Continuing a recent tradition, a number of IU players and recruits were selected in the 2016 version of the Major League Baseball Draft.
A total of four current Hoosiers and two potential Hoosiers were selected throughout the 40-round draft that ran Thursday through Saturday.
Last year, a total of six Hoosiers were drafted, and the year before that five IU players were selected.
The first to be selected this year was senior starting pitcher Caleb Baragar, who was drafted in the ninth round by the San Francisco Giants. He was also the only IU player drafted in the first two days of the draft.
Baragar was followed by two other pitchers on the final day of the draft. After junior pitcher Jake Kelzer was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 18th round, senior pitcher Kyle Hart was drafted in the 19th round by the Boston Red Sox.
Junior outfielder Craig Dedelow was the final Hoosier drafted, going to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 34th round.
For Baragar and Hart, being drafted means they have a chance to continue their baseball careers. For Kelzer and Dedelow, being drafted means they have decisions to make.
For Kelzer, this is the third time he’s been drafted, but he still has the potential to return for one more season in Bloomington.
He was drafted in the 14th round last year and the 22nd round in 2014.
Underclassmen often receive better contracts than graduating seniors since they have the ability to turn down a contract and return to school. If Kelzer were to return for another year, he would lose this leverage if he were then drafted next year.
For Dedelow, this is the first time he’s been drafted, and his low draft position might make it more likely the 6-foot-4 outfielder returns to Bloomington for his senior season.
Also facing decisions are two high school players who are committed to play college baseball in Bloomington next season.
But after Skylar Szynski and Jack Suwinski were drafted, they both have the opportunity to bypass college and go straight to professional baseball.
Szynski was drafted in the fourth round by the Oakland Athletics and Suwinski was drafted in the 15th round by the San Diego Padres.
Both Syznski and Suwinski are unable to make a decision on whether to sign or go to college until after their respective high school baseball seasons end.
Syznski is a pitcher from Granger, Indiana, who could potentially step into IU’s weekend rotation as a freshman given the departure of three senior starters for the Hoosiers.
Suwinski is a centerfielder from Chicago who was named first team Central region at the start of the season by Perfect Game.
