Homewood-Flossmoor alum Dillon Head heads to MLB draft: 'It's definitely been a dream'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Dillon Head has been a star on the field at Homewood-Flossmoor High School.
He's also gotten to play on the national stage through programs like Perfect Game.
He's hoping his talents can take him to the biggest stage, Major League Baseball, with a lot of hard work along the way. CBS 2's Matt Zahn has more on his high hopes.
Dillon Head was getting in some work at the Southland Center in Lynwood before what could be one of the biggest weekends of his life.
"Watching the guys before me. A couple of years ago, seeing Ed Howard be drafted. Being able to be in the same situation. It's a little surreal," he said.
The Homewood-Flossmoor alum is hoping to be in the same situation as former Mount Carmel star Ed Howard, who was a first-round pick of the Cubs in the 2020 MLB Draft. Head has a good shot to also be a first-round pick.
"It's going to be a cool experience, something you dream of as a little kid. Seeing myself develop to become one of those guys to have their name called on Sunday is going to be a real blessing," Head said.
It's here where Dillon is putting in the work on an almost daily basis, and that's part of what makes him so special.
"Man, crazy work. Here hitting every day. Here training with Griff. Do a lot of speed, agility stuff. Keep getting faster. Always room to improve," Head said.
Griff is Jason Griffin, who knows a thing or two about training high-end athletes, having worked with Ed Howard, among many others.
"It's been a great experience for me. It's been a long journey since he was 11 or 12 years old. He's been around other guys who went through the process like Ed Howard, so he had a good blueprint. For me, it was how do we apply that blueprint to help him where he is now. He just wants to be great, and to hold him accountable for that has been great to see that process. Hopefully, we'll see how things work out this weekend," said Griffin, founder of IMR Athletics Sports Performance
While Head said he's a five-tool player, and the scouts agree, it is his speed that sets him apart.
"If he wants to run the 100, he'll probably finish in the top three. If he want to go run the 40-yard dash, he'd probably run a 4.3. He's very fast. He's a fast-twitch guy, very explosive. I think that compliments his game especially on the bases and in the outfield," Griffin said.
And while Dillon is known for his speed, he's not going to rush the big decision he'll have ahead of him after he gets drafted. He has 30 days to decide whether to go pro or go to college at Clemson University.
"I'm just letting the chips fall where they may. See how everything turns out. I'm not fully sold. Loved it when I was down at Clemson," said Head.
Has MLB been a dream for a while?
"It's definitely been a dream, but I know I'm going to get to my dream whether it be through college or straight to pro ball."