Maryland senior ace Jimmy Reed was drafted in the sixth round of the MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals today.
Reed went 6-4 with a 2.33 ERA in 13 starts this season, averaging nearly 7 innings per start. He was one of the best pitchers in the ACC as well as the country in 2013.
"I'm pretty ecstatic right now," Reed told umterps.com. "When my name was called, I screamed."
Jimmy got picked by the Yankees in the 21st round last year and turned down the offer.
"He put a plan in place to come to school for his senior year and wanted to get into the single-digit rounds so that he would have a better opportunity to move through the system, and that is what he did," John Szefc said to umterps. "It speaks volumes to the work Jimmy put in following his junior season."
Based on his draft slot, Reed stands to make about a quarter million dollars. He had three double-digit strikeout efforts this season, as well as a complete game shutout over Duke.
He finished the season strong, allowing just seven earned runs in his final five starts, striking out 38 batters (7.6 K/start). His final outing was an 11-strikeout performance at home against Boston College.
Reed couldn't be in a better organization and he should be effective at the lower levels of the Minor Leagues.
"The Cardinals are an amazing organization with a proven track record of developing pitchers," Reed said. "It's honestly the best situation for me."
Reed struggled as a reliever his first two and a half seasons in College Park, before being moved to the rotation where he flourished, becoming a legitimate ACC ace and the unanimous leader of the pitching staff.
He will likely begin his professional career with either the State College Spikes (PA) or the Peoria Chiefs (IL).
Jimmy explains his decision to reject the Yankees.
It obviously turned out to be a great decision.
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