June 7, 2014
THE FLATS – Five more Georgia Tech baseball players had their names called Saturday on the final day of the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. With six total draftees in 2014, it marks the 14th consecutive year that no less than four Yellow Jackets have been selected in an MLB draft.
Junior RHP Josh Heddinger was taken in the 14th round by Detroit, while RHP Dusty Isaacs and Matthew Grimes went in the 18th round to AL East rivals Toronto and Baltimore, respectively. Two position players were also drafted, with junior CF Daniel Spingola going to the Chicago Cubs in the 24th round and senior 2B Mott Hyde to the Houston Astros in the 26th round.
Those five join sophomore LHP Sam Clay, who was drafted Friday in the fourth round by Minnesota.
Tech’s six draft picks this season brings the total number of draft picks in program history to 191, with 126 of them coming in 21 seasons under head coach Danny Hall.
Florida State and Virginia each led the ACC with eight draft picks this season, followed by seven each from Miami and NC State and six each from Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Josh Heddinger – Junior – RHP – Suwanee, Ga. (Buford)
• Stepped into a weekend starting role this season and posted a 3.94 ERA and 4-5 record in a team-leading 82.1 innings
• His 14 starts also led the team
• Three of his four wins came over ACC opponents, including victories over No. 1 Florida State in the regular season and a No. 16 Miami in the ACC Tournament
• Former Tech RHP Buck Farmer was drafted last season by the Tigers and remains in the organization
Dusty Isaacs – Senior – RHP – Lebanon, Ohio (Lebanon)
• Enjoyed a dominating senior season as the troubleshooter out of Tech’s bullpen, posting a sterling 1.92 ERA and a team-best eight-win season (8-5) with seven saves
• He made 29 appearances (28 in relief) and his 89 career appearances rank ninth in Tech history
• Was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 ACC Tournament, helping Tech win the title by factoring in three of the Jackets’ four wins with two saves and a win
• Former Tech RHP Deck McGuire was drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round in 2010 and remains in the organization
Matthew Grimes – Redshirt Junior – RHP — Hoschton, Ga. (Mill Creek)
• Bouncing back from a season lost due to Tommy John surgery, Grimes made 12 starts and was 5-3 with a 4.39 ERA
• Pitched a seven-inning gem versus Georgia at Turner Field, going seven shutout innings as the Jackets won the season-series with a 2-0 win
• Picked up ACC wins over Wake Forest, North Carolina and Duke
• Former Jacket catcher Matt Wieters was a first-round pick by the Orioles in 2007
Daniel Spingola – Junior – CF – Roswell, Ga. (Marist)
• A second-team All-ACC pick, Spingola enjoyed a breakout season in his first as an everyday starter by leading the ACC in hits (82) and finishing among the league’s leaders with a .319 average
• The speedster also led the ACC in triples (eight) and swiped a team-best 15 bases in 16 attempts
• His team-best .451 slugging percentage also included nine doubles and three homers as he drove in 36 runs
• The last Jacket drafted by the Cubs was catcher Matt Hawranick in the 48th round in 2005
Mott Hyde – Senior – 2B – Calhoun, Ga. (Calhoun)
• The senior anchor of Tech’s infield, Hyde enjoyed a career year both offensively and defensively by hitting .282 with 12 doubles and 32 RBI
• He fielded .968 and teamed with freshman SS Connor Justus to comprise the ACC’s best middle infield due as the Jackets set a school record and led the NCAA with 77 double plays and set a school record with a .974 team fielding percentage
• Hyde was a third-team All-ACC pick and earned a spot on the ACC All-Tournament Team
• The last Yellow Jacket drafted by the Astros was RHP Andrew Robinson in 2010
Georgia Tech Players In 2014 MLB Draft (complete list)
Rd. (Pick), Name, Year, Pos., Team
4 (110) Sam Clay, So., LHP, Minnesota Twins
14 (430) Josh Heddinger, Jr., RHP, Detroit Tigers
18 (534) Dusty Isaacs, Sr., RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
18 (541) Matthew Grimes, R-Jr., RHP, Baltimore Orioles
24 (709) Daniel Spingola, Jr., CF, Chicago Cubs
26 (766) Mott Hyde, Sr., 2B, Houston Astros
