Alexis Hopkins becomes first female position player drafted into pro baseball
LEXINGTON, Ky. (BVM) – With the MLB returning to the field in April, many of the baseball headlines have been taken by the top league and its rapid-fire free agency that was wedged within the month before the season. However, that hasn’t stopped other leagues from making waves in the sport. No example is more clear than the Atlantic League’s Kentucky Wild Health Genomes drafting Alexis “Scrappy” Hopkins, who is believed to be the first female position player ever selected by an American professional baseball team, during the league’s annual player draft on March 23.
“I’m really excited for this,” Hopkins said after her selection. “I actually, about two or three years ago in one of my college classes, they said write down a dream of yours and I was going to put down a professional baseball player but I actually didn’t because I was like that’s never going to happen. But I guess here we are today making the dream come alive.”
Hopkins joins left-handed pitcher Carey Schueler, a 43rd round pick of the White Sox in 1993, and Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, who was selected at 72 years old by the Washington Nationals in 2008 during a special supplemental Negro League MLB Draft.
Hopkins of course has some experience on the diamond but only as a softball player. The utility player dressed for Fort Walton Beach High School, where she would earn her nickname thanks to her on-field effort. Following her time at Fort Walton Beach, Hopkins would join Division II Florida Tech where she would play as a freshman, playing in seven games and batting .333. Ironically, Hopkins listed her post-graduation goal on the team’s website as “to make a difference and make the world a better place.”
After that, Hopkins’ career on the diamond would go silent until this past week.
On March 22, the Atlantic League, an independent baseball league but one that is considered a premier partner league with the MLB, held its showcase with the help of Prospect Dugout, an amatuer player database. The two-day showcase pitted some of the best amatuer players in the country with over 200 showing up to earn contracts from the league’s 10 teams.
After the tryouts were all said and done, Hopkins became the No. 8 pick in the league’s draft by the Genomes, making history in the process. This isn’t the first time the newly-minted baseball team has made history with gender however as the team hired Lindsay Garnder as the team’s hitting development coordinator earlier in the year, making her the first female coach in league history.
“We are extremely excited to give Scrappy an opportunity to play in Lexington and to be the first female in the Atlantic League,” Genomes manager Mark Minicozzi said in a press release. “Her ability to catch, frame, and block professional pitchers throwing in the upper 90s at this tryout was impressive to watch. We’re excited to see her start her journey into professional baseball.”
While there have been comments regarding the team’s use of their pick and declaring it a publicity stunt, the Genomes have been quick to defend their newest draftee.
“Alexis was the right pick at the right time by Mark in the draft,” Lexington Legends and Wild Health Genomes CEO Andy Shea said in the press release. “We are thrilled to have her join the Genomes and Lexington’s sports. This is going to be a very special team!”
If you woke up this morning thinking about tweeting us your critical analysis of OUR use of OUR draft picks yesterday:
1) Write your criticism on a piece of paper.
2) Put it in an envelope addressed to the ballpark.
3) Know that we’ll throw that trash opinion away for you ❤️— Genomes Baseball (@WHGenomes) March 24, 2022
With her historic selection, Hopkins will look to live up to her nickname. While there will be plenty of hurdles to overcome, including opposing fans and the translation from softball to baseball, given her history, “Scrappy” shouldn’t have any problems working her way to a successful professional career.
The Atlantic League’s Opening Day is scheduled for April 21. The Genomes will play their first game against the High Point Rockers at 6:35 p.m. ET.