Cav-alcade! Meet The 4 UVA Players Drafted This Year

Davenport Field in Charlottesville, Va.Photo byBillcasey905

By Elizabeth Muratore

The 2024 MLB Draft has concluded, and 615 players were selected over the three-day, 20-round affair. Of those 615 players, four hailed from my alma mater, the University of Virginia. Over the past two decades under coach Brian O’Connor, UVA baseball has churned out MLB Draft picks on an almost yearly basis, with many eventually making it to the Major Leagues.

Here’s a look at the four UVA players selected in this year’s Draft, along with a couple who were not drafted and what their futures could look like.

Griff O’Ferrall: Orioles, No. 32 overall (first round, Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick), MLB Pipeline’s No. 38 Draft prospect)

As a result of the Orioles promoting Gunnar Henderson to the Opening Day roster and him winning American League Rookie of the Year, they (along with the D-backs for Corbin Carroll) received an extra Draft pick after the first round. They used it on O’Ferrall, who was a stalwart at shortstop for UVA for three seasons and capped off his junior year by winning the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for Division 1 shortstops. Over his three seasons at UVA, he never missed a game, starting all 186 possible games at short for the Cavaliers.

Besides flashing sparkling defense, O’Ferrall was steady with the bat, hitting .344 across his three college seasons with an .851 OPS and 270 hits in 186 games. The Orioles already have a plethora of infield prospects (including shortstop Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 prospect in baseball), but they’ve shown to be adept at developing hitters. The Richmond-born O’Ferrall should have a lot of support in the DMV area as he climbs through the O’s rankings.

Ethan Anderson: Orioles, No. 61 overall (second round), No. 78 Draft prospect

After picking O’Ferrall after the first round, Baltimore decided that one Hoo wasn’t enough, so they picked another one! Anderson and O’Ferrall were teammates for all three years at Virginia, making two consecutive College World Series appearances together in 2023 and ‘24. Anderson split time across first base, catcher, and designated hitter, so his defensive future is somewhat murky as he enters his pro career. But Anderson’s bat is legit and his slugging potential is high – he’s a switch-hitter who compiled 145 RBIs across 178 college games with a 1.001 OPS, .560 slugging percentage and more walks (103) than strikeouts (102).

Anderson caught much more in his senior year after fellow Hoo and standout catcher Kyle Teel was drafted in 2023 by the Red Sox, but even if he doesn’t stick at catcher in the O’s system, he should hopefully rise in the ranks alongside college teammate O’Ferrall over the next few years.

Casey Saucke: White Sox, No. 107 overall (fourth round), No. 127 Draft prospect

While I’ve always enjoyed watching Saucke patrol the outfield in Charlottesville, I wasn’t expecting him to be drafted so high, so I was delighted to hear his name announced early on Day 2. He mainly played right field for Virginia and regularly hit in the middle of the order for a UVA team that was consistently strong up and down the lineup. It’s a shame he wasn’t also drafted by the Orioles, since his dad, Casey Saucke Sr., played in the O’s system in 2000 and 2001.

Nonetheless, the younger Saucke has a bright future ahead of him. It seemed like he was making diving catches left and right all season – could a move to center be in his future? I think he’s strong enough defensively to handle it. His bat also dramatically improved between his sophomore and junior years. After hitting .299 with four home runs in 2023, he took both his average and power up a notch in 2024 to .344 and 14 homers, while his OPS increased by 175 points from .810 to .985. The White Sox are in the first year of general manager Chris Getz, so with Saucke as one of Getz’s first draftees, he will hopefully be an integral part of the next competitive South Sider squad.

Anthony Stephan: Reds, No. 389 overall (13th round)

Stephan’s selection was the biggest UVA-related surprise of the Draft, since he wasn’t ranked among MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft prospects before the event began. But the Reds clearly saw something they liked in Stephan, one of their 15 college picks selected in this year’s Draft. Stephan started his UVA career in 2022 filling in around the infield and at DH, but as his tenure progressed he picked up more time in the outfield, playing 30 games in left field for the Hoos in 2024. As a junior, Stephan hit .306 with a .907 OPS and 41 hits in 45 games. He joins Hoos Andrew Abbott, who was drafted in 2021 a year before Stephan’s freshman year, and former teammate Ethan O’Donnell in Cincy’s system.

Two Hoo Didn’t Hear Their Name Called

I’m surprised Harrison Didawick, a Draft-eligible sophomore who was ranked MLB Pipeline’s No. 125 Draft prospect, was not selected. But perhaps as rounds went on, MLB teams figured he might be harder to sign with his extra year of eligibility. Didawick was a breakout slugger for Virginia in 2024, clubbing 23 homers in 63 games, and played a solid outfield across all three positions. If his contact rate keeps progressing next year, I sincerely hope he hears his name called on Draft day.

Another UVA player on MLB’s Draft prospects list was pitcher Jay Woolfolk, who cracked the rankings at No. 250. He withdrew from the Draft after Day 2 and announced on X/Twitter that he was returning to UVA. Woolfolk is an intriguing athlete who also played quarterback for the football team before deciding to focus on baseball, but his pitching was center stage when he tossed eight innings to clinch UVA’s regional against Mississippi State earlier this summer. I look forward to seeing if he will attain “weekend starter status” for UVA or if his future is out of the bullpen.

Elizabeth Muratore is one of the editors of the Here’s the Pitch newsletter. She also works as a senior content producer for MLB and co-hosts a Mets podcast called Cohen’s Corner. Elizabeth is a lifelong Mets fan who thinks that Keith Hernandez should be in the Hall of Fame. You can follow her on Twitter @elizmuratore.