Saint Albans School

Myles Upchurch (St. Albans ‘25) is one of the most exciting DMV high school players to watch with MLB’s draft day approaching. The Maryland native stands out for his college commitment and projectable upside for major league clubs. Upchurch enjoyed a successful and acclaimed career for the Bulldogs across multiple sports. He did not fully commit to baseball until the 2024-2025 season, also playing football for his first three years. Upchurch’s arm helped earn a quarterback spot and the Bulldogs performed well in his junior year. He threw for 817 yards and had eight touchdowns with only one interception. The right-hander wields a four-pitch mix with impressive numbers. Upchurch throws a fastball, a slider, a changeup and a curveball. In a recent start on May 5, scouts recorded his velocity at over 92 MPH for the fastball and 87 MPH for the slider. Accolades are abundant for Upchurch, with his St. Albans baseball career finished. The pitcher won two MVP awards for his sophomore and junior seasons, with multiple appearances in national showcases. His final game is the most impressive of his high school career. Upchurch started on the mound in the DCSAA championship as the Bulldogs faced rival Jackson-Reed. The senior pitched a complete game shutout, which proved essential for the low-scoring game. The Bulldogs struggled to find an offensive break until Upchurch provided his run support, hitting a go-ahead two-run home run. His heroics earned the third DCSAA title in St. Albans history and their first since 2023. The University of Alabama took notice and recruited Upchurch to exclusively pitch. Alabama boasts one of the top pitching programs across NCAA baseball and Upchurch became one of four right-handed pitching recruits this cycle. Nationally, MLB Pipeline has Upchurch as the 167th best prospect among this year’s draft class. Prep Baseball is extremely bullish, ranking him as the 25th-best right-handed high school pitcher. MLB teams have only drafted 17 D.C. high schoolers, but three of them have successfully reached the major leagues. Most recently, the New York Mets drafted outfielder Nick Morabito in the second round of the 2022 draft. That pick ended an eight-year drought for D.C. talent and became the highest selection for any D.C high schooler. St. Albans has produced one player for the draft. In 2008, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected pitcher Danny Hultzen, but he opted to attend the University of Virginia instead. The lefty ultimately reached the majors in 2019 for the Chicago Cubs. Hultzen now works in the Cubs front office as a pitching performance manager. Upchurch recently attended the MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix, Arizona, from June 17 to 21. High school pitchers often require substantial signing bonuses to forgo college, so that will likely be the deciding factor for Upchurch on draft day. The MLB Draft is scheduled for July 13 and 14.