A study of Major League Baseball teams reveals many former Orange County high school baseball players on their rosters.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s All-Star Game had two Orange County players among the National League starters: first baseman Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers played at El Modena High; pitcher Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates is from El Toro High.<\/p>\n
Aliso Niguel\u2019s Cooper Flemming, the Orange County player of the year<\/a> for the 2025 high school baseball season, leads the group of county products selected in the Major League Baseball Draft this month.<\/p>\n A look at the O.C. players taken in this season\u2019s MLB Draft:<\/p>\n Second round<\/p>\n Cooper Flemming, Aliso Niguel, SS<\/p>\n He was selected by Tampa Bay as the 53rd overall pick. Flemming was the Orange County player of the year this past season. MLB.com lists Flemming as being from Pomona\u2019s Ganesha High, but Flemming played his senior season at Aliso Niguel after playing club ball exclusively earlier in his previous high school days.<\/p>\n Third round<\/p>\n Ethan Hedges, Mater Dei, 3B<\/p>\n Hedges was taken by the Colorado Rockies out of USC as the 77th overall selection. Hedges was All-Trinity League first team at Mater Dei before going to USC.<\/p>\n Ben Jacobs, Huntington Beach, P<\/p>\n Jacobs, an All-Orange County first-team pitcher in 2022<\/a> and that season\u2019s Surf League MVP, went on to Arizona State and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers as the 98th overall pick.<\/p>\n Fourth round<\/p>\n Riley Kelly, Tustin, P<\/p>\n Kelly, an All-CIF pitcher at Tustin and the Tillers football starting quarterback, was taken by the Colorado Rockies as the 107th overall selection.<\/p>\n Sixth round<\/p>\n Josiah Hartshorn, Orange Lutheran, OF<\/p>\n The Chicago Cubs made Hartshorn. All-Orange County first team<\/a> this past season, the 181st overall pick.<\/p>\n 13th round<\/p>\n Aiden Taurek, Foothill, OF<\/p>\n