Hurricanes pitcher among top South Florida players eligible for MLB Draft
It started when Griffin Hugus — a Wellington native — was a 6-year-old T-ball player for a team called the Grasshoppers.
Fifteen years and thousands of baseballs thrown later, Hugus is expected to get selected in the 2025 MLB Draft. The first three rounds will happen on Sunday, and the final 17 will take place on Monday.
ESPN and MLB Network will. provide television coverage.
Hugus, a right-handed pitcher who helped the Miami Hurricanes reach the super regionals this past season, is projected to be selected within the first four rounds.
Baseball America has Hugus pegged at player No. 111, which is the highest ranking among this year’s draft prospects from South Florida.
“It’s surreal,” Hugus said of the draft process. “It feels like the days are really long (waiting for the draft to arrive).
“But it’s fun. I’m excited. I’m not really nervous, and that’s a testament to the great support I have around me.”
Besides Hugus, other players with South Florida ties who have earned top 500 Baseball America rankings are: ex-Hurricanes infielder/outfielder Blake Cyr, now with Florida (ranked No. 272); True North left-hander Alan Soler, who is ranked No. 280 despite missing this past season due to elbow surgery; and Hurricanes closer Brian Walters (No. 426).
The Marlins, by the way, have the seventh pick in the draft. The strength of the draft is the shortstop position. In fact, there could be as many as six prep shortstops selected among the top 15 players.
Hugus, meanwhile, was Miami’s ace this past season, going 6-7 with a 4.16 ERA and team highs in innings (93) and strikeouts (95).
He also pitched a complete game in the Hattiesburg Regional, beating Columbia by striking out nine while allowing just one walk and one run in nine innings.
Since the season ended, Hugus has continued to throw because he’s not sure what the plans for him will be for whichever team selects him.
He also traveled to Arizona for MLB’s draft combine.
“I wasn’t highly regarded coming out of high school,” said Hugus, who played two seasons for Cincinnati before making his Miami debut in 2025. “Because of that, a lot of [MLB] teams didn’t have prior knowledge of me.
“The combine was my chance to walk them through my career. It was pretty cool.”
Hugus said he also used the combine as a chance to tell MLB executives about his teammates, and one of those players he bragged about was Walters, Miami’s closer.
Walters, drafted in the 19th round last year by Seattle, could go a bit higher this time around.
In 2025, he went 2-3 with a 4.94 ERA and 11 saves. He appeared in 21 games, including seven starts.
Walters, who has graduated from Miami with a Bachelor’s degree in sports administration, is the third member of his family to get drafted, and all of them played for the Hurricanes.
His uncle, former defensive lineman Matt Walters, was the New York Jets’ fifth-round pick in 2003. And Brian’s brother, Andrew, was drafted in the second round by the Cleveland Guardians in 2023.
So, what advice did Andrew give his little brother about handling draft day?
“He told me to enjoy it,” Brian Walters said. “The team that drafts you is the right team. Being drafted is an honor — no matter when it is.
“Matt told me pretty much the same thing. The draft is a mark on your career that you will always remember.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ Other local players who could get drafted this year include: Hurricanes shortstop Jake Ogden; Columbus shortstop and Miami recruit Mario Magana; Douglas outfielder Nick Diaz, who is a College of Charleston recruit; Plantation American Heritage right-hander and UM recruit Dylan Dubovik; Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna outfielder and UCF recruit Zach Malvasio; and Pembroke Pines Flanagan shortstop and Miami Dade College recruit Miguel Colmenares.
▪ Hugus’ older brother, Jackson Hugus, will play for Miami in 2026. Jackson is a catcher and a graduate transfer from Presbyterian College.