Commack's Chris McHugh among 6 with LI ties taken on Day 2 of MLB draft
Chris McHugh, Commack shortstop, reacts after his RBI double gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead over Massapequa in the bottom of the third inning of the Long Island Class AA championship at St. Joseph's College in Patchogue on June 3, 2023. Credit: James Escher
Commack’s Chris McHugh had a rough couple of hours on Sunday. Then, at around 4 p.m., it became the best day of his life.
McHugh, a first baseman who turns 21 in two weeks, was drafted in the 11th round with the 335th overall pick by the San Diego Padres on Day 2 of the 2026 MLB Draft. He confirmed that he will sign with them. He was the sixth and final player with a Long Island connection taken on Sunday, and the 10th overall between the two days.
McHugh spent three years in college after graduating from Commack in 2023, spending 2024 with Virginia Commonwealth and the 2025 and 2026 seasons with North Carolina State. Over those three years, he posted a .319/.419/.481 slash line with 33 doubles, 22 home runs and 131 RBIs. Those numbers — as well as some of the pre-draft projections by major outlets — had him as a potential late-Day 1 or early-Day 2 pick.
Seeing his name get passed on so many times was humbling, but it made McHugh’s moment all the more special once it finally came.
“That was probably the most adversity I’ve gone through in a while,” McHugh said. “I heard I was going to go pretty early, even potentially Day 1. Having to wait that long on Day 2 was definitely frustrating, but when the Padres called me, they couldn’t believe I was still there. They even gave me more money than I was supposed to get, so they couldn’t really believe it. They seemed really true with what they were saying, so I was pumped up.”
Micah Worley, a 22-year-old lefthander from Stony Brook University, was the first player with a connection to Long Island to be drafted on Day 2. The Kirkwood, Missouri, native was drafted in the sixth round, 177th overall, by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Worley is the first Seawolf to be drafted since Nick Grande, a 2015 Smithtown West graduate, was selected by the Diamondbacks in the 17th round of the 2019 draft. He is also going to sign.
“It’s great to represent Long Island; it's a great location with a lot of talent,” Worley said. “I’m really excited to take the next step in my journey. … I’m extremely grateful for the time I’ve spent at Stony Brook. It’s given me a lot of tools as a player, and I’ve grown a lot as a person.”
Three picks after Worley, Dix Hills native Justin LeGuernic — a lefthander from Clemson — was selected 180th overall to the Kansas City Royals. The Half Hollow Hills West alumnus was the day’s first Long Island native to be drafted.
To end the seventh round (223rd overall), the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted University of Connecticut lefthander Charlie West, who will sign with them. West, a South Setauket native, became the fourth Ward Melville alumnus to be drafted. The other three — Steven Matz, Anthony Kay, Ben Brown — are all active major league pitchers.
“The goal is always to just follow in their footsteps,” West said. “You’ve got the best coach on Long Island over there with coach Lou Petrucci. He’s a guy who’s always had a lot of confidence in his players, and he helps you every step of the way. I think that’s a big part of why he’s had so many players have big success.”
In the ninth round, 257th overall, the Minnesota Twins took Georgetown righthander JT Raab: a Seaford native and MacArthur alumnus who spent his first three collegiate years at Stony Brook. After missing his freshman season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Raab spent two seasons pitching at Stony Brook before transferring to Georgetown for his final two years. Across 223⅔ collegiate innings, Raab averaged 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.13 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
He struck out 66 batters in 45 ⅔ frames this spring.
“I’m super excited; it’s a dream come true, but the journey’s just getting started,” Raab said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without MacArthur or Stony Brook. None of this would be possible without them.”
Sayville alumnus Jack Turner, who spent three years at Suffolk CCC and another two at New Mexico State, was drafted in the 10th round, 306th overall, by the Detroit Tigers.
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
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