Seven Draft hopefuls will be in Studio 42 for broadcast
Shortstop Gordon among prep stars who will be there in person to hear name called
When the First-Year Player Draft begins on June 5, seven players will be at MLB Network's Studio 42, eagerly waiting to hear their names called, Major League Baseball announced Thursday. It will be the second-largest group of potential draftees to attend the broadcast.
The seven players are all high schoolers, headlined by Olympia (Fla.) High School shortstop Nick Gordon. He is the son of former All-Star Tom Gordon and the brother of Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon. Nick Gordon is ranked No. 6 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Draft Prospects list.
Joining Gordon in Studio 42 will be Sprayberry (Ga.) High School shortstop Michael Chavis, Clovis (Calif.) High School shortstop Jacob Gatewood, Lee's Summit West (Mo.) High School outfielder Monte Harrison, Elk Grove (Calif.) High School outfielder Derek Hill, Conway (S.C.) High School right-hander Grant Holmes and Waiakea (Hawaii) High School left-hander Kodi Medeiros.
Gatewood caught the attention of several Major Leaguers and fans across the country with a breakout performance at last year's Chevrolet Home Run Derby at Citi Field. Using an aluminum bat, he hit 13 home runs, more than five participants in the Major League contest.
Gatewood isn't the only scheduled Draft attendee with a powerful bat. Chavis won the home run derby at the Perfect Game All-American Classic, hitting four in the final round at University of San Diego's Fowler Park.
Like Gordon, baseball runs in the family for Hill and Holmes. Hill's father, Orsino, reached Triple-A as a player and is now a scout for the Dodgers. Holmes' brother, Colby, pitched at South Carolina for four years and now plays in the Braves' system.
Harrison might be the best athlete in the Draft class. He was a three-sport star at Lee's Summit West and is committed to Nebraska to play football and baseball in college.
Medeiros made a name for himself on the showcase circuit last summer and now has a chance to become the first high school player from Hawaii to be selected in the first two rounds of the Draft since 2001.
The 2014 Draft will take place on June 5-7, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB.com and MLB Network on Thursday, June 5, at 6 p.m. ET. Live Draft coverage from MLB Network's Studio 42 begins at 7 p.m., with the top 74 picks being streamed on MLB.com and broadcast on MLB Network. MLB.com's exclusive coverage of the second and third days will begin with a live Draft show at 12:30 p.m. ET on June 6.
The 2014 Draft will take place on June 5-7, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB.com and MLB Network on Thursday, June 5, at 6 p.m. ET. Live Draft coverage from MLB Network's Studio 42 begins at 7 p.m., with the top 74 picks being streamed on MLB.com and broadcast on MLB Network. MLB.com's exclusive coverage of the second and third days will begin with a live Draft show at 12:30 p.m. ET on June 6.
MLB.com's coverage includes Draft Central, the Top 100 Draft Prospects list and Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of Draft-eligible players. Every selection will be tweeted live from @MLBDraftTracker, and you can also keep up to date by following @MLBDraft. And get into the Draft conversation by tagging your tweets with #mlbdraft.