Correspondent photo / David Dermer Mahoning Valley Scrappers’ Carlos Sanchez hits a single during the sixth inning of a game against State College Spikes in Niles, June 2.

The MLB Draft League lived up to its name over the weekend, as seven former Mahoning Valley Scrappers players were selected in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft, held on Saturday and Sunday.

The seven included five players who were part of the Scrappers 2026 first-half roster; Nick Williams (10th round, 286th pick, Washington Nationals), Carlos Sanchez (10th round, 290th pick, Baltimore Orioles), Ethan Stade (18th round, 532nd pick, Atlanta Braves), Ryan Nelson (19th round, 572nd pick, Cincinnati Reds) and Luke Guth (19th round, 577th pick, Chicago Cubs).

The five most recent Scrappers were joined by Chase Frey (2025, 15th round, 454th pick, Boston Red Sox) and Colton Coates (2023, 16th round, 484th pick, Boston Red Sox).

An outfielder, Williams recently completed his senior season at Michigan State, where he earned a degree in advertising management.

Following a stellar high school career which earned him All-Wisconsin honors, Williams played two years at Wabash Valley College. During his sophomore season at Wabash, Williams helped lead the team to its first-ever trip to the Junior College World Series title game. For the season he batted .482 with 102 RBI, earning NCAAJC All-American status.

Williams then achieved what he called “a lifelong dream” by completing his collegiate career at Michigan State. This past spring with the Spartans he batted .333.

With the Scrappers this summer Williams played in 23 games, batting .293 with 13 RBI.

“I felt like I put myself in the mix,” Williams said of his draft chances. “I feel like I grew up in so many ways, both as a player and person over the past few years. I put in the work, and I was happy with the results. Being (with the Scrappers) gave me an added opportunity to move to that next level.”

Williams said that playing at Michigan State and now having his name called on draft day is living proof that dreams can come true.

“I wasn’t highly recruited out of high school. I wasn’t highly recruited out of junior college,” Williams said. “I just continued to plug along and put in all the work possible to make my dreams a reality.”

Sanchez, drafted as a utility player, was an infielder and a catcher with the Scrappers. A native of Venezuela, Sanchez recently completed his junior year at Louisiana State University-Shreveport where he batted .388 while playing in 57 games. Sanchez hit 12 home runs and knocked in 82 RBI. He scored 63 runs and swiped 37 bases.

With the Scrappers Sanchez led the team in hits (28), RBI (23), doubles (9), home runs (4), runs scored (23) and stolen bases (18) during the first half of the season. Sanchez batted .308.

“I was happy with my play because I went up against a lot of good pitchers,” Sanchez said. “So even when I didn’t have a good night I felt like I learned something and it got me ready for the next level.

“I moved to America with the dream of playing pro ball. I knew coming here gave me the best chance to develop and improve my game. Baseball is huge in Venezuela but the coaching and opportunities are far more advanced here.”

Stade (LHP) recently graduated from Bowling Green State University. He joined the Scrappers in late June and had an immediate impact. With the Scrappers he started four games, working 14.2 innings while surrendering just two runs and recording 28 strikeouts.

This past spring at BGSU, Stade (6-foot-4) whiffed 103 batters in 64 innings.

“Leading up to the draft there was a lot of interest, the hopes were high but you never know what’s going to happen,” Stade said. “There’s always a market for tall, left-handed pitchers who can record strikeouts, but there are also no guarantees.”

Nelson was drafted by the Reds as a pitcher, though he saw very little action on the mound with the Scrappers. He pitched just 2.1 innings, surrendering four runs. He also appeared in six games as a third baseman. In just 13 at-bats. Nelson had six hits, including three doubles and a triple. He knocked in five runs.

Nelson recently completed his sophomore season at East Central Community College (MS) where he batted .410 with 11 home runs, 51 RBI and 15 stolen bases.

Guth appeared in just one run with the Scrappers, giving up one earned run in three innings of work. He recently completed his junior year at Vanderbilt where he went 7-3 with a 4.08 ERA.

Frey recently completed his junior season at Grand Canyon College and was scheduled to transfer to Oregon this fall. With the Scrappers last summer the lefty appeared in just two games, giving up one earned run in 10 innings.

Coates joined the Scrappers in ’23 straight out of high school. In 23 games he batted .318 with 16 RBI. He recently completed his junior season at Louisiana Tech, where he batted .330 with five home runs and 28 RBI.

The Scrappers return to 717 Credit Union Field tonight for the start of a six-game homestand. They will host Aberdeen for three games beginning tonight, then welcome State College for a weekend series.