A prized lefty pitching prospect is free for the Rangers, but they have no interest
Over the weekend in Surprise, the Oregon State baseball team played Nebraska, which brought to mind one of the more “famous” college players in recent memory.
Luke Heimlich is no longer with the Beavers, but the curiosity surrounding him exists.
One of the best left handed starting pitchers on the college level in each of the last two years, who was regarded as a first round talent, remains available for any MLB team to take and put him in their system.
Although the Texas Rangers have taken on risk players in the past, namely pitcher Matt Bush, the team has no interest in Heimlich.
When Heimlich was 15 he pled guilty to a felony charge of molesting his 6-year-old niece. His status as a registered sex offender went unnoticed until his junior season at Oregon State.
Sources said the Rangers, like most teams, love Heimlich’s talent but that he is one risk they are not willing to take.
Despite the Rangers’ need for pitching, the PR hit is simply not worth it. They were not interested in him during the 2018 MLB Draft, and they remain that way even though he would cost them nothing to sign.
As much as baseball teams covet pitching, particularly left handers, Heimlich remains off limits.
In an interview with The New York Times, Heimlich said he is innocent and that he pled guilty “for the sake of family relations.”
Only the Kansas City Royals “went down the road” on Heimlich last summer and explored the possibility of signing him. That ended after an onslaught of criticism convinced the team to opt out.
The Lamigo Monkeys in Taiwan of the Chinese Professional League signed Heimlich last Aug., only to terminate his contract one day later.
Oregon State officials are not eager to discuss Heimlich, only to say they think he resides in his home state of Washington. His former head coach Pat Casey, who retired last season, was with the team in Surprise but he did not want to talk about Heimlich.
One Oregon State official said Heimlich reached out to unaffiliated professional teams in the U.S., to no avail.
Oregon State officials would only say some of the particulars about Heimlich’s case are not exactly what has been reported in the media.
Nonetheless, Heimlich is 23, and it appears his baseball career is over. The Rangers have no interest.
This story was originally published February 27, 2019 at 12:30 PM.
