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Virginia Baseball: MLB Draft Pick James Nunnallee to Enroll at UVA

Matt Newton

Virginia baseball managed to retain one of its high school commits who was selected in the 2024 MLB Draft, catcher/outfielder James Nunnallee.
Virginia baseball managed to retain one of its high school commits who was selected in the 2024 MLB Draft, catcher/outfielder James Nunnallee. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The August 1st deadline for players selected in the 2024 MLB Draft to sign with their respective organizations has passed and the Virginia baseball program managed to retain one of its prized high school commits who was selected in the 2024 MLB Draft, as catcher/outfielder James Nunnallee did not sign with the Milwaukee Brewers, who picked him 425th overall in the 14th round of the draft. Nunnallee was due a slot value signing bonus of $150,000, but he'll enroll at the University of Virginia this fall instead and play for the Cavaliers in 2025.

Of Virginia's 14-player 2024 recruiting class, five were selected in the MLB Draft and four of those five players signed with their teams, with each receiving signing bonuses well above slot value. See Virginia's full 2024 recruiting class here.

Caleb Bonemer signed with the Chicago White Sox for a $3 million signing bonus, more than $827,200 over his slot value of $2,172,800 as the 43rd overall pick of the draft. 57th pick Bryce Meccage got nearly a million more than his slot value from the Milwaukee Brewers, signing for $2.5 million, while 44th pick Luke Dickerson signed with the Washington Nationals for a staggering $3.8 million, the largest signing bonus given to any player drafted outside of the first round in the pool era of the MLB Draft.

The most intriguing case was right-handed pitcher Trey Gregory-Alford, who was projected as the No. 105-ranked prospect in the draft in MLB.com's Top 250 prospect rankings, but fell all the way to the 11th round, where he was selected 322nd overall by the Los Angeles Angels. Though his slot value at that pick was just $150,000, the Angels saved quite a bit of money in their early-round selections and were able to offer him a $1,957,500 signing bonus, more than $1,800,000 above slot value and the largest signing bonus ever offered to an 11th round draft pick. Gregory-Alford, who was reportedly intending to come to Virginia, couldn't turn down that offer and will turn pro instead.

Additionally, VMI right-handed pitcher and eight round draft pick Will Riley, who had committed to transfer to Virginia prior to the draft, signed with the Seattle Mariners for $120,000. Riley must have felt that he could not significantly raise his draft status with a year at Virginia because that signing bonus is nearly $100,000 less than his slot value of $212,900 as the 243rd overall pick.

All four of the Virginia baseball players from the 2024 roster who were selected in the MLB Draft - Griff O'Ferrall, Ethan Anderson, Casey Saucke, and Anthony Stephan - signed with their respective teams as well.

See below for a list of the UVA baseball players and commits who were selected in the 2024 MLB Draft along with their updated signing status:

SS Griff O'Ferrall
Pick: 1st round (PPI), No. 32 overall
Drafted by: Baltimore Orioles
Slot value: $2,835,400
Actual signing bonus: $2,700,00
Read more on Griff O'Ferrall's draft selection here.

SS Caleb Bonemer
Pick: 2nd round, No. 43 overall
Drafted by: Chicago White Sox
Slot value: $2,172,800
Actual signing bonus: $3,000,000
School: Okemos HS (Michigan)

SS Luke Dickerson
Pick: 2nd round, No. 44 overall
Drafted by: Washington Nationals
Slot value: $2,122,200
Actual signing bonus: $3,800,000
School: Morris Knolls HS (New Jersey)

RHP Bryce Meccage
Pick, 2nd round, No. 57 overall
Drafted by: Milwaukee Brewers
Slot value: $1,562,100
Actual signing bonus: $2,500,000
School: The Pennington School (New Jersey)

C/UT Ethan Anderson
Pick: 2nd round, No. 61 overall
Drafted by: Baltimore Orioles
Slot value: $1,418,900
Actual signing bonus: $1,172,500
Read more on Ethan Anderson's draft selection here.

RF Casey Saucke
Pick: 4th round, No. 107 overall
Drafted by: Chicago White Sox
Slot value: $682,800
Actual signing bonus: $847,500
Read more on Casey Saucke's draft selection here.

RHP Will Riley
Pick: 8th round, No. 243 overall
Drafted by: Seattle Mariners
Slot value: $212,900
Actual signing bonus: $120,000
School: VMI (UVA transfer commit)

RHP Trey Gregory-Alford
Pick: 11th round, No. 322 overall
Drafted by: Los Angeles Angels
Slot value: $150,000
Actual signing bonus: $1,957,500
School: Coronado HS (Colorado)

OF Anthony Stephan
Pick: 13th round, No. 389 overall
Drafted by: Cincinnati Reds
Slot value: $150,000
Actual signing bonus: $150,000
Read more on Anthony Stephan's draft selection here.

C James Nunnallee
Pick: 14th round, No. 425 overall
Drafted by: Milwaukee Brewers
Slot value: $150,000
Actual signing bonus: did not sign
School: Lightridge (Virginia)

More Virginia Baseball News

Virginia Baseball: Anthony Stephan, Three UVA Commits Sign MLB Deals

Virginia Baseball: Griff O'Ferrall, Ethan Anderson, Casey Saucke Sign MLB Deals

Virginia Baseball: Recapping the 2024 MLB Draft and What It Means for 2025

Jay Woolfolk to Return to Virginia Baseball in 2025 for Senior Season

Casey Saucke Selected 107th Overall by Chicago White Sox in 2024 MLB Draft

Published
Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.