RHP Blake Gillespie, 9th round (284th) – New York Yankees – Signed $192,500

Hometowns: Arva, Ont./Clermont, Ga.

Height/Weight: 6’ 2” 205 lbs.

Bats/Throws: S/R

School: Charlotte ‘49ers.

Born: Kalamazoo, Mich.

Status: Dual citizen, like his three siblings, Blake lived in Canada from age one until age 18.

Coach: Robert Woodward.

Slot money: $196,600.

Scout: Ricky Castle.

Previous Teams: University of Georgia Bulldogs, Bluefield Ridgerunners, Atlanta Blues, Team Elite, Indiana prospects and Ontario Nationals.

Previous Coaches: Wes Johnson, Scott Stricklin, Jamie Crane, Austin Stout, Shawn Gillespie, Doug McKay and Dan Mendham.

Rankings: 231st on Baseball America’s top 500 final list … 201st on Baseball America’s top 400 combined list of high schoolers and collegians ... 233rd on Baseball America’s top 500 … 299th on Baseball America’s top 400 ... 328th on Perfect Game’s top 500.

Good genes: “My dad (Shawn) played in college and a few years in independent pro leagues. Mom (Amy Gillespie) didn’t play sports past high school.”

(Shawn, born in Exeter, Ont. pitched in 63 games in Indy ball at Tupelo, Kalamazoo, Cook County and London Monarchs.)

The most influential person in my baseball life: “The most influential people in my baseball career would be my parents.”

The most influential person in my baseball career, besides my family: “My coach Robert Woodard. He’s been a great role model for me. He played himself and had a great college career and always took that perspective to coaching. He’s very personable and we have a tight relationship. He believed in me more than any other coach has, and gave me a platform to grow and develop.”

Best day on the ball field: “Throwing a no hitter against James Madison. It was the most amount of pure joy I’ve had, probably ever. It was super awesome having the support of my teammates, all of them running out to me. We’re one team so we all did this together.”

(It was the second time in program history, a Charlotte pitcher has thrown a no-hitter. He allowed one base runner -- a walk, which was erased on a steal attempt. Over 70% of his pitches were strikes. Ronnie Honeycutt as the only pitcher in program history to throw a no-hitter, nearly 38 years ago.)

No-no words: What was Gillespie thinking going into the ninth: “Honestly, nothing. I try to practice having a calm mind and not really thinking too much when I pitch. Just taking it one pitch at a time and whatever happens is supposed to happen.”

Head coach Robert Woodard: “I’ve gotten to coach Division I for 15 years and it’s a long list of pitchers that have been awesome in that stretch. But that’s the first complete game no-hitter that I’ve coached, to be a part of, and witness. It’s so hard to do. It’s a credit to Cameron Hansen - our pitching coordinator, to Toby Bicknell for recruiting (Blake) and bringing him to Charlotte, to Eric McKibban for training him, to Michael Oh for coaching him all fall, to Blake’s family and obviously to our defense playing behind him. Blake’s been one of our hardest workers since the day he showed in Charlotte. We say all the time that hard work pays off, you just don’t know when. I’ll never forget this night.”

Teams met with so far: Los Angeles Angles, Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees.

Notable workout; MLB Draft Combine.

Favourite player as a youngster: Francisco Lindor.

Current favourite players to watch: Bowden Francis and Paul Skenes.

