Over the past two days, Major League Baseball conducted their First Year Players Draft in shortened format. They reduced the draft to only 5 rounds from the traditional 40 rounds due to funding and the COVID 19 pandemic. In the past we’ve only had a handful of New Market Rebels chosen in the top five rounds, and this year we had one!
Jack Hartman 2017
This year, 2017 Rebel Jack Hartman was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 4th round. Though he played at Tallahassee State and for the Rebels as an infielder, he went on to pitch predominately in relief at the College of Central Florida and Appalachian State University. Jack is the second 2017 Rebel to be selected by the Pirates, the first being Jake Washer. He is the sixth overall from the 2017 team to get a shot in the pros, joining Keven Pimentel, Chandler Raiden, Nathan Pawelczyk, and Jacob Rhinesmith.
The New Market Rebels are thrilled for Jack, and we wish him the best of luck in his professional career!
Fall is here, and with the exception of MLB, baseball season (at least in this country) is over. Since we have such an impressive list of former Rebels who played professionally this year, I thought I’d give you an update on how their seasons went!
Alex Boshers with the Sioux Falls Canaries
Alex Boshers – 2012 Rebels – Alex Boshers played this season for the Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association. He pitched in 22 games, 21 of which he started. His record was 6-9 and he ended the season with a 6.2 ERA. His contract has been optioned for the 2020 season, so we look forward to seeing him again next year!
Trevin Eubanks – 2018 Rebels – Trevin Eubanks was a mid-season addition to the roster of the Shaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League. He appeared in 10 games for the Boomers, all in relief. He ended his season with a 1-0 record, and a 5.26 ERA.
John Cable, Lake Erie Crushers
John Cable – 2016 Rebels – John Cable was a second string Catcher for the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League this season. He had 140 at bats in 43 games with 7 extra base hits and 9 RBI. He ended the season with a .221 avg.
Anthony Trovato – 2018 Rebels – Anthony Trovato was another mid-season sign this year, joining the Westside Wooly Mammoths of the United Shore Professional League. He pitched 10.1 innings of relief over 10 games, and ended his year with a nice little 2.61 ERA! Great job to Anthony!
Luke Johnson with the Eastside Diamond Hoppers
Luke Johnson – 2017 Rebels – Some of us were disappointed not to see Luke Johnson’s name called in the draft this year, but we were happy to see him get an opportunity to play in the USPBL with the Eastside Diamond Hoppers. Luke appeared in 36 games, hitting .226 and leading his team in home runs with 10 (tied for second in the league)! Looking forward to seeing what he does next season!
Nick Cottone – 2017-18 Rebels – Nick Cottone played this season in the Empire Professional League for the Plattsburg Thunderbirds and the New Hampshire Wild. He pitched in 12 games, 6 of which he started. His record was 3-1 and his ERA at season’s end was 2.83. Congrats to Nick on what looks like a great first season!
Chase Sudduth – 2017-18 Rebels – Chase Sudduth signed with the Washington Wild Thing of the Frontier League early in their season this year. Unfortunately he did not get to stay with them long, ending up on the disabled list after just a few weeks. He did appear in 10 games and batted .161. I checked in with him a few weeks ago and he is healthy and expecting to get another chance next season! We look forward to seeing good things for Chase!
Reed Garrett with the Nashville Sounds
Reed Garrett – 2013 Rebels – Reed Garrett began his season in the bigs with the Detroit Tigers having been selected by them in the Rule 5 draft. He pitched in 15 innings over 13 games at that level, ending with a 8.22 ERA. Unfortunately the Tigers did not ultimately keep him and sent him back to the Texas Rangers where he was assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. He again spent his time pitching in relief and had more success with the Sounds pitching in 40 innings over 34 games, capturing 40 strike outs and posting a 4.91 ERA. Hoping to see Reed make another advancement to the MLB next season… it’s certainly a possibility!
Jimmy Kerrigan
Jimmy Kerrigan – 2014 Rebels – Jimmy Kerrigan spent the majority of his season with the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos in the Minnesota Twins farm system. He appeared in 78 games for the Wahoos batting .209 with 9 HR, 11 2B and 15 stolen bases. He also did a stint in Triple-A Rochester where he batted .261 with another 6 home runs in 20 games. Hoping to see Jimmy have continued success and make it to the next level!
Kevin Woodall – 2015 Rebels – Kevin Woodall began his season fairly late with the Rookie level State College Spikes of the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Unfortunately he appeared in only one game, batting .250 before he was placed on the 60-day Disabled List. Not sure what his health concerns may be, but hoping he can recover and get another chance at the plate in future seasons!
