MLB Draft

This episode features a review of the MLB draft and catching up on notable former MLB Draftees!

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Logan Brumley

What is In The Den?

"In The Den" with host Logan Brumley covers everything from the NC State Wolfpack's NCAA, intramural and club sports. "In The Den" is a podcast from WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2 at NC State University.

MLBDRAFT.mp3
Meeting created at: 13th Jul, 2026 - 11:38 AM

00:00
Logan Brumley
And welcome to WKNC's official sports podcast in the den. Today we're going to be going over the MLB draft, which just concluded over the weekend. We're going to be looking at, you know, who's likely to sign, who isn't, and what the roster will be looking like for next year. And then we're going to be going over some former NC State players who were drafted. Just kind of like how has their journey gone and what could the players drafted this year learn from them? So get your headphones on. Let's get straight to it. NC State has a lot of wild cards when it comes to their baseball, like how it's going to be looking next year. NC State had seven players selected in the draft, which is more than UNC and Duke combined. Although to be fair, Duke only had one player drafted.

00:56
Logan Brumley
From what I've seen, we're going to just go by when they were selected and we're going to see just how their futures could look like. A lot of them are college juniors. I think pretty much all of them are. So a lot of them do have the option to return if they don't sign with their teams. The deadline is August 1st, which is when I come back from my little two week break. So we'll see how that looks like. But first off, on day one, two players were selected, Ty Head, 46 overall to the Orioles. I think he'll probably sign, especially you know, being a second round pick. He kind of joins that large history of or I guess, you know, large in number but you know, in history. The Orioles have been drafting a lot of college outfielders.

01:53
Logan Brumley
I think it's the first one I can really name of is Heston Kjerstad in 2020. Since then, I mean they've had Colton Cowser was a college guy. Dylan Beavers was a college guy. They most recently drafted Vance Honeycutt in the first round. And so Head kind of joins that pattern in that trend. A lot of scouts said that he could be a guy that could be a long term center fielder and you know, given the Orioles previous track record this position, I think he could definitely find his way onto a roster. It'll just kind of depend on how much his game develops and if you know he's capable of it. He was kind of the guy out of this draft class, had the least amount of questions to his game, unlike the next guy who I also think is very likely to sign.

02:49
Logan Brumley
But I'm not sure if he'll be in the MLB anytime soon. Jacob Dudan was selected 83rd overall by the Athletics. I think he was signed just because he's going to be out until the fall of 2027, although actually probably not because he hasn't used his red shirt year yet it seems. So there's definitely the possibility where he could take a red shirt and play in 2028. I mean, why not play now when he has it all kind of lined up for him, Some scouts see him being a high end reliever. Even though he is coming off Tommy Johns, it's mostly just because he has a really good fastball and a good slider. His changeup could develop.

03:51
Logan Brumley
It's just going to depends on how he looks coming back from Tommy John's because that's usually like the death penalty for what a pitcher could be like with their prime could and maybe if they manage to develop him like they did Mason Miller, who I don't think was a really high draft pick. See. Okay, I forgot. Oh man, I forgot that he's with Padres now. I just, I remember him with the Athletics starting off. Let's see, when was he drafted? Okay, he was drafted in the third round so that's about where Dudan was selected. So there's definitely the possibility that he could develop into something really good. It just depends on his health. That's basically all we have to say. Then the other like big prospect who I think could definitely stay with the team.

04:47
Logan Brumley
This is one I feel a little less optimistic about because of the team rather than the player. Ryan Marohn, 140th overall pick to the Pirates. Now Paul Skenes, now that's a guy that I remember is still with Pittsburgh and is probably going to be leaving soon. I know his feature is pretty much in flux with that team, but adding another one in a draft could help improve it. They haven't had the best track record with developing pitchers. I mean a lot of their, you know, not every guy who's going to be selected is going to be the elite number one guy right off the bat. But even then they haven't really had any great pitchers come from their system outside of Skeens. I mean Mitch Keller isn't great kind of going through the list. Sorry. I mean Jarred Jones is okay.

