Eighteen Alumni Selected for MLB Spring Breakout 2025
Nine Appy League teams represented in annual MLB prospect event
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Eighteen Appalachian League alumni were selected for Major League Baseball’s second annual “Spring Breakout” prospect games from March 13-16. Among Appy League alumni named to this year’s rosters is 2024 first round pick Kaelen Culpepper (No. 21 overall), the highest drafted player in league history.
Spring Breakout returns for a second year with the games serving as a showcase of baseball’s future stars. Each Major League Club will field a team of prospects from their farm system to play a team of top prospects from another organization in a nine-inning exhibition game. A full schedule of the Spring Breakout games can be found here with full rosters available.
The 18 Appy League representatives is up from nine in 2024. Nine of the 10 Appy League teams will have a former player in this year’s showcase, with Tri-State (established in 2024) being the lone exception. Of the 18 prospects named to this year’s showcase, 12 of them are in their respective team’s Top 30 prospects list as named by MLB Pipeline, with three in the Top 10.
Kyle Karros (Colorado), Braden Nett (San Diego), Paul Gervase (Tampa Bay) and Homer Bush Jr. (Tampa Bay) all return to this year’s event after appearing on rosters a year ago. The complete list of Appy League alumni in this year’s Spring Breakout showcase is listed below.
* indicates Top 30 Prospect
^ indicates Appalachian League All-Star
Arizona Diamondbacks
RHP Daniel Eagen * – Greeneville 2023
RHP Connor Foley * – Johnson City 2023
Athletics
OF Rodney Green Jr * – Pulaski 2022
Cleveland Guardians
RHP Magnus Ellerts – Danville 2021
Colorado Rockies
INF Kyle Karros * – Greeneville 2021
Houston Astros
RHP Bryce Mayer *^ – Greeneville 2021
Los Angeles Dodgers
INF Joe Vetrano ^ – Johnson City 2021
Miami Marlins
RHP Aiden May * – Kingsport 2022
Minnesota Twins
INF Kaelen Culpepper * – Bluefield 2022
New York Yankees
OF Brendan Jones – Elizabethton 2022-23
San Diego Padres
RHP Braden Nett * – Greeneville 2021
OF Kavares Tears * – Kingsport 2023
Seattle Mariners
INF Caleb Cali * – Danville 2021
St. Louis Cardinals
1B/OF Brayden Jobert – Bluefield 2021
Tampa Bay Rays
RHP Paul Gervase ^ – Bristol 2021
OF Homer Bush Jr. *^ – Greeneville 2021
Washington Nationals
RHP Brendan Collins – Burlington 2021
OF Sam Petersen * – Kingsport 2022
About the Appalachian League
Founded in 1911, the Appalachian League is one of the longest-running baseball leagues in history. The Appy League is the only collegiate summer league under MLB and USA Baseball’s Prospect Development Pipeline (“PDP”) and is an integral part of the identification and development process for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Teams and other future National teams.
For more information about the Appalachian League, visit appyleague.com or follow @appyleague & @appyleaguedata on X, and @appyleague on Instagram