Jacob Rhinesmith with the Hagerstown Suns
Jacob Rhinesmith – 2017 Rebels – Jacob Rhinesmith spent his season in Class A Hagerstown with the Suns. He had a good season, batting .264 with 10 HR, 3 3B, 33 2B and 19 stolen bases. His solid performance even landed him a spot on the South Atlantic League All Star Roster. Rhinesmith was the one player I got a chance to see in action this summer, and though that particular game wasn’t a great one for him, It was good to see him, and good to know he’s had a solid season! Looking forward to the next one!
Brendan Donovan – 2016 Rebels – Brendan Donovan spent the majority of his season with the Class-A Peoria Chiefs in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system. Like Rhinesmith, he had a very solid season, batting .266 with 8 HR and 26 2B. For his final game of the season, Brendan was called up to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds where he had the opportunity to bat 1.000 with 1 hit and 1 BB. I think Brendan Donovan is going to be fun to keep an eye on in coming seasons!
Jonathan Bowlan
Jonathan Bowlan – 2016 Rebels – Jonathan Bowlan split his second professional season between the Class A Lexington Legends and the Class-A Advanced Wilmington Blue Rocks in the Kansas City Royals system. He had a great season, averaging a 3.14 ERA between the 2 teams. He famously pitched a nearly-perfect no-hitter for Wilmington back in July and holds an 11-5 record at the end of the 2019 season. He’s clearly a top prospect for a reason!
Garrett Kelly – 2014 Rebels – Garrett Kelly signed as a free agent with the Cubs last year, and spent most of this season with the Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He pitched 27 innings of relief over 19 games and ended his season with a 3.00 ERA. Unfortunately his season ended in August with a move to the DL, but we hope he’ll recover to do good things next year!
Chandler Raiden
Chandler Raiden – 2017 Rebels – Chandler Raiden spent most of his 2019 season with the Class A Adv. Charlotte Stone Crabs. He pitched 55 innings of relief over 37 games and posted a 2.93 ERA with 9 saves. Towards the end of the season Chandler was promoted to AA Montgomery where he appeared in 5 games and pitched 6 innings earning him a 12.79 ERA.
Justin Crump – 2016 Rebels – Justin Crump was drafted this year but unfortunately did not appear in any games. We’ll keep you posted if he pops up on any rosters next year!
Reeves Martin – 2018 Rebels – Reeves Martin was drafted this year and began his season at the Class-A Short Season Everett AquaSox in the Seattle Mariners system. He was promoted after only 4 games to the West Virginia Power. Overall he pitched 27 innings in 20 games and ended with a 3.58 ERA. Not bad for a rookie season!
Keven Pimentel – 2017 Rebels – Keven Pimentel was another 2019 draftee and spent his rookie season with the Class A Short Season Boise Hawks in the Colorado Rockies system (fun fact, part of the season he would have been teammates with local boy Colton Harlow!). Keven threw 29 innings in 22 games and ended his season with an 8.8 ERA.
Nate Pawelcyzk
Nate Pawelcyzk – 2016-17 Rebels – Nate Pawelcyzk spent his rookie season with the Rookie-Advanced Great Falls Voyagers in the Chicago White Sox farm system. He pitched in 26 innings over 21 games, threw 26 SO and ended the season with a 3.81 ERA. Another solid rookie season for a Rebel alum! Hoping to see him do it again at a higher level next year!
Jake Washer – 2017 Rebels – Jake Washer began his rookie season with the Rookie-level Arizona League Cubs 2. He was very quickly promoted to the Class-A Short Season Eugene Emeralds. He had 70 AB in 22 games and posted a .257 batting average with 9 extra base hits. Looking forward to following Jake in the coming seasons!
That about does it until next season, though if you’re itching for baseball during the colder months, you can follow Frank Gailey (2005,06 Rebels) and Tyler Thompson (2014 Rebels) who are star pitchers in the Australia league where play begins in November!
While I have been a casual record keeper and historian of modern era Rebels baseball, and I enjoy keeping tabs on what our alumni are doing, I am first and foremost a fan of these college athletes. I would not be involved in Rebels baseball if it weren’t for the magic on the field and the relationships built off the field. It is for this reason that it is always so exciting to me when my favorite players get the chance to continue their careers professionally. I hope other fans feel the same joy and excitement for these career updates that I feel!
