A trio of local baseball standouts is off to a good start after the first two weeks of their professional careers.

Former Bradley Central standouts Ryan Casteel and Cole Brand, along with Ryan Fraser, who played at Walker Valley before heading to the University of Memphis, were all taken in Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft in early June and have now gotten their feet wet in Minor League ball.

Taken in the 17th round by the Colorado Rockies, Casteel is catching and doing some designated-hitter work for the Casper, Wyoming Ghosts of the Pioneer Rookie League.

The former Cleveland State standout is third on the team with a .381 batting average, going 8-for-21 at the plate in his first five games.

Casteel has a .435 on-base percentage with a pair of walks to go with his eight singles, plus he has scored twice and driven in a run.

The Ghosts are currently 6-6 (before Saturday’s game) and tied for second place with Idaho Falls (Los Angeles Angels) in the Pioneer League’s South Division.

The Kansas City Royals farm team in Orem, Utah, is just a game ahead of the Casper and the Chukars at 7-5 on the young season.

Selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 42nd round of the draft, Brand picked up his first professional victory this past week. The fireballing right-hander has pitched three innings, all in relief, for the Cardinals’ Rookie League team in the Gulf Coast League.

Brand has struck out two and walked two and is yet to give up a run for the 4-4 Cardinals squad. The GCL Mets are leading the East Division with a 6-3 record.

A 16th-round draft pick by the New York Mets, Fraser is in the Big Apple playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones.

A member of the New York-Penn Class A League, the Cyclones currently lead the McNamara Division with a 9-6 record.

Fraser has appeared in four games and even though he has an 0-1 record, his ERA is just 1.59. The 6-foot-4 right-hander has struck out ten and walked five. Fraser has also allowed just three hits and one earned run in 5.2 innings pitched.

NOTE: On Wednesday, Casteel went 2-for-3, plus drew a walk and was named Player of the Game for the Casper team. Afterward, he found out his grandfather, Robert Casteel, who had been in the hospital for over a month, passed away.