2015 First-Year Player DraftPlayers to Reach Majors: 5 of 8
Cumulative Draft WAR (AFBL-level): 57.28
Notes: 24.4 WAR was from Patton?s time with New Mexico
Round 1, Pick 2 (2nd Overall): C Willie Patton ? Retired 2028Willie Patton Willie Patton was one of the best power-hitting catchers in the early years of the AFBL. Patton went straight from the draft into the starting catcher spot in the majors for the then-named California Golden Eagles in 2016 without ever spending a day in the minors. He had a dominating stretch of 6 seasons between 2017-2022 where his WAR never dipped below 5.0 and topped out with a 7.3 WAR in 2022. In the middle of that run, Maryland inexplicably shipped Patton to New Mexico for a collection of role players.
In 2023 Patton made less contact at the plate than he had previously in his career as he suddenly seemed to lose the ability to recognize good pitches and posted the lowest WAR (3.1) since his rookie year in 2016. In 2024 he lost the everyday starting job but still started 55 games for the Danger. He was completely marginalized in 2025, starting just 9 times for New Mexico and being demoted to the minors for the first time in his career. He?d never return to the AFBL as a torn posterior cruciate ligament ended his 2026 AAA campaign and his career. He retired in 2028.
Patton?s .857 career OPS is currently 29th all-time in AFBL history, his 45.07 career WAR is 42nd, and his 280 career home runs currently places him 50th. Patton still holds the Maryland records for career slugging percentage (.505) and OPS (.839). Patton wore #35 during his stint in Maryland. He was a 4-time All Star (3 with New Mexico) and won a Gold Glove at catcher in 2018.
WILLIE PATTON WAS TRADED TO NEW MEXICO DANGER ON MARCH 17, 2020 FOR:The club picked up third baseman
Don Silver who spent a couple of very good years at AAA Annapolis Destroyers before trying to break through to the Maryland starting lineup in 2022 at the age of 26. He ended up being unable to do so and became yet another barely above replacement role player who played wherever he was needed (including 1 start as catcher). Silver always regrets that he never got to play left field, the only position he never got to try aside from pitcher. Silver hit .250/.315/.725 in 1047 plate appearances for 2.76 WAR. Silver wore #39.
Infielder
Mario Serrano played 101 games (starting 31) for Maryland between the 2020 and 2021 seasons before being permanently demoted to the minors in 2022. He was primarily a defensive replacement at shortstop and third base. Serrano won three Best Fielder awards in the minors for his work at shortstop and wore #44.
Panamanian
Jose Bernard was an outfielder version of Mario Serrano. He spent most of his time with the Maryland organization at AAA but he did play parts of 6 seasons with the Bridegrooms from 2020-2025. Bernard was the classic definition of a Taxi Squad player and he remained a complete professional and good clubhouse influence through his many promotions and demotions. Bernard wore #59 for all 6 years with the Bridegrooms.
1st round Draft Pick in 2017 ? This pick turned out to be centerfielder
Doug Jones, a kid from New York City who played 9 years and 622 games in center field for Maryland. More details about him when we get to the 2017 draft, but he was a solid defensive center fielder who stole 102 bases in his career and whose 3.4 career WAR was impacted by -2.4 WAR in his final two seasons.
Round 2, Pick 2 (18th Overall): RP Alfredo Rivera ? Retired 2029Alfredo Rivera Alfredo Rivera was one of the bigger ?misses? in Maryland?s early draft history, reinforcing the notion that the ?Grooms shouldn?t select relievers so early in the draft. Rivera was once named the #68 prospect in the AFBL and had good stuff and movement, but he was a below-average reliver in 6 years with the Bridegrooms and he should not have been taken at 18th overall in the draft.
After 6 mediocre seasons in the majors, Maryland demoted Rivera to the minors and he?d spend the 2023 & 2024 seasons there before being released. North Carolina scooped him up and he?d play parts of 4 years for the Aviators before being released again in 2028. He retired in 2029 with a 21-10 record, 9 saves, 522.2 innings pitched, .307 BABIP, 3.91 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and -2.26 WAR. Rivera wore #41 for Maryland.
Round 2, Pick 14 (30th Overall): SP Rob Knowles ? ACTIVERob Knowles38-year old
Rob Knowles is still active in baseball, throwing in the bullpen for AAA Annapolis Destroyers. He has pitched in the Maryland organization since 2016 and is a 15-year veteran at the AFBL-level.
