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Projected first-round pick Andrew Dutkanych ready to make MLB dream reality
Andrew Dutkanych is ranked as the 22nd best prospect in this year’s MLB Draft. (Credit: USA Baseball)

Projected first-round pick Andrew Dutkanych ready to make MLB dream reality

INDIANAPOLIS (BVM) – Whether looking at high school or college players, 18-year-old pitcher Andrew Dutkanych is among the top prospects of this year’s MLB Draft.

Despite being just a senior in high school at Brebeuf Jesuit, Dutkanych is ranked as the 22nd best prospect available in July’s draft according to mlb.com, and is seen as one of the best pitchers in this year’s class.

With a dominant slider, strong fastball that reaches the mid-90s, and a solid curveball and changeup, Dutkanych appears to have all the tools to make his MLB dream come true sooner than later.

“It is pretty surreal,” Dutkanych said about the likelihood of being an early draft pick this summer. “When I was younger and all those rankings were coming out, I was never ranked very high. And then now I see mock drafts coming out and it’s just like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty crazy.’

“I definitely am grateful. Ever since I was a really little kid, I wanted to play pro. I had all these little goals and these things I wanted to do. It’s just really cool that I’ve stayed the course. I wouldn’t say there’s any pressure because it’s just, since I was 7 years old, kind of what I always expected for my life.”

Andrew Dutkanych grew up watching New York Yankees games with his father, idolizing stars such as Derek Jeter and CC Sabathia. (Credit: Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

Growing up, Dutkanych played baseball with his dad and has fond memories of watching New York Yankees games with him, part of what led to his pro aspirations. He idolized Derek Jeter, both on and off the field, as well as former Yankees’ pitcher CC Sabathia.

While his talent was always evident, Dutkanych was a bit of a late-comer to the travel baseball circuit, playing for his dad’s local little league team until he was 12 years old. From there, he tried out for the Indiana Bulls.

“I tried out for the Bulls, just for fun, just because I wanted to see all of the best players in the state, I thought it’d be cool,” Dutkanych said. “Then I ended up making the A-team and I was just blown away. I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ I thought it was a joke. They had some radar gun when I was pitching and I didn’t realize how hard I threw. I didn’t even think I’d make that team but I ended up being one of the best pitchers on that team.”

By age 14, Dutkanych began getting attention from colleges as things continued to click thanks to the development and coaching he received through the Bulls.

“Definitely in those earlier years, they were very, very helpful,” Dutkanych added.

Through his high school years, Dutkanych has only gotten better. Last summer, he wowed pro scouts with strong performances time and again, including at the Perfect Game National Showcase, Perfect Game All-American Classic and East Coast Pro Showcase. 

Perhaps his most rewarding experience came at the end of the year, where Dutkanych got to join forces with some of the competition he faced in those events with USA Baseball.

“Team USA was great,” Dutkanych said. “From the beginning of the summer to the end of summer, there are all these huge events with all of the best players in the country … You’re playing against each other. But for USA, we were all a team now, so instead of just facing the best players in the country, now all the best players in the country are on the same team and are playing against a different country. We got USA across our chest and it was just really cool for us to kind of all come together after being around each other and going at each other for so long.”

While he has had glaring success on the national stage, Dutkanych has never left his roots. He has continued to play high school baseball at Brebeuf Jesuit, and has predictably shined there as well. The 6-foot-3 pitcher made a seamless transition to high school ball as a freshman, but had to change some things up when his sophomore season was canceled due to the pandemic.

Andrew Dutkanych continued to show his pro potential while pitching for USA Baseball last year. (Credit: USA Baseball)

“Sophomore year, it was very hard because I had worked so hard in the offseason,” Dutkanych said. “I had a lot of progress going on and I was really excited to get out there. We moved into the locker room, got our jerseys, and then the very next day school was canceled.” 

Taking a few weeks off while everything was shut down, Dutkanych finally began working out again with Indiana native and Western Carolina baseball player Daylan Nanny, keeping both sharp despite not being able to play. Eventually, the travel season got going again, as Dutkanych had another impressive fall season with Team Indiana.

