Western Dubuque grad Calvin Harris taken in 4th round of Major League Baseball Draft

CEDAR RAPIDS — He was a prodigy.

Calvin Harris played semi-pro baseball for the Farley Hawks when he was just 13 years old. He’d recently completed just the seventh grade.

If you know anything about town-team summer ball in Dubuque County, it’s serious stuff. And here was this literal kid playing against grown men, some 20 years older or more.

Everyone knew back then how special Harris could be, and he turned out to be exactly that. He won an NCAA championship last year at the University of Mississippi and Monday became a major league draft pick.

A high one. The catcher was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 Major League Draft by the Chicago White Sox, the 116th player taken overall, and said he will sign with the club Saturday.

Harris’ approximate pick value is $574,600.

“I think it became pretty realistic (to me) right around my freshman year of high school,” Harris said of a possible professional career. “I felt like I made a pretty big jump between my eighth-grade year and my freshman year. I was like ‘You know what, this is a pretty real possibility that this might happen someday.’”

The 2020 Gazette Male Athlete of the Year, Harris had another season of eligiblity remaining at Ole Miss. He hit .321 this past season for the Rebels, with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs in 54 games, including a four-homer game in May against Missouri.

He said he grew up a Chicago Cubs fan, but is still very happy he went to a team close to his hometown of Peosta.

“I’m ready to get going,” Harris said. “Get back on the field. Just really thankful I got an opportunity. I’m looking to make the most of it.”

The University of Iowa had two pitchers selected in the three-day, 20-round draft. Relief pitcher Jared Simpson went to the Washington Nationals in the eighth round (225th overall), while starter Ty Langenberg was taken by the Minnesota Twins in the 11th round (327th overall).

Simpson, a lefty from Clinton, went 4-3 with a save and 6.54 ERA in 22 games this season, one start. He struck out 64 in 42 2/3 innings.

Langenberg had a 6-3 record and 4.15 ERA in 17 games, 15 starts. The right-hander from Urbandale struck out 86 in 78 innings.

The Twins’ high-Class A minor league affiliate is the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Langenberg has one season of college eligibility remaining.

Simpson’s approximate pick value is $219,700, but as a fifth-year senior he has no leverage and is expected to sign for less than that dollar number. MLB teams have a certain amount of bonus dollars to disperse to players picked, and the Nationals can use money saved by signing Simpson for for less than his pick value to potentially sign other players.

Players drafted after the 10th round can be signed for up to $125,000. Any dollar amount higher counts against the team’s overall bonus pool.

Iowa announced after the 20-round draft concluded Tuesday afternoon that relief pitcher Will Christophersen has signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Angels. The former Pleasant Valley prep went 5-1 with a save and 3.55 ERA in 29 relief appearances this season, striking out 59 in 33 innings.

Utility player Keaton Anthony also was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies, Iowa said. A redshirt sophomore, Anthony hit .389 with 22 doubles in 43 games but did not play the final month-plus of the season, presumably suspended as part of an ongoing legal investigation into Hawkeyes student-athletes placing sports wagers, which is a NCAA violation.

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