The Savannah Bananas are excited to announce that six former Bananas players were selected in this year’s MLB draft. Jameson Hannah (’16), Adam Scott (’16), Matt Pita (’17), Christian Vann (‘16/’17), Logan Mattix (’17), Brandon Purcell (’17), and Jake Kinney (’17) have all been drafted.
Jameson Hannah was selected 50th overall in the second round by the Oakland Athletics. This accomplishment makes him the highest drafted Bananas player in team history.
Hannah joined the Bananas as a freshman from Dallas Baptist University in the 2016 inaugural season and played a big role in leading the team to win the Coastal Plain League Championship.
He was selected to play in the Coastal Plain League All-Star game in 2016 and was later named to the All-CPL first team. He posted a .374 batting average for the Bananas with a .551 slugging percentage and 34 RBI on the season. With eight stolen bases and no fielding errors, he proved to be quick in the outfield and on the bases.
In 2016 and 2017 Hannah earned nine different honors including Missouri Valley Conference All-Defensive Team and Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Player of the Week. This season for the Dallas Baptist Patriots, he had 48 RBI and a .363 batting average.
Adam Scott, a left-handed pitcher from Wofford College, was selected in the fourth round by the Cleveland Indians. In the 30 innings Scott pitched for the Bananas in 2016, he struck out 34 and finished the season with a 4-1 record.
The New York Yankees selected outfielder Matt Pita of the Virginia Military Institute in the 12th round. Pita put up 20 RBI, a .341 batting average, and a slugging percentage of .460 for the Bananas during the 2017 season.
Logan Mattix, a Georgia College outfielder, was selected in the 25th round by the Houston Astros. Last season, Mattix had nine stolen bases out of nine attempts and finished the season with six homeruns, the highest on the team. He also represented the Bananas on the CPL All-Star team last season.
The Washington Nationals selected Mercer left-handed pitcher Christian Vann in the 25th round. Vann played for the Bananas in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In 2016, he had a 2.51 ERA with 19 strikeouts in his seven appearances.
In the 32nd round of the draft, catcher Brandon Purcell, also from Georgia College, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was solid defensively behind the plate and had a .322 on base percentage for the team in the 2017 season.
Right-handed pitcher Jake Kinney from Tallahassee Community College was selected in the 33rd round by the Philadelphia Phillies. He recorded 10 strikeouts over five innings in his brief time with the Bananas in 2017.
President of the Bananas, Jared Orton, says “This is an outstanding group of guys who had a ton of fun while they were in Savannah. We can’t wait to follow them through their professional careers on the way to the big leagues.”
The Bananas’ third season is now under way. There are a limited amount of tickets remaining. Tickets can be purchased at thesavannahbananas.com or by calling 912-712-2482.
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Heading into its 22nd season in 2018, the CPL features 16 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had over 1,450 alumni drafted and 113 alums – including 2017 ALCS MVP, 2017 World Series champion, 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander, as well as 2017 NLCS MVP Chris Taylor – make their Major League debut. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at CoastalPlain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @CPLBaseball.