Big Ten 2011 MLB Draft Class Review
When one thinks of the Big Ten conference, (or B1G Conference, as its written in its post-realignment format), one may conjure up images of cold January evenings where seemingly everyone in the entire state of Indiana sits shoulder to shoulder in Assembly Hall, watching red-sweatered Bobby Knight throw chairs mid-tirade. Or, this Big Ten alumnus likes to think of gray Saturday afternoons in late November in Ann Arbor, where Woody Hayes spies his star pupil across the sideline, Bo Schembechler, as the two are locked into another chapter of their bitter rivalry.
Unfortunately though, not many images of baseball come to mind. Sure, the Big Ten universities don’t have the facilities, or more importantly, the weather, to match college baseball behemoths like Texas, UCLA, or Miami. However, Big Ten schools have produced some respectable talent over the years. Former Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, who will be inducted into Cooperstown this July, starred at the University of Michigan. Kirk Gibson, current manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks and World Series hero for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers, was a two-sport athlete at Michigan State, excelling in both football and baseball. Hall of Famer Dave Winfield got his start at the University of Minnesota, while having a stellar basketball career there to boot.
When the MLB Draft takes place on June 4, you probably won’t hear the names of Big Ten stars called right away. However, nineteen Big Ten players were selected in last year’s draft, so there’s bound to be several selected by Big League clubs in a few weeks. Were there any future Barry Larkins or Kirk Gibsons in last year’s batch? We’ll take a look and see how the top Big 10 draft picks of last year are faring in the minors thus far.
1. Alex Dickerson, 1B, Indiana University—3rd Round, 91st pick overall, Pittsburgh Pirates
This former Big Ten Triple Crown winner had a good 2011 senior season, batting .367 with 9 HR and 45 RBI. His professional career got off to a respectable start in the short season New York Penn League, hitting an impressive .313 in only 41 games, while recording 3 HR and 19 RBI. It may take Dickerson a little bit of time to get adjusted to his first full season as a professional in High “A” Bradenton of the Florida State League, but it appears as though he’s coming along despite a .257 average with 2 HR and 25 RBI. As the season progresses, expect Dickerson’s bat to heat up.
2. Tyler Mills, RHP, University of Michigan—9th round, 290th pick overall, St. Louis Cardinals
Mills began as an outfielder in college, and after under-performing, set his sights on Michigan’s starting rotation. He was awarded a spot after showing flashes of a sizzling fastball, however, was too inconsistent to remain in the starting rotation, and finished out his redshirt sophomore season (which would end up being his last in college) in the bullpen. Mills began his professional career in short season Johnson City, of the Rookie Appalachian League, continuing in his relief role. In 20 appearances in 2011, Mills was tagged for a 6.84 ERA in 26.1 innings, with opponents hitting nearly .300 against him. Mills will begin 2012 in a couple of weeks again in Johnson City. Hopefully, his reputation for bringing the heat will show itself in 2012.
3. Adam Davis, C, University of Illinois—11th round, 335th pick overall, Baltimore Orioles
Davis only appeared in seven games with the Class “A” Delmarva Shorebirds, partly due to the fact that they currently have four catchers on their roster. He was recently called up to the Class “A” Advanced Frederick Keys of the South Atlantic League, where he should get more at-bats. With the lack of playing time, I don’t think it’s fair to judge him quite yet, although he had two hits in his Keys debut on the 13th.
4. Justin Gominsky, OF, University of Minnesota—11th round, 340th pick overall, Houston Astros
Gominsky is a lanky, speedy outfielder who was one of the better athletes out of last year’s Big 10 draft crop. Although he is fast, he isn’t particularly known for his skill in the field, and research indicates he doesn’t have extensive range. Unfortunately, this athleticism hasn’t translated to offensive success at the professional level either. In his 2011 Minor League debut in the Short Season New York Penn League, Gominsky only hit .237 for the Tri-City ValleyCats. So far in 2012, he’s faring worse, with a .206 effort at the plate. While Gominsky doesn’t play everyday, here’s hoping he makes the best of his playing time this summer and translates his athleticism into hits and stolen bases.
5. Josh Parr, SS, University of Illinois—12th round, 367th pick overall, Arizona Diamondbacks
The second former member of the Fighting Illini to make this list, Parr had a decent professional debut, batting .288 in only 34 games in Short Season Missoula of the Pioneer League. His first season was cut short due to an unfortunate injury, suffering a fastball to the face that broke his left cheekbone in four places. Offensive woes are the story so far this season for Parr, who is scuffling along with a .135 average in Class “A” South Bend of the Midwest League. Sometimes, when players get hit and sustain serious injuries as a result of the plunking, it can do weird things to their psyche. Hopefully, Parr can relax more as the season continues and bring that average up.
While the Big Ten may never be known for its baseball teams, (the last time the conference was represented in the College World Series was in 1984, by Michigan) come June 4, who knows—maybe the next Barry Larkin or Kirk Gibson will emerge out of the Big Ten into MLB stardom.