What does the 'real' Jack Bauer think about Draft prospect Jack Bauer?

The MLB Draft will be happening during next week's All-Star break from Sunday to Monday.

If you're very much into baseball and know what pick your favorite team has, you'll know there are top potential high school and college phenoms like Ethan Holliday and Kade Anderson. There are two sets of twins. You'll notice the first round is giving off some Hawaiian vibes.

But if you know nothing about baseball and you take a quick look through the top 50 or so prospects, there's one name that might still sound familiar. One name, if you're of a certain age, that's buried deep into your pop culture subconscious.

Jack Bauer.

The No. 44-ranked Draft prospect is the hardest throwing high school pitcher ever with a 103 mph fastball and yes, his parents named him after the fictional counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer from the hit show "24." He even wears the No. 24 because, as he recently told Jim Callis on the MLB Pipeline podcast, he wanted to "play into the number a little bit."

But what about the original Jack Bauer? What does Kiefer Sutherland, the actor who played him, think about all of this? Does he care? Does he like baseball? Would he even call me back, or just lock me in a room and interrogate me until I melted into a pile of tears?

He does indeed know about young Jack, and he's paying attention.

"To see someone excel at that level at such a young age, and the fact that he has the last name Bauer and his parents chose to call him Jack. ... It's kind of fun for me," Sutherland told me, laughing, in a recent phone call. "Like I said, I'm not the most avid baseball fan, but now I've got something to root for."

Although Sutherland says he's not a huge baseball fan -- he mentioned he mostly just watches during the postseason -- he was a bigger one growing up. And that's mostly because of his late father and legendary actor Donald Sutherland -- who was one of the biggest Montreal Expos fans of all time.

"He was a superfan," Sutherland said. "To the degree, he was doing a movie in China back in the '80s. A movie about a Canadian doctor during the second World War called 'