44 NECBL'ers Drafted Or Signed by Major League Teams in 2022
July 28, 2022 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) saw thirty-four players with current or former ties to its members selected in the 2022 MLB Draft, which was a three-day event that concluded on Tuesday, July 19. So far, there have already been ten undrafted signings of former league players who went undrafted.
Six NECBL teams had three or more players taken. The Martha's Vineyard Sharks and North Adams SteepleCats led the way with five players picked. Close behind were the Ocean State Waves (4), Upper Valley Nighthawks (4), Newport Gulls (3) and Winnipesaukee Muskrats (3). Six other teams also had representation, including the Danbury Westerners (2), Valley Blue Sox (2), Keene Swamp Bats (2), Vermont Mountaineers (2), Bristol Blues (1) and Mystic Schooners (1). This year's thirty-four draftees make it 1,015 former NECBL products picked in the last thirteen drafts.
The first NECBL alum to be drafted this year was Zach Neto (Campbell), a shortstop for North Adams in 2021. Neto was taken in the 1st round with the 13th overall pick by the Los Angeles Angels. The next two picks also appeared in the NECBL's 2021 season. Outfielder Alan Roden (Creighton) was taken in the 3rd round with the 98th overall pick by the Toronto Blue Jays. Roden batted .357 with twenty-five RBIs in thirty-nine games with Upper Valley. Former Newport catcher Matthew Wood (Penn State) was off the board in the 4th round with the 132nd overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers. Wood batted .336 in thirty-two games with the Gulls. Out of the thirty-four players selected, twenty-two of them appeared during the 2021 season.
Seven current NECBL players were also selected in the draft. The first to come off the board was LHP Noah Dean (Old Dominion) of the Keene Swamp Bats, who appeared in two games this season and was taken in the 5th round with the 159th overall pick by the Boston Red Sox. Upper Valley Nighthawk LHP Jack Choate (Assumption), who had a 2.39 ERA in over twenty-six innings this summer, was next in the 5th round with the 286th pick by the San Francisco Giants. Newport and the Vermont Mountaineers each had two current players drafted this year. The Gulls' LHP Dominic Perachi (Salve Regina) and RHP Jake Garland (Miami) were selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics respectively. Mountaineers' catcher Adam Retzbach (Lehigh) and RHP Carlos Torres (Lehigh) were selected by the Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies respectively. Retzbach was the only 2022 product to spend two seasons in the NECBL, both coming with Vermont. Mystic otufielder Tucker Flint (Chipola) was also snatched off the board.
Ten free agents who appeared in the NECBL have been signed by MLB teams since the draft ended. Three current players penned contracts, including Winnipesaukee infielder Matt Alifano (Adelphi) with the Phillies, Upper Valley RHP Trey Nordmann (Lipscomb) with the Orioles and Newport RHP Colin Lowe (Bryant) with the Marlins.
Including the undrafted free agents, every MLB team added a former NECBL player. The Phillies and Angels led the way with four former products. Philadelphia's first NECBL draft pick was Winnipesaukee catcher Gustavo Sosa (South Mountain Community College), who appeared with the Muskrats in 2021. Sosa batted .270 in twenty-three games. Los Angeles' first NECBL man off the board was Zach Neto with the 13th pick.
There were fifteen different pitchers picked in the draft, leading all positions. Ten catchers were also selected while five outfielders also came off the board. Twenty-eight of the thirty-four picks represented Division I baseball programs. Three players came from Division II schools, one came from a Division III program and two played for Junior Colleges.
The NECBL congratulates all current and former players who were drafted or signed!
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