05:57
Logan Brumley
Bubba Chandler is okay...like, there's a lot of okay. Not elite. We'll see if Marohn can be elite, but he's definitely at least going to be okay. His fastball is still good although you know, he does need some development on his curve and slider. Just getting a little bit more speed while so maintaining Some of the kind of swing and miss variability that he's been able to offer to team. When he was on the field, his injury was a lot less severe than Dudan, so he could very well just come in right away and start improving. But you know, this is a guy who I think could definitely find a spot in the rotation for the Pirates. So I mean, we'll see how it goes. I think, yeah, he definitely has the opportunity for a pitching staff that is not that elite.

06:49
Logan Brumley
There could be room for him. Another player who I think is very likely to sign. And this is kind of a different story of just like this was a guy that was drafted a lot earlier than I expected and I mean that's great. I think that kind of locks in that he's going to go. Luke Nixon, 150th overall pick to the Giants. He's kind of small, but scouts, you know, they loved his IQ and just his ability to make contact. He will be joining a infield farm system for the Giants that has a lot of infielders in their top 30. Top or even just in the top hundred in general. just because, you know, sign in a lot of international guys definitely helps with your chances even though their etas are most likely going to be later than Nixon.

07:43
Logan Brumley
So there's a chance he could jump over them and find himself in the rotation for the Giants in the future. We'll see if his bat grows and if he gets any notable amount of strength with his size or even find some elite speed with him. Other draftees who I have as probable returners Sherman Johnson, 212 overall to the Reds. Maybe another year the hot corner in the ACC could really help his stock. There's a lot of questions on whether he has hit his ceiling when it comes to his power and arm. You could argue that maybe he's kind of hit his ceiling college baseball. Or you could argue that maybe he hasn't gotten it yet just because, you know, he had 0.330, 9 home runs last year.

08:36
Logan Brumley
But he wasn't like really like a can't miss prospect because again, there's just concerns about whether his power can be good enough to make it into the MLB level. And the same kind of goes for his, you might call it his arm. Even though he is on a hot corner, it's definitely not the best there. I mean it could, this could be one that kind of comes down to whether or not nil is good enough. He's in a 230,000 draft slot value, so he's Going to get some good money. It's just a question on whether or not he will develop or if he's already developed enough and will likely stay in the lower ranks. This one was a surprise to me. Cooper Consiglio, 279th overall to the Phillies. His numbers don't really stand out, but he has a really good fastball.

09:34
Logan Brumley
Curveball and slider both show a decent amount of promise, so there's definitely room for him to succeed on this. Ross on this, you know, Phillies farm system, They have Gage Wood, which is a decent high school guy. I don't think they have, like, yeah, there's not a lot of elite college pitchers in the ranks from what I'm seeing. So there's definitely a chance that he could come by and find some reps. But this could be another guy who goes back to being a reliever and is decent enough at that to be a triple A or MLB guy. The last one selected, Chris McHugh, 335th overall to the Padres. Great contact, questionable power. This is another question of MLB conditioning training. Maybe he could tap into that potential or maybe he could try to use this as kind of leverage.

10:37
Logan Brumley
Get another year of showing that he can produce and that maybe that could help him out. I don't think he's in the transfer portal. He hasn't, like, declared or anything. So if he stays, he's staying with State. But I mean, maybe going out would help him develop his strength. Only time will tell what we can get from McHugh and if he decides to join the Padres system or not. That's all the guys that were drafted. Some notable guys who went undrafted who could get signed. Well, they only had like two seniors in the draft who were not going to be able to come back because they're seniors. Dalton Bargo, who definitely has that utility as a fielder, but not much else to him. I mean, he was a decent hitter, but he kind of fell off in that last season.