By the time last spring rolled around, Dutkanych was ready to get back on the mound at Brebeuf Jesuit. Playing for the seniors who missed out on their final season the year before, the pitcher was dominant yet again.

“I was just ready to see how well I could play,” Dutkanych said. “I actually had a little bit of a struggle at the beginning of the season, but then I had a stretch for maybe about a month-and-a-half where I didn’t give up an earned run, I was really cruising. I had a really good season overall.”

Through two high school seasons, Dutkanych has compiled over 200 strikeouts to just 35 walks with a 1.29 ERA. He has had many eye-popping performances such as an 18-strikeout no-hitter to win the Marion County tournament championship last season.

Coming off his tremendous summer and fall to finish 2021, Dutkanych is set for another strong spring season with the Braves this year, and hopes to leave an impact on the program that goes beyond the game.

“I felt like I got a lot better during the summer last year and I learned a lot of things about myself,” Dutkanych said. “Because of the offseason I just had, I’m expecting to have a really good year this year. By the time it’s all said and done, I don’t really care what people think of me as a player because the stats will probably speak for themselves. But I just want, especially people in the community, to just remember me being a good teammate, helping people out and leading, and just being a good dude overall.”

Off the field at Brebeuf Jesuit, Dutkanych has been just as successful, earning a weighted GPA of 4.65 last year. He thanks his own competitiveness and the competition among his friends to get good grades for his success, and will hope to keep it going if he does attend college.

Andrew Dutkanych has racked up over 200 strikeouts in his two seasons pitching for Brebeuf Jesuit. (Credit: Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

If he does end up becoming a student-athlete at the next level, it will come with a prestigious college baseball program at Vanderbilt. Dutkanych received plenty of offers early in the recruiting process, eventually narrowing down a few dozen offers to six. He took his time and thoroughly explored each of his options, and eventually got it down to Vanderbilt, Duke and Stanford. But ultimately, it came down to the Commodores.

“After I saw the campuses and had been talking to the coaches for a long time, I was able to make a decision,” Dutkanych noted. “What was important to me was, I wanted to play in a good conference and I wanted to go to a good academic school.”

For Dutkanych’s potential time at Vanderbilt, he is committed to doing whatever it takes to continue the success of the program.

“My goal if I go to Vanderbilt is really just to make as big of an impact as I can right away,” Dutkanych said. “In the offseason, I’m going to try and utilize all the resources that they’ll have available there and try to get as good as I can. And hopefully, I can be a big part of the team and a big part of a tournament run … I just want to win.”

However, before that happens, Dutkanych is set to hear his name called on draft day. An over decade-long dream is sure to come true this summer, and the high school senior knows it will be a special time.

“I’m probably going to cry,” Dutkanych said. “But it’ll definitely be cool … All the stuff right now doesn’t really seem real, but I think in that moment, it’s really going to hit me. I think my family will be really proud and really happy, it should be a pretty special moment.”

Then will come the decision of whether to go to Vanderbilt or straight to the MLB. Dutkanych isn’t focused on anything but his senior year at Brebeuf Jesuit for now, but is prepared to make the best choice for his future when the time comes.

If he does not go straight to the MLB, Andrew Dutkanych will join the Vanderbilt Commodores next season. (Credit: USA Baseball)

“I don’t know which one I want to do but I’m just focused on having the best season possible,” Dutkanych said. “It’s my senior year with my friends, my last go with my friends and my teammates, that’s what’s most important to me. As it gets closer and closer, I’ll have to think about it more. I think the factors will mostly just be on what do I want to do with my life these next few years. I really have no idea right now but I think the decision will be pretty obvious within a few weeks of that or so.”

Whether he goes to college first or pursues a pro career right away, it is clear Dutkanych seems to have what it takes to pitch in the MLB. Continually getting better, Dutkanych will use his same work ethic as he works his way up to the big leagues, hopefully leading to a successful pro career.

“I think I have a unique skill set to start a game and finish a game and work through lineups multiple times,” Dutkanych said. “I think wherever I am in the future, that team is going to have somebody who works really hard, somebody who’s going to figure out how to win, and I think I’ll bring a good chance of winning along with me. Hopefully I can play in the big leagues for a long time and make that my career.”

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