Ducks baseball recruit Matt Krook was all set to become a pro. The left-handed high school pitcher was selected by Miami with the 35th overall pick in June’s MLB draft, and even though he expressed his love for Oregon, his decision was made.

“I love Oregon, love the coaches up there, but I think at this point I’m ready to play pro ball,” Krook told the Miami Herald shortly after being drafted on June 6. “I just want to get my career started.”

The slot value for the 35th pick this year was just below $1.6 million, and the 18-year-old Krook could expect a contract close to that figure from the Marlins. Weeks after the draft, sources said the two sides had agreed to terms, so Krook to Miami was all but a done deal.

Then he failed his physical. There was an unspecified issue with Krook’s pitching arm or shoulder, which led the Marlins to reduce their initial offer. The new offer? Around $650,000, according to MLB Trade Rumors. That’s the slot value of a third-round pick.

Krook did a 180, spurning the Marlins and a chance at an early pro career to become a Duck. Oregon head coach George Horton suddenly had an elite pitching prospect inserted into his 2014 roster.

“We’re obviously elated,” Horton recently told The Register-Guard. “He’s one of those guys who when you recruited him, you know it’ll be a long shot if he ever shows up on campus, and he’s one of the highest-profile kids we’ve recruited.”

Krook, who pitched for St. Ignatius College Prepatory in San Francisco, was a well-known commodity heading into the draft. MLB.com’s draft and prospects expert Jonathan Mayo ranked him as the 55th best draft prospect in the country. Baseball America had him even higher, at number 42 on their list, and ESPN’s prospects expert Keith Law ranked him 30th.

While no level of baseball is quite as demanding as pro ball, Krook will still be joining a team with sky-high expectations that come with a squad that has finished in the top three of the PAC-12 standings two years in a row. It’s also a squad that has its fair share of accomplished pitchers, to boot.

Last year’s Oregon pitching staff finished third in the conference with a 2.78 team ERA, trailing only the PAC-12 champion Oregon State Beavers and the College World Series champion UCLA Bruins. The Ducks also return their three main starting pitchers from last season: Cole Irvin (2.48 ERA in 2013), Tommy Thorpe (2.16 ERA) and Jake Reed (3.50 ERA). Krook, fair or not, might be expected to perform on their levels, especially because he was such a highly rated prospect.

While arm or shoulder injuries from a pitcher are usually a coach’s worst nightmare, Horton might be relieved that Krook has recently dealt with those issues. Without them, Krook would probably be somewhere in the southeastern United States right now, getting ready to start his pro career.