Ohio State recruit Landon Thiel went through the MLB Draft without hearing his name called, but the Jackson High School left-hander still leaves high school with a résumé that made him one of the more intriguing arms in the state.
The two-day draft wrapped up Sunday, July 12, and Thiel, a Buckeyes signee, was not selected. MLB.com had ranked him 182nd entering the draft, even after the 6-foot-7 pitcher underwent Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow last month.
Thiel, 18, was aiming to become the first Stark County player drafted straight out of high school since 2015, when Canton South’s D.J. Wilson went in the fourth round to the Chicago Cubs.
Jackson did get one player taken Sunday. Catcher Garrett Wright, a 2023 Jackson grad, was picked by the Los Angeles Angels in the eighth round, 229th overall.
Thiel’s rise over the past year was fueled by a major physical and velocity jump. He added weight, going from 205 pounds to 230, and his fastball climbed from the 86-89 mile-per-hour range to 91-93, with peaks around 95.
As a senior, he put together a dominant season for the Polar Bears, going 6-0 with a 0.95 ERA. He helped Jackson share the Federal League title and reach a regional appearance.
Thiel struck out 101 batters in 44 innings, the most in the county, and held opponents to a .079 average. Those numbers earned him pitcher of the year honors in the Federal League and Northeast Ohio Division I, along with First Team All-Ohio recognition.
His four-year varsity career ended with a Jackson-record 295 strikeouts, a 24-3 record and a 1.39 ERA.
Thiel dealt with stiffness and pain in his left forearm as the season went on, and an MRI after Jackson’s district championship showed a UCL tear. Minnesota Twins team physician Christopher Camp performed reconstructive surgery on Thiel at the Mayo Clinic in Minneapolis on June 16.
The surgery went well, and Thiel is expected to be back on the mound in about 10 months. By then, he’ll be doing it as a college pitcher.
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