Illinois baseball leading hitter selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024 MLB Draft
Tuesday was another big day for a former Illinois baseball player trying to make it in the MLB.
On day two of the 2024 MLB Draft, the Baltimore Orioles selected Jack Crowder. The Illini pitcher was brilliant in the NCAA Regional this past spring, and he earned this selection in round No. 9.
Just three rounds later, Illinois had another player taken off the board. Camden Janik heard his name called, as the Pittsburgh Pirates selected the former Illini catcher with pick No. 354 overall in round No. 12.
Janik had a great senior campaign for Illinois. The 5-foot-10 catcher upped his batting average from .309 to .356 over the last two seasons, and he also increased his slugging from .511 to .533.
For the season, Janik was Illinois’ most consistent hitter. His .356 batting average led the team, and he also ranked fourth for the Illini in OPS at .973.
On top of Janik’s great hitting numbers, he was also one of the best defensive players on the roster. For his three-year career at Illinois, Janik had 556 putouts, and he only made three total errors. Those are mind-blowing numbers. There is no wonder why Pittsburgh wants this kid in their farm system.
Round No. 12 in the MLB Draft is the earliest the Pittsburgh Pirates have ever selected an Illinois baseball player
Illinois is familiar with the MLB Draft. We had Crowder selected in round No. 9, and the program has had at least two players selected in six out of the past seven MLB Drafts.
The Pirates haven’t exactly been a hotbed for Illinois baseball players to land, though. Throughout the history of the program, only three Illini have been selected by Pittsburgh and two of them didn’t sign.
2015 was the last time an Illinois player was selected by the Pirates, and it was Ryan Nagle in round No. 27. In 2011, Willie Argo was picked in round No. 43, and in 1998, Matt Vorwald went in round No. 30.
Janik has a chance to work his way up the Pittsburgh farm system. This team has a nice young group of players, and I look forward to seeing Janik’s journey.