11:34
Logan Brumley
I haven't seen any rumors on if he's gotten signed at all. And the same can be said about Braden Fraasman, who, you know, he was one of the better hitters on the team. I'm surprised that he went undrafted and maybe he could find himself getting signed somewhere as well. But you know, he's out of eligibility, so time will tell on that. Let me check something else real quick. It seems like. Okay. Darrion Williams is still unsigned, interestingly enough. Sorry. It's just like I'm kind of following him because I don't know where he's going. But all right, I think that's enough for this segment. You know, they have a really strong draft class. There's going to be some next man up at their roster. Just kind of depends on who stays and who doesn't.

12:40
Logan Brumley
I get that's, you know, something to follow in these next few weeks. All right, so now I'm going to go on to the next segment about kind of the some players who were recently drafted from NC State and how their careers have been going. So I have a bunch of scenarios of players who kind of took a bunch of different routes going through NC State and just, you know, how have they been going through the pro ranks because of that? First up, 2024, I have Eli Serrano III. He was one of those highly touted high school recruits out of Fuquay-Varnia. He decided to go to NC State despite being drafted as a high scorer, stating that NC State was just a family that he did not want to miss out on.

13:32
Logan Brumley
He was a versatile outfielder and first baseman for the squad, batting nearly .300 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs in two years, which is about 100 games, which is close to a full season. That's not bad. It's pretty good. It boosted him from like being around like near to 200th slot to around the 100. So you know, he I guess halved his position in a draft and was able to find himself selected by the New York Mets. Let's see, scouts touted his contact ability and quality defense. See he showed great potential in the rookie league and the more that he rose, the more he began to struggle. He had a .222 batting average and a plus. But as soon as he hit double A, which is as of this year he as of recording he is below the Mendoza line at 193.

14:43
Logan Brumley
But he's been a lot more cleaner defensively. He has no errors despite last year having about five. And he's, you know, in the New York Mets top prospect, he's 11th. He has a expected debut 2027. So you know, it's just classic story of like a high schooler who was able to come to NC State and was able to really put themselves in the forefront, get the development that they need and kind of prove that they can handle this because I mean that's an issue with some high schoolers is of course the level of competition. It's like I can't imagine that high school is really tough unless if you are playing like perfect game, all American stuff. But you know, being at NC State was really helpful.

15:34
Logan Brumley
Even though he is stumbling a little bit, I think he will be able to kind of clean things up in Double A and eventually find himself in Triple A. Next player I have is, let's see 2025. The pitcher Dominic Fritton. He was considered a low risk, high reward prospect for the Tampa Bay race from the start. He was a reliever for most of his career but you know, during the latest later parts of his time he managed to become a primary Friday. You know, the Friday starter is like usually your best pitcher I'm pretty sure and he was able to fill that role. He got 13 all ACC, let's see 11-17 record is really good and just being a lefty ACC pitcher with a 94 mile per hour fastball is really helpful, especially with a break in and a change up.

16:40
Logan Brumley
That had some promise as well. He started his journey right away in the A plus level. He has like a 3-5 record, 5.8 ERA, so it's not great. But in these past few weeks he managed to really kind of clean things up. He's only given up five hits in the last eight innings pitched as of recording, you know, he's just starting his journey but the potential is really there. I think that, you know, it's always going to be like a rough transition period from the start, especially if you don't really. It's like if you play like a full season at you know like the rookie league or A plus and you eventually move your way up to another level, like right now he's at A plus, it's going to be hard for a little bit. I mean we see the same with Serrano.

17:37
Logan Brumley
We'll probably see the same with a lot of these guys coming up, but it just takes time and development. All right, up next I have Luca Tresh and this is kind of one of those not going to spoil it. He was drafted 499th overall in 2021 to the Kansas City Royals. He was kind of the transition between Patrick Bailey and Jacob Cozart. But you know, when he had this opportunity to start, he managed to get 15 home runs and that one season starting 43 RBIs. He had great leadership ability as a primary catcher. He was very much a strong anchor to that World Series run that they had. He had great power, but of course his contact ability at 0.231 and questions about his experience really made him like collapse in the draft to about the 17th round.

