Burlington, NC; The first four seasons for the redesigned, MLB-powered summer-collegiate version of the Appalachian League are officially in the books, but the player development across the league is just getting underway.
For the Burlington club, these first four years saw incredible success off the field with record highs in attendance and community involvement under the Sock Puppets brand. The organization also saw great success on the field with the talent MLB, USA Baseball and the Appalachian League brought in. Since the transition to summer-collegiate, the Sock Puppets are tied for first in wins (111) among all Appy League teams.
Even more exciting than the wins, however, is the talent development and progression for numerous former Sock Puppet players. After the conclusion of the 2024 MLB Draft in July, the Burlington club ranks second in the league with 14 total players drafted. Three players, on top of that, have been signed by a MLB organization with 16 players (also second most in the league) still continuing to advance through their respective team’s farm system.
Maui Ahuna (‘21); San Francisco Giants, Single-A
Maui Ahuna, the current highest drafted Sock Puppet, was selected in the 4th round (117th pick) in the 2023 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants. Ahuna slashed .424/.513/.485 in 39 plate appearances as a member of the inaugural Sock Puppets roster in 2021.
The Hilo, Hawaii native appeared in 34 games this season across the Rookie and Single-A affiliates for the San Francisco Giants. Ranked the 11th overall prospect in the San Francisco system, Ahuna has already started his ascent for the Bay Area as he slashed .268/.369/.394 with four home runs, four doubles and 23 runs batted in this season.
Brendan Collins (‘21); Washington Nationals, High-A
A UNC-Greensboro alum, Brendan Collins was the very first Burlington Sock Puppet drafted to a Major League organization when the Washington Nationals called his name in the 17th round (503rd pick) in the 2021 MLB Draft. He appeared in six games for the Sock Puppets in 2021, logging 12.1 innings pitched, striking out 17 batters, while allowing just 11 hits.
Collins is currently with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the High-A Affiliate for the Nationals. Appearing in 38 games this season, he has 64 strikeouts in 54.0 innings to go along with a 3.50 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, five holds and four saves.
Dylan Cumming (‘22); San Francisco Giants, Double-A
Dylan Cumming had one of the most dominant seasons on the mound, among all pitchers in recent league history, during the 2022 summer with the Sock Puppets. Cumming was one of the main leaders on a roster that set the league record for most wins in a season (38). In 2022, he posted a 1.67 ERA, 1.14 WHIP in 37.2 innings, while striking out 38 hitters. He appeared in nine total games, starting five of them. Four of those five starts he logged complete games, three of which were shutouts.
The San Francisco Giants signed Cumming prior to the 2023 season, where he spent that year at the Single-A level, appearing in 34 games with a 2.93 ERA, striking out 86 in 92.0 innings. Cumming started this season off at the High-A level, but was quickly promoted to Double-A after striking out 50 batters in 33.2 innings and owning a 1.87 ERA. Over his last four starts for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Cumming has really started to settle in logging 20.2 innings, striking out 25 with a 2.23 ERA in that span.
Gabe Emmett (‘21); Los Angeles Dodgers, Single-A
Gabe Emmett, a Folsom Lake College (CA) product, is currently at the Single-A level in the Los Angeles Dodgers development system. Emmett spent the first half of the 2021 summer in Burlington, appearing in five games, striking out 16 in 15.0 innings, before getting selected in the 19th round (582nd pick) by LA in that July.
Emmett has appeared both as a starter and as a reliever, so far in his three minor league seasons. He has pitched in 69 games, logging 170.2 innings while striking out 156 batters.
Caleb Farmer (‘21); Washington Nationals, Single-A
An undrafted free agent signing by the Washington Nationals, Farmer is in his third minor league season currently at the Single-A level. Farmer was a member of the 2021 Sock Puppets, playing in 44 of the 54 games that season. The super-utility man logged games at catcher, first base, third base, and outfield that summer hitting .231 with nine extra-base hits.
Farmer has played in 61 games so far in this 2024 season for the Fredericksburg Nationals, 118 games total across his three seasons.
Will Gagnon (‘23); Los Angeles Dodgers, Rookie
Now the first member of the 2023 Burlington Sock Puppets in a MLB system, Will Gagnon was selected in the 14th round (430th pick) in the 2024 MLB draft back in July. The Reedley (JUCO) product owned a 11.9 K/9 over 135.0 innings in his two-year collegiate career. Last summer for the Sock Puppets, he posted a 14.5 K/9 over 17.1 innings pitched.
Gagnon had previously committed to pitch for UCLA this upcoming season, prior to being selected and signed by the Dodgers.
Bryson Hammer (‘21); Colorado Rockies, High-A
Bryson Hammer’s career has improved every year since his 2021 summer in Burlington. The left-hander appeared in 13 games that summer, collecting 22 strikeouts in 20.2 innings. He later transferred to Dallas Baptist before being selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 12th round (352nd pick) in the 2023 MLB Draft.
He appeared in five games in that 2023 minor league season with the Rockies Rookie level affiliate, but has really broken out this year. He started the 2024 season with the Fresno Grizzlies (Single-A), appeared in 33 games and posted a 1.25 ERA, striking out 52 batters in 50.1 innings. He earned a promotion in the beginning of August to the Spokane Indians (High-A) and has continued solid pitching, 2.57 ERA with ten strikeouts over 14.0 innings.
