Last week Troy Taylor became the second Draft League alum to reach the Major Leagues. A 12th round pick in 2022 by Seattle, Taylor logged 53 innings for Williamsport during the summer of 2021, which was the first year of the MLB Draft League. He was originally recommended to the league after a SoCal Juco Showcase in December of 2020.

Now, as most summer leagues across the country have come to a close, the MLB Draft League is still going strong. The first half of the league's season, which ended July 13, showcased draft-eligible players from the Divisions I-III, NAIA, junior college and high school (graduating seniors) levels. The league had a record-setting 52 players selected in the 2024 MLB Draft, surpassing the Draft League’s previous highest total of 47 picks in 2021 and 2023 Drafts.

The second half of the draft league season is for professional players who exhausted their amateur eligibility. Players receive housing, meal money, travel and weekly compensation.

Today, we showcase seven pitching prospects from the second half who have what it takes for a MiLB contract.

Ethan Bradford, LHP, Trenton- The 6-foot-4, 210-pound left-hander pitched just nine innings for Kansas this spring after logging 43 as a junior in 2023. Armed with deception and a different look from a low three-quarters release point and a running fastball that has touched 95, his arsenal also includes an effective 82-83 mph slider that spins in the 2600 rpm range. Bradford has been outstanding in the Draft League from the first pitch. He’s 3-0 with a 0.94 ERA in 28.2 innings, all coming in relief. The southpaw has also struck out 34 and limited opponents to a 1.05 WHIP. His size, stuff and performance exceeds that of numerous college left-handers who were selected in this past year’s draft.

Michael Gemma, RHP, West Virginia- The 6-foot-5, 200-pound right-hander has pitched just three innings so far in the league after logging 34 over 11 starts for Northeastern this spring. His control is still developing, but there’s little doubt in regards to his stuff. From a three-quarter release point, Gemma attacks with a sinker/slider combo. Although he has struggled to date with landing both consistently for strikes, his analytics are highly interesting. The high-spin, high-velo sinker at 91-96 mph with 2600+ rpm reminds of a Charlie Morton turbo-sinker. Gemma’s slider hums at 84-86 with movement of -0.7” VB and -6.6” HB. He has only thrown 60 pitches to date in the league, but has produced one of the top Whiff% at 47.4 and a league-low 63.9 mph average exit velocity on batted balls.

Tanner Gillis, RHP, Mahoning Valley- Durable-bodied at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds with a loose arm, Gillis is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 18 IP this season. His primary weapons are a sinker that has peaked at 94.8 mph and an 84-86 changeup, but he will also cut and slide it. His velocity has ticked up a bit since this past spring at Northern Kentucky, rising from a 91.0 average to a current 92.4 in the Draft League. Opponents are batting just .190 vs his sinker and .000 vs his changeup which also has an 83.3 Whiff% and currently an absurd 100% Z-Whiff, much due to its 15.2" HB. There is good shape to his cutter at 89-90 with spin in the 2500 rpm range and it too has no-hit opponents' bats this season. His slider sits 85-86 with a similar spin rate to his cutter. Overall, Gillis is a ground ball specialist, inducing a 65.6% GB rate to date in the league which far exceeds the 43.4% he accumulated this spring.

Evan Harmon, RHP, Mahoning Valley- I first came across the 6-foot-3, 225 pound right-hander in the fall of 2023 during a scrimmage between Lipscomb and Belmont when he touched 95 and sat 92-93 during his one inning or work. This summer to date he has pitched just 4.2 innings on 96 pitches, but he’s been up to 96.6 mph and averaged 93.2 with an average spin rate of 2549 rpm and IVB 16.7” and HB 6.9” on average. Harmon’s control is a work-in-progress and he throws with effort from a high three-quarter release point. He does show a very good feel to spin the baseball and has flashed a plus, hard downer curveball at 78-80 with 2450+ rpm spin. He also dabbles with an 82-84 mph slider with 2500+ spin. Overall, there’s currently more control than command to his arsenal, but it’s a big arm with high spin metrics to refine.

Jackson Kirkpatrick, RHP, West Virginia- The 6-foot-7, 250-pound right-hander pitched 35.1 innings and struck out 63 for the University of Indianapolis this spring. He has logged an additional 15 innings in 15 appearances with 15 strikeouts out of the pen this summer for the Black Bears. His arm action is clean with a compact to full path and his delivery is on-line. Power pitching is his game with a heater that has touched 98.8 mph and averages 96.2. With a current data package that includes a 4-seam fastball spin rate in the 2100-2200 rpm range (IVB 15.8” / HB 10.4”) and a sinker that spins in the 2000s (IVB 12” / HB 13.6”), Kirkpatrick undoubtedly has the arm strength and is the perfect fit for an organization that can develop velocity into a more effective movement profile.

Jeremy Neff, LHP, State College- Like Bradford, Neff has the size and stuff that exceeds many college lefties that were recently selected in the 2024 draft. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound left-hander pitched 30.2 innings this past spring for Virginia Tech and has accumulated 24 more this summer for the Spikes. With 28 strikeouts and just six walks and 16 hits allowed, Neff misses bats and minimizes freebies. His three pitch arsenal includes a fastball that averages 89.8 mph and has touched 92.7 with an IVB 18.3 / -9.9 HB movement profile, a low-80s, late-action slider (2300s rpm) and a 83-84 mph (1900 rpm / IVB 13.9” / HB -14.5”) changeup. His fastball has an exceptional Whiff% of 50.0 and a .143 OPP AVG, his slider checks in at 41.8% and .103 OPP AVG and changeup is also effective at 32.4% and .243 OPP AVG.

Grant Umberger, LHP, Mahoning Valley- Transferring from Virginia Tech to Toledo last summer, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound left-hander posted every weekend for the Rockets, making 15 starts and striking out 80 over 75.2 innings. He has continued that same high level of success in the Draft League for the Scrappers, scattering 14 hits over 22.2 innings, while striking out 24. Umberger consistently misses barrels with just a 9.4 hard hit% this summer on 369 pitches. He has a clean delivery and arm action that releases from a bit slightly higher than a three-quarter slot. His 90.3 mph (average) sinker that touches 93 has been devastating. The pitch has allowed just an .083 OPP SLG with a 32.6 Whiff%. Combining this dominant pitch with an effective low-80s slider that has yielded just a .158 OPP AVG and missed bats at a 41.2 Whiff rate and an often-used 83-86 changeup with -14.1” HB, it’s no coincidence that Umberger is one of the top performing arms in the league.