BE baseball stars: Brooks to ink with Braves, Winer to Coastal

Two former Bishop England High School baseball players fell short of getting selected in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft, but their journeys are far from finished. One agreed to a free agent deal an MLB team. The other is heading to play for the College World Series runners-up.

 

Daniel Brooks, who graduated from BE in 2021 and plays for the College of Charleston, had teams interested in him. The Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, and Atlanta Braves all had the 6-7, 250-pound right-hander on their radar. 

 

But Brooks, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023, did not hear his name called during the draft, which was held July 13-14. The draft lasted 20 rounds and included 615 players. He agreed in principal to an undrafted free agent deal with the Atlanta Braves.

 

Jackson Winer, who just graduated from BE in late May, also did not get ‘the’ phone call. Winer, a true power pitcher and power hitter, is big and ominous on the mound and at the plate. Perfect Game, a national scouting website, ranked Winer as the No. 1 left-handed high school pitcher in the Palmetto State and 28th nationally.

 

Like Brooks, Winer underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023. He was the Bishops’ designated hitter last spring and returned to the mound on a limited basis his senior season.

 

Winer will matriculate to Coastal Carolina University, where he will hone his skills for the best college baseball team in the Palmetto State – and the second-best team in the country, as the Chanticleers last month finished as runners-up in this year’s College World Series.

 

Winer’s fastball should be close to 99-100 mph by then, and he will get a chance to show what he can do with the bat.

 

Winer’s hitting numbers were amazing his senior year. He batted .456 with six doubles, a triple, and seven home runs. Perhaps the most interesting statistic was that Winer was intentionally walked 24 times, including once when the bases were loaded.

 

On the mound, he struck out 49 batters in 22 innings and topped out at 96 mph two years after undergoing the surgery.

 

Mike Darnell, who has coached three first-round Major League Baseball draft selections at Bishop England, was impressed by Winer’s play. 

 

“As a hitter, it’s been incredible,” Darnell said of Winer in an earlier interview. “I can’t remember power numbers like he has since they changed the bats well over 10 years ago.”

 

A handful of teams talked to Winer, scouted him, and watched him during an invitation-only workout for the Cubs earlier this month. Winer was one of two high school players who participated. Other Coastal players showcased their skills, as did players from the Southeastern Conference. A combined four home runs were hit in the workout, and Winer slugged three.

 

Finally, you never know about a draft. There are some hits. And there are some ouches.

 

The 1966 draft was a perfect example of how one team’s evaluation of a player can differ from another team’s opinion. That year, the New York Mets had the first pick and selected Steve Chilcot, a catcher from Lancaster High School in California. 

 

Remember him?

 

With the No. 2 pick, the Kansas City A’s selected a college player from Arizona State who helped define the MLB in the 1970s by playing on five teams that won the World Series: Reggie Jackson

 

How could you ever forget him?