Jeff Petty’s Class Of 2022 Redefined The Ceiling For Amateur Baseball

Baseball is evolving, and the sport’s youngest prospects are arriving with more skills in their respective arsenals than ever before.

You can't teach speed, you can't teach instinct, but you can absolutely teach preparation and dedication.

Many young players making noise in the majors can be traced back to Jeff Petty, whose attention to detail and work ethic are key components to his players' success.

Under the direction of longtime Canes National program architect, Petty's roster shattered expectations, producing a whopping 32 MLB Draft selections and early big-league contributors who are already shaping the future of Major League Baseball. The Class of 2022 Canes is widely considered the best travel baseball team of the last decade, and perhaps of all time.

Professional Habits

Long before the sun reached the hotel parking lot, when most other teams were fast asleep, a charter bus would idle beneath sodium lights and humid Florida air. The cabin smelled faintly of pine tar and Gatorade. Players leaned back beneath hoodies, headphones half-off, mentally replaying sequences from the night before. There were no pep talks, no grand declarations -- just a quiet rhythm of preparation, drills, and mental focus that each player carried like second nature. The Class of 2022 didn’t act like a travel-ball team -- more like a short-season affiliate that happened to be wearing amateur uniforms.

Game days often began before sunrise, the team moving with the precision of a minor-league operation. Uniforms were issued, tracked, and reset daily. Pitchers charted and supported even when not slated to throw. Position players executed detailed pregame routines. It was a travel program operating two levels beyond typical.

Scouts noticed. Front offices trusted it. When a Canes National player entered the draft, organizations already had years of data, not just a single showcase impression. The environment served as a proving ground rather than a promotional vehicle.

A Standard Forged In Full View

Canes Baseball did not burst onto the amateur scene as a fully formed juggernaut. It certainly didn't happen overnight. Petty launched the Canes in 2005 on modest fields in eastern North Carolina, scribbling notes at folding tables as families leaned against chain-link backstops. From that modest beginning, the program expanded steadily—first across the Carolinas, then into the Mid-Atlantic, and eventually nationwide -- until the black-and-gold uniforms became a familiar sight at every major amateur showcase in the country.

College coaches learned to circle Canes games on summer schedules because the odds of finding a future Friday-night starter or middle-of-the-order bat were simply too high to ignore. Scouts followed, then cross-checkers, then assistant general managers. By the time the Class of 2022 arrived, Canes Baseball had evolved from a regional travel outfit into one of the most efficient talent pipelines in amateur baseball.

More than 4,250 players have earned college baseball opportunities through the program, and over 450 have been selected in the MLB Draft. These numbers would impress even the nation’s top Division I programs, all the more remarkable considering the Canes operate without the luxuries of scholarships, stadiums, or university resources. The Canes did it with repetition, credibility, and a network that stretched from rural batting cages to MLB draft rooms.

The Canes model has always been built on public accountability. While many travel programs operate in insulated environments, Petty’s teams seek out the most heavily scouted tournaments in amateur baseball -- Perfect Game events in Georgia, USA Baseball showcases, and marquee Florida summer circuits where scouts outnumber parents. Nothing is concealed, and no prospect is shielded. If a player rises through the Canes system, evaluators from all 30 MLB teams have seen it happen in real time.

That exposure is backed by unprecedented results.

The Man Behind The Success

Canes Baseball president & CEO Jeff Petty | Canes Baseball

Petty’s influence runs deeper than logistics. He has become one of the rare figures in amateur baseball whose evaluations and recommendations carry weight inside draft rooms. His approach has never been rooted in hype or guarantees, but in competitive integrity.

“It’s incredibly humbling to be part of so many young players’ amateur careers,” Petty told On Sports Illustrated. “The relationship with the player is more important than any result. Staying in touch long after they leave, checking on them, going to see them play -- that matters. We want them to know we care about them as human beings, not just as players.”

Those relationships, coupled with relentless competition, formed the bedrock of the 2022 group.

