By all accounts, Sean Dunlap will have a choice to make after this weekend.
Dunlap, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound catcher who recently graduated from Crown Point, has committed to play baseball at Tennessee. But he’s also one of the top prospects for the 2026 MLB draft, which will be held Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia.
Among players eligible for the draft, Dunlap is ranked 49th by ESPN.com and 124th by MLB.com, and Bleacher Report considers him the No. 2 high school catcher and the No. 9 catcher overall.
“The right pick for me is going to be what fits me best, either pro ball or college ball,” Dunlap said. “The end goal is to be in the show for a 12-year career, be a Hall of Famer and be a Gold Glover. But how do I get there, how do I develop and how do I become the best baseball player I can?”
Dunlap has already come a long way in a short time. He played in just three junior varsity games as a sophomore after recovering from two surgeries on a broken femur. But he batted .450 with a 1.390 OPS, 15 home runs, 80 RBIs and 30 stolen bases over the past two seasons.
Dunlap has also developed into one of the nation’s top defensive catchers. He’s known for his blocking ability and live arm, products of his relentless work behind the scenes, according to former Crown Point teammate Logan Johnston.
“He’s going to beat anybody out who’s in front of him,” Johnston said. “I’ll stand by that until I die or until he retires. His work ethic is unbelievable.
“He’s going to do what he wants, and he’s going to do it at an extremely high level.”
Dunlap recently put that work ethic on display at the MLB draft combine, where he got one more chance to impress scouts. He was one of two players from Northwest Indiana who were invited, along with Hanover Central graduate Dylan Bowen, a shortstop who has committed to Oklahoma State and is ranked 105th among draft prospects by MLB.com.
At the combine, Dunlap also got the chance to reconnect with players he has gotten to know over the years.
“It was amazing,” he said. “It was a great experience. It was cool to see everybody there and catch up with some of my buddies.
“I performed pretty well, so I can’t complain.”
Crown Point coach Steve Strayer said just watching Dunlap juggle everything — communicating with scouts and his agent, managing his workload during the season and handling the attention that comes with being a highly touted prospect — made him tired. But Strayer has been impressed by Dunlap’s ability to handle it all.
“I’m just giddy for the kid,” Strayer said. “I’ve been coaching for a long time, so I’ve seen a lot of things. We had Zach Plesac, who played in the MLB for quite a few years, and a couple other guys who played some minor league ball, but I’m just tickled for Sean. He’s worked his tail off.
“He does it the right way. He works hard and doesn’t take anything for granted, and I’m just happy for him and his family.”
Dunlap has made an impact on younger players too.
“As talented as he was, he gave back to the community,” Strayer said. “He would go to the little leagues and give instruction to the young kids. He took them out to center field and would talk to them before the games. He would work with the kids individually on their hitting. Those are the things I’m going to remember about him.
“Sometimes when you have all these abilities, you can become a little selfish. But he wanted to give back.”
So Dunlap surely isn’t the only person who is wondering what’s next for him.
“Where am I going to spend the next three years of my life?” he said. “Is it going to be Knoxville or some random Southern city? There are no wrong choices.”
Noah Poser is a freelance reporter, and staff reporter Michael Osipoff contributed.
