Baseball draft
Rangers draft Crusaders junior, a Mount Carmel grad
Scott Kapers was getting his finger taped in the Valparaiso University training room before a workout Wednesday when catching coach Nic Mishler burst in.
“He was running and screaming,” said Kapers, a 2015 Mount Carmel graduate. “I knew something was up. That’s when I looked at my phone.”
Kapers, who was following MLB.com’s draft tracker on Twitter, found out the Texas Rangers had selected him in the 17th round.
“I was taking some swings and working out to keep the draft off my mind,” Kapers said. “I had a blister on my finger, so I went to get it taped. I’m happy that my dream came true.”
Kapers, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound junior catcher, wasn’t the only player from the south suburbs and Northwest Indiana to realize his dream on the draft’s final day.
Lincoln-Way North graduate Liam Jenkins, a 6-8, 225-pound right-handed pitcher, was chosen a few picks later in the 17th round by the Cleveland Indians.
Jenkins, a junior, was 1-1 with a 6.46 ERA for Louisville.
Lincoln-Way West grad Luke Morgan was selected in the 20th round by the Colorado Rockies out of Charleston. A 6-2, 195-pound outfielder, Morgan hit .326 with seven homers and 20 stolen bases in 2018.
Jake Plastiak, a recent Andrew grad, was chosen in the 28th round by the San Diego Padres. A 6-3 switch-hitting shortstop, Plastiak batted .430 with 39 runs, six doubles, five triples, five homers and 25 RBIs. He’ll have a decision to make whether to uphold his college commitment to Wichita State or turn pro.
“My dad was watching on MLB.com and he came into the living room and said, ‘Oh, my God, you got drafted,’ ” Plastiak said. “I’m going to talk to my parents and my adviser and see what happens. For now, I’m going to celebrate with my family and enjoy the moment.”
St. Rita grad Mike Costanzo was picked in the 31st round by the Tampa Bay Rays. Costanzo, a senior left-handed pitcher at Austin Peay, was 9-2 with a 4.62 ERA.
Crown Point graduate Noah Burkholder, a freshman right-hander who pitched at Waubonsee this season, went to the Rangers in the 34th round.
Outfielder Zaid Walker, a recent Homewood-Flossmoor grad, was selected in the 36th round by the Cincinnati Reds. Walker has committed to play at Michigan State.
The 6-2, 215-pound Walker hit .432 with 11 doubles, 12 homers and 49 RBIs.
Walker’s teammate at H-F, left-handed pitcher Kyle Salley, was chosen in the 40th round by the White Sox. Salley, a Duke recruit, was 5-3.
It didn’t take Kapers very long to develop into one of the area’s best defensive catchers.
“Catching came pretty natural to me,” he said. “Every time I threw the ball it landed where I wanted it. I wasn’t a very good hitter at the time. I had to work hard at it. It all comes down to hard work. It really does pay off.”
Kapers is leaning heavily toward forgoing his senior year at Valparaiso and beginning his pro career. His younger brother Jake, a recent Mount Carmel graduate and fellow catcher, will be a freshman at Valpo in the fall.
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