Luke Heimlich Signs In Mexican League
APRIL 10: How it all happened isn’t clear, but Heimlich made his professional debut yesterday, Wagner notes on Twitter.
MARCH 7: League approval of the deal may not be forthcoming, James Wagner of the New York Times reports. Liga Mexicana de Beisbol president Javier Salinas says that, while the case has yet to be assessed fully, “it’s very difficult to see [Heimlich] registered in the Mexican League.”
It seems that the league has already been involved to this point, though, as Wagner also reports that Heimlich signed “a letter vowing good behavior.”
MARCH 6: Former Oregon State lefty Luke Heimlich has agreed to a contract with los Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos in the Mexican League, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The now-23-year-old Heimlich looked to be on his way to becoming a first-round draft pick in 2017 until The Oregonian reported that at the age of 15, Heimlich pleaded guilty to sexually molesting his six-year-old niece. Despite that plea, Heimlich stated in a 2018 New York Times interview that “nothing ever happened.” Heimlich called the guilty plea “a decision me and my parents thought was the best option to move forward as a family,” adding that he has always maintained his innocence.
Heimlich, who wasn’t selected in either the 2017 or 2018 draft, has been connected to the Royals on multiple occasions, with general manager Dayton Moore advocating in a 2018 interview with The Athletic’s Rustin Dodd that he believes Heimlich has “earned an opportunity to play professional baseball.” To this point, no MLB organization has taken that step. A contract to play with the Lamigo Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League last August was rejected by the league after it had been agreed upon between the team and Heimlich’s representatives.
Latest On Luke Heimlich
AUGUST 10: Per CPBL Stats (via Twitter), the league has now officially rejected the contract.
AUGUST 8: The Lamigo Monkeys, a Taiwanese professional team, recently announced the signing of former Oregon State pitcher Luke Heimlich. It’s not yet clear, however, that the contract will go into effect.
The CPBL Stats website has tracked the league’s reaction to the announcement. It seems that the league has given varying indications, at one point saying it would require termination of the contract but later indicating the matter was still under review. To this point, the Lamigo announcement is still accessible online and there is no indication that the contract has formally been rescinded.
By now, most MLBTR readers are surely familiar with Heimlich’s background. Many, no doubt, have formed strong opinions on what it means for his future as a professional baseball player. In brief, Heimlich pled guilty as a teenager to sexually molesting a child, a fact which emerged in the middle of his tenure as a standout collegiate ballplayer. Regardless of one’s viewpoint, it’s worth reviewing this recent assessment of the situation from Kurt Streeter of the New York Times.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported during this year’s draft that Heimlich was nearly certain to join a MLB organization. Indeed, the Royals even publicized their possible interest (see here and here), while other organizations were also said to be considering a highly controversial move to bring in an undeniably talented player with a deeply concerning past.
As it has turned out, though, Heimlich was not selected in the draft and has not joined an affiliated club as a free agent. The fact that he has not found a willing team to this point perhaps indicates that it won’t happen — at least, in the near-term.
Instead, it seems he and his representatives have turned their attention to opportunities abroad, perhaps hoping that he’ll have an opportunity to earn some money and build some momentum toward an eventual move to a MLB organization. The outcome of that initiative, too, remains uncertain at this point in time.