18:44
Logan Brumley
You know, he struggled at the start, but then when he managed to get from. So he Started single A, went to the rookie week. He did really good in Rookie league and that .398 and that was just enough to kind of jump him up to the A plus ranks where hit about .273. You know, his batten average was starting to go up and people were starting to see that contact capability that wasn't really shown in that one year at NC State. And ever since he, you know, he's now at the AA level and he's trying to get all the momentum he could. He's getting more power, getting more contact and he's also had some invitations to spring training in 2025 and 2026. Although I think the future at catcher is set up with Blake Mitchell.

19:40
Logan Brumley
Although his time of arrival is a little bit later. Well, no, it's around the same time, but he's at a lower level. There's definitely an opportunity for Luca Tresh to come in and get some playing time, some experience working with Salvador Perez. I think there's a lot of opportunity for Trash to find his way. You know, going from 17th round to a guy who could become a backup catcher in the MLB level. It's very impressive. And while his one year NC State maybe wasn't the strongest indicator of his success, it definitely laid the foundation, which is always good to have good foundation. Up next in 2021, Jose Torres, drafted 89th overall.

20:33
Logan Brumley
Hailing from the Dominican Republic, he moved over to Baltimore to try to find his way to the mlb, join a high school ranks at a pretty prestigious prep school I think in Baltimore. Did not write down the name of it, but he was smaller, lankier kid, but he did show a lot of promise as a shortstop, just with intangibles. He was drafted in a 24th round by the brewers, but he decided to join NC State. He mentioned that an inspiration was seeing Trey Turner's journey through NC State and kind of seeing a similar opportunity for him. And as a true freshman, he was able to be a starting shortstop right away, which is pretty impressive. He hit a .333, 13 RBIs, but this was, you know, right before the lockdown happens. So it's.

21:28
Logan Brumley
The numbers probably don't really pop out too much, but in 17 games it's really good momentum. In 2021 he managed to carry that over. He had 44 RBIs in a full season, batting.289, 10 home runs. So he had some strength to him and he had that ability to hit. He had aggressiveness on a plate and that was even helpful with the super regionals against Arkansas it was like a game winner home run that Torres hit which is always nice to see and that's how you kind of walk yourself up in NC State lore. He was eventually drafted 89th overall to the Cincinnati Reds. He kind of just flew past the rookie leagues and Single A teams but you know, eventually found himself in Double A starting but he spent the two years with the Chattanooga Lookouts. He was kind of struggling for a bit.

22:33
Logan Brumley
He's at the Mendoza line. 11 Home runs, 56 RBIs and that's in two seasons. So I mean while his defensively he has been good enough to kind of hold his own, the hidden has kind of plateaued to just being full on mediocrity and it's considered worrisome and that's kind of why I think Cincinnati kind of moved all of him. They let him become eligible for the Rule 5 draft which you don't know how it's work. It's like he was essentially left off the 40 man AAA roster and was eligible to be moved to a AAA squad of another team in order to prevent player Horton. And he was selected by the Colorado Rockies where he has since been playing with their Double A team and he even played in the Dominican Republic Winter league.

23:29
Logan Brumley
Although his numbers have kind of stayed the same which is always of course not ideal. I think they're all going to hit their limit eventually but it's just a matter of can they have it in them to kind of break through it. I think Torres definitely has the potential. We saw a lot of it in college, which I know college is inferior to the MLB ranks. I think even the rookie. I'm sure a rookie league team could beat a average team in college baseball. But I mean I hope he can make a pro roster. Some days it just takes time and if not, I think he could have himself a really good career in Double A if he manages to find some consistency and is able to find whatever is missing to improve his game.

24:24
Logan Brumley
One player who is probably at his limit already and might be on his way out, Nick Swiney. I think it's pronounced left handed pitcher. 67th overall in 2020 highest rated NC State pitch and draft prospect. So it's like I don't know why I have it. 67th overall. I think he was selected. No, no, that's Dudan. I say he might have broken that record. He did not. He was drafted 83rd and although but they kind of had similar stories. Swiny was predominantly a reliever. He only started eight games in three years. Although he pitched in 50 his junior year, he became a starter even though he only went in four games. That was mostly because of the COVID pandemic. But he had a 4-0 record, a 129 ERA. So his numbers looked pretty good, especially since he finished with a15.1 record as a reliever.

