- July 22, 2026
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Baseball and Sarasota have long gone hand in hand. The sport has deep roots locally.
Throughout that rich history, a wealth of professional players have come out of this area. But this year was different.
No graduates of Sarasota-area high schools were selected in the 2026 MLB draft, held from July 11-12 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. That was a rather rare occurrence — the first time since 2020 none were chosen.
Last year, former Riverview High pitcher Karson Ligon was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 262nd overall pick. He now plays for the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.
Sarasota High graduates Owen Ayers and Conner Whittaker were both chosen in 2024 by the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Guardians, respectively. Ayers catches for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, while Whittaker pitches for the Single-A Hill City Howlers.
They were preceded by former Sailor Ben McCabe, who now plays for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats after his 2023 selection by the Colorado Rockies. Even Satchell Norman and Vaun Brown — inactive this season — were drafted in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Part of the problem is that talent has become more spread out. It’s not as concentrated in Sarasota as it used to be.
"Everybody wants the shiny new toy of, 'What does this school have for my kid?'" said Sterling Pell, the Sarasota High baseball coach. "People are kind of losing sight of, 'What is your kid doing for himself?'"
Sarasota baseball was a powerhouse under former coach Clyde Metcalf, winning six FHSAA state championships spanning 1987-2007. Since his retirement in 2022, though, the Sailors have made little noise on the statewide scene.
Local players have found nearby Venice High to be a more attractive destination. That program won six championships since 2007 under coach Craig Faulkner and, this past season, finished as Class 7A state runner-up with a sparkling 32-2 record.
“He's been there forever. He had to build this thing over time, and they've done a really nice job,” said Mark Sobolewski, the Riverview baseball coach. “People see success and they get attracted to it. ‘Hey, I want to be a part of that.’ That's totally understandable.”
Sobolewski knows all about the well-trodden local path to the pros. He walked it himself.
After graduating from Sarasota in 2006, he played his freshman season at Miami in 2007 and, the following year, was selected by the Blue Jays with the 129th overall pick.
One of the major differences he sees between the generation he grew up playing with and the generation he’s now coaching is that today’s players have more youth baseball experience. But he also said, generally speaking, that doesn’t yield well-rounded players.
Whether they’re getting private instruction or involved in multiple organizations, they’re around the game more often than he was at their age — perhaps, too often.
“We actually stopped playing baseball for several months of the year and did other things,” Sobolewski said. “Then you pick the bat back up, shake the rust off and you're bigger, stronger than the last time you did it. And yet, it ends up being a net positive for you as an athlete.”
It’s at the youth level where Sarasota needs to stimulate more interest and involvement in the sport. If this area wants to produce more pros, it has to work from the bottom-up.
Strengthening the Little League system is of utmost importance. There should be programs available to accommodate kids of varying age and ability, and those programs need to be run in a manner so that kids want to come back for more.
Sarasota Little League, founded in 1995, is limited by the number of fields available. It currently operates with four at Twin Lakes Park — none of which are suitable for ages 13 or older.
In years past, the league has tried to negotiate with the Baltimore Orioles to use their spring training fields, but it hasn’t been able to secure any.
“If we could have access to even one of them that they use so infrequently, then we would be able to get 13-year-olds and up to be able to play through high school,” said Alexis Meininghaus, the Sarasota Little League president. “We need to give (the Orioles) a kick in the rear to give us one of their fields.”
The emergence of travel ball has also limited Little League growth. By exposing kids to competitive opportunities elsewhere in Florida, these clubs take talent out of Sarasota.
Little Leagues organize All-Star teams during the summer which compete in tournament play, but during the rest of the year, they’re recreational leagues. They want to keep the game fun.
Travel ball costs upward of $1,000 per season versus a couple hundred dollars or less — depending on age — for a season of Sarasota Little League. Meininghaus’ son, Stone Meininghaus, does both and she understands their respective appeals.
“We want to be able to really work with the travel ball organizations,” Alexis Meininghaus said. “There's a lot to be said for a little league when it can get the kids that do play travel ball.”
Sobolewski said he “never would’ve believed” that travel ball would explode in popularity like it has. Everyone played Little League when he was in youth baseball during the 1990s.
He recalls the founding of a club, the Sarasota Stampede, when he was 11 years old that aimed to bring together the 12-14 best local players in a certain age group.
It would play a doubleheader one Sunday of each month against a team from Tampa or Naples. The goal was to offer competitive baseball to kids as a supplement to Little League.
He also recalls three more clubs popping up one year later that all followed that same model.
“For certain kids, it's a great thing,” Sobolewski said. “For so many, it's a lot of time, energy, money, resources — and it’s year-round — going to something that I'm not so sure is best for kids and baseball.”
There needs to be more local kids involved in Little League. They need that opportunity to fall in love with the game, and see why it’s worth playing at the high school level here.
If Sarasota can facilitate that, more future pros will call this place home.
