atlanticleague.com

July 17 marks the start of the annual MLB First-Year Player Draft which starts at 7 p.m. on Sunday. The first and second rounds will be held on Sunday with subsequent rounds starting on Monday.

Here is a quick look at current Atlantic League players who started their careers as first round draft choices.

• Chase Vallot of Kentucky was a first round pick of the Royals in 2014
• York’s Nick Howard was the 14^th overall pick of Cincinnati in 2014
• York’s Nick Travieso was the 12^th overall, Cincinnati in 2012
• Lexington’s Phillip Ervin went No. 27 in the first round to Cincinnati in 2013
• Zach Collier of Southern Maryland was the 34^th overall pick by Philadelphia in 2008
• Lexington’s Courtney Hawkins went 13^th to the White Sox in 2012
• Eddie Butler of Southern Maryland was a first rounder to Colorado in 2012
• Charleston’s Walker Weickel went in the first round to San Diego 2012
• Staten Island’s Justin O’Conner was the 31^st pick in the first round to the Rays in 2010
• Blake Swihart with Lexington was 26^th overall to Boston in 2011
• Lexington’s Henry Owens was 36^th overall pick by Boston in 2011
• Lexington’s Dwight Smith, Jr. was a first round of Toronto in 2011
• Jake Skole of Gastonia was the 15^th overall pick by Texas in 2010
• Recent Ducks shortstop Deven Marrero, now with Mets, was the 24^th pick in the first round of Boston in 2012.
• High Point’s Jonathon Crawford was a first round pick of the Detroit Tigers out of the University of Florida in 2013
• Chris Shaw of Kentucky was a first round pick of the Giants (No. 31) in 2015

Among the coaches and managers currently in the Atlantic League:

• Gastonia pitching coach Reggie Harris was a first round pick (No. 26) by the Boston Red Sox in the 1987 draft.
• Long Island manager Wally Backman was a first round by the Mets in 1977, 16th overall, out of Aloha, OR High School