Four Navigators Alumni Selected in 2025 MLB Draft

LYNN, Mass. — Four former North Shore Navigators players heard their names called in the 2025 Major League Baseball League (MLB) Draft on Sunday and Monday.

Outfielder Ryan Wideman (Western Kentucky, 2024) and pitcher Truman Pauley (Harvard, 2024) both went off the board less than a year after completing their stints at Fraser Field. Wideman was the San Diego Padres' third-round selection at No. 99 overall, while Pauley went to the New York Mets as the 373rd overall pick in the 12th round.

Two other Navs alums were picked in the 18th round, as South Hamilton native Cooper McGrath (Northeastern, 2023) landed with the San Francisco Giants at No. 536 and Matt Potok (Coastal Carolina, 2022) was the No. 551 overall choice of the Philadelphia Phillies.

North Shore has produced an all-time total of 63 professional draftees/signees with the conclusion of this Draft, including 22 since 2019. 

The first former Navigator to be drafted by the Padres, Wideman is the organization's highest-drafted player since 2021 when outfielder Sal Frelick (Boston College, 2018 & 2020) was the No. 15 overall pick of the Milwaukee Brewers and infielder Cody Morissette (Boston College, 2020) went in the second round to the Miami Marlins.

The 6-foot-5 Wideman followed up his stint as a Navigator with a monster season at Western Kentucky. He earned ABCA/Rawlings first-team All-America and Conference USA Player and Newcomer of the Year honors for the Hilltoppers, posting a .398 average on 97 hits (the third-most in program history), including 20 doubles, six triples and 10 home runs, 68 RBI and 45 stolen bases. 

Last summer, Wideman recorded four hits, scored five runs and stole three stolen bases in eight starts for North Shore. He joined the team following a standout career at Georgia Highlands College, where he was a third-team All-American and ranked sixth in all of junior college baseball with 48 stolen bases in 2024.

Pauley pitched to a 2.08 ERA and league-leading 47 strikeouts in 26 innings during his 2024 NECBL All-Star summer with the Navs. The right-hander built upon his performance in Lynn with an outstanding sophomore season at Harvard, pacing the Ivy League with 91 strikeouts and a .171 opponent's batting average in 70.1 innings in the spring. 

A Pingree School grad who made five relief appearances as a Navigator in 2023, McGrath emerged as a key reliever over two seasons at Northeastern after starting his college career at Trinity. The 6-foot-8 righty saved his best work with the Huskies for their historic 49-win campaign in 2025, going 1-0 with one save, a 1.66 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 21.2 innings. 

The only other Navigator to be drafted by San Francisco was Dan Slania (Notre Dame, 2011), who is one of five North Shore alumni to reach "The Show" in franchise history. He made his MLB debut with the Giants in 2017.

Following his true freshman year at Coastal Carolina in 2022, Potok had a 3.41 ERA with 24 strikeouts against just three walks across 29 innings. The New Jersey native turned into one of the top relievers for a College World Series-bound Coastal team this year, going 4-1 with one save and a 2.52 ERA in 35.1 innings. He earned a pair of wins in the national tournament.

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