NEW YORK (AP) — Oregon State pitcher Luke Heimlich, who as a teenager pleaded guilty to molesting a 6-year-old relative, was not selected in the Major League Baseball draft for the second straight year.
Heimlich is a two-time Pac-12 pitcher of the year for the Beavers and is regarded as one of college baseball’s top players, but his troubled past has given big league teams pause.
The 22-year-old left-hander was expected to be drafted early last year until The Oregonian reported Heimlich admitted to the crime when he was 15. He did not play for Oregon State last year in the second round of the NCAA Tournament or the College World Series.
Heimlich recently insisted in stories by Sports Illustrated and The New York Times he was actually innocent and said he pleaded guilty because of poor legal advice.
The three-day draft concluded Wednesday night, with 1,214 players selected.
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