• April 3, 2021

MLB Draft Features Family Members Of Front Office Staff

The 2015 Major League Baseball draft featured a name that has already set a record for the sport. Milwaukee selected a player whose name contains 32 letters, by far the longest chosen in the draft.

The newest member of the Brewer organization is Oluwademilade Oluwadimola Orimoloye, an outfielder chosen in the second round. If he progresses and makes his way into the big leagues, Orimoloye will become the first African-born player to dress for an MLB team.

While it may take a while for stadium announcers to become familiar with Orimoloye’s pronunciation, they should be quite comfortable with the names of many of the other players in this year’s draft. A handful of them are the sons of former Major League Baseball players, which has been fairly common in past drafts.

However, the only thing about 2015 is the number of recruits who are close relatives of the people who work for the administrations of various teams. Here’s a list of just over a dozen selected players who are descendants of major league club directors, managers, or scouts.

Tucker Ward, right-handed pitcher

Taken by Arizona in the 40th Round, this recruit is the son of Diamondbacks scout Turner Ward.

Jake Pries, gardener

Baltimore used round 37 to select the grandson of Don Pries, a former scout and director of player personnel for the Orioles.

Jack Graham, second baseman

One round after catching Pries, Baltimore left with the son of the current farm manager, Brian Graham.

Tate Matheny, gardener

If all goes well, this fourth-round pick from Boston will have a World Series battle against his father, St. Louis manager Mike Matheny.

Nick Lovullo, shortstop

Boston selected this son of bench coach Tory Lovullo in the 34th round.

Cody Staab, outfielder

The Chicago White Sox used the 38th round to pick the son of scout Keith Staab.

Joseph Reinsdorf, second baseman

Owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s grandson went to the White Sox in the 40th round.

Tyler Nevin, third baseman

Colorado’s pick in the 15th round is the son of Arizona Triple-A manager Phil Nevin, a former Major League Baseball player remembered for his power and unusual batting stance.

Cam Gibson, gardener

The son of former Arizona manager Kirk Gibson should feel right at home in Detroit, which selected him in the fifth round.

Sean Miller, shortstop

In the 10th round, Minnesota landed this son of a Houston scout of the same name.

Tyler Williams, outfielder

Minnesota also chose the son of Twins scout Ted Williams, who was selected in the 26th round.

Drew Finley, right-handed pitcher

The son of the Padres’ personal player manager Dave Finley went to the New York Yankees in the third round.

Dante Ricciardi, shortstop

The Seattle Mariners took the son of Mets headquarters executive JP Ricciardi in the 39th round.

Mattingly Romanin, second baseman

Toronto’s pick in the 39th round is the son of Blue Jays baseball operations manager Mal Romanin.

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