Former Ohio State catcher Dillon Dingler has reportedly reached a deal with the Detroit Tigers. Dingler started the 2020 baseball season with a bang for the Buckeyes — leading the Big Ten in homers with five — before the COVID-19 pandemic prematurely ended his career and the entire college baseball season. He then waited patiently to see what would happen in the 2020 MLB draft.
Dingler was ultimately selected by the Tigers with the first overall pick in the 2nd round (No. 38 overall), but many analysts had him graded out as a first-round selection because of his athleticism and well-above-average arm. He’ll now get a chance to no doubt make a life-long dream come true.
No official financial terms were released, but Jim Callis of mlb.com has reported a full-slot value of $1,952,300.
2nd-rder Dillon Dingler signs with @tigers for $1,952,300 (full slot 38 value). Ohio State C, tremendous athlete for the position, well above-avg arm, came on with bat this spring, plus raw power. @MLBDraft
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 18, 2020
Dingler appeared in 115 games during his career at Ohio State and posted a batting average of .276, OPS of .809, and slugging percentage of .442. He totaled 12 home runs and 50 RBIs during his three years in Columbus.