HOLLY SPRINGS, NC – With today marking Opening Day across Major League Baseball (MLB), there is plenty of Coastal Plain League (CPL) flavor on active rosters to keep an eye on. Overall, 29 former CPL players and two former head coaches are set to start the 2024 season in the Big Leagues.
A total of 18 Major League teams feature at least one CPL alum, led by the Chicago White Sox with four, followed closely behind by Colorado, Toronto, and Oakland with three alums each. Additionally, former CPL head coaches Dusty Blake (Asheboro) and J.T. Maguire (Forest City) are the pitching coach for St. Louis and the outfield/baserunning coach for Cleveland, respectively.
Eleven of the CPL’s current 15 clubs and two former CPL teams were represented. The High Point-Thomasville HiToms, Morehead City Marlins, Peninsula Pilots, and Wilmington Sharks led the way with four each. Lexington County followed with three, while both Florence and Wilson tallied two. Asheboro, Forest City, Holly Springs, and Martinsville each had one. Former CPL teams Edenton (2) and Savannah (1) rounded things out.
Highlighting the Opening Day rosters are three players who have yet to make their MLB debuts. Former Peninsula Pilots outfielder Wyatt Langford is projected to start this evening for the defending champion Texas Rangers. Meanwhile, a pair of pitchers – Shane Drohan (Lexington County, ‘18) and Mitch Spence (Wilmington, ‘17) – are also looking to debut with the White Sox and Athletics, respectively.
See below for a complete list of the CPL alums on this year’s Opening Day rosters.
*Denotes alum who has made his MLB debut already
#Denotes former CPL head coach
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Clarke Schmidt* – New York Yankees / Florence ‘15
Shawn Armstrong* – Tampa Bay Rays / Morehead City ‘10, ‘11
Phil Maton* – Tampa Bay Rays / High Point-Thomasville ‘14
Chris Bassitt* – Toronto Blue Jays / Edenton ‘10
Trevor Richards* – Toronto Blue Jays / Asheboro ‘14
Spencer Horwitz* – Toronto Blue Jays / Peninsula ‘17
Shane Drohan – Chicago White Sox / Lexington County ‘18
Tim Hill* – Chicago White Sox / High Point-Thomasville ‘15
Nicky Lopez* – Chicago White Sox / High Point-Thomasville ‘15
Braden Shewmake* – Chicago White Sox / Savannah ‘16
David Fry* – Cleveland Guardians / High Point-Thomasville ‘16
Sawyer Gipson-Long* – Detroit Tigers / Morehead City ‘18
Ryan Jeffers* – Minnesota Twins / Wilmington ‘16
Justin Verlander* – Houston Astros / Wilson ‘02
Chas McCormick* – Houston Astros / Lexington County ‘16
JP Sears* – Oakland Athletics / Lexington County ‘16
Mitch Spence – Oakland Athletics / Wilmington ‘17
Zack Gelof* – Oakland Athletics / High Point-Thomasville ‘20
Taylor Saucedo* – Seattle Mariners / Martinsville ‘13
Wyatt Langford – Texas Rangers / Peninsula ‘22
J.T. Maguire# – Cleveland Guardians / Forest City ‘15, ‘16
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Joey Wendle* – New York Mets / Edenton ‘11
Alec Bohm* – Philadelphia Phillies / Wilmington ‘16
Buck Farmer* – Cincinnati Reds / Peninsula ‘10
Emilio Pagan* – Cincinnati Reds / Wilmington ‘11 / Forest City ‘12
Cal Quantrill* – Colorado Rockies / Morehead City ‘14
Brenton Doyle* – Colorado Rockies / Wilson ‘18
Jake Cave* – Colorado Rockies / Peninsula ‘11
Chris Taylor* – Los Angeles Dodgers / Morehead City ‘10
Patrick Bailey* – San Francisco Giants / Holly Springs ‘19
Dusty Blake# – St. Louis Cardinals / Asheboro ‘07
About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. The CPL is currently comprised of 15 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had over 1,750 alumni drafted, and 185 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Alec Bohm, Jake Cave, Chas McCormick and NFL Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @CPLBaseball.
About Capitol Broadcasting Company:
Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is a diversified communications company which owns and/or operates WRAL-TV, WRAZ-TV, WRAL-FM, WRAL-HD2, WNGT-CD, WCMC-FM, WCMC-HD1, WDNC-AM, WCMC-HD2, WCMC-HD3, WCLY-AM, WCMC-HD4, Microspace, WRAL Digital and Wolfpack Sports Properties (a joint venture with Learfield) in Raleigh, NC; WILM-TV, WILT-LD and Sunrise Broadcasting in Wilmington, NC; The Durham Bulls Baseball Club, Bull City Hospitality and Coastal Plain League in Durham, NC; The Holly Springs Salamanders in Holly Springs, NC; Greenville Yard Gnomes in Greenville, NC, the American Underground startup hub in Durham, NC; and real estate interests including the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham, NC, and Rocky Mount Mills in Rocky Mount, NC.