Solon's Loveless signs with Blue Jays

After Solon won the Class 3A state baseball championship Saturday night in Des Moines, someone associated with the program confirmed that star outfielder Derrick Loveless would soon likely sign a professional contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Soon turned out to be Tuesday.

Loveless confirmed Tuesday afternoon that he has passed his physical and signed a deal with the Jays. The 27th-round draft pick will begin his pro career Wednesday with Toronto's Rookie-level Gulf Coast League team in Dunedin, Fla.

Loveless is giving up a scholarship to play collegiately with the Iowa Hawkeyes, where his father, Derrius, played football.

"When I came down (to Florida), I planned on signing," Loveless said. "After I saw how they do things here, what they do, I knew that this was the right decision."

Loveless hit .554 with 14 doubles, six triples, 11 home runs and 64 RBIs in 121 at-bats this season for Solon. He also stole 28 bases.

A speedy, fluid left-handed hitter, his baseball ceiling is considered very high because he has never concentrated strictly on the sport. Loveless also excelled in football and track and field and was a goalkeeper this season for a Solon soccer team that played for a state championship.

"I agree with that," Loveless said, when asked if he feels his best baseball days are well ahead of him. "That's what the scout who signed me said he liked the most about me.

"Ever since I was drafted, I've been thinking about this. I was disappointed to have to tell the Iowa coaches. They put in a lot of time and effort recruiting me. But I feel this is what is better for me."

Loveless joins former Cedar Rapids Jefferson prep Kellen Sweeney as a Jays minor leaguer. Sweeney was a second-round draft pick last year who signed a contract with a bonus of $600,000.

He is in Dunedin rehabbing an injury that has limited him to nine games this summer. Loveless had no comment when asked what he is receiving as a signing bonus, only confirming it was above the slot Major League Baseball has set as a guideline for signing draft picks.