Sarah Edwards Joins the Draft, Watch Parties Around the Globe, and More WPBL News
Plus: CJ Silas set to host and trading opens on New Year's Day
Every so often I publish a fresh WPBL News Rundown, a collection of all the most notable and interesting stories on women’s pro baseball I’ve read since the last post.
It’s been a hot minute since the last Rundown, mostly because I’ve been distracted with everything else going on with the Women’s Pro Baseball League. Let’s get right to the latest news:
As you know, the WPBL inaugural player draft will be streamed on Thursday, November 20th at 7pm Central. Less than a week of waiting left to go! The event is hosted by CJ Silas1 who served as announcer at the August tryouts. The night will conclude with 120 players selected in total. San Francisco was randomly assigned the first pick, followed by Los Angeles and New York, with Boston picking two before the draft snakes back around.
Besides the obvious intrigue of seeing who is going to play for each of these four teams (and to see if my early fandom choice of San Francisco holds true once the rosters are revealed), I think I’m most excited to get some expert opinions on these players in the form of their draft slot/position. I think Mary, Kate, Max and I did a great job on our mock draft, but our opinions were formed with much less information than those actually making the selections. Is Caitlin Eynon the coveted young star I think she’s going to be? Will Claire Eccles’ knuckleball help propel her to a top 10 selection? A little more insight into who’s who before we have stats to judge them on will be neat.2
I’m curious to see if any other draft-eligible players are publicly revealed leading up to (and possibly during) the draft. We’ve seen some shifting in the draft pool already – in late October, a right-handed American right fielder named Mia Kruspe disappeared from the website. She recently attended the Major League Baseball Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series so I imagine this isn’t the last we’ll be hearing of her, but she’s the first name I’ve seen that was removed from the list.
Then there’s Val Perez, an infielder with the US Women’s National Team and head coach of the Firefighters in Banana Ball. The WPBL posted a photo in August announcing Perez signing with the league, but her name is not currently on the list of eligible players like everyone else who signed early. I reached out to Perez on Instagram and she told me she’ll be playing in the league next year. I assume this is just some clerical/website error, but it gives me pause leading up to next Thursday: the list we can see publicly might not be 100% accurate.
That brings us to our newest addition to the pool – the first since Jill Albayati, the O’Sullivan sisters, and Rosa Del Castillo entered in early October. 1B Sarah Edwards from Bay Shore, NY is officially eligible for the WPBL draft and was recently announced by the league as one of the top first base prospects.
Edwards is a longtime softball player who started playing baseball in 2023, joining Perez on the US women’s national team. She’s also a globe-trotting instructor who became the first female on-field coach in Asian professional baseball earlier this year. I recommend reading Michael Clair’s article on Edwards joining the CTBC Brothers to hear more about her recruitment and trailblazing year in Taiwan. It’s safe to say Edwards will bring leadership and great intangibles to whichever team drafts her.
With Perez and now Edwards, the draft pool stands at 128. It’s important to note that “not all drafted players are guaranteed roster spots or contracts” according to the press release. 120 women will hear their name called and then the work continues to try and make the final cut.
Another nugget hidden in the bottom of the presser: trading opens up on New Year’s Day 2026. I’m intrigued to see how teams approach roster construction. I wonder if we’ll see any moves right away, or if managers will wait until they see how the team fits together during the four-day preseason training session before shaking things up.
If you’re a WPBL fan located near New York City, California’s Central Coast, or Doncaster, Australia – congratulations! There’s a draft watch party going on near you. Check out these Instagram posts about parties at Wilka’s Sports Bar (NY), the Doncaster Baseball Club (AU), or the Milestone Tavern (CA) for more details. Stephanie and I plan to enjoy the draft from our couch with a beverage in hand – how do you plan to take in this historic moment? Let us know in the comments below.
As an aside, I really enjoyed Silas’ recent interview with Bob Kendrick of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Check it out!
I really hope we get to know the real order of selections, unlike the recent Unrivaled roster reveal.
I am so excited to be a part of this moment in women's sports!
Great stuff, Justin. For those who don't know, I'm going live on my Instagram (@maxchase52) with a couple other folks to give our reactions to the draft.
I am ALSO hoping each pick is announced one-by-one in the style of the NFL/NBA drafts, with some time in between, so that we actually get enough time to reflect on each choice.
Yeah, what's the deal with Perez disappearing??? That's concerning. I have added her and Edwards to my charts... multiple pieces of paper taped together on posterboard with all the player names and stats. Lots of work went into it and hopefully it pays off! :)