Knights

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

By: Dan Allison | Silver Knights media relations

July has become a month where the Futures League meets the present, with the annual MLB First-Year Player Draft taking place the past three days. Four Silver Knights were taken in this year's draft, bumping the all-time total to 40 Knights being selected/signed to the MLB all time. Nashua’s total is the highest in the Futures League, a league with now over 250 alumni drafted.

Here is how the draft unfolded for the Knights:

Round 5, Pick 147: Jack Penney, Detroit Tigers

Nashua’s 2021 infielder was the first Silver Knight to go in this year's draft, coming off his third year at Notre Dame. A Boston kid who made his way to Holman for the summer, Penney played shortstop for Nashua in 16 games where he posted a homer and five stolen bags. He was the second Futures League alum to go overall as the Fighting Irish’s lefty bat will head northeast to the motor city. 

Round 10, Pick 312: Brady Day, Philadelphia Phillies

No stranger to the draft, Day was selected by Philly in the ‘24 draft after their division rival Atlanta took him in 2023. Day opted to return to Kansas State instead of heading to the Braves, where he batted .318 with 56 RBI in a monster year for the Wildcats. The Hampstead, New Hampshire native is no stranger to bringing his bat to the table as he plated 9 RBI with a .270 average in 22 games for the 2020 champion Silver Knights. 

Round 13, Pick 396: Connor Hujsak, Tampa Bay Rays

Nashua’s own Connor Hujsak was selected in the 13th round by Tampa Bay, the second player from the 2021 team to be chosen in this year's draft. A 2020 Gatorade New Hampshire Player of the Year for Goffstown High School, Hujsak played 34 games in the summer of ‘21 before heading off to Virginia Commonwealth. Now years later, Hujsak finished up an impressive senior year at Mississippi State University where he batted .325 with 49 RBI and earned SEC Tournament First Team honors.

Round 15, Pick 461: Owen Carey, Atlanta Braves

Carey, a current Silver Knight, is the sixth ever to be drafted while currently playing for the team. Carey’s dominant play at Londonderry High and impressive summer so far caught the eyes of many, landing him with the 2021 World Series champion. You can read more on Carey and the Braves’ pick here: https://nashuasilverknights.com/news/index.html?article_id=483

Four more Silver Knights got the call this summer with many more waiting in the wings for their time in the MLB Draft. With talent walking into Holman Stadium every summer, the only thing left to say is: Who’s Next?