Ohio State junior catcher Dillon Dingler was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the second round (38th overall pick) of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft on Thursday evening.
With pick No. 38 in the 2020 #MLBDraft, the #Tigers select C Dillon Dingler from the Ohio State University. pic.twitter.com/NLhJDP4Ykt
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 11, 2020
“I’m really excited for the future and to have the opportunity to put on the Tigers jersey,” Dingler said. “I was very fortunate to have a great baseball program in high school and then loved my time at Ohio State. The athletics program is second to none and has prepared me for this. I’ve been really fortunate to play for Coach Beals and to be a Buckeye.”
A native of North Canton, Ohio, Dingler hit .276 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI in 115 games with the Buckeyes from 2018-20. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore and earned third-team All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball for his performance during his junior season.
Dingler was batting .340 with five home runs and 14 RBI through 13 games when the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. His .760 slugging percentage ranked second in the Big Ten.
The slot value for the 38th pick is $1.95 million, and a three-year college player like Dingler is likely to sign at or near slot value.
Dingler becomes Ohio State’s highest-drafted player since the Minnesota Twins selected former pitcher Alex Wimmers with the No. 21 overall pick in 2010. He joins outfielder former outfielder Ronnie Dawson, who was selected with the 61st overall pick in the 2016 draft, as the only Buckeye to be taken within the top 100 picks over the last 10 years.
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