Florida high school baseball has an extensive history of players being selected as first-round draft picks, a list that is set to grow soon with names such as Green, Ferris, and Barriera.
Thinking about the upcoming 2022 MLB Draft (July 17-19) got us wondering: Where did the 10 most recent leading draft picks from Florida high school baseball land?
2012 – Albert Almora Jr. (Mater Academy Charter)
Selected No. 6 overall in the 2012 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs, Albert Almora Jr. was considered one of the Top 100 overall prospects in baseball for the early part of his career before making his MLB debut in 2016. Winning a World Series with Chicago in 2016, Almora Jr. spent the first five years of his six-year MLB career with the Cubs, and now enters 2022 with the Cincinnati Reds after appearing in 47 games with the New York Mets a year ago.
2013 – Christian Arroyo (Hernando)
A versatile infielder, Christian Arroyo was selected No. 25 overall in the 2013 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants out of Hernando High School. Making his MLB debut with the Giants in 2017, Arroyo has also spent time with the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, and Boston Red Sox across his five-year MLB career, and enters 2022 still with Boston after appearing in 57 games with the club a year ago.
2014 – Nick Gordon (Olympia)
A Top 100 prospect for the early part of his career, Nick Gordon was selected by the Minnesota Twins with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. He finally made his MLB debut with the Twins in 2021, a season in which he slashed .240/.292/.355 across 73 games.
2015 – Brendan Rodgers (Lake Mary)
One of the highest-selected players from Florida high school baseball in recent memory, Brendan Rodgers was chosen with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies. He made his MLB debut with Colorado in 2019 and is still with the Rockies as he enters his fourth season in the major leagues.
2016 – Cole Ragans (North Florida Christian)
After being selected with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers, Cole Ragans spent his first two seasons in the lower levels of the Rangers organization. The left-hander reached the Double-A level for the first time in 2021 and likely will begin this season in either Double-A or Triple-A.
2017 – Chris Seise (West Orange)
After selecting Ragans in the first round in 2016, the Rangers went with another Florida prospect by picking Chris Seise No. 29 overall in the 2017 MLB Draft. Still in the Rangers organization, Seise will likely begin the 2022 season in either High-A or Double-A.
2018 – Carter Stewart (Eau Gallie)
Carter Stewart, a graduate of Eau Gallie High School, was selected by the Atlanta Braves with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. He did not sign with Atlanta, however, and instead went on to play two seasons in Japan with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. Stewart made a combined total of 23 appearances last season in Japan, posting a 3.14 ERA across 77.1 IP.
2019 – Riley Greene (Hagerty)
Baseball’s current No. 5 overall prospect, Riley Greene was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. Now on the verge of his MLB debut with the Tigers, Greene is coming off a season in which he slashed .301/.387/.534 with 24 home runs across 124 combined games between Double-A and Triple-A.
2020 – Zac Veen (Spruce Creek)
The current No. 36 prospect in baseball, Zac Veen was selected with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies, where he has remained since. The outfielder appeared in 106 games in Low-A, where he posted a .901 OPS with 15 home runs, 75 RBI and 36 stolen bases.
2021 – Andrew Painter (Calvary Christian)
The most recent first-round pick from Florida high school baseball, Andrew Painter was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Similar to Veen previously, Painter has a limited sample size in his professional career – the right-hander pitched six scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in the Florida Complex League last season.
