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Diamond Heels Looking Forward to MLB Draft

There are plenty of North Carolina Tar Heels ranked on Perfect Game's Top 500 as the MLB Draft commences Sunday.
Scott Salomon|
North Carolina's Kane Kepley (27) safely steals third base against Arizona late in the game. The North Carolina Tarheels and the Arizona Wildcats met in game two of the NCAA Division 1 Super Regionals in Chapel Hill, N.C. on June 7, 2025.
North Carolina's Kane Kepley (27) safely steals third base against Arizona late in the game. The North Carolina Tarheels and the Arizona Wildcats met in game two of the NCAA Division 1 Super Regionals in Chapel Hill, N.C. on June 7, 2025. | Steven Worthy / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The University of North Carolina should pay particular attention to the Major League Baseball player draft which starts Sunday in Atlanta. Perfect Game published their draft board of the top 500 prospects and there were several players connected to the Tar Heels program listed.

The Tar Heels who are favored to be selected are Luke Stevenson, Kane Kepley, Matthew Matthijs, Aidan Haugh and Jake Knapp. Additionally, two players who are incoming freshman are projected to be drafted late. Left-handed pitcher Jackson Ross is listed as is third baseman Matt McKnight.

The Major League Baseball draft rarely follows any list and the picks are very subjective. When you have 25 scouts, you can get 25 different opinions. Just because Perfect Game ranks a player, it is no guarantee they are going to be drafted.

Stevenson, who should go in the first round, if the sun, the moon and the stars are all in perfect alignment, is ranked 44th. He should go way before then. Baseball America has Stevenson going No. 36 to the Minnesota Twins, while another mock draft from MLB.com, has him going No. 30 to the Baltimore Orioles. The Athletic and CBS Sports do not list him in their mocks in any round.

There are also two incoming transfers, who did not make the Perfect Game cut, however, they could get drafted late in the two-day event. Trace Baker and Owen Hull are players who fell outside of the top 500 according to Perfect Game, but they are draft eligible and could go.

Transfers, similar to incoming freshmen, will have to make the tough decision whether to return to college or to forego their eligibility and turn professional.

North Carolina impressed a lot of scouts this season as they had plenty of veterans on the squad that fell one game short of the College World Series and a trip to Omaha. There will be names called that will be familiar to North Carolina fans. It is just a question as to whether the players sign, or come back to school, should they still have eligibility.

The Major League Baseball Draft is different than that of the National Football League and the National Basketball Association. When a player is drafted in baseball, they have the leverage of going to school or returning to school if they still have eligibility. When a player submits his name for the NFL Draft, his eligibility is burned. Basketball lets a player come back if they are undrafted and do not sign with an agent.

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Scott Salomon
SCOTT SALOMON

Scott Alan Salomon, J.D., earned his Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas University School of Law and his bachelor's in Communications from Miami University. He brings years of experience as a General Sports Writer On SI and is a gifted communicator. He has worked for the Tribune Company, Fan Sided, and now serves in his capacity On SI.