Maroon and White Nation
Fansided

Mississippi State Baseball: Konnor Pilkington is Projected Top 10 Pick

By Cole Patterson

May 9, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of an official Rawlings baseball on the bench in the visitor's dugout at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
May 9, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of an official Rawlings baseball on the bench in the visitor's dugout at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Mississippi State just saw slugger Brent Rooker become the 14th first-round selection in program history. Can Konnor Pilkington become the 15th?

Last week, the Minnesota Twins selected Brent Rooker with the 35th overall selection of the 2017 MLB Draft. With that, the reigning SEC Player of the Year became the 14th Diamond Dawg to hear his name called in the first-round of the draft. In the previous draft, Dakota Hudson was taken with the 34th overall pick by the Cardinals. Back-to-back drafts, back-to-back first round selections.

One MLB Draft experts believes that the Bulldogs will have a player drafted in round one for the third consecutive year.

Next: Dak becomes brand ambassador for New Era Caps

MLB.com’s Jim Callis posted his “way-way-too-early projection for the first 10 picks next June”. Empashis on “way-way”, because the mock was based on the first ten picks of last week’s draft. Plus, things can change in a big way when predicting a year in advance.

Nonetheless, Callis sees Mississippi State ace Konnor Pilkington hearing his name called within the first ten picks of next summer’s draft. Here is what he has to say about Pilkington:

"9. Pirates (30-36): Konnor Pilkington, LHP, Mississippi State2018’s top southpaw has a strong frame, a fastball that reaches 95 mph and a pair of potential solid secondary pitches in his curveball and changeup."

That’s big praise for the junior pitcher. Pilkington blossomed into State’s Friday night pitcher and was reliable for the Bulldogs the entire season. Per D1Baseball, Pilkington posted an 8-5 record with a 3.08 ERA in 2017. State’s ace also recorded 111 strikeouts during his impressive sophomore campaign.

Next: Assistant Coaching Opening?

Just earlier this month, Konnor Pilkington accepted an invite to play for USA Baseball. He is the first Bulldog that will play for team USA since Adam Frazier did so back in 2012. Frazier is becoming a solid player for the Pirates.

It will be interesting to watch Pilkington continue to grow his game to help both his draft stock and the Diamond Dawgs over the course of next season.

Home/Mississippi State Bulldogs News