MLB Draft: Players with Long Island ties who could get selected this weekend

Several baseball players with Long Island connections may get their names called during this weekend's MLB Amateur Draft. The draft is two days, 20 rounds and will have 613 total selections. It begins at 1 p.m. Saturday with the first four rounds (135 picks). The rest of the rounds will take place Sunday, beginning at 11:30 a.m. 

   

Below is an alphabetized list of players to look out for this weekend who played their high school or college ball on Long Island.  

CJ Alfano, St. Anthony’s HS, OF

Scouts value success with a wood bat, and he slugged 13 home runs from the left side in the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA — a wood-bat league. The Bohemia native is currently committed to West Virginia.

Jason DeCaro, UNC, RHP

The 6-5, 230-pound East Northport native and St. Anthony’s alumnus started all 53 of his appearances with the University of North Carolina. His primary weapon is a fastball with movement that touches 97 mph. Across 270 ⅓ innings with the Tar Heels, he pitched to a 26-7 record, a 3.83 ERA, 7.9 hits-per-nine-innings and 8.2 strikeouts-per-nine-innings.

Jayden Gigante, Carey HS, OF

The Franklin Square resident is a speedy centerfielder with a big arm. He boasts a 6.33-second 60-yard dash and a 94 mph outfield velocity. He also has power, with a top exit velocity of 105 mph. He batted .515 with nine doubles, five triples and four homers as a senior and is currently committed to St. John’s.

Jalen Josey, Holy Trinity HS, OF

The North Baldwin resident is committed to Stony Brook, but his athleticism has put him on some team's radar, including the Baltimore Orioles, who invited him in for a pre-draft workout. In the wood-bat NSCHSAA, he batted .305 with four home runs. He can throw over 90 mph from the outfield and runs a 6.22 60.

Justin LeGuernic, Clemson, LHP

The 6-4 southpaw from Dix Hills and Half Hollow Hills West alumnus tops 97 mph with his fastball, complemented by a hard changeup and mid-80s sweeping slider. He's struck out 93 batters over 71 ⅔ innings through three years at Clemson.

Carlos Martinez, Hofstra, RHP

He missed the 2025 season because of Tommy John surgery, but he still throws hard and misses bats. His four-seam and two-seam fastballs both sit mid-90s, and he tops 97 with the four-seam. His mid-80s slider has devastated hitters throughout his college career. He owns a career 10.7 strikeouts-per-nine and 8.4 hits-per-nine rate, as well as a 3.13 strikeouts-per-walk.

Chris McHugh, NC State, 1B/OF

The Commack native and Commack High School  alumnus spent his freshman year at Virginia Commonwealth and the past two at North Carolina State. Across those three seasons, he batted .319 with a .419 on-base percentage and a .901 OPS. He hit .320 with 16 doubles, nine homers and 50 RBIs in 2026.

Erik Paulsen Jr., UNC, 1B

He's an all-fields lefthanded hitter with power and patience, and is also a tough strikeout with just a 12.4% strikeout rate. He is a Massapequa Park native and Massapequa High School alumnus who spent his first two years of college at Stony Brook. He owns a career slash line of .318/.423/.507. This past season, he led the Tar Heels to the championship game of the College World Series and finished the year batting .302 with 13 doubles, 11 homers and a .904 OPS.

He is also an excellent defender, as he won the 2025 Coastal Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year for Stony Brook and is a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove award for NCAA Division I first baseman.

Aiden Ruiz, The Stony Brook School, SS

The Vanderbilt commit is billed as potentially the best defensive shortstop in his class, but he said he is willing to play any position for whichever team drafts him. While playing a national schedule over four years, he displayed not only an elite glove and arm, but also a high level of bat control, contact-hitting ability and plate discipline as a switch hitter. He also flashed above-average speed and the ability to steal bases.

Baseball America and MLB.com each rank him 32nd on their overall prospects lists, while ESPN has him at 44th and Perfect Game slots him at 54th. Baseball America, MLB.com and ESPN also rank him the best overall New York State prospect, while Perfect Game has him second.

Charlie West, UConn, LHP

The South Setauket native and Ward Melville alumnus eats innings and misses bats. Over three collegiate seasons, he owns a 3.77 ERA, 11.1 strikeouts-per-nine and a 7.6 hits-per-nine over 143 ⅓ innings. He logged 87 ⅓ innings and 111 strikeouts across 15 starts this year.

Micah Worley, Stony Brook, LHP

He has touched 98 mph with his fastball and struck out 93 batters in just 69 ⅓ innings this season. He owns career rates of 12.3 strikeouts-per-nine and 7.2 hits-per-nine.