For the second year in a row, the Cavaliers were the first team booted from the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. via an 0-2 sweep to bring a sour end to a successful 2024 campaign. Any postseason defeat hurts, but knowing those were the final games for the star duo of junior infielder Griff O’Ferrall and junior utility player Ethan Anderson will make the losses sting even more. The MLB Draft, which runs July 14-16, will mark the official departure of that tandem, with at least a few 2024 recruits joining them. However, despite the loss of two leaders, expanding the list of Cavaliers in the professional ranks is always worth celebrating.
O’Ferrall’s draft situation is an interesting case. In the past, he would be highly sought after as a classic leadoff hitter. However, recent analytical trends have led to the downfall of a stereotypical speedy contact hitter being put in the leadoff spot. Regardless, any old-school coach would be absolutely enamored by O’Ferrall’s major league-ready traits.
O’Ferrall was one of the greatest players in Virginia history and will be sorely missed. The shortstop rarely struck out, doing so just 8 percent of the time in 2024. Combining his likable offensive profile as a contact hitter with some of the best defense in the nation, it is easy to see why he won the Brooks Wallace Award for the nation’s top shortstop.
At a minimum, O’Ferrall could be a super-utility player and help out anywhere across the infield like former Cavalier Ernie Clement — who has been productive this season for the Toronto Blue Jays. At his best, O’Ferrall could become a significant difference maker for any MLB club.
O’Ferrall’s impressive resume with the Cavaliers prompted an ESPN draft ranking just one spot outside the top 25, making him a potential first-round pick. O’Ferrall is deserving of a first round selection but will likely be taken in the middle of the second round due to very low home run numbers. Potential fits include the Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies.
Anderson’s draft situation is also intriguing, as his defensive fit will likely be questioned. He was originally recruited as the top high school catcher in the Commonwealth but found a home at first base for his freshman and sophomore seasons due to Kyle Teel owning the catcher’s spot. This year was supposed to be Anderson’s big campaign behind the plate, but graduate catcher Jacob Ference occupied the position for a vast majority of the season.
Anderson could have then settled back in at first base, but freshman infielder Henry Ford established himself as the everyday option there. So Anderson became the designated hitter and saw a career-low amount of innings in the field. However, he continued to be one of the best Cavalier batters, showing off an incredible power stroke from both sides of the plate as a switch hitter.
His elite offensive production was enough for him to be named a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award for the nation’s top catcher simply because he is listed as a catcher, even though he barely played the position. Anderson’s selection will likely come late in the second round or early in the third round, and he could potentially end up as a member of the Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee Brewers.
Graduate outfielder Bobby Whalen may be drafted too, as he hit .359 over the course of the season and got on base at a strong .446 clip. However, it is also true that he only clubbed two home runs and hit a ghastly 3-25 in postseason play.
Whalen’s recent numbers might slightly hurt his chances. If his name is called, he may be an 11th or 12th round pick, and possible fits include the Cleveland Guardians, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals.
Graduate pitcher Angelo Tonas was solid for the Cavaliers throughout two seasons in Charlottesville and could be picked in the 15th or 16th round. While his velocity is nowhere near MLB standards, he features a crafty pitching arsenal and he has produced for Coach Brian O’Connor when needed most, finishing his Virginia career with a 7-0 record as a relief pitcher. Potential landing spots for Tonas include the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves.
Junior outfielder Casey Saucke and sophomore outfielder Harrison Didawick — both MLB Combine invites — will likely be selected and could even make their way into the fifth or sixth round, but it would be wise for both of them to stick around for another season and increase their draft stock after terrible postseason performances. If they play another year with the Cavaliers and continue to improve, they can enter the draft in 2025 and be potential first round selections.
Junior pitcher Jay Woolfolk is also testing the MLB waters after his superb finish to 2024, but it may be better for him to return to school and consistently produce strong statistics over the course of a full season. Woolfolk struggled mightily early in the 2024 season but put up some of the best starts from a Virginia pitcher in school history this postseason. He could take his chances and ride that momentum into being drafted anywhere after the eighth or ninth round.
In addition to Virginia's current stars, a very strong incoming recruiting class is almost certain to be partially depleted. Incoming freshman infielders Luke Dickerson and Caleb Bonemer — ideal successors to O’Ferrall — could be drafted in the early second round, as both are ranked inside the top 75 draft prospects by MLB Pipeline. Right-handed pitching recruit Bryce Meccage is ranked just outside the top 50 and could also elect to withdraw his commitment to Virginia in favor of signing a lucrative professional contract.
Additionally, infielder Aiden Harris could wind up being taken somewhere in the third round. Utility player James Nunnallee was also invited to the MLB Combine and could be drafted at some point — although whether or not he signs a professional contract is to be determined. Harris and Nunnallee are both highly prized top-five in-state recruits. Both incoming freshmen are incredibly talented hitters who will very likely end up in the majors someday, but the Cavaliers will be hoping they attend the University and don the orange and blue for a few seasons first.
The 107th-ranked draft prospect is incoming infielder and left-handed pitcher Tomas Valincius — a former teammate of Ford and sophomore infielder Henry Godbout. Valincius will likely be selected in the later rounds, as will incoming pitcher Trey Gregory-Alford, who is ranked as the 105th best prospect. Incoming southpaw William Kirk is ranked as the 110th overall prospect and could receive a draft offer as well but is likely to head to Charlottesville instead with Valincius and Gregory-Alford joining him.
However the 2024 Draft pans out, O’Connor will get to add to his expansive list of Cavaliers in professional baseball — a list that will look very attractive for prospective recruits and water the seeds of Virginia baseball for years to come.
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