Former Kansas Baseball Trio Officially Sign with MLB Clubs

Three former Jayhawks are officially part of Major League Baseball after signing contracts with their respective teams.

Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

A group of former Kansas Jayhawks are officially part of Major League Baseball (MLB) after signing contracts with their respective teams.

Three members of the 2025 Kansas baseball team were picked in this year’s MLB Draft, including infielder Brady Counsell, right-handed pitcher Alex Breckheimer, and outfielder Derek Cerda.

Counsell was drafted in the 10th round (No. 303 overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks after a stellar senior season at KU, during which he was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after hitting .259 with 11 doubles and 12 home runs.

He also became the first player in KU school history to earn Rawlings Gold Glove honors after giving up just one error and holding a .992 fielding percentage.

Breckheimer was selected in the 16th round (No. 480 overall) of the MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.

As a junior this past season at KU, Breckheimer had a perfect 5-0 record as a reliever with a 3.56 ERA. His seven saves were the third most in the Big 12 this year and his 33 pitching appearances were fourth most in the country.  

Cerda was picked by the Chicago White Sox in the 17th round (No. 496 overall) of this year’s draft. The junior from the Dominican Republic was third on the team in runs scored during the 2025 season and had a team-high 10 stolen bases while hitting .279 from the plate.

Officially a member of the Diamondbacks ✍️#RockChalk x @BradyCounsell pic.twitter.com/qO5h7mumm7

— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) July 24, 2025

Officially a member of the Cardinals ✍️#RockChalk x @Alexbreck11 pic.twitter.com/RaxqUYyxRx

— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) July 25, 2025

Officially a member of the White Sox ✍️#RockChalk x @Derek_Cerda10 pic.twitter.com/GtLR4UMJBU

— Kansas Baseball (@KUBaseball) July 26, 2025