Buford High School continues to produce top-tier baseball talent, with 2022 graduate Riley Stanford becoming the latest Wolves standout to earn a shot at the professional level. The Tampa Bay Rays selected Stanford in the 16th round of the MLB Draft on Monday, taking him with the 477th overall pick.
Stanford, a 6-foot-4, 236-pound athlete, was drafted as an outfielder—despite spending most of his time on the mound at Georgia Tech. Over three seasons with the Yellow Jackets, including a redshirt year in 2023 due to injury, he made 31 pitching appearances. In 2024, he logged 28 1/3 innings across 12 games (seven starts), posting a 5.08 ERA and recording 34 strikeouts.
While Stanford had just seven at-bats in college, his potential as a hitter is well documented. As a senior at Buford, he was considered one of the top high school outfield prospects in the country and was named to the 2022 USA Today HSSA Baseball Team.
An injury prevented Stanford from having a full 2022 season. In his last full season, 2021, Stanford played in 54 games and hit .344 with a .993 OPS.
Stanford joins a growing list of Wolves who have been drafted by an MLB team. The most notable Buford graduates drafted are Sam Clay (2014, fourth round, 110th overall), Brandon Marsh (2016, second round, 60th overall), Joey Bart (2018, first round, second overall) and Dylan Lesko (2022, first round, 15th overall).