Kannon Handy (‘21); Colorado Rockies, Single-A
Another 2021 Sock Puppet left-hander, Kannon Handy, is also developing in the Colorado Rockies system. Handy was excellent for the Sock Puppets in that initial season going 4-1, with a 2.55 ERA and striking out almost 30% of opposing batters (72 strikeouts). Handy was selected by Colorado in the 19th round (562nd pick) in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Kannon Handy has had stops at the Rookiel and Single-A levels in his first full minor league season (two appearances in 2023). He has struck out 66 batters over 55.2 innings.
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart (‘22); Miami Marlins, Single-A
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart, a Greensboro (NC) native, tore up the collegiate ranks for the ECU Pirates. In his three seasons at ECU, he slashed .323/.370/.535 and amassed 230 hits, 42 doubles, 35 home runs, and batted in 189 of his Pirate teammates. His 2022 summer in Burlington was cut short due to injury prevention but still appeared in eight games, hitting .242 with a pair of doubles.
Jenkins-Cowart was selected by the Marlins in the 8th round (244th pick) in the 2024 MLB Draft back in July. He has appeared in 25 games, so far, for the Jupiter Hammerheads, the Single-A affiliate of the Marlins since August. In those 25 games, he has hit safely in 17 of those games.
Ryan McCrystal (‘22, ‘23, ‘24); Cincinnati Reds, Single-A
The first three-year Sock Puppet, Ryan McCrystal thrived in the Appalachian League, slashing a video-game line of .397/.448/.608 with a third of his career hits going for extra-bases. McCrystal also had 78 RBIs in 59 career Appy League games. This past spring, for the ECU Pirates, saw McCrystal really breakout as he posted a .346/.402/.521 with ten doubles, seven home runs across 54 games.
All of this eventually led to the Cincinnati Reds utilizing the 269th pick to draft him this past July in the 9th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. McCrystal has played in 13 games for the Daytona Tortugas (Single-A), reaching base safely in nine of those games. He has also had four multi-hit games, and is batting .333/.400/.444 in the month of September.
Xavier Meachem (‘21); Miami Marlins, High-A
Meachem was another member of the 2021 Sock Puppets and logged 4.0 innings, striking out three batters. The right-hander spent his entire collegiate career (three seasons) at North Carolina A&T and collected 116 strikeouts across 97.0 innings. The Miami Marlins selected him in the 2023 MLB Draft with the 293rd pick in the 10th round.
Meachem is currently at the High-A level with the Beloit Sky Cap. Since being promoted to the Sky Carp back in May, Xavier has appeared in 31 games, converting 8 of 11 saves while striking out 56 over 44.1 innings.
Kole Myers (‘22); Los Angeles Dodgers
Kole Myers came to Burlington for the 2022 season and saw his stock soar throughout his Appy League All-Star summer. Over 38 games, he slashed .311/.408/.526 with five home runs, 8 doubles, three triples and stole 16 bags in 19 attempts. He announced his commitment to Troy University and never slowed down (.309/.445/.553, 25 home runs, 22 doubles in 120 games over two seasons).
All that led to Myers being selected in the 9th round (280th pick) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 MLB Draft this past July. He has yet to make his professional debut this season.
Ryan Picollo (‘21); Seattle Mariners
Another member of the inaugural Sock Puppets season in 2021, Picollo was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 20th round (603rd pick) in the 2024 MLB Draft. As a Sock Puppet, he played in 32 games, hitting .266/.352/.425 with 10 extra-base hits. He played three collegiate seasons for St. Joe’s.
Ryan signed with the Marines on July 26th, but has yet to make his professional debut.
Zimo “Zack” Qin (‘22); San Diego Padres, Single-A
Zack Qin pitched for the Burlington Sock Puppets in the 2nd half of the 2022 season, after playing in the MLB Draft League. Qin, a member of the MLB China Academy, was just 16-years old when he joined the Appy League. Even being over 4-years younger than the average player in the league, Qin excelled to the tune of 13 strikeouts in 9.2 innings and allowing just four earned runs.
Following the 2022 summer season, he signed with the San Diego Padres and has been working his way up their farm system since. He is currently with their Single-A affiliate, the Lake Elsinore Storm. So far this season, he has appeared in 11 games, and has struck out 23 over 18.0 innings and posted a 1.50 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP.
D’Andre Smith (‘21); New York Mets, High-A
D’Andre Smith, a USC product and 2021 Sock Puppet, was drafted by the New York Mets in the 5th round (149th pick) of the 2022 MLB Draft. He appeared in 14 games for Burlington in the 2021 summer and hit .294/.383/.412 and a dozen RBIs.
He has logged 438 career games over his three-MiLB seasons. Smith has spent the majority of the 2024 season with the Brooklyn Cyclones (the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets), appearing in 37 games and batting .246/.288/.338 with a pair of home runs, six doubles and six stolen bases.
Austin St. Laurent (‘22); Seattle Marines, Single-A
Austin St. Laurent, a Burlington native, played for his hometown team for the 2022 summer and showing out with a .339/.494/.462 slash line to go along with a pair of home runs, 17:14 walk-to-strikeout ratio and knocking in 19 teammates in 22 games. This spring at App State he hit .366/.425/.618 with 14 home runs, 12 doubles and 60 RBIs before being selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 14th round (423rd pick) of the 2024 MLB Draft.
He is with the Modesto Nuts (Single-A) and has appeared in three games so far this season. He collected his first two hits (a double and a triple) in his first game back after being activated from the injured list on September 6th.
