With four 1st-rounders, including No. 1, Draft another success for MLB Develops

ATLANTA -- Another year, another successful draft for MLB Develops.

Four alumni from the program -- all shortstops -- were selected in the first round of Sunday’s MLB Draft, including shortstop Eli Willits, who went first overall to the Nationals.

Kayson Cunningham went No. 18 to the Diamondbacks, Xavier Neyens went No. 21 to the Astros and Tate Southisene went No. 22 to the Braves. Since 2022, 18 MLB Develops alumni have been selected in the first round.

“Our focus with MLB Develops is to create opportunities for players, both male and female,” said Tony Reagins, MLB’s Chief Baseball Development Officer. “Through this initiative, players will have a chance to develop their skill-sets, receive instruction by great coaches and play on meaningful platforms with an emphasis on being a positive contributor to his or her community.”

Willits took part in the 2023 States Play Invitational, earning co-MLB Develops MVP honors as a 15-year-old.

The States Play Invitational was a program established in 2018 to help identify many of the nation’s premier young talents. All four players selected in the first round this year participated in States Play, while Cunningham also took part in the Dream Series (2023, 2024) and played in the 2024 High School All-American Game.

“It was a tremendous opportunity to get to go play in that,” Willits said. “I remember I was the youngest kid playing there, and it just felt like you were playing professional baseball there because you’d wake up, you’d walk down to the field and you did baseball. Just to have that opportunity and be able to play in such a great event, I’m very thankful.”

“I’m excited for Eli and his family as I have known him since he was a toddler,” Reagins said of Willits, whose father, Reggie, played for the Angels during Reagins’ tenure as general manager. “He is an elite talent, great worker with a high baseball IQ. I’m also happy for [MLB director of baseball development] Chuck Fox and the MLB Develops evaluators who extended an invitation to States Play to Eli back in 2023. Eli’s talent shined through as he was voted co-MVP of that initiative.”

• Get to know No. 1 overall Draft pick Eli Willits

Cunningham is the 15th Dream Series participant to be selected in the first round since 2017, joining a list that includes Hunter Greene, Jordan Walker and Kumar Rocker. Also on that list are current MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects Braden Montgomery (No. 31), Justin Crawford (No. 48), Christian Moore (No. 50), Harry Ford (No. 55) and Cam Collier (No. 61).

"Just a lot of knowledge from all the players and coaches," Cunningham said Sunday when asked what he learned through the MLB Develops program. "Being around the MLB Develops, you have a lot of ex-professional baseball players, ex-big leaguers, so kind of picking their brains, whether it's in the infield, outfield, at the plate, they really have a lot of knowledge there. It's really good for the younger generation to kind of pick up off that."

Two other MLB Develops alumni were selected on Sunday: shortstop Quentin Young (No. 54 to the Twins) and outfielder Dean Moss (No. 67 to the Rays).

Young participated in several MLB Develops events as a youth, including the Hank Aaron Invitational (2021, 2022, 2023), Dream Series (2023, 2024), Breakthrough Series (2023, 2024), States Play (2023) and the 2024 High School All-American Game and High School Home Run Derby. Moss played in the 2023 Dream Series and the 2024 High School All-American Game.