WPBL Inaugural Draft in the Books
High-quality stream, some surprise names, and a new favorite team
After months of anticipation, it finally happened. Last night was the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League draft. In case you missed it, the full draft video is available on YouTube and the league also posted a recap of each round (with some information about each draftee) on their website. Click through to read about round one, two, three, four, five, and six.
Enjoying the Draft Stream
Ever since the WPBL first announced their future players would be drafted to teams, I was hoping we would get a live spectator event to watch the names be called. I’m incredibly satisfied with last night’s program – the league delivered. There was some initial confusion about where to watch the draft (it started on Instagram Live about five minutes before the YouTube stream began), but once my wife and I made the decision to toss away our phones and live in the moment with whatever happened on our television, we had a great time.
After a quick hello from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred1, WPBL Draft host CJ Silas reminded viewers of the night’s logistics and began calling out selections. The production value was on point: beautiful red envelopes with the names inside, high-quality graphics for each team, and we even saw video of the top selections on the field playing ball (something previously only seen in highlight reels on social media). Silas unsurprisingly did great as the host, announcing all 120 names with enthusiasm and professionalism.
We also got to hear from a few dozen players via pre-recorded messages interspersed between selections. Many of them spoke of excitement to join their new team and their gratitude for being part of this historic moment. The reaction videos were awesome; I recommend checking out the VOD linked above if you missed it.
I could’ve taken a bit more breathing room in between the later-round picks – the whole show lasted just 55 minutes – but I appreciate how they kept things moving. All in all, I’m impressed, and Stephanie and I had a great time watching.
Next Step: Making the Roster
Aside from the high production value, I’m also pleased the draft featured the actual order of selection. I’m still learning who all these players are and the round in which they were selected last night is another datapoint to consider. We don’t actually know who made these selections – based on Alex Hugo’s comments to The Athletic in September, she was likely involved – but I don’t get the vibe that there are primary coaches/GMs/decision-makers for each unique team at this point.2
Exactly 120 players were drafted last night, 30 per team, yet only 15 are set to make each squad. Getting drafted is a very special moment that should be savored. But every one of those ballplayers will tell you the work now continues to actually make the roster. We were reminded multiple times on the broadcast last night that every player has a chance to earn a contract, even those picked in the back half of the draft.
Again, I’m curious who is making these roster decisions and what the timeline is. The League FAQ mentions a four-day training period prior to the regular season next year. Will cuts be made before that? After that? How much more exposure with league leadership have to these players between now and then, and thus how likely is it for picks #61 to #120 to jump their draft slot and make their team?
I’m guessing we won’t know these details for a while, and that’s okay. These types of logistics just get me excited as a fan is all, and I’m eager to know more. Hopefully the league gives us some milestones to look forward to between now and August 2026 to keep the hype train rolling.
New Names Called
Of last night’s 120 selections, two players were not previously on the public draft-eligible players list as far as I could tell: 2B Hanna Miura from Japan (#73 overall to San Francisco) and C Chloe Atkinson from Australia (#102 overall to New York). From the league’s round-by-round wrap-ups:
[Hanna] Miura adds another fundamentally sound infielder to San Francisco’s international core. A second baseman from Sapporo, she brings the precision and discipline emblematic of Japan’s baseball culture.
…
[Chloe] Atkinson grew up moving from tee-ball into baseball and never looked back. She spent her youth traveling and playing with the boys before becoming an impact bat at the Australian women’s nationals—where she’s hit a grand slam and captured a Golden Bat award. New York adds another young Australian catcher with real offensive upside.
Congratulations to Miura and Atkinson on their selections.
Amy from Women’s Baseball The Inside Pitch podcast has more on Atkinson below, for those like me who did not have the young catcher on their radar:
With only 120 draft slots, nearly 130 on the eligible list, and a few more not even on the list getting the call, simple math dictates a few players were bound to go undrafted. Those names are LF Tomoka Sanada, LF Nagisa Murata, CF Homa Schweers, RHP Brynn Toohey, C Caitlin Torres, RHP Chenyun Chang, RHP Kristiana Watson, SS Abigail Wright, CF Luttwanda Allen, and 1B/RHP Jordan Andreas.
