Oregon State’s Luke Heimlich posted a microscopic 0.76 ERA last year, and he went 15-1 this season with a 2.42 ERA while winning his second straight Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year award. Yet when the last of 1,214 players was selected Wednesday in the MLB draft, the hard-throwing left-hander, who fervently wants to move on to the professional ranks, was passed over.
The same dynamic unfolded last year, when Heimlich was projected to be a first- or second-round pick until the news emerged that changed everything for MLB teams, and for plenty of other observers: When he was 16, Heimlich pleaded guilty to having molested his niece, who was approximately nine years younger.