Top 10 Stories of 2014: No. 3 Illinois Players in the MLB Draft
December 29, 2014
By Ryan Quigley
Illinois Scouting Director
Over the next few weeks in addition to highlighting the Top 10 Player Profiles of 2014, we will also highlight the Top Ten Stories in Illinois High School Baseball during the 2014 calendar year. Coming in at No. 3 is the 2014 MLB Draft, as it related to Illinois players selected.
What was expected to be a banner year, specifically for high school prospects in the Chicagoland area proved to be a disappointment. PBR Executive Director Sean Duncan touched on this in his June 9th article, which you can read below:
No. 3 Illinois MLB Draft Recap
By Sean Duncan
Executive Director
For Illinois high school players, the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft was considered a significant disappointment. With so much hype and high-level Illinois talent heading into the spring, you might be asking why only 12 high school players were taken, with the highest draft being Simeon Lucas (Grant HS), in the seventh round, by the Cleveland Indians?
The answer is simple: Signability.
Most of the high-level Illinois high school draft prospects had a very high asking price to sign, and therefore priced themselves out of their slotted round. When it comes to the draft, talent is only half of the equation; signability is the other significant factor of when, or if, players get drafted. In Illinois, and especially in the Chicagoland area, it has been a growing trend of players seeking large signing bonuses, thereby signaling that they would prefer to go to college if their asking price isn’t met. Last year, Matt Brill (Moline HS) was the first high school taken in the 24th round.
With all that said, Illinois had a solid showing overall in the draft thanks to the collegiate players taken. In all, 50 players were taken from Illinois, including two players selected in the second round. Louisville closer Nick Burdi (Downers Grove South HS, 2011) was the first Illinois player taken, 46th overall, by the Minnesota Twins – the same club that drafted the flame-thrower out of high school in the 24th round.
1B Sam Travis (Providence Catholic HS), who earned PBR Player of the Year honors in 2011, was taken 67 overall by the Red Sox after three decorated years at Indiana University. Travis was drafted out of high school in the 40th round by the Reds.
A look at some other 2014 draft highlights:
+ The Toronto Blue Jays drafted three Illinois prep prospects, including Lemont HS teammates LHP Jake Latz (11th Round), C Mike Papierski (16th Round), and RHP Tanner Houck (Collinsville HS, 12th Round).
+ Illinois State saw five current players and one recruit drafted. The highest Redbird taken was RHP Jeremy Rhoades (Wheaton-Warrenville South HS, 2011), in the fourth round by the Angels. RHP Brock Stewart (Normal West HS, 2011) went in the sixth round to the Dodgers; LHP Dylan Craig (Murphysboro HS, 2011) went in the 12th round by the Rockies); RHP Dan Savas (Leyden HS, 2010) went in the 19th round to the Diamondbacks, and INF Paul DeJong (Antioch HS, 2011)went in the 39th round by the Pirates. Additionally, LHP Joe Claver (Downers Grove North HS, 2010) signed a free agent contract with Toronto Blue Jays. Illinois State’s top recruit, C Simeon Lucas, was also drafted in the seventh round and has reportedly agreed to terms and will sign.
+ Illinois’ vaunted catching crop played out like this: Lucas went in the seventh round. Mitch Trees (Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin HS) went in the 11th round by the Reds; Papierski in the 16th round; and Evan Skoug (Libertyville HS) in the 34th round by the Nationals.
+ Three players from Providence Catholic HS were drafted. Travis led the way, and his 2011 teammate, LHP Matt Trowbridge, was taken in the 13th round by the Orioles out of Central Michigan University. RHP Jake Godfrey, who’s one of the top prospects in the 2014 class, was drafted in the 21st round by the Braves.
+ OF Mark Payton (St. Rita HS, 2010) was drafted for the third time, this time in the seventh round by the Yankees. Payton, who broke the NCAA record for most consecutive games having reached base, was also drafted in the 16th round and 31st rounds previously.
