Travel Baseball Teams in Iowa

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MLB Players from Iowa

There are ten active MLB players from Iowa. Among them are Mike Wacha, Ryan Sweeney, Jeremy Hellickson, and Jeff Larish.

Mike Wacha

Pitcher Mike Wacha is probably the best known Iowan major leaguer. He was born in 1991 in Iowa City, but moved to the Texarkana area in early childhood. Wacha played plenty of sports while growing up. He played USSSA baseball as a preteen and early teen. He was with the Texarkana Indians at the 11U AAA and 12U AA levels (http://www.usssa.com/SPORTS/FindPlayerHistory.asp?PlaID=249054). It was back to AAA as a 14U player; this time, his team was the T-Town BlackHawks.

Wacha was on the team at Pleasant Grove High School where he made All-State his junior and senior years. He played American Legion ball in the summertime. His father coached, and his little sister was bat girl (http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/world-series-notes-michael-wacha-st-louis-cardinals-boston-red-sox-102513).

Wacha also played some more USSSA baseball in his late teens. He was with the Twin City Bulldogs in the 17-Jr--AAA division. Soon it was off to Texas A & M. At this level, his honors included Freshman All-American as well as starting roles in key games (http://www.aggieathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27300&ATCLID=205236572).

Wacha had an opportunity to play on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. He was selected in the 1st round of the 2012 draft. During his brief time in the minors, he moved from the Rookie League Cardinals to the Palm Beach Cardinals and then to the Springfield Cardinals. He also put in a brief stint with the Memphis Redbirds. He made his major league debut in 2013 at age 21.

Jeremy Hellickson

Jeremy Hellickson was born in Des Moines in 1987. As a child, he played on the Beaverdale Little League team (http://www.beaverdalebaseball.com/custpage.php?cid=77). Later he played for Hoover High School. He also put some time in in the Babe Ruth League.

A teenage Hellickson was taken in the 4th round of the 2005 draft. His time in the minors was longer. He was on a number of teams between 2005 and 2010, beginning with Rookie level Princeton and progressing to AAA Durham. He made his major league debut in 2010.

But success came. Hellickson was AL Rookie of the Year in 2011 (http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hellic001jer).

Ryan Sweeney

Ryan Sweeney was born in Cedar Rapids in 1985. He enjoyed watching live baseball as a boy. He, too, saw some playing time in the Babe Ruth League. He played in the Perfect Game wood bat league between 1999 and 2005 (http://www.perfectgame.org/players/playerprofile.aspx?ID=111666). As he matured, he participated in showcases and earned some favorable write ups. Baseball America selected him as the best fifteen-year-old player of 2000. Later he was named Louisville Slugger National Player of the Year.

Sweeney also found time to play for the team at Xavier High School; at that stage, he did some pitching. He went in the 2nd round of the 2003 draft when he was just 18. Great Falls, Winston-Salem, and Birmingham were among his minor league teams. His MLB debut came in 2006.

Learning from the Pros

Wacha, Hellickson, and Sweeney played plenty of ball growing up. They were all in youth leagues. There are lots of kids playing ball on rec and travel teams right now. There’s plenty they can learn, even if they will never get a draft call. And the experience can leave powerful memories. Knowing this, big leaguers sometimes like to drop in on the Little Leaguers they know. Hellickson recently retweeted a thank you from a baseball parent, “Thanks @JHell58 for coming to North Port little league practice. You made my daughter's day.”

Academics are important, though, no matter what the level of talent. Mike Wacha was in National Honor Society.

Travel Baseball Teams in Iowa

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