Tyler Pettorini got his wish to play as a professional, signing Monday as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies (Press Pros Feature Photos)
A pair of Buckeyes heard their respective opportunity to be professionals on Monday…infielder/hitter Tyler Pettorini to the Phillies…and hard-throwing reliever Blaine Wynk was drafted in the eighth round by the Chicago White Sox.
In the end he didn’t get the recognition, the status, or the money that overall-first pick shortstop Eli Willits got from the Washington Nationals, but Buckeyes infielder and leading hitter Tyler Pettorini finally got what he wanted Monday with a phone call from the Philadelphia Phillies.
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He didn’t get drafted, but he got a contract as a free agent to sign and begin his professional career later this week in Clearwater, Florida.
“They offered me a contract and some money to sign and I asked them if I could have a day to think it over,” said Pettorini earlier today.
“They said…we don’t want you to think it over. We want you to sign with us. They made it sound like it was a priority for them, so I signed. I’m pretty pleased.”
Willits, it’s reported, will received about $11 million dollars to sign. Petttorini will get a small fraction of that as a signing bonus with the Phillies, but…he does get a bonus, and he’s getting the opportunity he wanted to play as a professional.
Pettorini finished his college career with a .299 average as a Buckeye, with 23 home runs and 139 RBIs, capping his four years with a .314 mark in 2025, with 10 homers and 45 RBIs.
A product of Wooster, Ohio (Wooster High School), he came to the Buckeyes in 2022 as one of the top-hitting infielders in Ohio, hitting .438 in his senior season at Wooster. His uncle, Terry, is a former Buckeye (2001-2004), and his grandfather, Tim, is the former head baseball coach at Wooster University, where he retired in 2019 with 1,234 wins and 18 North Coast Athletic Conference titles.
Meanwhile, teammate Blaine Wynk was called in the eighth round on Monday by the Chicago White Sox after a pair of up-and-down years, injury-wise, as a Buckeye.
Reliever Blaine Wynk pitched just 8.2 innings in 2025, but was drafted in the 8th round Monday by the Chicago White Sox.
Wynk did not pitch at all over the last two months of the 2025 season after shutting things down in March with shoulder soreness. He decided to rehabilitate, instead, in order to be ready for the MLB draft and has been pronounced healthy.
In 2024 he pitched 40 innings, striking out 38, and recorded a 2-1 record and a 3.38 ERA.
A resident of Miamisburg, Wynk transferred to Ohio State prior to the 2023 season after beginning his college career with Findlay University.
“We couldn’t be more happy for both of them,” said Buckeyes coach Justin Haire, Tuesday morning.
“For Tyler, he’s earned his opportunity through some ups and downs to continue his career as a professional. We can’t wait to see him make the most of his opportunity in professional baseball.
“And congratulations, as well, to Blaine Wynk. This should be a good opportunity for him, and we wish him the best.”
The ‘slot value’ for an eighth round pick in this year’s draft is approximately $223,000, but like Pettorini, the opportunity is priceless, what the former Miamisburg Viking was looking for when he transferred to Ohio State.
“Getting drafted is my goal,” he said in February, before the season began. And the goal is now manifest, despite his throwing just 8.2 innings in 2025. In his final appearance against Oregon on March 29, he struck out a career-best seven hitters.
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For the record, a little FYI…..
Being an undrafted Philadephia Phillie is hardly unprecedented. Shortstop Larry Bowa, who played 16 seasons in the big leagues with the Phillies and the Cubs, was signed after being undrafted in 1965, and spent 14 seasons as the Phillies all-star shortstop.
Hall of fame outfieldeer Larry Walker, was drafted as a hockey player by the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL, but eventually signed a free agent contract with the Montreal Expos after an impressive showing at a Canadian youth tournament.
There are plenty more!
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