Column: Dreams are coming true for Yankees top draft pick Sweeney

Jul. 13—Magical words that every amateur baseball player loves to hear.

"With the [insert draft number] pick of the MLB Draft, the [insert team name] selects [insert player name]."

Those are the words — not verbatim — that Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred uttered on the first day of the 2021 MLB Draft Sunday night.

Of the 36 first-rounders, one of the names that he called was EIU shortstop Trey Sweeney. Sweeney was the 20th overall selection by the New York Yankees and was at a loss for words when he talked to MLB Network's Lauren Gardner after.

"It's absolutely surreal," said Sweeney to Gardner. "This is something I've dreamed about since I was a little kid, watching this every year on TV. To be in this position is just crazy."

Sweeney earned numerous accolades after his senior year in Charleston, highlighted by winning the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year.

The 6-foot-4 infielder batted .382 for the Panthers this spring, with a .522 on-base percentage, .712 slugging percentage, and 1.234 on-base-plus-slugging-percentage. He added 14 home runs, 58 RBIs and scored 52 times.

I chatted with current Panthers head coach Jason Anderson on Monday, who was elated — as any coach would be — after one of his own got the chance to shake the commissioner's hand.

"It's pretty exciting," Anderson said. "Anytime they can get drafted, it's pretty special, but when you talk about the first round to the Yankees, it takes it to a whole nother level."

With the selection, Sweeney became the third Eastern Illinois player in history to become a first-round pick, joining Tim Pyznarski (15th overall in 1981 to the Oakland Athletics) and Stan Royer (16th overall in 1988 to the Oakland Athletics).

Additionally, Sweeney is also the third OVC player ever selected in the first round. Morehead State's Drew Hall and Eastern Kentucky's Christian Friedrich are the others.

Butterflies were surely flying, and his palms were surely sweating as he walked up to the stage at the Bellco Theatre in Denver, but once the night was over, Sweeney had to walk away knowing one thing.

He was now a professional baseball player for the most iconic franchise in the sport.

To make the story even more interesting, he only had one college offer coming out of high school, so I had to ask Anderson what they saw out of him?

"We saw him and knew we wanted him right away. They say that kids 'fall through the cracks,' but he's always been good," Anderson said. "I mean, he had size, he could hit, he could throw, and he was a leader. So, he had everything we looked for."

He had his chances to shine for Anderson's club right away, as well.

Sweeney didn't spend much time on the bench as a newcomer. He appeared in 55 games, starting 48 of them; however, he didn't have the breakout start that he wanted, even though he had opportunities.

Sweeney finished his freshman campaign batting .266 with 24 RBIs and 27 runs as a freshman, and he only improved from there.

In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Sweeney started in all 14 of Eastern's games, batting .351 with 13 RBIs, but still hadn't reached his full potential.

There was still more to unlock, and from the summer of 2020 to his junior year in Charleston, he gave the scouts something they were intrigued with, something that they thought was worthy of a top selection.

Numbers don't lie, and now, Sweeney has the chance to make sure the Yankees made the right choice.

Within a franchise that boasts great player development, Anderson knows that Sweeney will have a lot at his disposal. After all, he was once a 'Bronx Bomber' too.

"Anytime you got a first-round pick, they're going to give him a lot of attention," Anderson said. "He's going to have every resource at his disposal, and he's got the makeup and the work ethic and the talent to succeed. But baseball is a hard game, and so, it's not going to be easy, but they made a really good investment and good choice with Trey."

There aren't many organizations better at developing stars, and even though fans have their opinions, one thing that they can do is get the most out of their talent — most notably shortstops.

Contact EDN Sports Editor Alex Wallner at 217-347-7151 ext. 124 or alex.wallner@effinghamdailynews.com