A Historic Class Of 2022

Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony — Aug 17, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) runs onto the field for warmups prior to a game against the Miami Marlins at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Measured strictly by draft capital and early MLB outcomes, the numbers tell a story that requires little embellishment. Roman Anthony (2nd Round, Red Sox) debuted in the majors at 21 and later signed a landmark extension north of $200 million. Cole Young (1st Round, Mariners) reached Seattle at the same age. Sal Stewart (Competitive Balance Round A, Reds) advanced quickly through the minors before making his big-league debut in late 2025.

On the pitching side, JR Ritchie was selected in the Competitive Balance Round A, 35th overall by the Braves, earning an over-slot signing bonus of $2.4 million and starting the MLB Futures Game at the 2025 All-Star Weekend. Dozens more from the roster signed for seven-figure bonuses or progressed to elite collegiate programs with clear professional trajectories.

Xavier Isaac went 29th overall to the Rays for $2.5 million, while Jacob Miller was selected 46th overall in Competitive Balance Round B by the Marlins for $1,679,900. Jackson Ferris (47th overall, Cubs, $3,005,000), James Triantos (56th overall, Cubs, $2.1 million), and Malcolm Moore (30th overall, Rangers, 2024, $3 million) completed the early-round impact, demonstrating the unprecedented depth of the Class of 2022.

Beyond the first rounds, the class produced high-bonus and impactful selections throughout the draft. Brock Porter went in the fourth round (109th overall, Rangers) for $3.7 million -- the largest bonus ever awarded after Round 2. Ryan Clifford (11th round, Astros, $1.26 million), Lamar King (4th round, Padres, $502,800), Cole Messina (3rd round, Rockies, $1.01 million), Eli Serrano (4th round, Mets, $697,500), Tristan Smith (5th round, Reds, $600,000), Mason Neville (4th round, Reds, $697,500), Gavin Turley (4th round, Athletics, $600,000), Mavis Graves (6th round, Phillies, $247,500), Tyler Gough (9th round, Mariners, $275,000), David Mershon (18th round, Angels, $405,000), Paxton Kling (7th round, Rangers, $375,000), Evan Siary (8th round, Rangers, $300,000), Ben Bybee (8th round, Giants, $229,500), Andrew Dutkanych (7th round, Cardinals, $300,000), Connor Rasmussen (15th round, Royals, $150,000), Kyle Larsen (18th round, Rangers, $575,000), Jack O’Connor (8th round, Dodgers, $158,775), Dixon Williams (4th round, Braves, ~$539,000 slot), Tucker Biven (13th round, Nationals, $150,000), Cameron Keshock (12th round, Pirates, $150,000), Griffin Steig (18th round, Mariners, elected to attend Virginia Tech), and Travis Sanders (14th round, Red Sox, elected to attend Texas Tech and later Baylor) further underscored the depth and breadth of talent produced by this roster.

No youth travel roster in history has produced this volume of outcomes from a single class.

Impact, Not Just Draft Slots

The true measure of an amateur team isn’t how many players get drafted; it’s how many influence the highest levels of the sport. Plenty of programs churn out picks. Far fewer send players who matter the moment they arrive. Roman Anthony offered the clearest proof. At 21, he jumped straight into the big leagues and didn’t just survive. He thrived with shots off the Green Monster. He secured a massive early-career deal that signaled long-term belief from an MLB front office. Not easy for a kid who just turned old enough to order an alcoholic beverage.

Cole Young followed a similar path, bypassing the usual development timeline entirely. While contemporaries were still settling in at Double-A, he was already making plays in the major leagues, looking as if that leap had always been inevitable.

And then there was JR Ritchie, who earned a starting assignment in the MLB All-Star Futures Game, a showcase reserved for the sport’s premier young arms. The selection alone carried weight; his performance only reinforced his status.

And the cycle continued. On Aug. 31, 2025, Sal Stewart debuted for the Cincinnati Reds. He hit his first home run in just his fourth game, signaling that he has arrived.

The Legacy Of A Benchmark

Travel baseball is ever-changing. Constant roster turnover, tournaments blur, and memories fade. Yet benchmarks endure, and the Canes National Class of 2022 established one that will be difficult to match. They challenged assumptions about what a youth baseball program can produce when infrastructure, competition, credibility, and talent converge at the highest possible level.