Baseball: Wilborn reaches deal with Dodgers

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • June 19, 2009

In the end, Greg Wilborn decided that pitching in the pros was worth more than coming back for his final year of eligibility at UL.

Wilborn, taken in the 18th round of last week’s draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, told theadvertiser.com that he agreed to terms with the organization

Tuesday and signed a contract Wednesday after passing a physical.

The left-hander from New Mexico will take an early morning

flight today to Utah and join the Ogden Raptors, the Dodgers’ rookie ball affiliate in the Pioneer League. The Raptors open the season Tuesday against the Orem Owlz.

"They made a good offer that I couldn’t turn down," Wilborn said. "It’s an opportunity that not many people get. I just felt like I needed to take this opportunity and start my professional career. I’m excited to see how far I can go now."

Wilborn was predicted by some draft experts to go between the sixth and 12th round but lasted until the 18th round, when the Dodgers took him with the 547th overall pick. He was up and down as a redshirt junior, going 3-4 with a 7.83 ERA in 12 appearances in his first year back since missing the 2008 season due to elbow ligament reconstruction surgery.

While Wilborn hit 15 batters and walked 34 this past season, he had 46 strikeouts in 46 innings. The biggest plus is his velocity, which has been clocked in the mid-90s.

Wilborn won his first three decisions in 2009, including a stellar outing in a win over Southern Miss on March 1. He tossed 6.2 innings of one-run ball and struck out six to silence a Golden Eagle club that later advanced to the College World Series.

On March 22, Wilborn fanned a career-high 10 batters in a win over Arkansas-Little Rock. In his second-to-last start of the year he opened strong against fourth-ranked Rice on May 12, striking out five and holding the Owls to one run through the first four innings before giving up three runs in the fifth. He left the game in the sixth with the bases loaded, and the bullpen allowed all three runners to score as Wilborn took the loss despite striking out eight.

UL coach Tony Robichaux says that pro scouts had a couple of reasons to like what Wilborn has to offer on the mound. When a pitcher hits in the mid-90s and has a loose arm, scouts are likely going to give that guy a chance regardless of his other numbers.

Wilborn’s velocity and potential helped scouts overlook his lack of production in college. In three seasons at UL, he went 4-5 with a 7.30 ERA over 30 appearances.

"The thing about Greg is that he has some real good arm speed," Robichaux said. "Scouts look for arm speed and want guys who have a loose arm, what they refer to as a whip. He’s not very tight and doesn’t labor when he throws the ball. The looser the arm, the more the velocity down the road. I think his velocity will continue to climb.

"The key is going to be whether he can start to locate better."

Jim Callis, executive director of Baseball America, told theadvertiser.com last week that Wilborn had the potential to pitch at the next level. Whether he would get a shot this summer depended largely on if both sides could agree to terms.

"Some scouts have heard that he’s touched 94 (miles per hour), but he’s a Tommy John (surgery) guy and has some durability questions because of that," Callis said. "He didn’t have a great year, but sometimes it helps for a guy like that to be able to go and throw some innings (in the minors) and not worry about winning and losing."

Wilborn grew up in New Mexico rooting for the Chicago Cubs and first baseman Mark Grace. When Grace left the Cubs as a free agent for Arizona after the 2000 season, Wilborn started to follow the Diamondbacks.

Now he’s ready to start his pro career in the Dodgers’ minor league system. As Wilborn prepares for his new journey, he will forever be grateful for his time in Louisiana and the opportunity to play for the Cajuns.

"I really enjoyed it out there," Wilborn said. "The people were always nice and treated me well, and the coaches were great. I had an awesome time there. It’s an experience every high schooler should try if they get the chance."