Ty Weber signs as undrafted free agent with San Francisco

2020 has been an unpredictable year for Ty Weber, but the road will hopefully lead to the MLB.

Illini ace Ty Weber was off to a red hot start in 2020, improving his draft stock every time he took the mound.

Before the season got cut short, Weber was 2-0 in four starts, pitching to the tune of a 1.31 ERA and striking out 15 batters.

One of those wins came in the Frisco Classic against Texas A & M, where Weber out dueled fourth overall pick by the Kansas City Royals, Asa Lacy.

Speaking of the draft, Weber was ticketed to get selected, at one point or another. However, once the season got cut short and the MLB was granted the power to shorten the draft from 40 rounds to just five, the future for Weber became much less certain.

The NCAA granted players like Weber, and seniors all across the nation, another year of eligibility if they chose to come back. After not hearing his name in the draft, that certainly was a possibility for the Wisconsin native.

But on Monday, two days after the draft concluded Weber officially announced that he had signed a professional contract as a free agent with the San Francisco Giants.

He finishes his career at Illinois after three years and less than a quarter of his fourth. He had been in head coach Dan Hartleb’s starting rotation for all four of those seasons.

The right hander finishes his career with the Illini with 12 wins, a 3.97 ERA and 167 strikeouts. It was a constant improvement for Weber, who saw his ERA drop from 5.51 to 1.31 over the course of his college career.

The right hander was also known for his leadership in the locker room, something that will translate in any locker room he is in. There is still room to grow for Weber, who has displayed great potential, which is ultimately why the Giants pulled the trigger and signed the recent Illinois graduate.

As for Illini baseball, this is the first year since 2017 where Illinois has been kept out of the draft — which certainly would not have been the case if the draft was a usual 40 rounds. Garrett Acton among others would have likely heard their name called, and are still waiting to see if they can get a free agent deal like Weber.

But as for Weber, he is a professional baseball player. It has been a chaotic journey, but he is where he wanted be.