Knowles was used primarily as a starting pitcher for his first 9 years with the organization, until 8 weeks injured with elbow tendinitis in 2028 followed by a 8-month stint on the disabled list with a torn rotator cuff the following season sent him to the bullpen for good. He?s currently appeared in 519 games for Maryland which is 6th in club history and has a 2.01 career WAR while being part of some awful Bridegrooms teams. Knowles wears the #22 jersey.
Round 3, Pick 2 (34th Overall): RP Enrico Leon ? ACTIVEEnrico Leon Enrico Leon had three solid seasons in the Maryland bullpen from 2017-2019 as a youngster in his early 20s before being traded to West Virginia with shortstop/second baseman
Ben Crossin. In retrospect it was a terrible trade for Maryland as Leon could have been a mainstay in the bullpen for a generation and gained a reputation that would have rivaled club icons
Lyndon Shortt and
Artie Gregory, while Crossin went on to post a 17.8 career WAR.
At 39-years old, Leon is hanging on with Ontario?s AAA affiliate, hoping for one last shot at the majors. Thus far in his long career he has a 128 ERA+ and a 12.5 WAR. Leon wore #20 while with Maryland.
ENRICO LEON WAS TRADED TO WEST VIRGINIA HOLLERS ON APRIL 6, 2020 FOR:Riverwalker Hatfield was a 235-pound flame-throwing lefty brought over to be a specialist against left-handed batters and a big part of the ?Grooms? bullpen. He ended up being a replacement-level option out of the bullpen for Maryland from 2020-2026 after missing almost two years with a tough recovery from surgery to repair elbow ligament damage. He was released by Maryland in May of 2027 and after not being signed elsewhere he quietly retired in 2029. Hatfield is of course brother to
Mountainman Hatfield and
Bandit Hatfield who all started together with West Virginia and eventually all ended up with other clubs. Riverwalker finished his career with a 46-30 record, 37 saves, 3.58 ERA, 127 ERA+ and 3.4 WAR. Hatfield wore #26 for the Bridegrooms.
Second baseman
Jarrod Smith was almost a career minor leaguer, playing 1,378 games between A and AAA level, with nearly half of the games coming at AA. In 2020, after 7 seasons in the minors, Smith finally played 26 games (and started 7) for the Bridegrooms. After 2 more years in the minors, Smith came back up to the big club in 2023 and played in 2 games as a defensive replacement. Then, after a couple of injuries to his hip and hamstring and another demotion to AAA in 2024 he decided he was finished with baseball. He bitterly retired after the 2024 season and has had nothing nice to say about the organization since. Smith wore #7.
Right-handed reliever
Pat Cantrell was having some decent seasons in the minors for West Virginia and even though he was approaching 30-years old it was thought that he would be another live arm Maryland could effectively use to eat some innings. He was 33 in 2021, his first full season in the majors. In 2023 after two decent years in the majors, Cantrell underwent surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow and suffered setbacks in recovery which permanently cost him some velocity and movement. Maryland released him just prior to the start of the 2025 season and he retired the following year with a -0.41 career WAR in 127 appearances. Cantrell wore #18.
Round 6, Pick 2 (82nd Overall): CF Mike Moore ? Retired 2026Mike MooreLeft-handed hitting centerfielder
Mike Moore was another player who spent most of his career in the minors aside from a cup of coffee with Maryland in parts of the 2019 and 2021 seasons. He finished his big league career with a .236/.286/.292 line and 0.0 WAR in 77 plate appearances. He also struck out 21 times. Moore wore the #29 jersey.
Flame Outs & UnknownsRound 4, RP
Ken Hinton ? Ken moved back to his hometown of West Bend, Wisconsin, a town about an hour?s ride northwest of Milwaukee. He has become something of a reclusive shut-in, paralyzed by the crippling anxiety that ended his baseball career before it ever began. Ken enjoys hearing the whistle of evening trains, which he describes as "soothing."
Round 5, LF
Pat Major ? Pat hung around in the minors for 11 years before deciding to retire in 2026 and open two used car dealerships in Nevada. His over-the-top antics in his commercials (which frequently show him riding a llama through his car lot) has brought him intense local fame but also criticism from animal rights activists. Pat?s favorite brand of cigarette is Maverick.
Round 7, RP
Jeff Ford ? Baltimore, Maryland?s own Jeff Ford played a few years in the minors before literally crapping out of baseball in 2023 with rectal prolapse. Ford is back in West Baltimore as the pastor of a local congregation. Jeff?s favorite hat style is newsboy cap.