The 2014 Georgia Tech MLB Draftees: Where Are They Now?

With the 2015 MLB Draft coming up later tonight, it has officially been one year since five Yellow Jackets were selected back in the 2014 Draft. Being selected by a Major League team certainly fulfilled a lifelong dream for each of them, but making it to the big league is another beast all together. Let's take a look at where each of the five 2014 draftees is on the road to the Majors.

Josh Heddinger, RHP

Heddinger, best known for his phenomenal 2-hit shutout of No. 2 Vanderbilt during the 2013 Nashville Regional, was selected in the 14th round of the draft by the Detroit Tigers. After spending most of his rookie season playing for the Conneticut Tigers of the NYP League (pitching to an impressive ERA of 3.18), he was promoted this season to the Class A West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League. At this point, it appears that Heddinger has struggled to adapt to the better competition in A+. He has a high 7.16 ERA over 32.2 innings pitched out of the Whitecaps bullpen with 26 strikeouts and 22 walks along with a 2.14 WHIP. The talent is absolutely still there, but the numbers will need to improve before the Tigers can confidently make any further moves.

Matthew Grimes, RHP

The flame-throwing Grimes, who always oozed potential while at Tech but didn't seem to put it all together during his collegiate days, was drafted in the 18th round by the Baltimore Orioles. Like Heddinger (and most rookies), he spent his first season in the NYP League (a low-A short season league) before being called up to the Class A Delmarva Shorebirds of the South Atlantic League for the 2015 season. He has had a successful season so far with the Shorebirds, having made 10 starts (3-3 record) with a 5.12 ERA and an impressive 43 strikeouts (13 walks) in 48.1 innings. Don't be too alarmed by the high ERA; it is important to remember that most minor league ballparks heavily favor the hitter, particularly at the Class A level. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case for Grimes up in Maryland.

Mott Hyde, SS

Mott Hyde became the only Georgia Tech hitter who signed with an MLB team last year after Daniel Spingola elected to return to Tech for his senior season. Hyde was selected in the 26th round by the Houston Astros after starting for four seasons on the Flats and was assigned to the Tri-City VallleyCats of the NYP League before being promoted to the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits for this season. In 165 at bats for the ValleyCats, Hyde has hit .297 with an impressive .357 OBP and 18 RBIs. He has also drawn 27 walks, a huge improvement over last season when he drew just 23 in 244 at bats. If he keeps this up, expect a promotion to the next level in the relatively near future; it is always nice to see a late-round pick start to pan out.

Dusty Isaacs, RHP

Isaacs, nicknamed "Trusty Dusty" for his phenomenal work out of the bullpen during his senior season on the Flats, was selected in the 18th round last season by the Toronto Blue Jays. He was initially assigned to the Appalachian League's Bluefield Blue Jays, where he pitched to a very impressive 3.41 ERA over 29.0 innings of bullpen work. Even more impressive was his strikeout-to-walk ratio, which came in at a phenomenal 36:5. Isaacs was promoted this season to the Class A Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League, where he has seen limited work and limited success. He has a 9.00 ERA in just 4 innings pitched with 5 strikeouts against no walks; it seems like he may have battled injury or some other obstacle, though I can't find anything about it.

Sam Clay, LHP

Sam Clay, the fantastic closer from the 2014 team, broke all of our hearts when he elected to leave college early after being drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 4th round of the draft. He struggled mightily last year with the Elizabethton Twins, pitching to a 5.59 ERA over 29.0 innings pitched. While the ERA was high, his strikeouts were extremely impressive; Clay fanned 44 men over just 29 innings. This season he was promoted to the Class A Cedar Rapids Colonels, where he has pitched to a 4.50 ERA over 18 innings of work. His control appears to have faltered -- the southpaw has walked 18 batters in 18 innings -- but he has ultimately found more success at a higher level of play.

Congratulations to all of Tech's 2014 draftees on success in the minor leagues and best of luck in the future!