Iowa Baseball Left-Handed Pitcher Nick Allgeyer Selected by Toronto Blue Jays in 12th Round

Another day, another batch of Hawkeyes taken in the MLB Draft. The first Hawk selected on Day 3 of the MLB Amateur Draft is none other than pitcher Nick Allgeyer, who blew hitters away after missing the 2017 season due to injury.

Allgeyer is a lefty who had an excellent season for the Hawkeyes after missing the previous season with Tommy John surgery. He recorded the second-most strikeouts in a single season in Iowa history with 95, and finished the year with a 2.41 ERA — it was a return that went about as well as it could, considering it was enough to earn him a first-team All-Big Ten selection.

It will certainly be interesting to see if he signs or stays with the Hawkeyes to close out his college career. On one hand, being selected in the 12th round is nothing to scoff at, particularly following a successful return from major surgery. Allgeyer was easily the best starter on Iowa’s staff this season and it wouldn’t be a surprise if his numbers stayed stagnant or dipped next season should he stay at Iowa. On the other hand, he could bet on himself to make marked improvements with the Hawkeyes in 2019 and look to improve his draft position - if he could get into the top 10 rounds, the amount of money he could make via a signing bonus would increase by a bunch.

Allgeyer is the sixth different pitcher to be taken under Rick Heller and the highest overall since 2015, when RHP Blake Hickman was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the seventh round. He’s also the third Iowa pitcher to be drafted by Toronto in the past decade, following RHP Steve Turnbull in 2009 and LHP Matt Dermody (who’s still in their organization!) in 2013. Following RHP Nick Gallagher in 2017, this is the second consecutive season that Iowa has heard their top pitcher’s name called in the draft.

Whatever he decides, good luck to Nick Allgeyer and congratulations on being drafted!