Michael Freeman didn’t even register on the radar of professional scouts in March.
He barely registered on the radar of the Oklahoma State pitching staff.
Yet updated chapters keep coming in what became one of college baseball’s best feel-good stories of this season, with Freeman, mere months later, now rating as an intriguing prospect and perhaps the state’s top projected pick when Major League Baseball’s annual player draft carries from Monday through Wednesday.
It’s not considered a premium year for talent in Oklahoma, with Freeman topping Baseball America’s state prospect list at No. 257 overall. No state players are pegged for the first round of the various mock drafts, although baseball’s talent grab hardly mirrors those of the NFL or NBA, with surprises common – especially beyond the first round, with high school, junior college and four-year college prospects all in play.