Major League Baseball wrapped up its three-day amateur draft on Tuesday, with teams making 300 picks in less than 3 1/2 hours. Several familiar last names were called on the final day, which covered rounds 11 through 20.
The Los Angeles Angels drafted outfielder Lucas Ramirez in the 17th round. He is the son of 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez. In the 19th round, the Boston Red Sox selected D’Angelo Ortiz, son of Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz.
“We believed he would be a valuable addition to our organization,” said Devin Pearson, the Red Sox’s director of amateur scouting. “While his father is David Ortiz, we see him as a promising prospect regardless.”
In the 20th round, the Toronto Blue Jays picked USC shortstop Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek, son of former All-Star Mark Grudzielanek.
Another notable draftee with MLB lineage is Jalen Hairston, selected by Cincinnati in the 18th round. Hairston comes from a family deeply rooted in baseball, spanning generations of players.
Arizona Diamondbacks picked Dawson Brown in the 16th round. His father is six-time All-Star pitcher Kevin Brown. Bennett Thompson, selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the 13th round, is the nephew of three-time All-Star Jason Thompson.
The Seattle Mariners chose outfielder Ryan Picollo in the 20th round, who is the son of Royals general manager J.J. Picollo.
The Oakland Athletics began the afternoon by choosing Texas Tech right-handed pitcher Kyle Robinson with the first pick of the 11th round.
This kicked off 10 more rounds of selections, with picks coming approximately every 45 seconds, until the Texas Rangers picked junior college catcher Mac Rose with the final selection of the 20th round.
Mississippi State led all colleges with 11 players selected over the 20 rounds, followed closely by LSU with nine. Australian second baseman Travis Bazzana was the Cleveland Guardians’ top pick overall on Sunday.
Drew Beam, a key pitcher for Tennessee in their College World Series win, was among the early picks on Monday during rounds three to 10.
Finding valuable players, and sometimes stars, in rounds 11 through 20 is not uncommon. For instance, Albert Pujols hit 703 home runs in his MLB career after being drafted in the 13th round in 1999.
Several Hall of Famers, including Andre Dawson (11th round), Nolan Ryan (12th round), and Ryne Sandberg (20th round), were also late-round picks.
Now that the draft is over, MLB’s 30 teams will begin negotiating contracts with their picks. Players with college eligibility remaining can sign until August 1 at 5 p.m. EDT, while others have until a week before the 2025 draft.
Last year, only one player, UC Irvine outfielder Caden Kendle, was drafted in the first 10 rounds, and he did not reach an agreement with his team. He returned for his senior year and was drafted in the fifth round by the Twins this season.
While most draft picks spend years in the minor leagues, there are exceptions. Third baseman Nolan Schanuel made his MLB debut just 40 days after being drafted 11th overall by the Los Angeles Angels, and Texas outfielder Wyatt Langford made this year’s opening-day roster.
