WPBL Draft Pool Revealed: First Look Analysis

Infographic and data on the 116 eligible players

The inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League draft will take place sometime in October or early November. Team names and the draft date have yet to be announced, but less than 24 hours ago the league revealed the draft-eligible players list. You can read the announcement from the league here, or jump straight to the full list¹.

Over 600 players attended the tryouts late last month in Washington, D.C. and now 116 find their names on the draft board. Details are subject to change until the announcement comes, but the league plans to launch with 4 or 6 teams of approximately 15 players each. That means we could see half to three-quarters of the eligible pool picked on draft day.

Speaking of details flexibility – this is just the initial pool. From yesterday’s announcement:

Importantly, the league has reserved the right to add additional names in the weeks leading up to the draft. However the league is thrilled with the calibre of the talent and the depth of its draft pool.

What women make up the draft pool? I created an infographic to help tell the story:

Infographic with data on the first 116 players named to the inaugural WPBL draft pool on September 29th, 2025. Designed by Justin Jabs.

At the WPBL tryouts press conference, Kelsie Whitmore talked about integration and the international nature of the new league. Sixty-nine players list the United States as their home country, meaning 41% of the eligible pool features international prospects².

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The pool contains names beyond those who attended the tryouts in Washington. Players who were unable to make the trip due to travel logistics or scheduling conflicts were allowed to submit video for consideration. Talent evaluators also leveraged their knowledge from previous international tournaments.

This is purely speculation on my part, but 20 players (17.2%) do not feature headshots that were taken during the tryouts. There could be another explanation but I think it’s probable these players were chosen based off of video submissions or previous scouting.

Age is just a number – and that number, on average, is 24 years old for a WPBL prospect. The pool ranges from currently 17 (although they will be 18 by Opening Day) to 40. Twenty-six players (22.4%) are under 20 years old, while 15 (12.9%) are 30 or older.

In addition to their age, position, and lefty/righty information, each player has a position listed³. Players were able to try out at multiple positions. It’s interesting to see only one player listed as a pitcher and a batter: CF/LHP Claire Eccles. If roster sizes stick around 15 as previously mentioned, you’ll need a lot more two-way players to cover innings, even in a shorter season. Many of these women are versatile baseball players who can both pitch and hit and play multiple positions. We’ll see just how firm these listed positions are once the season gets under way.

UPDATE 10/1/25: A kind player reached out and informed me the positions from the league website are simply the primary position listed on each player’s initial application. Every pitcher is also expected to hit and she agrees that almost everyone can play multiple positions. I appreciate the clarification! The original text of this article continues below.

Speaking of versatility, there are eight switch-hitters (6.9%) in the draft pool and 33 who bat lefty (28.4%). The pitcher group is primarily right-handed with just six lefties in the bunch when including the aforementioned Eccles.

I plan to dive deeper into the draft pool and do more research on eligible players in the coming days and weeks, but I wanted the full list and my initial takes to hit your inbox while the news was still fresh.

What do you want to know about this group of players? Blog post suggestions are always welcome!

1. I first wrote about the prospect ranking webpage three weeks ago – it’s really cool to see it finally populated with players!

2. Shortstop Jua Park listed her home country as simply “Korea.” I made an assumption for the purposes of the infographic and tallied her in the South Korean bucket. Sincerest apologies if this was done in error.

3. Another data note from the infographic. Minseo Park from South Korea has no position or age listed, but my best estimation from her social media is she’s a 21 year old offensive player. Park and two-way player Claire Eccles are not factored into the column chart in the bottom right of the infographic (which is why the numbers do not add up to 116).