While this weekend wasn't the result junior outfielder Matt Gorski wanted with IU's season ending in NCAA tournament regional play this past weekend, his spirits were temporarily lifted not long after.
The Pittsburgh Pirates late Monday night selected Gorski with the 57th pick in the second round of this year's Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. He became highest-drafted Hoosier since former catcher Kyle Schwarber, who went fourth overall to the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the 2014 draft.
Gorski becomes the 95th all-time draft pick at IU. He is the seventh-highest draft pick ever at IU and is 17th overall player to be picked in the top five rounds.
Since 2012, MLB has used a bonus pool system for each of the first 10 rounds with each pick assigned a value and each team a pool of money it can use to sign its selections. Pittsburgh's second round pick used on Gorski is valued at $1,243,600, according to MLB.com, and it has $9,944,00 overall to work with for its total bonus pool.
Clubs can choose to not spend their full allotment and use the savings to sign prospects taken later in the draft, according to MLB.com. Regardless of whether or not they do so, they cannot offer major league contracts to draftees - only minor league ones - with the exception of multi-sport athletes such as former Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. That rule has been in place since 2012.
A 2019 Second Team All-Big Ten selection, Gorski served as IU’s primary right fielder at the beginning of the season, having started 14 games, but took over the centerfielder duties (43 games) after Logan Kaletha’s injury. He has stolen 57 career stolen bases (third in the Big Ten, 25th nationally among active players), including 18 this season (3rd in the Big Ten). The Fishers, Ind., native is also second in the Big Ten in runs (58).
Rounds 3-10 of the MLB Draft continue today and conclude Wednesday with rounds 11-40.
Other Hoosiers who are draft-eligible but also have collegiate eligibility remaining:
Fourth-year juniors:
• Pitchers Tanner Gordon, Cal Krueger, Connor Manous and Andrew Saalfrank.
• Infielders Jeremy Houston and Scotty Bradley.
Fourth-year sophomores:
• Pitcher Grant Sloan.
• Infielder Cole Barr.
• Outfielder Elijah Dunham.
Other Hoosiers who are draft eligible but have exhausted their collegiate eligibility:
• Pitcher Pauly Milto.
• Infielders Matt Lloyd and Cade Bunnell.
• Catcher Ryan Fineman.
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