Ortiz, Ramirez, Caminiti among 2024 Draft picks with famous family ties

July 16th, 2024

Baseball is certainly a family affair for some. That was especially evident during the 2024 MLB Draft, which saw a slew of relatives of former big-leaguers selected to begin professional careers that could someday result in a place on an MLB roster.

Relatives of All-Stars, an MVP and even one Hall of Famer -- along with some draftees with famous relatives in other sports -- will now have the chance to make a name for themselves as they carry on the family legacy on the diamond. But apart from them, there are still many other prospects with a famous relative.

Here's a look at notable 2024 draftees with legacies in baseball or elsewhere, in order of when they were selected. (You can see our full pick-by-pick coverage of the Draft here).

DAY 1 (Sunday)

Player: Cam Caminiti, LHP, Saguaro HS (Ariz.) (No. 15 prospect)
Drafted: 24th overall, Braves
Relative: Ken Caminiti (cousin, 15 MLB seasons)
After playing both football and baseball at San Jose State, Ken proceeded to have a 15-season MLB career as a third baseman, primarily coming with the Astros. He earned three All-Star selections and three Gold Glove awards, and his best season was in 1996 with the Padres, when he had career highs in home runs (40) and RBIs (130) en route to NL MVP honors. Ken, who died in 2004 before Cam was born, also spent time with the Braves. He played 64 games for Atlanta in 2001, his final big-league season.

Player: Dante Nori, OF, Northville HS (Mich.) (No. 48 prospect)
Drafted: 27th overall, Phillies
Relatives: Micah Nori (father, NBA assistant coach), Fred Nori (former baseball player and coach)
Micah played college baseball at Indiana, but his career has blossomed in basketball, where he’s currently an assistant coach for the reigning Western Conference finalist Minnesota Timberwolves. Dante’s grandfather, Fred, also spent time as an assistant baseball coach at Indiana, where he helped recruit and coach Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber.

Player: Wyatt Sanford, SS, Independence HS (Texas) (No. 35 prospect)
Drafted: 47th overall, Pirates
Relative: Chance Sanford (father, 2 MLB seasons)
Chance was drafted by the Pirates in both 1991 and 1992, and he appeared in 19 MLB games as a utility man, with 14 coming for the Pirates in 1998 and five for the Dodgers in 1999. He hit 6-for-36 in his MLB career. Now, his son will have a chance to follow in those footsteps with Pittsburgh.

Player: Bryce Meccage, RHP, The Pennington School (N.J.) (No. 51 prospect)
Drafted: 57th overall, Brewers
Relatives: Justin Meccage (uncle, Pirates bullpen coach), Jeremy Meccage (father, former baseball player and coach)
Justin, who had a brief Minor League career with the Yankees, has served in multiple roles on the Pirates’ staff since 2018. Bryce’s father, Jeremy, is a coach at Princeton after being drafted twice by the Dodgers.

Player: Billy Amick, 3B, Tennessee (No. 32 prospect)
Drafted: 60th overall, Twins
Relative: Lyndon Amick (father, former NASCAR driver)
Lyndon was a NASCAR driver from 1996-2003, primarily competing in NASCAR’s second-tier circuit which was then known as the Busch Series (currently the Xfinity Series). After retiring from racing, Lyndon enlisted in the South Carolina Army National Guard, which took him to Afghanistan before he completed his service in 2011.

Player: Ryan Johnson, RHP, Dallas Baptist (No. 47 prospect)
Drafted: 74th overall, Angels
Relative: M.D. Johnson (brother, current Marlins prospect)
M.D. (short for Michael David) is also a pitcher, and he also played for Dallas Baptist. M.D. was drafted by the Marlins in the sixth round in 2019, and he is currently with the franchise’s Double-A affiliate.

DAY 2 (Monday)

Player: Nick McLain, OF, Arizona State (No. 129 prospect)
Drafted: 78th overall, White Sox
Relatives: Matt McLain and Sean McLain (brothers, active pro baseball players)
Matt, a 2021 first-round pick by the Reds out of UCLA, had an extremely strong rookie season with Cincinnati in 2023, putting up an .864 OPS and finishing fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He has not yet played in 2024 due to injury. Sean was a fifth-round pick by the Dodgers out of Arizona State in 2022, and he is currently with the Dodgers’ Single-A affiliate.

Player: Mike Sirota, OF, Northeastern (No. 50 prospect)
Drafted: 87th overall, Reds
Relative: Whitey Ford (great-uncle, 16 MLB seasons)
The Hall of Famer needs no introduction. He was a 10-time All-Star and six-time World Series champion in addition to winning the 1961 AL Cy Young Award.

Player: Kavares Tears, OF, Tennessee (No. 66 prospect)
Drafted: 134th overall, Padres
Relatives: Dont’a Hightower (former NFL player); Jason Maxwell (3 MLB seasons)
After a dominant career at Alabama that included two national championships, Hightower was a mainstay on the New England Patriots defenses of the 2010s, winning three Super Bowls and earning two Pro Bowl selections as a linebacker. Maxwell played in 110 games across three MLB seasons as a utility man, suiting up for both the Cubs and Twins. It’s not known exactly how either is related to Tears.

Player: Clark Candiotti, RHP, Arizona (No. 232 prospect)
Drafted: 135th overall, Padres
Relative: Tom Candiotti (father, 16 MLB seasons)
Tom wasn’t drafted after a four-year career at St. Mary’s, but he nonetheless managed to carve out a lengthy career as a knuckleball pitcher from 1983-99, mostly with Cleveland and the Dodgers. He went 151-164 record and a 3.73 ERA, and led the AL with 17 complete games in 1986. He now serves as a radio analyst for the D-backs.

