Waukee alum Jackson Wentworth passed on the draft in high school. This time he'll sign.

During Jackson Wentworth’s senior season at Waukee High School, the right-handed pitcher had one Major League Baseball team that was ready to draft him. Wentworth said he doesn't remember which team it was. He does recall that the team wasn’t willing to give him the amount of money it would take to forego a scholarship at Kansas State.

“I knew it was more beneficial for me to go to college and develop and become more mature and understand the game a lot better,” Wentworth said.

Wentworth’s patience was rewarded Monday when the Urbandale native and former Waukee standout was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round of the MLB Draft. This time, Wentworth plans to accept the offer, pass on the remainder of his college career and begin his career as a professional baseball player.

“It means a lot,” Wentworth said of the opportunity. "I'm getting to pursue my dream of getting to work a job that I’ve been dreaming to work for a long time.”

Wentworth was one of the most polished high school pitchers in Iowa. He was ranked as the No. 3 overall and No. 2 right-handed pitcher in the state by Perfect Game. Wentworth mowed down opposing hitters in his senior year, going 8-2 with a 1.08 ERA and 101 strikeouts in just 58 1/3 innings of work.

His impressive stuff, including a fastball in the 90s, attracted the attention of scouts and one team in particular. But Wentworth had a specific number in mind that would lure him away from Kansas State. The team wouldn't go that high, so he turned down the offer and went to college.

Wentworth's college career wasn't always smooth sailing. He underwent Tommy John surgery and then struggled in his return to the mound as a redshirt freshman in 2023. But like many pitchers returning from the surgery, Wentworth had a breakout season the following campaign when he went 5-6 with a 4.24 ERA and 115 strikeouts, second-most in program history, in 87 innings.

Wentworth, who worked out of the bullpen before taking on a weekend starter role, was a part of combined no-hitter early in the season and a key component to Kansas State’s run to Super Regionals.

After the ups and downs, Wentworth said his time in college helped get him to where he is now.

“It all worked out in the end,” he said.

Wentworth said he developed as a person and as a player at Kansas State. He gained notoriety during one of the team's games when cameras caught himself humorously hitting himself as he entered the game to pump himself up. Wentworth said scouts enjoyed the tactic. They also enjoyed how he grew on the mound, developing a cutter, a better curveball and a two-seam fastball.

"I definitely saw improvements on the mental side of pitching," Wentworth said.

It has led to a big payday. The assigned slot value of Wentworth's pick is $414,600. Wentworth wouldn't say how much he planned to sign for except that he was getting the entirety of the value. He plans to fly out and meet with team officials Friday and then begin his professional career.

There's more work to be done for Wentworth, who has some big goals.

"Get on that 40-man roster as quick as possible, to keep developing as a pitcher and learning more stuff, become physically stronger and fine-tune my pitches," he said.

Here's a look at other notable Iowans who were selected in the three-day MLB Draft.

• Brody Brecht, Ankeny High School (Iowa), competitive balance round A, Colorado Rockies
• Blake Larson, Dowling Catholic High School (IMG Academy), competitive balance round B, Chicago White Sox
• Joey Oakie, Ankeny Centennial High School, third round, Cleveland Guardians
• Jackson Wentworth, Waukee High School (Kansas State), fifth round, Toronto Blue Jays
• Brett Sears, Harlan Community High School, Iowa Central, (Nebraska), seventh round, Atlanta Braves
• Sam Petersen, Ballard High School (Iowa), eighth round, Washington Nationals
• Jack Young, Pleasant Valley High School (Iowa), ninth round, Chicago White Sox
• Marcus Morgan, Iowa City West High School (Iowa), ninth round, Philadelphia Phillies
• Cade Obermueller, Iowa City High (Iowa), 19th round, Texas Rangers

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Waukee alum Jackson Wentworth passed on the draft in high school. This time he'll sign.