Jon Heasley, a Royals pitching prospect, did not walk across a stage in a cap and gown during his graduation ceremony in early May.
Instead, he put on his Northwest Arkansas uniform, grabbed his glove, and walked onto the mound to continue his strong start in Double-A.
Heasley, the Royals’ No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, graduated from Oklahoma State with a degree in business management three years after being selected in the 13th round of the 2018 Draft.
Despite the fact that he was just starting his professional baseball career, he wanted to finish school as well, thanks to some encouragement from his mother, Sheri Heasley.
In a Zoom interview with MLB.com on Wednesday, Heasley added, “Shoutout to Sheri.” “Now that I’m done with it, I’m really glad she got on me about it.”
I needed to finish it anyway, and I decided it was better to do it now than try to do it 10 years later. Semester after semester, I just chipped away.”
While getting his first taste of professional baseball, Heasley, 24, took online classes, two or three every semester.
In Rookie ball, the right-hander had a 5.15 ERA, then a 3.12 ERA in Low-A Lexington across 25 games (20 starts) in 2019.
Jon Heasley Contract
The Kansas City Royals signed Jon Heasley to a one-year, $700,000 contract, with $700,000 guaranteed.
Jon Heasley Salary
Jon Heasley makes an annual average salary of $700,000.
Jon Heasley’s Net Worth
Jon Heasley has an estimated net worth of $1 million to $5 million.