20 Kettleers Round Out Day 3 of 2023 MLB Draft
By: Shane Petagna (The University of Tampa), Jimmy Middleton (West Chester University)
Over the course of three days, 39 Kettleers of past and present received the call to continue their baseball careers professionally. On Tuesday alone, half of the group had their moment during rounds 11-20 of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Jake Brooks: Round 11, Pick 323
Miami Marlins
Brooks played for the Kettleers in the 2021 summer, making six starts in eight games. The right-hander posted a record of 3-3 with an ERA of 3.06. Brooks played the next two seasons at UCLA, striking out a combined 134 batters in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Jace Grady: Round 11, Pick 339
Atlanta Braves
Grady, the switch-hitter from Dallas Baptist, was in Cotuit during the 2021 summer season. In nineteen games with the Ketts, he slashed for a line of .346/.378/.539. Over the next two seasons with the Patriots, he hit a combined 22 home runs in those two years.
Carter Trice: Round 12, Pick 356
Chicago Cubs
Trice spent the 2021 and 2022 summers with the Kettleers. In his second stint with the Ketts, he slashed for a line of .237/.333/.421 last season. After the summer, Trice transferred to NC State, where he hit for a .248, bringing home nineteen runners.
Paulshawn Pasqualotto: Round 12, Pick 357
Minnesota Twins
Pasqualotto was a Freshman All-American at Cal-Berkely before missing all of 2022 due to injury. In 2023 the Golden Bear was an All-PAC-12 Honorable Mention and continued his season into Cotuit where he made two starts for the Kettleers.
Noah Ruen: Round 12, Pick 370
Los Angeles Dodgers
Ruen had a stellar 2023 as a submarine pitcher. At Tyler Junior College he posted an 0.82 ERA and struck out 64 batters in 43 ⅔ innings pitched. In the summer with Cotuit, Ruen finished with a 1.68 ERA and led the team with three saves.
William Privette: Round 13, Pick 381
Texas Rangers
Privette was with Cotuit during the 2022 season, appearing in six games. The right-hander ran an ERA of 1.74 while holding a record of 2-0. Privette returned to the College of Charleston for one more season, where he posted an ERA of 2.36 in 24 appearances.
Ryan Galanie: Round 13, Pick 389
Chicago White Sox
Galanie spent two seasons with the Kettleers in 2022 and ‘23. Joining Cotuit at the end of the season the previous year, he homered in Game 2 of an opening round matchup against Hyannis and tied for the team lead in long balls this year at four; two of which being grand slams. Galanie enjoyed a four-year career at Wofford College where he won the Southern Conference Player of the Year in 2023.
David Smith: Round 14, Pick 410
Detroit Tigers
A transfer from La Salle, Smith spent two years at UConn where he was named second-team All-Big East in 2022 and was a team captain this past spring. He played one game for the Kettleers, appearing as a pinch-hitter in Game 2 of the West Division Championship Series.
Zach Joyce: Round 14, Pick 414
Los Angeles Angels
After two years away from the Tennessee baseball program, Joyce returned to the mound this spring and struck out 17 batters in 10 ⅓ innings pitched. With Cotuit, he appeared in two games and combined to throw 3 ⅓ scoreless innings.
Caleb Ketchup: Round 15, Pick 444
Los Angeles Angels
Caleb Ketchup spent his 2022 summer with the Kettleers, appearing in eleven games. The shortstop returned to Lipscomb for his sophomore season, hitting for a line of .255/.375/.534. The righty blasted a career-best 17 home runs in his final college season.
Ty Johnson: Round 15, Pick 446
Chicago Cubs
The right-hander from Ball State spent the 2022 summer with the Ketts. Johnson pitched in nine games, making three starts where he posted an ERA of 4.98. Back at Ball State, he made ten starts, one being a regional appearance against Kentucky.
Justin Miknis: Round 16, Pick 467
Pittsburgh Pirates
Miknis was the Cotuit backstop in the 2022 summer ball season. He appeared in eighteen games where he hit two home runs bringing home seven runners during his time on the Cape. At Kent State for his junior season, he slashed for a line of .318/.399/.502 earning him a first-team All-MAC selection.
Austin Emener: Round 16, Pick 472
Colorado Rockies
Emener spent one season as East Tennessee State where he finished second on the staff with 62 strikeouts. The southpaw from Macon, Ga. made one appearance for the Kettleers this summer on July 9, throwing 1 ⅔ innings of shutout ball against the Orleans Firebirds.
Bryce Jenkins: Round 17, Pick 516
New York Mets
Jenkins joined his Tennesse teammate Joyce in Cotuit, appearing in four games. The right-hander never allowed a run, striking out five and allowing one hit in a total of 5 ⅔ innings pitched. With the Volunteers, Jenkins played in 18 games and struck out 24 over 16 ⅓ innings.
Jacob Sharp: Round 17, Pick 517
Seattle Mariners
Sharp was named First-Team All-Mountain West with UNLV in 2023. An Opening Day starter for the Kettleers, the catcher finished with a .571 on-base percentage.
Kade Kern: Round 17, Pick 519
Atlanta Braves
Kade Kern spent his second season on the Cape with the Kettleers in 2022. He sports the Cotuit pinstripes for eighteen games in the 2022 season. With the Buckeyes last year, he had an on-base percentage of .402 and a slugging percentage of .470.
Kalae Harrison: Round 18, Pick 527
Pittsburgh Pirates
The shortstop hit safely in 12 of 14 games for the Kettleers this summer, good for a .327 batting average. With NC State in 2023, Harrison started all 57 games and led the team with 37 walks and three triples.
Ethan Chenault: Round 18, Pick 553
Philadelphia Phillies
The UNC-Wilmington pitcher played his summer ball for the Ketts during the 2022 season. Chenault made three appearances, posting an ERA of zero while with the Ketts. This past year he appeared in 26 games where he went 5-2 on the season.
Christian Little: Round 19, Pick 576
New York Mets
After his sophomore season with Vanderbilt, Little joined the Ketts for the 2022 season. He appeared in five games, making two starts and posting a record of 1-1. Little would transfer to LSU for his junior year. In Baton Rouge, he started in eight games punching out forty-two hitters throughout the season.
Ryan Ignoffo: Round 20, Pick 593
Miami Marlins
Ignoffo joined the Ketts late in the 2022 summer as Cotuit made a late playoff push. The righty only played in two games but hit for a .250 average during his time in Cotuit. Ignoffo returned to Eastern Illinois for his graduate season, where he slashed for a line of .335/.434/.598.