A former Cotuit player cracked the top 10 on Day 1 of the Major League Baseball Draft, as the Braves selected outfielder AJ Gracia with the ninth pick Saturday.
Gracia was with the Kettleers for part of the 2024 summer, though his time was very short. He played in six games as he spent just nine days on the Cape. He logged three runs and four hits, one of which was a home run, as well as three RBI.
Gracia began his college career at Duke and played for the Blue Devils in 2024 and 2025. As a freshman, he started in all 60 games. That same year, he batted .305 and set Duke freshman records for the most homers and RBI. He led the Blue Devils with 48 walks.
His tendency to walk carried into the next year as he set the program record for walks in a single season (57). He played in every game and batted .293.
In 2026, Gracia played for Virginia. He led the Cavaliers in batting average (.354), on-base plus slugging (1.121), runs (64), slugging percentage (1.333) and on-base percentage (.489). Gracia placed second in hits with 75, doubles with 15, home runs with 14, total bases with 134, walks with 47 and hit by pitches with 11.
Cole Carlon marked the next Kettleer to go, with the Blue Jays taking him at No. 39. He played for Cotuit in 2025 after playing summer ball in the Alaska League in 2024. With the Kettleers, Carlon pitched in three games and went 1-0. He logged an ERA of 1.42.
Carlon spent three seasons at Arizona State. He saw the field a fair amount as a true freshman, pitching 40.2 innings. He appeared in 26 games and made two starts. Carlon logged 34 strikeouts throughout the season.
In 2025, Carlon experienced a breakout year. He recorded an ERA of 2.82 in the regular season with a 3-1 record and three saves en route to earning All-America honors from the NCBWA as well as All-Big 12 first team recognition. He made Team USA, which is what cut his season in Cotuit short.
Carlon was named an All-Big 12 first team member again in 2026. He logged an ERA of 3.87 with 133 strikeouts.
The third Kettleer went shortly after at pick No. 45, as Jarren Advincula was selected by the Angels.
Advincula played for Cotuit in both 2024 and 2025 as a second baseman. He played in 38 games the first year and 18 the second. Advincula scored 29 runs with 51 hits and 14 runs with 27 hits in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
He played for California in 2024 and 2025 and with Georgia Tech in 2026. In 2024, Advincula earned All-Pac 12 first team honors. He led the Golden Bears with a .325 batting average while placing second on the team in runs scored (44) and hits (69).
In 2025, Advincula ranked fourth in the nation in hits among players at his position at the end of the regular season. He led the team in hits with 81, doubles with 17, at-bats with 237, stolen bases with 13 and more. He recorded 74 runs and 111 hits in 2026.
With the 64th pick, Philadelphia took former Kettleer Caden Bogenpohl. He played with Cotuit in 2025, and he also spent 2024-26 at Missouri State. As a Kettleer, he notched 14 runs and 22 hits. He added three home runs and 20 RBI.
Bogenpohl impressed as a freshman with the Bears, hitting .293 while whacking 20 home runs. He notched 45 RBI as he was named to the Freshman All-America second team by the NCBWA.
In 2025, he hit .296 and added 13 homers and 44 RBI. He tied the school record for walks with 55 while ranking 15th in the nation. His accolades gave him All-Missouri Valley Conference second team honors.
Bogenpohl batted .274 in 2026 and tallied six home runs, 11 doubles, 33 RBI and a team-high 57 runs. He led Conference USA with 52 walks.
Cotuit saw its fifth former player get drafted with the 76th pick when catcher Jack Natili was selected by Colorado. Natili played with the Kettleers in 2025, appearing in 37 games. He recorded 21 runs, 32 hits, six home runs and 24 RBI.
Natili played for Rutgers in 2024 and for Cincinnati in 2025 and 2026. At Rutgers, he played in 47 games, hitting five homers. He made leaps forward as a Bearcat, hitting .338 with nine home runs and 53 RBI in 2025. Natili made the All-Big 12 second team and All-Big 12 tournament team.
He didn’t slow down in 2026, making the All-Big 12 second team again. He hit .339 and smashed 19 home runs with 65 RBI.
It took no time at all for the sixth former Kettleer to get snatched up, as Joey Volchko was taken by the White Sox with pick No. 77. He spent 2024-25 with Cotuit, 2024-25 with Stanford and 2026 with Georgia.
The right-handed pitcher played in five games in 2024 and two games in 2025 with the Kettleers. Volchko saw more action at Stanford, going 2-1 with an ERA of 5.70. He also logged one save and 53 strikeouts over 20 appearances in 2024. Volchko made 15 starts in 2025, posting a 3-4 mark and a 6.01 ERA.
In 2026, Volchko made the switch to Georgia. He was named to the All-American third team by the NCBWA and the CWS All-Tournament team.Volchko ended his campaign with a team-best 11-2 record and an ERA of 3.68. He struck out 119.
