Baseball: Crystal Lake South alumnus Jake Bimbi selected by Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024 MLB Draft

Jake Bimbi was just looking for a way to kill some time when he decided to go get some tacos Tuesday afternoon.

Bimbi, a 2020 Crystal Lake South grad, had a strong feeling he’d be selected during the third day of the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft. But Bimbi still wanted to distract himself until it finally happened.

Once he got home and placed his order on the table, Bimbi got the news he’d been waiting for much earlier than expected. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Bimbi in the 11th round with the 324th overall pick.

“It was pretty wild, I didn’t think it was going to happen there,” Bimbi said. “I’m glad that it did.”

It didn’t always seem like it would happen at all. Bimbi had to overcome some obstacles in order to get to his dream of playing in the MLB.

The first was having a couple of seasons taken away from him. Bimbi missed his senior season with the Gators after the IHSA canceled it because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then he didn’t play his freshman year at Wabash Valley Community College in Mount Carmel because of his recovery from Tommy John surgery on his left elbow.

After an impressive sophomore season with the Warriors where he earned 2022 NJCAA Division I First-Team All-American honors, Bimbi committed to Tennessee for his junior season. But once he realized the Volunteers weren’t the right fit, he transferred to Western Kentucky for his senior year this past spring and found the program he needed to reach his dreams.

“I definitely trusted the process,” Bimbi said. “There were definitely some times where I might’ve questioned myself but not my ability to make it. At the end of the day, I knew that each stop was preparing me and giving me a little bit more of what I needed to be ready for the professional baseball atmosphere.”

Bimbi, a left-handed pitcher, appeared in 15 games and started 14 for Western Kentucky. He struck out a team-high 71 batters over 54 ⅔ innings, posted a 4-2 record and struck out five or more batters in a game seven times.

South baseball coach Brian Bogda knew Bimbi had the potential to play in the majors just based on how the ball came out his hand. Bimbi was a Northwest Herald All-Area First-Team selection, going 8-1 with a 1.71 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings as a junior with the Gators. He also helped the Gators boys soccer team win a state championship in 2018.

Bogda watched Bimbi battle different adversities throughout his career and knows Bimbi can handle what he’ll face at the next level.

“This is his job, and this is what he’ll do,” Bogda said. “I know he’ll take it seriously, he’ll work hard and he’ll do a great job.”

Although Bimbi was open to being selected by any team, he was excited the Pirates selected him. Bimbi pointed out the strong growth from young Pirates pitches like Paul Skenes and 2019 Cary-Grove alumnus Quinn Priester and hopes to follow in their footsteps.

Bimbi and Priester played against each other in high school and have kept in contact since. He’s excited for the chance to join Priester with the MLB team soon.

“Just to know in the back of my mind that somebody from our area made it to the exact team that I got drafted to is kind of a nice feeling,” Bimbi said. “They’re not looking down on anybody. These kids from Chicago can play, they’re drafting them because they can, and they’re putting everything they can to get them to the bigs.”

Bimbi said he expects to go out to the Pirates’ spring training facility in Florida to do his physical and sign some papers before he can get started. What’s next after that, he’s not sure, but he’s ready for whatever opportunity presents itself.

“I know that baseball has gotten me everywhere that I needed to when I’ve put in the effort,” Bimbi said. “As long as I continue that, I don’t think there’s anything stopping me.”