Tim Heitman, USA Today Sports
Luke Heimlich was one of the most controversial names heading into the 2018 MLB Draft. The draft is now done and the Oregon State pitcher was not selected.
In 17 appearances (and 16 starts) for the Beavers in 2018, Heimlich posted a 15-1 record with a 2.42 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and an 11.4 K/9 rate.
But clearly, teams couldn’t look beyond his past.
For those unfamiliar with the story, a 2017 report from Brad Schmidt of Oregon Live noted that “As a teenager, Heimlich pleaded guilty to a single charge of sexually molesting a 6-year-old female family member.” That caused him to fall off of teams’ draft boards in 2017.
Obviously, the sentiment was still alive in 2018.
Heimlich can still sign on with a team as a free agent. But given that the MLB Draft includes 40 rounds and most of the players taken will never come close to the majors, not being drafted is certainly a strong sign of how interested (or uninterested) teams around the league are in him.