WKU Signee Micah Miniard Drafted by Cleveland Indians

In the eighth round of the 2014 First Year MLB Draft, WKU signee, and younger brother of WKU Softball pitcher Hannah Miniard, Micah Miniard was taken by the Cleveland Indians with the 248th overall pick.

Fansided’s Indians site, Whaoos On First, had this to say about the drafting:

"Miniard is a tall guy. He already measures in at 6’7″, but only weighs 195 pounds. His velocity increased as he gained strength before this season, and his fastball now tops out at 94 mph. As he adds weight and more strength, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could gain even more velocity as he matures. In addition to his fastball, he has an intriguing curveball, as well as a changeup. Miniard pitched to a 2.24 ERA while striking out 76 hitters in just 56 1/3 innings as a junior, throwing a no-hitter that year as well. Consequently, he was named an Under Armour High School All-American. Miniard is still very raw, but he possesses plenty of untapped potential that the Indians could work with."

There is concern (if you want to call it that) that with Hannah being at WKU, Micah will want to follow and give college ball a try, but WOF’s assessment of Miniard also states that the Tribe were able to sign another draftee from this class (Justus Sheffield) even though his brother is a Vanderbilt pitcher.

In MLB.com’s assessment, they state that:

"He also throws a hard, downer curveball that has average potential and a rarely seen changeup. He has a long way to go, but has all the raw tools to become a solid pitcher."

If there’s one thing you need to know about the Toppers baseball club, it’s that head coach Matt Myers comes from a pitching back ground, and definitely sees something in this kid.

Hopefully Micah will give the college route a try, but if not, we wish him the best of luck.