Earlier this week we learned of the WPBL’s plans to expand to six teams in 2027 alongside the launch of a developmental league managed by Golden Rule Entertainment. Hopefully the league finds success and these opportunities continue to open up. With future expansion already being discussed publicly, I’m guessing this isn’t the last we’ll hear of these undrafted players.
Grading the Mock Draft
Almost three weeks ago I teamed up with three fellow WPBL enthusiasts for a mock draft. Now that the official picks are in, I thought it would be fun to see how we actually did.
Our team order was a little different, but we got four picks exactly right: I had RHP Kelsie Whitmore at #1 overall (an easy choice), Max Chase went with RHP Ayami Sato at #2, Kate Nowlin had RHP Alli Schroder at #5, and Mary Mustard took C Denae Benites at #6. 3B Ashton Lansdell and SS Samaria Benítez ended up in Los Angeles. We also correctly pegged 3B Kylee Lahners, RHP/UTL Jill Albayati, RHP Meggie Meidlinger, LF Lexi Hastings, and CF Mo’ne Davis as top 20 picks.
Not a great winning percentage for us overall, but .550 is one heck of a batting average!
LA Might Be My New Favorite
It pains me to say this so soon after the Dodgers bounced my Milwaukee Brewers from the MLB playoffs, but my new leading candidate for a favorite WPBL team might be Los Angeles.
I was previously leaning San Francisco as I spent a few years living in the Bay Area, but it would ultimately depend on who ended up on each roster. Los Angeles grabbed a pair of my favorites with their first two selections:
I was lucky enough to meet RHP Ayami Sato and 3B Ashton Lansdell at the 2024 Women’s Baseball World Cup in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Both were kind enough to sign a baseball for me. I had been a fan of Lansdell since I got to watch her play a scrimmage in my hometown the year prior. I first learned about Sato after we made the decision to buy World Cup tickets, and to have all that hype and excitement pay off with a chance encounter was amazing.
Fast forward to today and both of them will be suiting up for Los Angeles, along with another favorite, relief ace Meggie Meidlinger. Don’t forget LA has Mo’ne Davis (man, it is going to be so cool to watch her take the field again) and 1B Sarah Edwards, who I wrote about last week. Caitlin Eynon (hard-throwing pitcher and sure-handed shortstop) and CF Brittany Apgar (speed demon on the basepaths and in the outfield) are two names I’ve grown excited for these last few weeks. Los Angeles loaded up in the fifth round too with 2B Bella Villarreal, OF Elodie O’Sullivan, and RHP Ayuri Shimano, all of whom you can read about in the league’s wrap-up.
I love a lot of picks by the other teams last night, too: UConn star LF Lexi Hastings in Boston is a perfect fit (not to mention Alli Schroder, LF Stephanie Everett, and RHP Allie Bebbere also landing in Beantown). Denae Benites is going to shine brightly in New York. I’m rooting hard for 1B Micaela Minner to join Sonoma Stomper alumni Kelsie Whitmore in San Francisco. And we’re still waiting to see where Val Perez is going to end up.
Regardless, there are too many faves in Los Angeles for me not to throw my lot in with them at this point.3 Forgive me, Pat Murphy.
Who is your favorite squad post-draft?
Social Media Dump
I mentioned on Instagram this week how hoppin’ the WPBL discourse is right now. I’ve seen so many videos, podcasts, new articles, blogs, and social media posts leading up to the draft – literally too many to keep up with.
It makes me so happy. It’s obviously impossible for me to read everything online about MLB or the WNBA. I didn’t feel that way about the WPBL a month ago, but it feels that way now. I hope fans continue to find joy in the product the league is building, the league continues to do right by their fans and players, and we all have something incredible to celebrate next summer.
I’ll finish off today’s post with a few bits of draft-related content that recently brought a smile to my face. Enjoy!
We were not expecting to see Manfred – honestly, his face popping up was a bit of a jump scare. 🤣 Regardless of our feelings about the man, I think it’s a positive sign for the commissioner’s office to kick off yesterday’s festivities.
I do wish we learned these details before last night’s draft, however. Part of the fun of following sports is putting yourself in the GM’s head and speculating what you would’ve done instead – kind of hard to do when the process itself is unclear.
At least until we get a permanent team here in the Midwest. 😉
I agree with you. Never thought I'd support an LA team, but with Mo'ne and Bella (who is from my state of Michigan) it's impossible not to! I love seeing all the celebrations. So excited for this league.