Following an outstanding first day of the MLB Draft where Cotuit saw four former Kettleers hear their names called, the Old English "C" had another impressive day where seven alums got the call that they had dreamed of their entire lives, three of which came in the fourth round and then one each in the third, fifth, sixth and eighth rounds.
Round 3
Thatcher Hurd – RHP – New York Yankees, Pick 89
Hurd had an amazing freshman year with the UCLA Bruins, hurling 34 innings with a 1.06 ERA. Following that season, he transferred to play for Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers and had a storybook year. Hurd would struggle early in the year but would finally put it together in the latter half of the season while being a staple on the 2023 national champion LSU team, even earning the win in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the National Championship Series against Florida.
The right-handed pitcher was another go-to arm for Johnson in 2024. After the college season was over, he decided to play for the Cotuit Kettleers, tossing 9 ⅔ innings with a 1.86 ERA and a 7-3 K-BB ratio. Hurd owns the longest outing of any Kettleers pitcher this summer, tossing six strong frames in a win against the Falmouth Commodores on July 4.
Round 4
Rodney Green Jr. – CF – Oakland Athletics, Pick 104
Green finished with the eighth-most home runs in program history at Cal, ending each of his three seasons with the Golden Bears with his OPS in the .900s. The outfielder wound up on the All-Pac-12 First Team after slashing .293/.388/.558 with 14 homers and 29 stolen bases.
Following his stellar sophomore season, Green appeared in 11 games with the Kettleers, recording five hits with seven RBI before representing USA Baseball on the Collegiate National Team.
The speedy outfielder rounded out his collegiate career as an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and as a member of the last All-Tournament team in the Conference of Champions this past spring.
Rafe Schlesinger – LHP – Cleveland Guardians, Pick 113
Schlesinger was one of the best relief pitching options for Cotuit in 2023, as the southpaw surrendered just two earned runs through his first 12 ⅔ innings pitched. Over nine games, Schlesinger finished with a 3.85 ERA and a pair of saves, while striking out 20 compared to five walks allowed.
Throwing from a three-quarter arm slot, the left-hander posted a 3.38 ERA in both his freshman and sophomore seasons with Miami before becoming a full-time member of the starting rotation in 2024. Logging a career-high 78 ⅔ innings pitched in 15 starts, Schlesinger struck out 75 opposing batters.
Sean Keys – 3B – Toronto Blue Jays, Pick 125
Following a freshman season at Bucknell where Keys saw minimal playing time, the third baseman erupted onto the scene with an All-Patriot League First Team season in 2023. Batting .339 with 13 home runs, 61 RBI, 30 extra-base hits and a .444 on-base percentage.
After his sophomore season, Keys took his talents to the Cotuit Kettleers, where he was a key bat in the lineup at the latter half of the regular season, batting .385 with four home runs and 17 RBI. In his final season at Bucknell, he had another stellar season, taking home Patriot League Player of the Year. Keys also returned to Cotuit for a brief stint this season, recording three hits in five games.
Round 5
Carter Mathison – OF – Philadelphia Phillies, Pick 162
One of the most prolific home run hitters in Indiana history, Mathison set the freshman single-season home run record with 19 dingers in 2022. Along with Alex Dickerson and Kyle Schwarber, the left-handed bat became the third Hoosier to hit at least 40 long balls in their first three seasons.
Mathison enjoyed his 2023 summer in Cotuit, where he was one of five Kettleers to make the West Division All-Star team. The outfielder recorded a .408 on-base percentage and drew more walks (23) than strikeouts (21) in 31 games and 121 plate appearances.
Round 6
Janzen Keisel – RHP – Tampa Bay Rays, Pick 186
Keisel spent his first year of college at BYU, where he saw a good amount of playing time, logging 46 ⅓ innings and compiled a 4.27 ERA with 58 strikeouts to 25 walks and a 1.53 WHIP.
The righty hit the portal after the 2022 season and went to Oklahoma State for the next two years. Tossing 53 frames while striking out 74 to 41 walks and posting a 4.92 ERA for the Pokes. Keisel spent the 2023 and 2024 summers with Cotuit, making 10 appearances with a 4.97 ERA with 1.40 WHIP.
Keisel excelled in Week 6 of the 2023 season, taking home the Pitching Ninja Cape League Pitcher of the Week after tossing nine shutout innings across two starts, striking out eight and allowing just three hits.
Round 8
Camron Hill – LHP – Philadelphia Phillies, Pick 252
Coming out of high school, Hill signed with the hometown team, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. In his three years with the Ramblin’ Wreck, Hill tossed 88 innings with a 6.65 ERA, 96 strikeouts, 51 walks and made 11 starts.
However, Hill was flat-out dominant with Cotuit in 2023, taking home the CCBL Pitcher of the Year by posting a 1.09 ERA with 45 strikeouts to 16 walks in 33 innings. The southpaw returned to the Kettleers in 2024 and was the Opening Day starter, and made three starts in total.
Day 3 will take place Tuesday on MLB.com beginning at 2 p.m. and finish out the final 10 rounds of the 2024 Draft. Just like Sunday and Monday, Cotuit will most likely have several former players be drafted and add to the already 11 alums in the Ketts' '24 draft class.
