Quick look: Orange County high schools produced 12 players selected in the recent 2026 MLB Draft, including the No. 12 overall pick out of Huntington Beach High School.
Major League Baseball, say hello to 12 new Orange County high school alumni.
The 2026 MLB Draft took place on July 11 and July 12, and through the 20 rounds of selections, 12 OC based players were chosen — including two straight out of high school and another with direct ties to OCDE.
The OC draft class is headlined by Jared Grindlinger — the No. 12 overall pick out of Huntington Beach High School.
Stop if you’ve heard this before: a two-way player on the Los Angeles Angels with incredible potential?
That’s the draft analysis for Grindlinger, who will head to his hometown team at just 17 years old. The young phenom starred for the Oilers as an outfielder, hitter and pitcher, making a name for himself with a contact-oriented swing and pitching tools requisite to one day develop into a pro-caliber pitcher.
For now though, the Angles have decided to prioritize his development as an outfielder and hitter, with plans for a slower growth trajectory for his pitching, according to a statement from Angels scouting director Tim McIlvaine.
Grindlinger will join fellow draftees and Huntington Beach High alumni Caden Aoki, who went in the seventh round to the Rangers, and Colby Turner and Nathan Aceves, who were drafted in the 12th round by the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics, respectively.
Then there’s Gavin Giese out of Dana Hills High School — the No. 85 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 18-year-old pitcher will follow in his father’s footsteps, who also pitched in the majors for the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Oakland A’s.
Over his two years on varsity at Dana Hills, Giese struck out 129 batters and walked only 17 with just a 1.53 ERA — the average number of runs scored against him while pitching.
With a fastball that hovers consistently in the mid-90s, he is projected to reach speeds even higher as he matures and fills out his 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame.
Moving into the later rounds, OCDE will be keeping a close eye on the career of Matthew Thomas, son of OCDE Human Resources Manager Stephanie Thomas. As one of the leaders of the department’s New Employee Orientation, Stephanie has welcomed countless employees over the years, making Matthew’s professional journey one many across the organization will be eager to follow.
The 384th pick in the draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, Matthew had a breakout season his junior year with Cal State Northridge after transferring from the University of California, Berkeley. In his lone season with the Matadors, he earned All-Big West First Team honors and finished at least top six in a number of batting statistics in the Mountain West Conference.
Prior, he attended Cypress High School where he starred as a dual sport athlete — batting .391 over his high school career and playing on the football team.
Other Orange County high school alumni include Derek Curiel, the fifth overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Curiel was drafted out of Louisiana State University after graduating from Orange Lutheran. Also on the list is Mulivai Levu, who was selected 70th overall by the Cincinnati Reds after attending UCLA and graduating from Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach.
Teammates at both Laguna Beach High and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, pitchers Nick Bonn and Griffin Naess will finally part ways after being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 10th round and the Chicago Cubs in the 15th round, respectively.
To close out the draft, Ryder Brooks, a Fountain Valley High School graduate who pitched at UC Irvine, was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 18th round. One round later, the Los Angeles Angels picked Jack Salmon, a Corona del Mar High School alumnus who played at UNLV.
The dozen will join the likes of Los Angeles Dodgers first-baseman Freddie Freeman and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes as representatives of Orange County.