25:25
Logan Brumley
He had a really good curveball. His fastball was a bit slow, but that can always be developed in the minor league rankings. The Giants took a chance on him. It was part of a compensation pick for Madison Bumgarner. Weaving, fun, fat. He had a 0.84 ERA and 12 starts across the Rookie League and Single A. But his productivity started to slow down. Once he hit a plus, he was at like a.384 era. He managed to find himself coming in to relief in aa. So single like A plus. He was a starter still. But you know, having a four or six record and a high era. Especially when coming out of college, you were seen as a relief pitcher. Kind of just certified.

26:18
Logan Brumley
Like, yeah, you're going to be a reliefer, but it's good that you got the extra reps. You struggle to produce some great numbers in Double A and Triple A. Okay. His Double A record, he did pretty well. 3.01 15 Era, but then just crashed and burned. 564 Era and 26 rui fin ins. And this is another player who was a Rule 5 draftee. He was selected by the Astros, but his numbers have been staying relatively the same the past year and is now a free agent. I have not heard any rumors of him being signed anywhere. Let's see. He did not manage to make it to the MLB ranks just yet. So we'll see what happens to him. He might just have to retire. He might be able to find success somewhere else.

27:16
Logan Brumley
But it feels like, you know, he got so close to making it today, MLB ranks, but then just things did not work out for him, which happens. And that's just a humility thing that you have to accept a possibility. Like it's obvious. 20 Rounds of a draft and not everyone's going to be successful. You just always hope that you're the one who is. And speaking of the one who is, Patrick Bailey, 13th overall in 2020, he's the like second highest player to be drafted in NC State history. It was like him and Trea Turner were selected around the same time. Carlos Rodin, I think was a top three pick. So he's going to hold that record for a while. I believe he was drafted by the Twins in high school but then he honored his commitment to play for NC State.

28:08
Logan Brumley
He was coming out High Point was part of the men's national team U18 roster. So again, great experience already. He hit above .300. He was a freshman player of the year, a career 106 RBIs including a Covid year. Scout, you know, loved his athleticism as offender. His bat was really good as well. He had great contact, he had great hitting ability. This is just a high end draft prospect that you just have to take a chance on. When he was coming in he did kind of struggle at the A level going from like a .366 at Rookie League and [Single] A to .185 at A plus.

28:58
Logan Brumley
He went to the fall league however and there was something there that just kind of like everything kind of clicked because he was able to hit above like 250 for most of his time since that fall week in 2021 he was able to just fly through a plus double A triple A in two years and you know he had 14 home runs which isn't great power but there were still some. His power kind of lost a little bit of it as the contact started going up and as he started going higher. But spring training he debuted with the Giants in 2023. He was a reliable catcher for the Giants for a couple years, although the Giants have not had much success. He was kind of a guy that was able to hold his own for a while.

29:46
Logan Brumley
The position was like okay, we're not going to stress this position. I mean I didn't watch a lot of Giants games because they're all the way out west. But who knows, maybe. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong about that. He did get traded to the. Cleveland lately, which is where he's playing today. He's bat. Navard's kind of dropped down to whatchamacallit like below the Mendoza line again. So we'll see. Maybe he's starting to take backwards or maybe he is starting to show some elite athleticism. Only time will tell. But I mean, you know a lot of different lessons are going to pick up there. It's just take your time, focus on your. It's not about the speed in which you get there. It's about whether you can get there and whether you can just keep improving, keep learning and keep playing.

30:51
Logan Brumley
But that's all I have for you guys today. As I mentioned before, I'm going to be taking a two week hiatus. I'll be back in August like that first week of August to start recording stuff again. I will have my Kind of soccer mega episode coming up at that time, but that's the end of today's video or podcast. I don't know why I said video. Have a good one and go pack.

Transcribed by https://fireflies.ai/