Webb City native Logan VanWey turning heads in MLB Draft League

Jared Porter, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·4 min read

Jul. 27—Webb City native Logan VanWey took to the MLB Draft League two months ago with a few goals in mind.

"The main hope was to get people's attention and show what I can do," VanWey said. "That and keep improving. It is called the draft league, and I wanted to get drafted or signed by a pro team."

One of those goals has certainly come to fruition. The Missouri Southern senior and Trenton Thunder relief pitcher has turned heads in the draft league's inaugural season, posting 26 strikeouts and a blistering 0.98 ERA in 18 1/3 innings of work.

VanWey was recently listed as one of the Atlanta Braves' NCAA Division II players to watch by NCAA reporter and SB Nation contributor Wayne Cavadi, who stated that VanWey "has been a solid reliever for the Lions, but has looked particularly sharp in the Draft League."

It's not just VanWey's statistics that are garnering attention this summer, but also the physical attributes and abilities that have made those figures possible. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound righty has a three-pitch arsenal at his disposal, including a fastball averaging 92-94 miles per hour and topping out and 96 mph, as well as a lethal slider and a changeup.

Not to mention, VanWey's fastball has a spin rate of 2,600 revolutions per minute (RPMs), which is among the highest marks in the draft league.

"Anytime I throw my fastball elevated, it looks like it sort of rises because of the spin rate and my arm angle," VanWey said. "And I like to throw my slider off of that and tunnel the pitch. My slider has been my biggest strikeout pitch on top of my fastball. Then my changeup is a pitch I keep in my back pocket for lefties, trying to get them out on their front foot and then blow a fastball by them."

"(VanWey) has electric stuff," Trenton manager Jeff Manto told the Globe in early June. "His stuff is electric. There is a lot of funk to his motion. It just seems that it's hard for hitters to see the ball. The reaction to some of their swings is they do not see the ball. That's a real credit to him.

"(Spin rate) is a big thing now. He will have to continue to miss bats. The spin rate on his stuff is great and it is playing right now. If he continues to miss bats and throw the way he is, it's going to be a good thing for his career."

For now, it seems VanWey will have to wait a bit longer before he gets his shot at competing in the big leagues. The hurler wasn't selected by a team in the 20-round MLB Draft earlier this month, nor was he signed as an undrafted free agent in the weeks that followed.

It's just one more reason to continue grinding, according to VanWey.

"Even though things didn't turn out the way I expected, I'm definitely coming into my fifth year (of college baseball) with a bit of a chip on my shoulder," he said. "But overall, this experience has been good for me. "It's always nice to see different competition. In school ball, you kind of see a lot of the same kids over the years. So anytime you get a chance to see outside competition like some of the Division I guys and other really good players, that's obviously a good thing."

The draft league, founded and operated by MLB and Prep Baseball Report, features amateur prospects at all levels aiming to improve their professional draft stock. VanWey was joined by former MSSU teammates Zach Parish and Dexter Swims on the Thunder for the first two weeks of the summer season. Parish has since been signed as an undrafted free agent by the Texas Rangers organization, while Swims has announced his college transfer to Division I Missouri.

The draft league's first campaign will officially conclude on August 13.

"We have about six more games in the season, but I'll be leaving on August 2nd," VanWey said. "I've been here since May 22nd. So it's been over two months. I'll probably get two or three more outings and then head home to rest up before the fall."

Contact Jared Porter on Twitter at @JaredRyanPorter.