CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Appalachian League has 133 alumni in affiliated baseball that have begun their 2026 seasons across six different levels of professional baseball. Two alumni are in the Major Leagues, six in Triple-A, 32 in Double-A, 47 in High-A, 37 in Single-A and nine in Rookie Leagues.
For the third straight season, Jordan Leasure (Elizabethton ‘21) made the Chicago White Sox Opening Day roster. Leasure became the first Appy League alum to reach the Majors when he debuted on March 30, 2024. Kyle Karros (Greeneville ‘21) made his first Opening Day roster and started at third base in the Colorado Rockies season opener. Karros became the first former Appy League position player to reach the Majors when he debuted on Aug. 8, 2025.
Kaelen Culpepper (Bluefield ‘22), the league’s highest-drafted player and top-ranked prospect, began his season in Triple-A. The Minnesota Twins selected Culpepper in the first round (21st overall) in 2024; he is the Twins' No. 2 prospect and MLB’s No. 49 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Marcus Phillips (Elizabethton ‘24), the league’s second-highest drafted player, started his professional career in High-A. The Boston Red Sox drafted Phillips in the first round (33rd overall) in 2025. He is the Red Sox No. 9 prospect.
To view the complete list of Appalachian League alumni assignments, click here.
The White Sox lead all organizations with nine former Appy League players, nine different organizations have six. All 30 teams have at least one Appy League alum in their organization. The Greeneville Flyboys lead all Appy League teams with 22 alumni in affiliated baseball, while the Burlington Sock Puppets and Elizabethton River Riders are tied for second with 18 alumni each.
The Spokane Indians, the Rockies High-A Affiliate, lead the way with four alumni on their roster. Ten Minor League teams have three alumni on their roster. The Midwest League leads all leagues with 20 alumni while the South Atlantic League has 17 and the Carolina League and Texas League both have 14.
About the Appalachian League
Founded in 1911, the Appalachian League is one of the longest-running baseball leagues in history. The Appy League is the only collegiate summer league under MLB and USA Baseball’s Prospect Development Pipeline (“PDP”) and is an integral part of the identification and development process for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Teams and other future National teams.
For more information about the Appalachian League, visit appyleague.com or follow @appyleague & @appyleaguedata on X, and @appyleague on Instagram.
