The 2021 Major League Baseball Draft is right around the corner and Eastern Illinois shortstop
Trey Sweeney may be one of the names called early in this year's draft.
Sweeney has climbed up many prospect lists following his All-American season with the Panthers in which he hit .382 with ten doubles, 14 home runs, 58 RBI and 52 runs scored. Sweeney was the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year while becoming a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award and semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Award.
Sweeney has been targeted as a first round selection in several mock drafts landing in recent publications as high as the 24th overall pick by the Atlanta Braves to the 28th overall selection by the Tampa Bay Rays. Sweeney's name has also been listed with the Oakland A's at pick No. 25 and Minnesota Twins at pick No. 26.
The MLB Draft will begin on Sunday evening (July 11) with the first round, a compensation pick for the Cincinnati Reds and the Competitive Balance Round A all held that evening. This year the draft will be 20 rounds, an increase from the pandemic-shortened five rounds last year, but still only half of the 40-round MLB Draft last used during the 2019 season.
Rounds two through ten will take place on Monday followed by the final ten rounds on Tuesday.  Last season Eastern Illinois pitcher Will Klein was selected in the fifth round of the shortened draft by the Kansas City Royals.
If selected in the first round Sweeney would become only the third player in EIU baseball history to be selected in the first round. Tim Pyznarski is the Panthers highest draft selection after being taken 15th overall in the 1981 MLB Draft by the Oakland A's.  Stan Royer was then selected in the first round of the 1988 MLB Draft with the 16th overall pick by the Oakland A's.
Sweeney would also be the third Ohio Valley Conference player ever selected in the first round. Drew Hall from Morehead State was the third overall pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 1984 draft. Christian Friedrich of Eastern Kentucky was selected in the 2008 first round by the Colorado Rockies.Â
