Former South Western pitcher drafted by Brewers
South Western graduate Parker Bean was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon.
Bean, a pitcher who graduated high school in 2013 and just finished his junior year playing Division I baseball at Liberty University, was selected in the 36th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He received the news while with his family at his parents' home in the Hanover area.
“I’m with the people I love the most," Bean said about an hour after his selection. "It’s been a crazy past hour, tons of phone calls, texts, Twitter notifications, all that stuff. I’m just trying to respond to everyone and thank them. It’s an unreal feeling.”
Bean appeared in 16 games for the Flames this past season, starting five, while striking out 42 batters in 35 1/3 innings. The Brewers were one of multiple teams that reached out to him Saturday to discuss possibly selecting him, he said.
“I didn’t have too many expectations," he said of the draft. "I heard some things here and there, but with the draft there’s a lot of uncertainty. I’m perfectly happy with how it ended up and know it’s all part of them plan. It’s awesome that it finally happened.’
Bean still has one year of college baseball eligibility remaining, so he has the option to either sign with the Brewers or return to Liberty for his junior year and re-enter the draft next year.
“We haven’t talked through all the details yet, but I’m definitely leaning towards signing," Bean said. "It’s been a dream of mine, ever since I was a young kid, to play professional baseball and it’s right on my fingertips. It’s exciting, but we’ll see what the next 24 hours holds.”
