The 2021 Major League Baseball Player Draft takes place on July 11–13, 2021, in Denver, Colorado. The draft is up to 20 rounds this year. Because of the COVID-19 world health crisis that ended the 2020 collegiate baseball season last year, the MLB held its shortest June draft in its history with just five rounds last year. The Pittsburgh Pirates will receive the first overall pick in this year’s draft.
Last year, two HBCU draft-eligible players signed free-agent contracts. Carter Williams North Carolina Central University, and Bryan Serra, from Talladega College.
The first round of the 2021 draft will get underway on Sunday, July 11th, with the 20th round finishing on Tuesday, July 13th.
Black College Nines highlights some of the top HBCU prospects in the 2021 draft class based on our contact with scouts who attended HBCU and non-HBCU baseball games during both fall ball and the past season. Below you find our breakdown of our top twenty-five candidates.
| RANK | PLAYER | POSITION | H/P | COLLEGE | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alsander Womack | INF | H | Norfolk State | MEAC |
| 2 | Dustin Baber | RHP | P | North Carolina A&T | MEAC |
| 3 | Ryan Miller | RHP | P | North Carolina Central | MEAC |
| 4 | Austin vernon | RHP | P | North Carolina Central | MEAC |
| 5 | Luis DeLeon | OF | H | North Carolina Central | MEAC |
| 6 | Breon Pooler | RHP | P | Alabama State | SWAC |
| 7 | Chandler Dillard | OF | H | Jackson State | SWAC |
| 8 | Equon Smith | OF | H | Jackson State | SWAC |
| 9 | Anthony Becerra | LHP | P | Jackson State | SWAC |
| 10 | Nikelle Galatas | RHP | P | Jackson State | SWAC |
| 11 | Mario Lopez | RHP | P | Jackson State | SWAC |
| 12 | Kamron Fields | RHP | P | Texas Southern | SWAC |
| 13 | Cameron Phelts | OF | H | Grambling State | SWAC |
| 14 | Brandon O”Connor | OF | H | Benedict College | SIAC |
| 15 | Matt Harrison | INF | H | West Virginia State | MEC |
| 16 | Ethan Lauchart | RHP | P | West Virginia State | MEC |
| 17 | Tanner Brandon | RHP/INF | P/H | Bluefield State | USCAA (Indep) |
| 18 | Jacob Bradley | RHP | P | West Virginia State | MEC |
| 19 | Tristin Garcia | INF | H | Alcorn State | SWAC |
| 20 | Tremaine Spears | OF | H | Southern | SWAC |
| 21 | Kyle Smith | RHP | P | Prairie View A&M | SWAC |
| 22 | Santiago Garcia | C | H | Alabama State | SWAC |
| 23 | Co Co Simoneaux | OF | H | Xavier of Louisiana | GCAC/A.I.I. |
| 24 | Malik Barrington | RHP | P | Albany State | SIAC |
| 25 | Blair Frederick | LHP/OF | P/H | Xavier of Louisiana | GCAC/A.I.I. |
Keep an eye on Darrin Brown (DJ) from Clark-Atlanta (OF) He played for Florida Memorial for two years. Now he is finishing up his career at Clark-Atlanta