Congratulations to Matt Milroy who was drafted by the Miami Marlins this afternoon in the 11th round (347th pick overall)!
Milroy fulfilled my secret prediction that he would be the first Illini picked in the 2012 MLB draft. He’s got some real stuff. That’s why the Red Sox drafted him out of high school in 2009. Don’t look at his 2-6 record for 2012. Rather, pay attention to his 65 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings. Or his mark of only 37 hits allowed. That’s what got the scouts excited.
Milroy was honored with the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week Award back in April after striking out 10 of 21 Indiana batters he faced. That probably wasn’t even his best game of the year. Three weeks later, he struck out 11 Northwestern Wildcats in another fantastic relief opportunity.
According to @IllinoisBaseball, Milroy becomes the highest drafted Illinois pitcher since Matt Vorvald was drafted in the seventh round in 2001.
Congrats, Matt!