Player: Brock Moore, RHP, Oregon
Drafted: 213th overall, Mariners
Relative: Evan Moore (cousin, former NFL player)
A football and basketball player at Stanford, Evan got NFL playing time as a receiver for three teams from 2009-12.

Player: Joseph Sullivan III, OF, South Alabama
Drafted: 223rd overall, Astros
Relative: Pat Sullivan (grandfather, football player and coach)
Pat Sullivan starred on the football field, winning the 1971 Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football -- the first Heisman won by an Auburn player. Sullivan was selected in the second round of the 1972 NFL Draft and played in 30 games for the Atlanta Falcons from 1972-75. He later served as the head coach of TCU (1992-97) and Samford University (2007-2014).

Player: Anthony Susac, RHP, Arizona
Drafted: 255th overall, Rangers
Relatives: Daniel Susac (cousin, current A’s prospect), Andrew Susac (cousin, 6 MLB seasons)
Anthony is related to a pair of notable catchers. Andrew spent time with the Giants, Brewers, Orioles and Pirates. Daniel was taken 19th overall by the A’s in the 2022 Draft and is currently the team’s No. 5 prospect.

Player: Sean Matson, P, Harvard
Drafted: 265th overall, Guardians
Relative: Erin Matson (sister, field hockey player and coach)
Erin was transcendent as a field hockey player at North Carolina, winning four national championships and three Honda Sport Awards (i.e. national player of the year) in her five-year career. But that’s not the biggest reason she’s made headlines. She took over as the program’s head coach in January 2023 immediately upon graduating, when she was still 22 years old. The Tar Heels went on to win the national title last fall, and she’s believed to be the second-youngest head coach to win an NCAA Division I title, behind Myron Roderick in 1958 (Oklahoma State wrestling).

Day 3 (Tuesday)

Player: Bennett Thompson, C, Oregon
Drafted: 385th overall, Guardians
Relative: Jason Thompson (uncle, 11 MLB seasons)
Jason was a three-time All-Star first baseman who played for the Tigers, Angels, Pirates and Expos from 1976-86. He hit more than 200 career homers, topping the 30 mark twice.

Player: Tanner Witt, RHP, Texas
Drafted: 413th overall, Mets
Relative: Kevin Witt (father, 5 MLB seasons)
Kevin was the 28th overall selection in the 1994 Draft by the Blue Jays and appeared in 146 MLB games with Toronto, Detroit, San Diego and Tampa Bay.

Player: Dawson Brown, RHP, Georgia Tech
Drafted: 494th overall, Diamondbacks
Relative: Kevin Brown (father, 19 MLB seasons)
Kevin was one of the very best pitchers in baseball during the late ‘90s and early 2000s. He won 211 games over his 19 seasons and was a six-time All-Star, finishing inside the top 10 in Cy Young voting five times. His best year came with the Marlins in 1996 when his 1.89 ERA was nearly a full run better than any qualified starter that season. He remained the ace of Florida’s rotation the following year as the Marlins won the franchise’s first World Series.

Player: Lucas Ramirez, OF, American Heritage HS (Fla.)
Drafted: 502nd overall, Angels
Relative: Manny Ramirez (father, 19 MLB seasons)
One of the most feared sluggers in the Majors during his long career, Manny ranks 15th all time with 555 career home runs. He was an All-Star every year from 1998-2008 and finished in the top 10 of AL MVP voting in each of the first eight seasons of that stretch.

Player: Jake Steels, OF, Cal Poly (Calif.)
Drafted: 551st overall, Braves
Relative: Jim Steels (father, 3 MLB season)
Jim was drafted in the eighth round of the 1979 Draft by the Padres, then played parts of three seasons as utility player with the Padres, Rangers and Giants from 1987-89.

Player: D'Angelo Ortiz, 3B, Miami Dade CC Kendall (Fla.)
Drafted: 567th overall, Red Sox
Relative: David Ortiz (father, 20 MLB seasons)
David, famously known as Big Papi, is a Red Sox legend who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 after a career that produced 541 home runs, 10 All-Star appearances, a World Series MVP and three World Series titles in Boston. Now, his son will have a chance to add to the family's Red Sox legacy.

Player: Brian Walters Jr., RHP, Miami (Fla.)
Drafted: 573rd overall, Mariners
Relative: Andrew Walters (brother, current Guardians prospect)
The two Walters brothers both pitched for the Hurricanes in 2023. Andrew was the 62nd overall pick in the 2023 Draft by the Guardians and is Cleveland’s No. 23 prospect. He was promoted to Triple-A Columbus in May.

Player: Cade Obermueller, LHP, Iowa (No. 214 prospect)
Drafted: 585th overall, Rangers
Relative: Wes Obermueller (father, 5 MLB seasons)
Wes was a second-round pick by the Royals out of Iowa in 1999 and also pitched for the Brewers and Marlins. He finished his career with an 11-22 record and a 5.82 ERA.

Player: Ryan Picollo, OF, Saint Joseph’s
Drafted: 603rd overall, Mariners
Relative: J.J. Picollo (father, Royals GM)
The elder Picollo has worked for Kansas City since 2006 and has overseen baseball operations since 2022.

Player: Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek, SS, USC
Drafted: 607th overall, Blue Jays
Relative: Mark Grudzielanek (father, 15 MLB seasons)
Mark carved out a strong career from 1995-2010 as a middle infielder for six different franchises. He was a .289 lifetime hitter, having been an NL All-Star in 1996 with the Expos and an AL Gold Glove Award winner 10 years later with the Royals.