Moving on

Panthers pitcher drafted by Angels

KITCHENER — Dan Procopio’s stint with the Kitchener Panthers was as dominant as it was shortlived.

In three games for the local Intercounty Baseball League team, he struck out 18 in 11 innings, giving up just two hits while facing 41 batters. His earned run average was a minuscule 0.81.

The Panthers were naturally impressed by the right-hander with the fastball that reached into the high 90s. It turns out, so were major league scouts.

On Tuesday, Procopio was drafted in the 10th round of the MLB amateur draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Toronto native pitched his last game for the Panthers the night before, picking up the win in an 11-2 Panthers victory.

“It’s his dream,” said Panthers assistant coach Denis Bailey. “We wish we could have had him a little longer, but obviously we’re happy for him.”

It was Bailey who convinced Procopio, who just finished his last season of college baseball with Niagara University, to pitch for Kitchener while he awaited the draft. He had coached Procopio as a teenager during the Cannon Cup, the annual Ontario Baseball Association tournament, and the pair have stayed in touch since.

While the team is losing a top-tier pitcher, it’s always good to have them around even if you know their time is limited, Bailey said.

“It brings everybody’s game up. Everybody looks around and they see guys like that and it’s like ‘We’re serious.’ It just kind of makes everybody want to be better,” he said. “It just shows that the Panthers get those upper echelon players … It speaks volumes about the type of organization the Panthers are.”

The last time a Panthers player was drafted was in 2006, when Bluevale Collegiate Institute grad Terrell Alliman was picked by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 28th round. Alliman made the advanced Single-A level, before returning to the IBL.

Procopio, who was drafted in the 22nd round by the New York Mets in 2013 but did not sign, told the team getting drafted again was a very real possibility this month.

“We knew he probably wasn’t going to be here all summer. So it was good to have him while we did, and we wish him the best,” said Scott Ballantyne, the team’s general manager.

His departure means the Panthers may want to add another pitcher, something they have until June 26 to do under league rules. If the Panthers add a new pitcher, he’d have to be Canadian, since the team used its four import spots on its Cuban players.

The Panthers travelled to Brantford Wednesday night, before hosting Hamilton Thursday night at Jack Couch Park.