Did you Feel that Draft?
Even if you didn't, I know at least 14 in Missouri and Kansas who did. That is how many area high school grads who were drafted in the 2023 MLB Draft.
My work focuses on the athletic experience of Missouri and Kansas athletes as they compete in the NCAA. This article only deviates slightly because it includes athletes who have yet to get to the NCAA. They all deserve recognition for their achievements that have manifested in their being drafted in the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft.
Here are 14 local athletes who have the opportunity to chase their dreams to get to the major leagues. It can be a long, hard journey. But, these athletes have shown they are up to the task. After all, they are living their dream.
Baseball is so filled with history. Great teams. Great players. So many stories. That is why I also included past draft picks of the same number as this year’s draftee’s. True, there is no assurance of similar success. But others who have gone before are indelibly a part of the dreams of those who follow.
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Here are the 14 athletes. There are 7 pitchers, 4 outfielders, and 3 infielders. We wish them well in their continuing baseball quest.
Nassan Zanetello
Round 1, Pick 50, Shortstop, Boston Red Sox
Christian Brothers, College None
The first to be picked from this region hasn’t even been to college. Nassan just completed his senior year at Christian Brothers. He now has a choice. The University of Arkansas? Or, start that trek to Fenway. Regardless, the First Team All-State Cadet has earned that choice.
Who else has been taken as the 50th pick? In 1972, Cleveland took Dennis Eckersley. The Hall of Famer struck out 2,401 batters in 3,285.2 innings. He had 197 career wins. Also a 50th overall pick was Bo Jackson. Bo hit 141 home runs before an injury ended his two pro-sport career.
Tavian Josenberger
Round 3, Pick 100, Outfield, Baltimore Orioles
Park Hill High School, University of Arkansas
Tavian prowled the outfield for the Razorbacks. He was perfect in his fielding chances. That helped him be named to the Defensive All-Southeastern Conference Team.
Some very good players have been selected with the 100th pick. In 1981, the Kansas City Royals selected Shane Mack with that pick. Shane played in 923 games in his 9 year career, batting .299. The Atlanta Braves selected Ron Gant with the 100th pick in 1983. Gant hit 321 home runs in his 16 year career.
Austin Troesser
Round 4, Pick 135, Pitcher, New York Mets
Fatima High School, University of Missouri
The Loose Creek, Missouri native just completed his junior year as a Missouri Tiger. He appeared in 22 games, starting 3. The Fatima grad had a 5 and 3 record with 1 save. He struck out 53 batters in his 45.2 innings of work, with only 17 walks. He held his opponents to a .229 Batting Average. Austin also hit the books and was a CSC Academic All-District honoree.
In 2014, The St. Louis Cardinals used this pick to select Austin Gomber. He is in his 5th pro year this year and has 7 wins and 7 losses so far this year for the Colorado Rockies.
Spencer Nivens
Round 5, Pick 142, Outfield, Kansas City Royals
Rock Bridge High School, Missouri State University
Spencer just completed his Redshirt Sophomore season as a Bear. His Hits, Doubles, Triples, Total Bases, Batting Average, Slugging Percentage, and Runs Scored were all in the Top 5 of his conference. He was both First Team and Defensive Team All-Missouri Valley Conference. All that earned him Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year.
Rhys Hoskins was the 142nd in 2014, selected by the Philadelphia Phillies. His six year pro career produced 148 home runs and a .492 slugging average.
Zach Thornton
Round 5, Pick 159, Pitcher, New York Mets
Free State High School, Grand Canyon University
The Lawrence native just completed his junior year in Phoenix. Competing in the Western Athletic Conference, he was in the Top 5 in Innings Pitched, Wins, Strikeouts, and ERA. Zach was named Second Team All-Western Athletic Conference.
Who else was a 159th pick? Charlie Hough, in 1966. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The knuckleballer went on to strike out 2,362 batters in his 26 year career. The 159th pick of the 1973 draft went to the Baltimore Orioles. They selected Mike Flanagan who struck out 1,491 batters in his 167 win pro career. This slot in the draft must be charmed for strikeouts, a good omen for Zach Thornton. This pick in 2007 produced Jake Arrieta for the Orioles. He struck out 1,433 batters and won 115 games in his 12 year career.
