It must be amazing to realize a childhood dream.
As a kid, I remembered thinking I would be the next second baseman of the St. Louis Cardinals – I even imagined being traded to the hated Cubs and getting booed at the Busch Stadium in my backyard.
That dream never happened. But this weekend, the dreams of hundreds of young men will come true. A sport they played for fun, turned into a college scholarship for many. And now, these young men will be paid to play a game.
If one Missouri State Bear is taken in any of the 40-rounds this weekend, it will mark the 30th time in 31-years a Bear has been drafted. Last year, Missouri State and the Ozarks had an amazing weekend in June. Eight local names drafted by Major League Baseball teams. This year's potential class isn't as large, but could have some gems for a team willing to take a chance.
It's almost a certainty a young man from Parkview High School and another from Branson will get a Major League contract in the next few days.
Spencer Johnson (OF) .291, 20 HR, 65 RBI, .707 SLG – The Parkview grad had the most home runs in the NCAA this past season. He didn't get the recognition he should have thanks to a stacked line-up last year, and battling super sophomore Jake Burger this year. This past season, the former Viking led the Bears in slugging percentage at .707. The 6'4" Johnson wraps up his MSU career as a .291 hitter with 29 home runs and 150 RBI. Johnson was awarded the team MVP following the 2016 season.
Sam Perez (P) 8-0, 112 K, 91.1 IP – The Branson native shined down the stretch for the Bears, finishing the season with a 22.2 scoreless innings streak. The "Shepherd of the Hill" (get it, Branson native) tallied just over a strikeout per inning and limited the opposition to a .196 batting average. His MSU career ends with a 20-2 record. Perez was given the Dave Dickensheet Outstanding Pitcher Award by his teammates following the 2016 season.
There's a couple of late rounders from MSU to keep an eye on this year as well.
Bryan Young (P – Junior) – No doubt scouts have noticed the lockdown potential from the Bears closer. His 1.05 ERA and better than a strikeout per inning (41 K in 34.1 IP) will turn heads along with his .183 opponents batting average.
Justin Paulsen (1B – Junior) – Paulsen was fourth on the Bears this past season with a .495 slugging percentage. No doubt he can swing the stick with a .300 average, 48 RBI, and 104 total bases.
Also draft eligible this year:
MSU Seniors – Eduardo Castro (C), Andy Cheray (P), Matt Dezort (OF), Preston Felgate (P), Matt Fultz (C).
MSU Juniors – Ryan Dunne (P), Blake Graham (OF), Alex Jefferson (OF), Jordan Knutson (P), Aaron Meyer (IF), Danny Rowley (C)
Unfortunately it doesn't appear a high school player from our area will be taken this year. Of course, anything can happen. Last year the Royals selected Nixa's Jacob Ruder despite the fact he was intent on playing at Kansas State. Hunter Dame (Conway HS) and Alex Moore (Mountain Grove HS) have been seen by a scout or two, but with Missouri State on the horizon, it appears their immediate future involves college.
Here's an update from last year's amazing draft class from the Ozarks:
Jon Harris (P – Missouri State) 1st round, 29th overall:
Lansing Lugnuts (Toronto-A): 9 g, 4-1, 2.36 ERA, 42 IP, 39K
Tate Matheny (OF – Missouri State) 4th round, 111th overall:
Greenville Drive (Boston-A) 41 g, .288, 4 HR, 27 RBI
Matt Hall (P – Missouri State) 6th round, 190th overall:
West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit-A) 10 g, 7-0, 0.65 ERA, 55.1 IP, 63K
Trey Killian (P – Arkansas/Mtn. Home HS) 9th round, 257th overall:
Asheville Tourists (Colorado-A) 11 g, 3-3, 5.22 ERA, 58.2 IP, 49 K
Jacob Schlesener (P – Rogersville HS) 12th round, 371th overall:
Gulf Coast Cardinals (St. Louis-A) – no 2016 stats
Dean Long (3B – Emporia State/Lebanon HS) 38th round, 1,128th overall:
Spokane Indians (Texas-A) – no 2016 stats
Joey Hawkins (SS – Missouri State) 40th round, 1,211th overall:
Johnson City Cardinals (St. Louis-A) – 2 g, .125 avg
