BASEBALL | FIRST-YEAR PLAYER DRAFT

The difference between 2004 and today is the difference between hope and certainty, at least for John Ely.

The 2004 Homewood-Flossmoor grad believed he was ready to go off and play pro ball after high school, but didn't get the chance.

So he went off to pitch for Miami University in Ohio, and now it looks like opportunity is going to knock on his door.

The junior right-hander is one of the area's top prospects for baseball's annual First-Year Player Draft for prep, junior college and four-year college players, which begins a two-day run today.

"What I'm hearing now is very positive," Ely said this week. "It's looking like somewhere in the top five rounds."

That's a different scenario than when he left H-F after going 27-5.

"I had assumed I was going to college out of high school," he said. "I asked for too much (of a signing bonus). I knew they wanted me to mature a little more."

That's what he's done at Miami, where he's won 26 games in three seasons and twice made the All-Mid-American Conference first team.

There are other good numbers, too, including a fastball that tops out at 95 mph and is consistently from 91-94 mph. That's a good bump from his high 80s-low 90s heater in high school.

And yes, Ely still is using the same unorthodox motion that had some scouts wondering if he'd have arm problems down the road. He's proven them wrong by taking his regular turn for three seasons now in college, on top of an injury-free prep career.

"I think the skeptics are starting to die down," he said.

And at the same time, he's more of a believer in himself now.

"I probably told you in high school I was ready to go (pro), but there's no way that was true," Ely said. "Everybody in high school thinks they're ready.

"Over the last three years, I have developed a better understanding of baseball. ... Knowing how to pitch in (certain) situations, I've come a long way."

And the journey isn't close to being over.