Trailblazer Kelsie Whitmore was selected first overall in the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League draft.
Kelsie Whitmore has long established herself as one of the most recognizable figures in women’s baseball. In the first-ever draft of the Women’s Pro Baseball League, she was selected first overall by the San Francisco franchise.
The league itself, set to launch in 2026 with four teams in major U.S. cities (Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco), marks the return of a professional women’s baseball circuit since the mid-20th century.
Kelsie Whitmore made history Thursday night as the first overall pick of the inaugural draft of the Women’s Pro Baseball League.
Whitmore, who has long been a dominant force and trailblazer in the sport, says she has been dreaming of this kind of opportunity since she was 6… pic.twitter.com/Ok8TJ6jkHT
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) November 21, 2025
Whitmore’s résumé is distinctive. A right-handed pitcher and outfielder, she began her career by making history in 2016 when she and a teammate played for the independent professional side Sonoma Stompers, becoming the first women to play pro baseball in the U.S. since the 1950s.
She later joined the Staten Island FerryHawks in the Atlantic League, becoming the first woman to start a game in that league and also the first to pitch there.
With the WPBL’s first pick, Whitmore’s career now intersects directly with a milestone for the sport.
The league’s co-founders highlighted that Whitmore “worked her whole life for this moment” and that she “represents all the girls and women out there who dream of playing professional baseball.”
The draft moment and the league’s arrival
The draft itself serves as a clear signal that the WPBL is ready to stake a claim in the landscape of women’s sports. According to the league’s materials, the four teams will begin play in 2026. The draft featured top prospects from the U.S. and internationally, with more than 600 players registering for tryouts.
When San Francisco selected Whitmore, it underscored their intention to anchor their franchise around someone with both visibility and credibility in the sport.
This evening, Kelsie Whitmore became the first overall pick in the inaugural WPBL Draft. pic.twitter.com/hkddsYQCam
— Women’s Pro Baseball League (@wpbl_official) November 21, 2025
Beyond her personal journey, the pick shows that the league is serious about competitiveness and authenticity from day one.
As the league’s co-founders noted, Whitmore will “forever be enshrined in baseball history as the first overall pick in the WPBL’s inaugural draft.”
The league will operate under a distinct model: it will provide players with housing and living expenses, share in sponsorship revenue, and adhere to a salary cap (recent reports cite ~$95,000 across the roster) as it builds a sustainable platform.
What this means for women’s baseball and Whitmore’s role
For women’s baseball, this is a watershed moment. The last major U.S. women’s pro baseball league, the All‑American Girls Professional Baseball League, folded in the 1950s.
The WPBL’s launch and Whitmore’s selection mark a recalibration of what the sport can offer: a defined professional path for women in baseball (not just softball) and a market signalling investment in that path.
Here’s a quick video of Kelsie Whitmore, the Oakland B’s 1st female player, throwing her fastball.
Would just like to announce I’m officially buying stock.
(🎥IG / kelsie_whitmore) pic.twitter.com/S4xZrljAPu
— Karl Buscheck (@KarlBuscheck) April 11, 2024
Whitmore’s role extends beyond statistics or wins and losses. She has become a visible ambassador: a former Team USA women’s baseball national team member, a two-way player, and a bridge between where women’s baseball has been and where it can go.
Her selection sends a message: there is now a place for elite women baseball players to pursue the sport professionally in the U.S.
For Whitmore personally, she said, “It’s just an overwhelming feeling of being super grateful for the opportunity. Because I truly didn’t know if this moment would come… to be able to have a women’s professional baseball league while I’m still in the prime of my career.”
In short, the draft pick is larger than one athlete; it is a strategic turning point for women’s baseball. For Whitmore, it is the culmination of years of persevering through barriers. And for the sport, it may signal the beginning of a new era.
