Sports
Dodgers Draft Standout Pitcher From Northbrook
Glenbrook North pitcher Alex Hermeling was selected in the 43rd round of the MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Alex Hermeling’s spectacular spring got even better Wednesday.
The Glenbrook North pitcher had a fantastic season on the mound, impressing scouts and helping the Spartans to one of the best seasons in school history. He also impressed the Los Angeles Dodgers enough for them to select him in the 43rd round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft.
Hermeling was at the beach when his dad, who was following the draft online, called him to give him the good news. Hermeling said it was a great reward for all the effort he put in on the field and in the weight room with his teammates and coaches.
Find out what's happening in Northbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“It’s just a culmination of all the hard work I’ve put in my entire life,” he said.
The recent GBN graduate knew there was a chance he would get drafted, but wasn’t going to lose sleep over it.
Find out what's happening in Northbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“I had talked to a few teams, but none of them promised anything,” Hermeling said. “If it happens great, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
Being drafted by a storied organization like the Dodgers is an honor, but Hermeling said it didn’t matter who the team was. However, he did note that the Dodgers have a good minor league system.
The Dodgers told him that their offer would depend on how well he pitches this summer with the Downers Grove Longshots travel team. If Hermeling improves and the Dodgers like what they see he could get a more significant offer, but he still expects to honor his commitment to Louisiana-Monroe.
“I love ULM. I see myself playing four years there,” he said.
The deadline for draft picks to sign is August 15. If Hermeling doesn’t sign and stays at Louisiana-Monroe he will not be eligible for the draft again until 2014.
Hermeling is the seventh Glenbrook North alum to be drafted and the first to get drafted out of high school since Scott Sanderson in 1974. Sanderson, who was a part of the Spartans’ last state championship team that same year, opted to play for Vanderbilt and was drafted again and signed in ’77.
Three former Spartans have played in the Major Leagues. Sanderson pitched in 19 Major League seasons, Doug Rader played for 11 years in the 1960s and ‘70s and Pat Misch pitched for the New York Mets earlier this season. 2005 graduate Jason Kipnis is currently playing for the Columbus Clippers, the AAA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, and could be making his Major League debut soon.
