Having grown up in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, Ethan Pecko is a fan of all issues Philadelphia, particularly the town’s skilled sports activities franchises. And as a baseball participant, he as soon as attended a Phillies recreation in full uniform.
“Baseball was a sport that always just kind of stuck with me,” he mentioned. “I was a fan from 4 years old until now. As a kid, I moved up in age and other kids were there picking flowers. So that was definitely something I always wanted.”
Pecko’s dream is now actuality after the Houston Astros used the final decide of the sixth spherical (194th general) of the Major League Baseball draft on Monday to pick the Towson pitcher. He is the fourth-highest draftee in Tigers historical past, trailing pitchers Chris Nabholz (forty ninth in second spherical by the Montreal Expos in 1988) and Chris Russ (94th in third spherical by the New York Yankees in 2000) and shortstop Richie Palacios (103rd in third spherical by Cleveland in 2018).
Pecko, who doesn’t flip 21 till subsequent month, mentioned he was watching the draft at residence together with his dad and mom Kathleen and Greg, older brother Marc and buddy John Lockhart when the reigning World Series champion Astros chosen him.
“We knew about 20 picks before, but we had to see it to believe it,” he mentioned. “It was really just a dream come true. Several weeks leading up, I knew I had put myself in a position to maybe be selected, but you never really know going into it. It was a very anxiety-filled week, but then it was just a pure moment of relief and just happiness and probably every emotion you could think of in that one-minute moment.”
Tigers coach Matt Tyner described Pecko as “the kind of guy you would want your daughter to date and one of the fiercest competitors I’ve ever had on the mound.”
“I’ll take that mix in any and every player that I coach,” Tyner mentioned. “He’s that kind of kid. He had his eye on the prize from the minute he walked into Towson University, and he prepared himself for this. This is his game. He did a great job.”
Pecko, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-hander, just lately accomplished his redshirt sophomore season with a 2-2 file that included a 3.21 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 42 innings over 11 begins. The slot worth for the 194th decide is $280,700.
The final three years have been a whirlwind for Pecko, whose senior 12 months of highschool in 2020 was worn out by the coronavirus pandemic. In the autumn at La Salle, he started to expertise discomfort in his proper elbow and underwent ulnar collateral ligament surgical procedure in February 2021 simply earlier than the college discontinued the baseball program.
One of three Explorers gamers who transferred to Towson (senior outfielder Elijah Dickerson and junior pitcher Luis Rivera have been the others), Pecko mentioned he was grateful that Tyner welcomed him to the workforce.
“I got there, and the work of him and the other coaches and trainer Jimmy Lee and strength coach Henry Bergmann, they helped me out a ton, and I got back healthy,” he mentioned. “This year, it definitely came all together. I don’t regret anything. I feel like everything kind of happens for a reason, and those three or four years have definitely molded me into the player and person that I am today.”
Tyner mentioned Pecko’s fastball topped out at 95 mph and remained within the low 90s whilst he threw near 100 pitches in a recreation. Just as importantly, Pecko is a participant who cares, mentioned Tyner, who recalled providing Pecko a partial scholarship on the finish of the 2022 season.
“The guy accepted the scholarship and teared up when he got the offer from us,” he mentioned. “That’s the kind of kid he is. He’s got a heart, and he plays the game the right way. I’m extremely happy to call him a friend and to have had the opportunity to coach him and watch him develop and reap this reward.”
Tyner mentioned he and his coaches talked with 10 MLB golf equipment – together with the Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals – about Pecko. Many of these conversations revolved round Pecko as a beginning pitcher, and that’s the place he envisions his future function.
“At Delaware this year [on May 13], I threw 107 pitches, and my last pitch was a 92-miles-per-hour fastball,” he mentioned. “I feel like I have the endurance to do that, and I feel like if I get a little stronger and put on a little more weight, I can get back into it.”
Tyner mentioned Pecko has the potential to be a longtime contributor to the Astros.
“I think there are probably 3 to 4 more miles per hour on that fastball,” he mentioned. “He’s got such a high spin rate as well on his breaking ball. I think once the Astros get a hold of him and really start working with him and he develops a little more confidence, I think the worth in him is that he’s a guy who can carry a load.”
Pecko is scheduled to fly to Houston on Thursday and bear a bodily and work by means of contract particulars on Friday. Barring a setback, he’ll then journey to affix the Astros’ Florida Complex League workforce to start his skilled profession.
Pecko is conscious he’s set to play for a corporation that defeated his beloved Phillies for the World Series title. He mentioned he has reconciled any lingering emotions from that ache.
“It was tough to see my Phillies lose to them, but that chapter has closed, and I couldn’t be more excited to join a great and accomplished organization,” he mentioned. “Some of my friends may give me a little [mocking] from time to time, but they’re super happy for me, and I’m just super grateful, and I can’t wait to get started.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com