INF AJ Swader, TRN. Pitcher - RHP Matthew Mariano, WIL.
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