Below is a complete list of Illinois players selected in the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft:
RD | PICK | PLAYER | SCHOOL |
2 | 46 | Burdi, Nick | Louisville (Downers South HS) |
2 | 67 | Travis, Sam | Indiana (Providence HS) |
4 | 119 | Rhoades, Jeremy | Illinois State (Wheaton South HS) |
5 | 148 | Coonrod, Samuel | Southern Illinois (Carrollton HS) |
5 | 156 | Benjamin, Wes | Kansas (St. Charles East HS) |
6 | 189 | Stewart, Brock | Illinois State (Normal West HS) |
7 | 212 | Payton, Mark | Texas (St. Rita HS) |
7 | 218 | Lucas, Simeon | Grant Community HS |
9 | 260 | Murphy, Max | Bradley University |
11 | 324 | Latz, Jake | Lemont HS |
11 | 332 | Borens, Matthew | Eastern Illinois (Peotone HS) |
11 | 335 | Trees, Mitch | Sacred Heart Griffin HS |
12 | 353 | Craig, Dylan | Illinois State (Murphysboro HS) |
12 | 354 | Houck, Tanner | Collinsville HS |
12 | 358 | Henning, Jameson | Western Illinois |
12 | 372 | Willman, Tyler | Western Illinois |
13 | 391 | Trowbridge, Matt | Central Michigan (Providence HS) |
13 | 393 | Stout, Eric | Butler (St. Francis HS) |
15 | 456 | Filomeno, Joe | Louisville (St. Rita HS) |
15 | 460 | Gerber, Michael | Creighton (Neuqua Valley HS) |
16 | 474 | Papierski, Michael | Lemont HS |
16 | 491 | Street, Sam | Texas Pan American |
19 | 566 | Hirsch, Zach | Nebraska (St. Charles North HS) |
19 | 570 | Savas, Daniel | Illinois State (Leyden HS) |
21 | 619 | White, Charles | Maryland (Naperville North HS) |
21 | 643 | Godfrey, Jake | Providence Catholic HS |
22 | 652 | Powers, Ryan | Miami University (Nazareth HS) |
22 | 653 | Bumpers, Sam | Lamar University (Bradley HS) |
23 | 678 | Hollenbeck, Michael | Illinois State (Joliet Township HS) |
23 | 696 | Day, Darius | Simeon HS |
24 | 733 | Reiher, Kevin | Prairie St College (Eisenhower HS) |
26 | 790 | Fischer, Jack | Wake Forest (St. Ignatius HS) |
27 | 807 | Fitzgerald, Michael | Indiana State (Rochester HS) |
29 | 869 | Klonowski, Alex | Northern Illinois University |
29 | 877 | Michelson, Tomas | University of Illinois at Chicago |
29 | 880 | Butler, Jacob | St. Francis (Minooka HS) |
30 | 899 | Muck, Ronnie | University of Illinois (Maine South HS) |
31 | 934 | Johns, Samuel | Evansville |
33 | 979 | Bass, Brad | Lincoln-Way Central HS |
33 | 1001 | Lewis, Zach | Wabash Valley College (St. Laurence HS) |
34 | 1023 | Eaton, Todd | Southern Illinois (Greenville HS) |
34 | 1024 | Skoug, Evan | Libertyville HS |
37 | 1102 | Rogalla, Rags | Oak Park-River Forest HS |
37 | 1111 | Hart, Hunter | St. Joseph Ogden HS |
37 | 1119 | Kowalczyk, Karch | Valparaiso (LaSalle-Peru HS) |
37 | 1121 | Holtmann, Bryant | Florida State (Mater Dei Breese HS) |
38 | 1128 | Justiniano, Anthony | Clemente HS |
38 | 1151 | DeJong, Paul | Illinois State (Antioch HS) |
39 | 1158 | Davison, James | Morgan Park HS |
39 | 1185 | Ruchim, Kyle | Northwestern (Stevenson HS) |
Complete List of Top Ten News Stories of 2014
No. 10 – South Elgin’s Improbable Third-Place Run
No. 9 - St. Rita's 26 Game Winning Streak
No. 8 – Illinois 2016 Prospects Transfer to IMG Academy in Florida
No. 7 - Pleasant Plains Captures Class 2A State Title
No. 6 - Joliet Catholic Captures Summer State Championship with Perfect Record
No. 5 - Jake Godfrey Decommits; Chooses LSU
No. 4 - Jake Latz Named Illinois Player of the Year with Dominating Senior Season
No. 3 - 2014 MLB Draft Recap