By Sports Editor Andrew Simonson
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Ma Kale Holden has decided to start playing professional baseball after getting a call from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Holden joined a professional organization immediately after graduating from Thompson High School when he formally signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers organization on Monday, July 28.
On Monday, July 14, Holden was selected in the 20th and last round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. Holden was forced to choose between joining the Brewers organization right away and waiting to be picked by another team for a bigger signing bonus after his third season, or attending the University of Alabama, where he had previously signed to play baseball.
In order to start his journey to the major leagues, he decided to put pen to paper and go to the minor leagues. A subsequent announcement will be made on his assignment.
For the third consecutive season, a Thompson player has been selected in the draft. Holden joins Bub Terrell in 2024, Carson Hobbs in 2023, and Logan Braunschweig, who was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the ninth round of the 2025 draft.
In the last three years, only Holden and Terrell were chosen straight out of high school. Instead of playing in the lower leagues, Terrell would go on to play baseball for Auburn University.
In 2025, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Holden was a two-way powerhouse for the Warriors, influencing games for Thompson with his combination of ability at the plate and on the mound.
With a 5-2 record and 78 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched, Holden earned a 2.04 ERA and 1.15 WHIP at the end of the 2025 season. In 10 outings, he walked just 26 hitters and gave up just 16 earned runs.
During his senior season, Holden was a.324 hitter with a.513 on-base percentage, a.54 slugging percentage, and 1.056 OPS. These figures were based on 34 hits in 105 at-bats, which included five home runs, eight doubles, 31 RBI, and 31 runs scored. Against 28 strikeouts, he walked 30 times.
He was therefore a utility selection for the All-County First Team and the All-State First Team for Class 7A. Holden was chosen for the All-County First Team for the second time in a row.
He was listed as the No. 5 overall recruit in the state by Perfect Game, which also ranked him as the finest right-handed pitcher in Alabama for his class.
