Last week, Major League Baseball conducted its annual amateur draft. 10 players were selected who either went to high school in Lexington County or played for the Lexington County Blowfish.

Brock Vradenburg

Former Blowfish first baseman Brock Vradenburg was the first player with local ties taken in the draft. Vradenburg was taken during the third round, 78th overall, by the Miami Marlins after playing his college ball at Michigan State.
While in a Blowfish uniform last season, he hit an impressive .344 with five home runs, 48 RBI and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .986. He also played for the Blowfish in the summer of 2021.

His power ultimately improved this last year at Michigan State as he cranked 13 home runs to go along with 22 doubles and 69 RBI.

Will Sanders

South Carolina Gamecock pitcher Will Sanders was taken by the Chicago Cubs in the fourth round of the draft.

Sanders spent a short time in Lexington with the Blowfish during the summer of 2020. In time, Sanders pitched 21 innings and struck out 22 batters. He posted an earned run average of 7.29 and went on to have a successful college baseball career in Columbia with the Gamecocks.

Brody Hopkins

Right-handed pitcher and former Blowfish Brody Hopkins was selected in the sixth round of the draft by the Seattle Mariners.

Hopkins played on the 2022 Blowfish team and tossed 18 innings in a Lexington County uniform. His earned run average was over 10 as he struggled at times in Lexington but in his one season at Winthrop afterward, he cut the earned run average down below six. He also recorded 11 strikeouts per nine innings and made himself more of an attractive prospect.

Alfonsin Rosario

Alfonsin Rosario is the first non-Blowfish player on the list. He attended P27 Academy in Lexington last season and was regarded as the best high school prospect in South Carolina by Perfect Game.

He was taken in the sixth round by the Chicago Cubs and will more than likely play in the outfield despite doing some pitching. Along with being considered the top high school prospect in the state, he was considered the number eight outfielder and the number 50 overall player in the country.

Magdiel Cotto

Former Blowfish left handed pitcher Magdiel Cotto was selected in round 11 of the draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cotto played in Lexington County during the summer of 2021 and posted an earned run average of 7.20 during the small sample size of ten innings. After his summer with the Blowfish, he transferred from South Carolina to Kentucky, where spent the last two years of his college career before being taken by the Pirates.

William Privette

William Privette has some of the closest Lexington County ties of anyone selected in the 2023 draft. He played his high school baseball at Chapin High School and spent a summer playing for the Blowfish in 2021.

With the Blowfish, Privette started five games, pitched a total of 15 innings and didn’t surrender a single earned run in that time. In those 15 innings he struck out 25 batters while only recording ten walks. He spent all of his three-year college career at College of Charleston. In his final season, he struck out over 60 batters and managed to post an earned run average below three and 1.14 walks and hits per innings pitched. He was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 13th round.

Danny Flatt

Danny Flatt became the second player from Lexington’s P27 Academy taken in the draft after the New York Yankees took him in the 14th round.

Originally from Summerville, Flatt was committed to play at Lipscomb in Nashville before being selected by the Yankees. He was considered the number seven high school prospect in the state and the number three high school pitcher in the state according to Perfect Game.

Tyler Bradt

Tyler Bradt was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 16th round of the MLB Draft. Bradt played for the Blowfish as a right-handed pitcher in the summer of 2021.

Bradt played the first three years of his college career at Virginia Military Institute before transferring to play for East Carolina before the 2023 season. Last year, he posted an earned run average of 8.10 in 18 appearances.

Cade Austin

Like Privette, right-handed pitcher Cade Austin has some deep ties to Lexington County. Austin also played for Chapin High School but spent his college career pitching for South Carolina.

Before playing in Columbia, Austin spent a summer with the Blowfish in 2021. During that summer, Austin posted a 4.40 earned run average in 28 innings and struck out 41 batters while only walking eight of them. In his last two years at South Carolina, he struck out 93 batters and only walked 28. Austin was selected by the New York Yankees in the 19th round of the draft.

Jalen Vasquez

Former Blowfish shortstop Jalen Vasquez was selected in round 20 by the Baltimore Orioles. Vasquez spent his 2021 summer in Lexington County and hit .226 with one home run in 37 games.

After his stint with the Blowfish, he returned to the University of South Carolina for the 2022 season before ultimately transferring to North Greenville for the 2023 season.