By Jess Westendorf
The first and second rounds of the 2017 MLB Draft took place Monday evening in Secaucus, New Jersey.
While there were no Hawkeyes who were called in either of the rounds, some of Iowa’s best players in the past have been drafted all over the board; here are a few who were taken in round one of their drafts.
As anxious Hawkeyes await to see how the draft unfolds and what their baseball futures will bring them, they have proven that they can play with some of the best in college baseball.
Players such as senior Mason McCoy and junior Jake Adams have helped lead the Hawkeyes to new heights this past season with a first-ever Big Ten Tournament Championship and their second NCAA regional visit in three seasons.
No matter where they end up, they will have done something that no other Hawkeye baseball team has done.
Cal Eldred
Before heading to Iowa, Eldred declined his first draft offer in 1986, when the New York Mets drafted him in the 26th round.
Eldred pitched for the Hawkeyes as a true freshman in 1987 and things only got better from there. He threw three complete games, with a one-hit game against Northwestern.
By the time that Eldred reached his junior season as a Hawkeye, he led the team with 64 strikeouts and seven wins. This time when the draft came calling, he didn’t hang up.
In the 1989 MLB Draft, the Milwaukee Brewers drafted him in the first round as the 17th pick overall. Three years later, Eldred made his major-league début against the New York Yankees.
Eldred stayed with the Brewers through the 1999 season before his transition to the Chicago White Sox in 2000. Though that didn’t last long, either — after struggling with elbow injuries, he took two years off.
He didn’t make a return to the major leagues until 2003, when the St. Louis Cardinals picked him up. Eldred stayed with the Cardinals until 2005 before deciding to retire to spend more time with his family.
Eldred won 86 major league games during his 14 years as a professional baseball player.
Tim Costo
During his time at Iowa as a first baseman, Costo made his mark in the record book. He held Iowa’s all-time home-run record of 41, he was fifth all-time in RBIs with 163, and he started every game in his Iowa career.
Costo was a two-time All-American at Iowa (1989-1990) as well as a Big Ten selection (1988-1990) before he entered the 1990 MLB draft as a free agent. He was picked eighth overall by the Cleveland Indians.
He spent a majority of his time in the minor league with the Cincinnati Reds, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Toronto Blue Jays.
After retiring, he moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he is now the head baseball coach at the McCallie School.
In June 2007, Costo was one of five former Hawkeyes to be inducted into the 2007 Hall of Fame Class.