Nick Goodwin
Round 7, Pick 214, Shortstop, Toronto Blue Jays
St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Kansas State University
Nick started his collegiate career in a big way when he was named Freshman All-American. He has been All-Big 12 Honorable Mention each of his three years at Kansas State. Lorne Parks was Nick’s high school coach at St. Thomas Aquinas. Lorne said that Nick was a tireless worker both at practice and when working on his own. He was a great leader as a Saint and led by example while being the consummate teammate. And then Coach Parks issued his highest compliment saying “As good as a baseball player that Nick is, he is an even better young man.”
Chosen by the Cincinnati Reds, Ron Oester was the 214th pick in the 1974 draft. He got 1,118 hits in his 13 years as a professional baseball player.
Jake Eddington
Round 7, Pick 223, Pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies
Doniphan High School, Missouri State University
Jake was Perfect Game’s top ranked player in Missouri in 2020. He has not disappointed. Averaging more than a strikeout per inning, the redshirt sophomore got 4 wins vs 2 losses this last season.
In 2000 the 223rd pick was owned by the Chicago Cubs. They selected Dontrelle Willis who got 896 strike outs in his 9 year career.
Jace Kaminska
Round 10, Pick 292, Pitcher, Colorado Rockies
Caney Valley High School, University of Nebraska
Jace proved that great baseball comes out of our smaller towns. His high school has 195 students. But, he wasn’t daunted when he went to the University of Nebraska to show them his pitching abilities. His 7 wins this year was the third most in the Big Ten Conference.
George Frazier was the 292nd pick in the 1972 draft. After being selected by the Texas Rangers, he went on to strike out 449 batters in 675.2 innings over his 10 year career.
Brennan Orf
Round 13, Pick 394, Outfield, Toronto Blue Jays
Westminster Christian Academy, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Brennan was a dominate force at the plate in the Ohio Valley Conference. He led the conference in Runs Scored, Slugging Percentage, and On Base Percentage. He was third in Batting Average, Home Runs, and Total Bases. That earned him First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference.
Daniel Murphy was selected in this slot by the New York Mets in 2006. Murphy collected 1,572 hits and 138 home runs during his 12 year career.
Elijah Dale
Round 13, Pick 397, Pitcher, Seattle Mariners
St. Pius X-Festus High School, Illinois State University
After starting out at Kansas State, Eli found his home dugout at Illinois State University. He was the Redbirds’ go to pitcher with 19 appearances. He struck out 65 batters while only walking 13. Illinois State Head Baseball Coach, Steve Holm refers to Eli as “our guy”. He also said “I couldn’t be happier for Eli and his family. He gets the opportunity to chase his dream to become a major leaguer.”
Luke Mann
Round 14, Pick 406, Third Base, Oakland Athletics
Vianney High School, University of Missouri
Luke started all 54 games for the Tigers. He hit .311 while collecting a team leading 64 hits and 21 home runs. He also led Missouri on the base paths stealing 21 bases out of 24 attempts. Not only was Luke named to the Second Team All-Southeastern Conference Team, he was also a CSC Academic All-District honoree.
Carlton Perkins
Round 15, Pick 449, Pitcher, Chicago White Sox
Lee’s Summit North, Cowley County Community College
Cowley County Head Baseball Coach Darren Burroughs had this to say about his star pitcher. “He did a good job maturing both physically and mentally during his time here, and we are happy for him to get this opportunity.”
Also selected in the 449th slot in the 2019 draft by the Minnesota Twins was Louie Vorland. He is now in his second year in the bigs. At mid-season he has 10 starts. He is 3 and 3 with 75 strike outs in 56 innings.
Casey Steward
Round 19, Pick 583, Pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies
Wichita East High School, Washburn University
Casey’s Ichabod career was an impressive one. He was name to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Second Team his last two years. He was designated CSC Academic All-District in 2023. The MIAA named him to the Conference Academic Honor Roll all four years, and the MIAA Scholar Athlete the last two years.
Ashton Larson
Round 20, Pick 597, Outfield, Minnesota Twins
St. Thomas Aquinas High School, College-None
Ashton was one of only two from Missouri and Kansas to be drafted directly out of high school. Lorne Parks was Ashton’s high school coach at St. Thomas Aquinas. Lorne said that Ashton was a tireless worker both at practice and when working on his own. He was a great leader as a Saint and led by example while being the consummate teammate. And then Coach Parks issued his highest compliment saying “As good as a baseball player that Ashton is, he is an even better young man.”
Those are the 14 who were drafted in this year’s draft. We wish each of them continued success.
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