Drafted in the 3rd round (108th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2005 (signed for $315,000).
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Billek seemed poised for a storybook 2005 season. He came to Central Florida highly recruited and got plenty of work as a freshman, then went into the doghouse as an overweight sophomore who was suspended for violating team rules. Billek worked hard to get in shape in the Cape Cod League and came back to have a monster fall, hitting 95 mph on radar guns during Central Florida's fall scouts' day. He had an inconsistent spring, however, ending up in the Golden Knights bullpen. His problems were caused in part by a nagging hip injury that left him topping out at 92 mph instead of the 95 he showed in the fall. He sat at 88-90 as a starter, and most scouts feel Billek will be better off as a reliever. In that role, he throws his slurvy breaking ball harder and it plays up a grade to average. Billek offers scouts a physical pro body with a relatively fresh arm (fewer than 150 college innings) and above-average arm strength. It should be good enough to push him into the first five or six rounds.
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The Cubs believe the best is yet to come for Billek, who won six games in three seasons at Central Florida before signing last June for $315,000 as a third-round pick. He didn't get in shape as a sophomore and then was suspended for violating team rules, and his junior season was marred by a nagging hip injury. Billek drew a lot of interest by hitting 95 mph on the Golden Knights' scout day in the fall of 2004, but pitched mostly at 88-90 mph while battling his hip during the spring. Big and strong at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, he may profile best as a reliever. In that role he could pitch at 92-94 mph, and he also has shown a harder, tighter curveball when he has come out of the bullpen. Billek pitched as a starter in his pro debut, acquitting himself well in low Class A, and will stay in that role for now. If he comes up with a reliable changeup and shows more consistency with his fastball and curve, he could remain a long-term starter. Billek may open his first full season in high Class A.
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