This month we had a record breaking 7 Rebel alumni hear their names called in the MLB First Year Players Draft. Those players were Nate Pawelczyk (2016-17), Brandon Parker (2018), Jake Washer (2017), Reeves Martin (2018), Oraj Anu (2018), Keven Pimentel (2018), and Justin Crump (2016). Let me give you a quick update on where these players are at right now.
Nate Pawelczyk
Nate Pawelczyk pitched for the Rebels in 2016-17, coming to us from Winthrop University. He was drafted in the 10th round of the MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox. He has since signed with the White Sox and is currently pitching for the Great Falls Voyagers, which is an Advanced Rookie League team in Great Falls, Montana. He has appeared in relief in 4 games so far for the Voyagers and has posted a 5.4 ERA.
Brandon Parker
Brandon Parker was an outfielder with the Rebels for the beginning of our 2018 season, coming from Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 10th round of the draft. He signed with the team on June 17th and is currently playing for the Danville Braves in Danville, VA. So far he’s accumulated 5 hits in 7 games for the Braves and holds a .192 batting average.
Reeves Martin
Reeves Martin pitched for our 2018 Rebels coming from the University of New Orleans. He was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the 21st round of the draft. He signed quickly and was sent to Everett, Washington to play for the Class A Short Season Everett Aquasox. He has so far pitched in 4 games and holds a 6.23 ERA.
Oraj Anu
Oraj Anu was a hard-hitting outfielder on our Championship 2018 team, and was drafted for the second time this year in the 16th round by the Boston Red Sox. Oraj has not signed with the Red Sox, and is currently playing for the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League. Most reports indicate that Oraj will not sign with Boston, but will keep his commitment to playing for the University of Kentucky this fall. If this is how things turn out, we won’t be surprised to see Oraj drafted yet again in 2020 and/0r 2021.
Keven Pimentel
Keven Pimentel was an All-Star pitcher for the Rebels in 2017. He played for the 2019 Championship-winning University of Tampa this year. He was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 28th round of the draft. He has since signed with the team and is currently pitching with the Class A Short Season Boise Hawks in Boise, Id. He currently has a 5.4 ERA after appearing in just 2 games for the Hawks.
Jake Washer
Jake Washer was a catcher for the 2017 Rebels coming from Eastern Carolina University. He was picked by the Chicago Cubs in the 29th round of the draft. He just signed the contract with the Cubs this past week and has not yet been assigned to a minor league team. We look forward to seeing where he ends up!
Justin Crump
Justin Crump pitched for the Rebels in 2016, coming from UNC Wilmington. He was selected by the San Francicsco Giants in the 30th round of the draft. He signed his contract on June 16th and was assigned to the Arizona League Rookie Giants. This league has not yet begun play, but their season starts tomorrow on July 1st.
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While it was truly a joy to see seven Rebel names called during the draft, there were a few names this Rebel fan was disappointed not to hear. Happily, in the time since the draft, we have had some of these players sign contracts with Independent League teams. The opportunity to play in the Independent Leagues is the opportunity to continue living the baseball dream, and maybe even regain the notice of MLB affiliated organizations, so we’re truly happy to have our alumni sign with these teams! The players we’ve noted so far in the transaction listings are Luke Johnson (2017), Nick Cottone (2017-2018), John Cable (2016), and Chase Sudduth (2017-18).
Luke Johnson
Luke Johnson was a catcher for the Rebels in 2017. He played for Hartford Community College, Lander University and ended his college career at Wilmington University in DE. This month he signed a contract with the Eastside Diamond Hoppers of the United Shore Professional Baseball League in Suburban Detroit, Michigan. Luke is having a good season so far batting .324 in 34 at bats with two home runs!
John Cable
John Cable was a catcher/infielder for the 2016 Rebels. He played for the University of Georgia as well as the University of New Orleans. He recently signed a contract with the Lake Erie Crushers in the Frontier League. He has so far appeared in 9 games for the Crushers and holds a .229 batting average.
Nick Cottone
Nick Cottone is a pitcher from Elmira College who played for us in both 2017 and 2018. He recently signed a contract with the Plattsburg Thunderbolts in the Empire League, and has since been traded to the New Hampshire Wild in the same league. He has not yet appeared in a game, but we’re really excited to see his career continue!
Chase Sudduth
Chase Sudduth is an infielder from the University of North Georgia who again played for us in both 2017 and 2018. On June 21st, Chase signed a professional contract with the Washington Wild Things of Washington, PA in the Frontier League. So far Chase has had just one hit for the Wild Things, but he has only appeared in three games, so we fully expect to see that change in the near future!
New Market Rebels 