Former IU baseball player Ryan Fineman has become the second Hoosier to sign a deal with an MLB team.
After Matt Gorski officially signed a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates after being drafted by them, Fineman announced Wednesday he would be signing as a free agent to the Tampa Bay Rays.
He will most likely be assigned to one of the Rays' minor league affiliates — the Princeton Rays, Gulf Coast Rays or Hudson Valley Renegades — to start his career.
Hailing from Westlake Village, California, Fineman started all four years for IU. Fineman made the Big Ten All-Freshman team in his first year for the Hoosiers.
This past season, Fineman recorded a career-high 17 putouts against Michigan. Although Fineman didn't play as much due to injuries, he still recorded 29 RBIs and 26 runs in 142 at-bats, totaling a .218 batting average.
Junior year was Fineman’s best year with a .284 batting average, 37 RBIs and seven home runs. He also recorded 395 putouts and a .993 fielding percentage.
Fineman now becomes the 11th Hoosier this year to get drafted by or sign a deal with a professional team.
