Eight Former Tom Sox Selected in 2026 MLB Draft
By: Ben Rekosh
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Eight former members of the Tom Sox were selected in the 2026 MLB Draft, which took place this weekend. 2024 Valley Baseball League Champions Caden Ferraro and Robbie Lavey headlined the Charlottesville list as day one draftees.
The full list of Tom Sox draftees: Caden Ferraro, Robbie Lavey, Henry Ford, Ryan Wynn, Jake Bennett, Luke Craytor, Aidan Teel, and Ethan Sutton.
Ferraro, a late addition to the 2024 roster, was chosen by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 3rd round at no. 86 overall. He had a team-high in doubles and was top-three in walks drawn in his summer with Charlottesville, plus he was a crucial member of the playoff push that earned the team its fourth Jim Lineweaver Cup in franchise history. Ferraro attended Blinn College, where he was a JUCO National Champion and led the Buccaneers to back-to-back NJCAA College World Series Appearances, before transferring to Texas Tech and earning All-BIG 12 Honors. He becomes the sixth-highest drafted former Tom Sox player of all-time, and this marks the fourth year in-a-row which the Cardinals have selected a player that has made his way through Charlottesville.
One round later, George Washington’s Lavey had his name called by the San Diego Padres at 124th overall. The Atlantic 10 product was a mainstay in Randy Tomlin’s lineup in 2024, splitting time catching behind the plate and playing first base. He recorded 41 hits and six home runs in his 32 games as a member of the Tom Sox and caught the final game of the championship series against the Purcellville Cannons. In three years at GW, he received multiple All-A10 team nods and boasted a career .322 batting average. With this fourth round selection, he became GW's highest drafted player in program history. The Virginia native is the first-ever former Tom Sox player to be chosen by the Padres organization.
Henry Ford was chosen by the Seattle Mariners in the 6th round with pick no. 191 to open day two of the draft. The Charlottesville native made his mark in a Tom Sox uniform in 2023 with 67 bases, including 10 doubles and four home runs. As an incoming freshman, he took advantage of his time against college competition before attending UVA. Ford transferred to the University of Tennessee this past season and hit 57 RBIs.
The Mariners then selected 2024 VBL Champion Ryan Wynn with their pick in the 7th round, at 191 overall. Wynn found himself near the top of every offensive statistical category at the end of that summer, playing in 33 games for the stellar Charlottesville team. Wynn is part of a long lineage of Wofford Terriers to come through the Tom Sox organization, and he transferred to spend his third season of college baseball with the SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs.
Toronto elected to take Jake Bennett in the 8th round, who played six games with Charlottesville in 2023 and later played 24 with Winchester to continue his Valley League season. He earned Third Team All-America honors by NBCWA for his breakout season at Dallas Baptist University in 2026. Bennett will join the Blue Jays organization that features a number of former Tom Sox members, including 2025 World Series hero Trey Yesavage.
Another Charlottesville native in Luke Craytor was chosen by the Chicago White Sox in the 9th round with pick no. 255. Craytor was a major part of the Charlottesville rotation in 2025, pitching in two playoff games against Culpeper and Strasburg, respectively. He struck out 22 batters in 18.1 innings pitched over nine appearances. The Western Albemarle High School graduate spent two years at Lafayette University and two years at Virginia Tech.
Aidan Teel got the call from the Minnesota Twins at the 317th overall pick in the 11th round. Teel came to the Tom Sox in the summer of 2023 after a redshirt year at UVA, so he found himself in a similar situation to Ford. The New Jersey native almost solely saw the lineup as a designated hitter coming off of injury, and he mashed four home runs for Charlottesville. He played 45 games in 2026 for Mississippi State after spending two seasons with Virginia. Teel joins his brother Kyle, a member of the Chicago White Sox, on his professional baseball journey.
Finally, Ethan Sutton was drafted in the 16th round by the back-to-back World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. His Tom Sox season was cut short due to injury, but he still managed to record 19 strikeouts over five outings. Picked 493rd overall, he saw sporadic time with the Georgia Bulldogs before transferring to South Florida and excelling in the American Conference in 2026.
The six players drafted in the top ten rounds marks the best number in franchise history.
Charlottesville led the Valley Baseball League again this year with eight MLB Draft picks. All eight of the 2026 draftees look to join a great history of former Tom Sox at the big league level; currently the list is Vinnie Pasquantino, Wyatt Langford, Trey Yesavage, and Cooper Ingle.
This season Charlottesville sits at 3rd place in the VBL standings with a week remaining in the regular season. The Tom Sox have won four of their last five games after a momentum-filled week.
For the latest Tom Sox news and information, visit tomsox.org and @cvilletomsox on social media.
