Dakota Hawkins may not have heard his name called in the MLB draft, but the former W.F. West standout is still going pro.
Just a couple of hours after the 20th and final round of the draft wrapped up Tuesday with Hawkins’ name still on the board, the WSU graduate inked a deal as a free agent with the New York Mets.
“I’m really excited to get started,” he said. “I’ve been hoping to get this opportunity, so I’m definitely going to run with what I’ve got.”
The process to get there, though, was a roller coaster.
As a senior in college, Hawkins knew that he wasn’t going to have anybody shelling out early-round picks or signing bonuses in the millions for him, but expected to hear his name called sometime on the second or third day of the draft.
Instead, he spent the whole three days with his family, with his phone conspicuously quiet.
Around the 18th round, though, he got a text from the San Diego Padres, asking whether he’d be willing to sign as an undrafted free agent should he go the rest of the draft without getting picked. Thirty seconds after he responded affirmatively to that text, a similar one came in from the Chicago White Sox. Then came another from Baltimore.
Soon, he had what he described as a “bidding war” going on between as many as seven franchises. But things didn’t end there.
Within minutes of the draft ending — and Hawkins indeed going unexpectedly undrafted — the New York Mets came a-calling, with a deal “that blew everyone else’s offers out of the water.”
Just as soon as he accepted it, though, the Mets front office called again with the worst sort of news. Thanks to a clerical error on their end, they had miscalculated how much they could give him — by a factor of 10.
That sent Hawkins back to the other clubs in their previous bidding war. But no sooner had the first volley of new offers come in from the likes of the Orioles and Padres than a new call came in from New York, admitting that the take-back on the first offer was actually unnecessary, and they could give him the original amount promised, in the low six-figures.
“It was crazy,” Hawkins said. “For that 15 minutes after the draft, I went from being on cloud nine to being like, ‘What the heck just happened?’ to being back on cloud nine.”
Now, Hawkins will report to either the Mets’ Rookie Ball team or their Single-A squad, both of which are located in St. Lucie, Florida.
Hawkins is coming off a senior season in Pullman that earned him All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors, with a 4.32 ERA in 14 starts comprising 73 innings, complete with 92 strikeouts — leading WSU’s staff in all four categories.
He finished his three years with the Cougars with a 4.85 ERA in 144 ⅔ innings.
Prior to coming to WSU, Hawkins began his collegiate career in Longview at Lower Columbia College. Appearing in 10 games out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2019, Hawkins struck out 32 in 21 ⅔ innings, finishing with a 4.57 ERA, a 13.29 K/9, and a 1.50 WHIP. He only made two appearances in the shortened 2020 season, striking out 13 and walking none.
Hawkins finished his high school career in Chehalis as an all-area selection after leading W.F. West with a .471 batting average and 29 RBIs as the Bearcats’ starting shortstop. On the mound, he posted a 0.95 ERA in 22 innings as a senior.
Next up, Hawkins will fly to Florida in the coming week for a physical, after which the Mets will decide where exactly they want to send him.
“I’m really excited to get started,” he said. “I’ve been hoping to get this opportunity, so I’m definitely going to run with what I’ve got.”
