DURHAM, N.C. -- Fifteen USA Baseball alumni were drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Monday night, including number one overall pick, Adley Rutschman. USA Baseball has had 504 total alumni drafted in the first round since 1972, and 2019 marks the 17th time in the last 19 years that the first overall pick played for Team USA.
The Baltimore Orioles started the 2019 Draft by selecting 2018 Collegiate National Team alumnus Adley Rutschman with the first pick of the draft. He is the seventh consecutive USA Baseball alum to be selected number one overall following Casey Mize (2018), Royce Lewis (2017), Mickey Moniak (2016), Dansby Swanson (2015), Brady Aiken (2014) and Mark Appel (2013).
In total, 32 USA Baseball alumni have been selected with the number one overall pick since 1972.
USA Baseball alumni had a historical evening on Monday, beginning when Bobby Witt Jr. was selected with the second overall pick by the Royals and assisted in becoming one half of the highest father-son duo to be ever selected in the Major League Draft. He joined his father, Bobby Witt, who was drafted with the third overall pick by the Texas Rangers in 1985 after playing for the red, white and blue for the 1984 Collegiate National Team and in the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games.
Zack Thompson then became the 500th USA Baseball alumnus to be drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft since 1972 when the St. Louis Cardinals picked him with the 19th pick. Eleven picks later, three-time alumnus Anthony Volpe became the first-ever 12U National Team alum selected in the MLB Draft when he was selected by the New York Yankees with the 30th overall pick.
Three-time USA Baseball alum and 2018 Golden Spikes Award winner Andrew Vaughn (No. 3, Chicago White Sox), Josh Jung (No. 8, Texas Rangers), Shea Langeliers (No. 9, Atlanta Braves), Bryson Stott (No. 14, Philadelphia Phillies), Will Wilson (No. 15, Los Angeles Angels), Thompson (No. 19, St. Louis Cardinals), Braden Shewmake (No. 21, Atlanta Braves) and Matt Wallner (No. 39, Minnesota Twins) joined Rutschman as members of the 2018 Collegiate National Team that were selected in the first round. The 2018 team won all three of its international friendship series against Chinese Taipei, Japan and Cuba.
Following a season in which the 18U National Team earned its fifth consecutive COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championship title, six members of the 20-man roster were selected in the first round in 2019. Witt Jr. (No. 2, Kansas City Royals) was the first member of the team selected, followed by Riley Greene (No. 5, Detroit Tigers), CJ Abrams (No. 6, San Diego Padres), Corbin Carroll (No. 16, Arizona Diamondbacks), Anthony Volpe (No. 30, New York Yankees) and Brennan Malone (No. 33, Arizona Diamondbacks).
Four national team programs were represented in the 2019 Draft, including nine players from the Collegiate National Team, six from the 18U National Team, two from the 15U National Team and one from the 12U National Team. In total, the 15 alumni selected in the first round have won a cumulative eight international gold medals and one bronze medal.
The full list of USA Baseball alumni selected in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft is as follows:
Round-Pick; Name; MLB Team; USA Baseball Team(s)
1-1; Adley Rutschman; Baltimore Orioles; 2018 Collegiate National Team
1-2; Bobby Witt Jr.; Kansas City Royals; 2018 18U National Team
1-3; Andrew Vaughn; Chicago White Sox; 2013 15U, 2017-18 Collegiate National Teams
1-5; Riley Greene; Detroit Tigers; 2018 18U National Team
1-6; CJ Abrams; San Diego Padres; 2018 18U National Team
1-8; Josh Jung; Texas Rangers; 2018 Collegiate National Team
1-9; Shea Langeliers; Atlanta Braves; 2018 Collegiate National Team
1-14; Bryson Stott; Philadelphia Phillies; 2018 Collegiate National Team
1-15; Will Wilson; Los Angeles Angels; 2018 Collegiate National Team
1-16; Corbin Carroll; Arizona Diamondbacks; 2018 18U National Team
1-19; Zack Thompson; St. Louis Cardinals; 2018 Collegiate National Team
1-21; Braden Shewmake; Atlanta Braves; 2017-18 Collegiate National Team
1-30; Anthony Volpe; New York Yankees; 2018 18U, 2016 15U, 2013 12U National Teams
1-33; Brennan Malone; Arizona Diamondbacks, 2018 18U National Team
1-39; Matt Wallner; Minnesota Twins; 2018 Collegiate National Team