Leyland's son taken in 8th round

By Mike White | Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 3:35 p.m.

Bishop Canevin catcher Patrick Leyland was taken in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball draft today by -- guess who? -- the Detroit Tigers.

Leyland is the son of Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland. Although Leyland was drafted fairly high, it will be interesting to see whether he'll sign with the Tigers, despite his father's presence. Patrick already has signed to play at the University of Maryland and it will take a pretty good amount of money for him to walk away from the chance to play for the Terrapins.

Some might think that picking Patrick Leyland was a goodwill gesture by the Tigers, because of his father. But selecting someone in the eighth round is a little too high for a goodwill gesture. Patrick Leyland (pictured to the left) has talent. Baseball America rated him the No. 15 prospect in the state for the draft (high school or college players).

In the Detroit Free Press a few days ago, Jim Leyland indicated Patrick would prefer to turn pro. We'll see.

Patrick was the WPIAL's 17th-leading hitter in the regular season with a .532 average (25 of 47). He also was a member of Bishop Canevin's golf team that won the WPIAL Division II championship last fall.