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MLB made a big statement during the 2018 MLB Draft. Oregon State standout Luke Heimlich, the Beavers’ ace, was not selected. Heimlich is a convicted child molester who admitted to molesting a six-year-old girl in his family when he was 15 years old. Heimlich then entered sex offender treatment and was forced to register as a Level 1 sex offender.
Heimlich was the Pac-12 pitcher of the year after compiling a record of 26-2 with 270 strikeouts in 230 innings.
If it were based on talent alone, Heimlich would have been a top 50 pick. However, teams ultimately determined he was not worth the PR nightmare that would come with selecting him.
Six of Heimlich’s teammates were drafted, via the Los Angeles Times:
Six of Heimlich’s Oregon State teammates were selected, including infielder Nick Madrigal (fourth overall, with a recommended bonus of $6.4 million), outfielder Trevor Larnach (20th overall, $3.1 million) and infielder Cadyn Grenier (37th overall, $1.9 million).
Throughout the storm of headlines, Heimlich has maintained his innocence.
“Nothing ever happened, so there is no incident to look back on,” he told the New York Times. Heimlich claims he accepted a guilty plea to put the incident behind him and so his family could move forward and he could avoid a jail sentence.
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