Cavaliers Now

Three Virginia Baseball Commits Taken in Second Round of 2024 MLB Draft

Matt Newton

Virginia baseball commits Caleb Bonemer, Luke Dickerson, and Bryce Meccage were selected in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Virginia baseball commits Caleb Bonemer, Luke Dickerson, and Bryce Meccage were selected in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft. / Caleb Bonemer/Luke Dickerson/Bryce Meccage-IG

More so than most collegiate sports, there is a unique and significant pitfall in college baseball recruiting. If a coach does a really good job on the recruiting trail, his reward is that he never gets to see some of those prized commits play for his team. It's happened many times before and seems to be happening again this year for Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor, who, in addition to producing two selections from his team in the first two rounds of the 2024 MLB Draft on Sunday night, also saw three high school commits from UVA's incoming freshmen class hear their names called in the second round.

And while there's still technically hope that those players could turn down the contract offerings from the respective teams who selected them, the odds aren't very good that these recent high school graduates will be able to resist multiple millions of dollars in guaranteed money. So while the Virginia baseball program can be proud that two of its players - Griff O'Ferrall and Ethan Anderson - were selected early in the MLB Draft, the program also took a hit as three extremely talented players who probably would have made immediate impacts for the Cavaliers in 2025 will likely never suit up for the orange and blue at Disharoon Park.

The first high school commit off the board was Caleb Bonemer, a shortstop out of Okemos High School in Michigan. Bonemer, who is a two-time Michigan Gatorade High School Player of the Year, was picked 43rd overall in the second round by the Chicago White Sox. According to the slot values distributed from the MLB to each franchise, the No. 43 overall pick is valued at $2,172,800, an estimate for the bonus Bonemer may be expected to receive upon his signing with the White Sox.

Virginia commits went back-to-back in the second round of the draft, as another UVA shortstop commit Luke Dickerson went 44th overall to the Washington Nationals. Hailing from Morris Knolls High School in New Jersey, Dickerson is expected to be offered a signing bonus of around $2,122,200 as the 44th pick.

Finally, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Bryce Meccage 57th overall in the second round. A right-handed pitcher from The Pennington School in New Jersey, Meccage should be offered around $1,562,100 as a signing bonus for being the 57th pick.

If Bonemer, Dickerson, and Meccage all sign with their respective teams, Virginia will lose out on two talented shortstops and pitcher with very high potential. The shortstop situation is even more concerning for the Cavaliers, who also lost their three-year starter at shortstop when Griff O'Ferrall was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the 32nd overall pick. The Orioles selected another UVA player with their next pick, taking Ethan Anderson 61st overall.

Other UVA commits who could hear their names called over the next two days at the MLB Draft include:
right-handed pitcher Trey Gregory-Alford (No. 105 in the MLB.com draft prospect rankings)
left-handed pitcher Tomas Valincius (No. 107)
left-handed pitcher William Kirk (No. 110)
third baseman Aiden Harris (No. 168)
catcher James Nunnallee (No. 200)

Other current Virginia baseball players who could be drafted include:
left fielder Harrison Didawick (No. 125)
right fielder Casey Saucke (No. 127)
right-handed pitcher Jay Woolfolk (No. 250)

The 2024 MLB Draft will continue on Monday (rounds 3-10) and Tuesday (rounds11-20) starting at 2pm ET each day.

More Virginia Baseball News

Ethan Anderson Selected 61st Overall by Baltimore Orioles in 2024 MLB Draft

Griff O'Ferrall Selected 32nd Overall by Baltimore Orioles in 2024 MLB Draft

Virginia Baseball to Face Oregon State, Oklahoma, Minnesota in Round Rock Classic

Virginia Baseball: DIII National Champ LHP Matt Lanzendorfer Transfers to UVA

Published
Matt Newton

MATT NEWTON

Matt Newton launched the Cavaliers Now site on Sports Illustrated in August 2021, where he covers all things UVA sports. His reporting spans Virginia basketball and football news and recruiting, former Cavaliers in the pros, and all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. Before this, Matt served as the Sports Director at WUVA, a student-run digital media organization at the University of Virginia, and worked as a beat writer at Scrimmage Play, covering high school sports in central Virginia. Originally from Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Matt grew up a huge Philadelphia sports fan. His passion for sports journalism has been evident throughout his career, focusing on both collegiate and high school athletics.