Banana Ball’s 2027 Draft Brings Familiar Baseball Names and New Players Worth Watching

The league held its 2027 Player Draft on Wednesday, October 28, adding new players and bringing familiar faces back for another season. The announcements gave fans across all six teams plenty to talk about, from a former Major League All-Star to college standouts getting their opportunity in Banana Ball.

Indianapolis starts with Patrick Wicklander

The Indianapolis Clowns used the first overall selection on Patrick Wicklander, whom the league introduced as a collegiate All-American.

Going first puts a little extra attention on a player. Wicklander will arrive with fans curious about what Indianapolis saw in him and how he fits into the team.

The Clowns also selected Isaiah Parido, the 2026 ABCA/Rawlings Division III National Position Player of the Year, and added players including Regi Grace Jr., Justin Jackson, Jevin Relaford and Jayden Mark.

That gives Indianapolis fans a good reason to spend some time learning the new names. Parido’s national award, in particular, is a baseball accomplishment worth noticing before anyone starts asking about his dance moves.

There will be time for that.

Savannah adds Charlie Culberson and brings Kenshi Sugiya into its 2027 plans

Culberson’s selection gives the Savannah Bananas a name that plenty of baseball fans will recognize, especially those who followed him with the Atlanta Braves.

It also creates an interesting introduction to Banana Ball for people who have followed his career but have not followed this league closely.

They may come looking for Culberson. Then they get to meet everybody else.

Savannah’s first selection of the draft was Tyler Wehrle. The Bananas also selected Stephen DiTomaso, welcomed Connor Harris back and announced the return of former Coastal Plain League Banana Livan Reinoso.

DiTomaso brings a particularly interesting hitting résumé. The former George Washington University player collected 149 hits with the Down East Bird Dawgs in 2026, setting the Frontier League’s single-season record.

His selection also reunites him with Harris, his former George Washington teammate and roommate. Harris returns after making 22 pitching appearances for Savannah in 2026.

“This year, I get to live that dream all over again with my best friend,” Harris said in George Washington’s announcement.

That is a pretty good way to start a season.

Then there is Kenshi Sugiya.

The former Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters player was selected by Savannah, and his company confirmed Thursday that he plans to return to playing in the United States for the 2027 season.

Sugiya played 14 years with Nippon-Ham before retiring after the 2022 season. His next chapter now includes a yellow uniform and a sport that asks players to connect with fans in some very different ways.

His specific appearances will be announced later. For now, the selection adds another compelling story to Savannah’s offseason.

Shane Greene becomes a Party Animal

The Party Animals used their first selection on Shane Greene.

Greene was a Major League All-Star with Detroit in 2019. Now he gets to bring that experience to a team whose name requires a little explanation when somebody asks where you play.

The baseball background makes Greene an obvious player to follow. The fun will be seeing how he settles into everything surrounding the pitching, too.

The Party Animals also announced returns for Dustin Baber, Bryson Bloomer and Sean Fluke.

For their fans, draft night offered both a prominent new arrival and familiar players to look for again in 2027.

The Firefighters and Coconuts add to the conversation

The Firefighters selected Joe Adametz, a former minor leaguer in the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers organizations.

Their other announcements included Logan Schmidt, Jackson Lancaster and Brendan Hardy, along with Blake Morgan’s return.

Those additions give Firefighters fans several pitchers to get acquainted with as next season approaches.

The Loco Beach Coconuts, meanwhile, announced selections including Kelby Tomlinson, Shane Telfer, Jared Guell, Jaden Harris and Ryan Combs.

It is easy for the most recognizable names elsewhere in the league to take over the conversation. But a player does not need to arrive with the biggest following to become somebody fans want to watch every night.

Some of the most interesting introductions are still ahead.

Entertainment belongs in the draft conversation, too

The league also announced John Riesen as an entertainment player for the Firefighters and Elijah White as an entertainment player for the Texas Tailgaters.

Those roles deserve to be identified clearly. Fans following the announcements should understand what each person has been selected to do.

They also deserve attention.

Think about what a family talks about on the way home from a Banana Ball game. There might be a great catch in that conversation. There might also be a song, a performance or an interaction that happened nowhere near home plate.

The people responsible for those moments help give each team its personality.

Now fans get to know the players

Draft night gives us names and teams. The season gives us a chance to learn much more.

How does Wicklander settle in with Indianapolis? What does Greene bring to the Party Animals? How will Culberson and Sugiya fit into Savannah’s show? And which newcomer will have fans looking up his name after one appearance?

Those are good reasons to keep following the offseason.

The recognizable names will bring attention. The new players have an opportunity to turn that attention into something of their own.

Somewhere in these selections could be the player a kid insists on seeing the next time Banana Ball comes to town.

We just do not know which one yet.

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