Obeso drafted by Blue Jays

The timing may not be right now, but last week’s Major League Baseball Draft proved the big leagues are definitely within reach for one of Kingfisher County’s best.

With their final pick of the 2019 draft, the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday selected Dover High School product Miguel Obeso, who just wrapped up his freshman season at Cowley County Community College in Kansas.

Obeso wasn’t a high pick and likely will return to Cowley County for his sophomore season, but that didn’t take away from the thrill.

“It’s a pretty cool moment when you see your name pop up on the board,” Obeso said.

Few county products put up a season as dominant as Obeso’s during his senior spring season at Dover in 2018.

The right-hander went 7-1 and had two saves in as many opportunities while making 16 appearances for the Longhorns.

He struck out 135 batters in 52 1/3 innings (an average of 2.6 per inning) and had a 0.803 earned run average.

In a 10-0 district championship win against Carney, Obeso struck out 14 batters and surrendered just one hit in five innings.

He also batted .460 and led the team with seven home runs and 36 RBIs.

His performance earned him Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State status and interest from a number of colleges.

Obeso ultimately chose Cowley County with the hopes of moving on to Division I after a two-year stint with the Tigers.

Obeso’s stats weren’t mind-blowing this spring at Cowley. He made 15 appearances and started two games while going 3-0 and garnering a 6.20 ERA.

In 24 2/3 innings, Obeso walked 17 batters, but struck out 42.

That’s one of the numbers that caught scouts’ eyes.

The other numbers were his velocity.

Obeso, listed at 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds, routinely hit 94 to 96 miles per hour with his fast ball and topped out at 98.

“What first caught their attention was my velocity,” said Obeso, who said he was contacted by several MLB teams throughout the spring.

“They also liked my secondary pitches and how I was able to locate at times.”

MLB teams weren’t the only ones after Obeso.

He also picked up an offer this spring from Texas Tech University, which just advanced to the College World Series, for the 2020-21 season.

Tech is just one of several Division 1 programs who had shown interest before Obeso committed to the Red Raiders last month.

“Texas Tech was one of the first teams that showed a lot of interest and they stayed in touch with me throughout the year,” Obeso said.

“I have always had a goal to play D1 baseball at a powerhouse program like Tech. I knew I would most likely want to stay in the Big 12 and what better team to do it with than Texas Tech?”

Still, Obeso knew he had a chance of being drafted.

“We knew there was a possibility it would happen,” he said. “We just didn’t know exactly when it would.”

It came in the 40th round and he was the 1,197th player taken.

Knowing he can improve his draft stock, Obeso presently plans to not sign with the Blue Jays.

“As of right now, I plan to return to Cowley for my sophomore year,” he said. “I had a great freshman season and would love to go back another year.”