An unorthodox baseball journey lands Aaron Graeber a minor league contract with Los Angeles Angels

Trenton Thunder's Aaron Graeber swings at a pitch against the Frederick Keys in the baseball game played at Trenton Thunder Stadium in Trenton, New Jersey on Friday, June 9, 2025. Bryce Mosmen/Mosmenphotography for D2 Sports Network

ANAHEIM - In a recent study by NFHS, numbers show that 43% of high school athletes play more than one sport.

West Deptford native Aaron Graeber was one of those kids before graduating from high school in 2021. Graeber was a three-year starting quarterback for the West Deptford High School football team and a two-year varsity letter winner in baseball.

Graeber quarterbacked the Eagles to a 20-10 record and a South Jersey Group 2 final appearance under center during his time at West Deptford. After his senior season, the quarterback committed to King's College, a Division III school in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

In the Spring of 2021, Graeber decided to pick up baseball again after taking his junior season off (the season was cancelled anyway due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a majority of teams in the state participated in a tournament called "The Last Dance"). In his swan song, the outfielder racked up a .450 batting average with four home runs and 25 runs batted in.

"I didn't really take baseball too serious in high school," Graeber said. "I had committed to King's College for football, and I was so set on playing football at the next level. I had figured that this was the path I wanted to take at the time."

One day, the then signal caller had a change of heart and wanted to play baseball at the next level. He reached out to his former head coach, John Oehler, and set up a workout with RCSJ-Gloucester coach Rob Valli as sort of a "tryout".

After the workout, Valli offered Graeber a roster spot that day, and Graeber accepted the offer on the spot. That's where Aaron Graeber's baseball journey started to blossom.

Graeber informed the King's College football program that he was no longer going to attend the institution and that he was going to take the junior college baseball route.

In his first season with the Roadrunners, Graeber was one of the top players for a Division III NJCAA contender. The outfielder tallied a .386 batting average with eight home runs, 54 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and a .441 on-base percentage in 52 games. That domestic freshman season earned Graeber some Division I looks but only one true offer. The University of Delaware made a push and offered the rising sophomore, who then committed to the offer heading into his second season.

"I didn't have too much interest after my freshman year, but I did have only one true offer," Graeber noted. "Coastal Carolina had come out to watch but never offered, and the same with Old Dominion. Delaware was the only school to offer me a full ride at the time, and after talking to the coaches, it felt like the right pick."

In 2023, the then-sophomore put the entire country on notice in the JuCo scene. Graeber accumulated a whopping .500 batting average with 18 home runs, 102 RBI, 20 stolen bases, eight triples, and a .566 on-base percentage. For those who may not understand what on-base percentage means, that means Graeber reached base safely 56 percent of the time he stepped into the batter's box.

After his stellar sophomore season, the outfielder was named a Rawlings NJCAA Division III Gold Glove winner, NJCAA Division III Player of the Year, NJCAA Region 19 Player of the Year, and last but not least, a NJCAA Division III national champion.

"Going into my second season, I started to try and understand my body and work on things I needed to fix from the year prior," Graeber said. "I felt I needed to get stronger and faster, so I really wanted to pinpoint strength and speed training while also making sure I don't lose my swing and keep my timing. It all clicked once I got out on the field."

In an era of recruiting tampering and NIL payments equaling large sums, Graeber held firm on his vow to Delaware and the Blue Hens baseball program. Despite his monster campaign, the rising junior was dead set on becoming a Blue Hen and carving his path.

In his first season in Newark, the outfielder picked up where he left off, batting a cool .312 with 13 doubles, 14 home runs, and 52 runs batted in. The productive season earned Graeber postseason honors such as second-team all-CAA.

His senior season is where Major League Baseball organizations started to take notice. Graeber chose the more aggressive route at the plate, which paid off, resulting in a .351 batting average with 52 RBI, 14 home runs, and 14 stolen bases. The production with the bat earned the outfielder a first-team all-CAA selection after finishing ninth in the conference in batting average, fifth in home runs, fifth in slugging percentage (.609), and ninth in OPS (1.010).

"I took the same approach from RCSJ-Gloucester, where I knew that I was going to see better competition, so I knew I needed to get better," Graeber said. "The two main things I credit for my time with UDel are the coaches and the chemistry of the team this year. We had a nice bond my first year, but this year we just blended well. I felt like I was in the right place mentally and physically, and the coaches added to that. It was one of those things where you know the coaches are there to help you get better and make sure you get better, but you also get to do it with guys you enjoy being around. It was like getting to hang out with your brothers every day at the field, and you had fun doing it."

Like most collegiate players, Graeber hit the summer circuit for the second year in a row. After his first season at Delaware, Graeber joined the Bristol State Liners of the Appalachian League, which is also an MLB affiliate developmental league. After the 2025 season, Graeber got much closer to home, being invited to and joining the Trenton Thunder of the newly formed MLB Draft League.

After 23 games played with the Thunder, the MLB Draft rolled around, starting on July 13 and ending on July 14. Graeber was eager to hear his name called or to see his name pop up on the draft tracker, but after 20 rounds and 615 total picks, the still available outfielder did not get the call so many players dream of. Instead, he got a call from Anaheim, California, a few minutes after the final pick was announced. It was the Los Angeles Angels calling to offer Graeber a contract as an undrafted free agent.

About a minute after finishing a phone call with the Angels, he received a call from a Toronto phone number. The Blue Jays had called to offer a UDFA contract as well. Faced with a tough decision between two organizations clamoring for his talent on the field, Graeber ultimately chose the Angels.

"Both teams made great pitches over the phone," Graeber claimed. "They both made me feel wanted, both had the same compassion and goal of me being an important piece of the big league clubs in a few years. At the end of the day, I felt the Angels were the better fit for my development, and I feel I have a better shot at cracking the big league team sooner if I stay the course."

"I'm blessed to be in this spot. It's crazy that I've only really taken baseball super serious for four years, and it's landed me in this position. I don't know if I would be in this position either if I didn't learn how to be mentally and physically tough during the football seasons, learn my discipline from the gridiron, or learn how to adapt on the fly without being a football player. Being able to hone my athleticism and translate it to the baseball field is something I credit with being a football player first, then ended up falling in love with baseball later."

Many scouts and front office members ogle at the power that comes with Graeber's size and build in the outfield. Former San Francisco Giants Northeast scout and current Northeast Draft Guide author Brian Recca went on record to mention Graeber's 70-grade power (on a scale of 20-80), which would make many wonder why his name was never selected during the draft. Baseball America noted the outfielder had at least 100 batted balls with an exit velocity of 96 miles per hour or more. Standing at a 6'3 210lb frame, many project the West Deptford native to end up as a corner outfielder with a plus arm and major power in his bat.