2025 season with Charlotte _ Went 7-4 with a 2.42 ERA in 15 starts and set the modern-day (since 1999) strikeout for Canadians at NCAA Division I ball surpassing the likes of James Paxton, Matt Brash and former leader R. J. Swindle ... Fanned 131 while walking only 19 in 100 1/3 innings ... Beat Wichita State in the American Athletic Conference championships at Clearwater, in an eight-inning outing giving up one run on four hits and a walk as he struck out 13 ... Pitched four scoreless giving up one hit and a walk as he fanned six against Tulane ... Pitched seven innings as the ‘49s beat Alabama-Birmingham as he gave up four hits and three walks, as he whiffed seven ... Brilliant in a nine-inning, complete-game shut out facing Florida Atlantic as he allowed four hits and walked two as he struck out 12 in a 110-pitch game ... Tagged with loss giving up three runs on seven hits and one walk against South Florida striking out nine in a 103 pitch start ... Took tough loss facing Rice allowing two runs on four hits, as he whiffed six ... Picked up the win against Memphis with an eight-inning performance allowing one run on five hits, as he struck out 11 ... Pitched six inning against Wichita State giving up one unearned run on two hits and three walks, as he fanned nine ... Beat East Carolina with eight scoreless, fanning 11 in an 103-pitch effort ... Gained second win against Texas-San Antonio -- the start of a four straight victories -- pitching eight innings and giving up two runs on five hits, as he struck out 13 … Charged with the loss against UNC-Wilmington allowing six runs on nine hit and a walk, striking out seven ... Pitched no-hitter against James Madison, walking one and striking out 11 in his nine-inning 113-pitch outing for his first win of the season ... Had a no-decision facing Arkansas allowing three runs on six hits and one walk, as he fanned five ... Fell to 0-2 Old Dominion giving up four runs in 5 2/3 innings on four hits and four walk, while fanning six ... Opened with a loss against Northeastern, allowing three runs on six hits, with five strikeouts.

Honours: 2025 spring with UNC Charlotte _ Named to Baseball America’s College All-American Second Team … Named a Third Team All-American by Perfect Game becoming the 13th All-American in program history ... Named a Second Team Atlantic All-Region selection by the ABCA/Rawlings making him the 16th All-Region selection in program history and the fourth pitcher to earn the honour ... Named American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, Newcomer Pitcher of the Year and Conference First Team ... National Pitcher of the Year Weekly Award Honorees …. 2022 season _ Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason All American First Team, Southeast First Time ... 2021 season _ Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All American First Team, Canada/Puerto Rico region ... with Team Elite/Atlanta Braves Scout Team _ All-tournament team at WWBA World Championship in Jupiter ... With Indiana Prospects 17U _ All-tournament team at 17U National Elite Championship in Hoover, Ala. ... 2020 season _ Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All American Honourable Mention, Canada/Puerto Rico region ... Perfect Game _ Showcase Top Prospect Team at Marietta, Ga. ... 2019 season _ Perfect Game Showcase Top Prospect Team at Kansas City.

2024 summer for Bluefield Ridge Runners in Appalachian League … Was 1-2 with 0.76 ERA in five starts, walking two and striking out 26 in 23 2/3 innings.

2024 spring with Georgia _ Was 0-0 with a 12.27 ERA in nine games -- making one start -- as he walked five and whiffed eight in 7 1/3 innings.

2023 summer with Atlanta Blues in Sunbelt league_ Had a 1-2 record with a 4.86 ERA, walking six and striking out 23 in 16 2/3 innings.

2023 spring with Georgia _ Was 0-1 with a 14.66 ERA in eight games -- making three starts -- as he walked seven and struck out four.

2022 summer with Atlanta Blues _ Was 1-0 in three starts pitching 12 2/3 scoreless, walking six and striking out nine.

Scouting report

Baseball America

School: Charlotte Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted

Age At Draft: 21.7

Gillespie is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound righthander who spent two low-leverage seasons in Georgia’s bullpen before breaking out in 2025 after transferring to Charlotte. He posted a 2.42 ERA with 131 strikeouts to just 19 walks over 100.1 innings and made the All-America second team. Gillespie’s success was driven by a dramatic increase in slider usage—up to 61% in 2025—which allowed him to lean into his best weapon. The low-80s breaking ball has late two-plane movement and effectiveness against hitters on both sides of the plate, drawing a 41% whiff rate and 46% chase rate. His fastball sits around 90 mph and touches 95, and he’s shown the ability to land it for strikes. He also mixes in a low-80s changeup, mostly to lefthanded hitters, though it’s clearly a distant third pitch. His improved strike-throwing and feel for sequencing helped him throw a nine-inning no-hitter against James Madison on March 7. While Gillespie profiles as a starter thanks to his durability and pitchability, his heavy reliance on his slider comes with reliever risk at the next level. Still, his ability to miss bats at a high clip, throw strikes and carry a heavy pitch load should give him plenty of landing spots in the first 10 rounds.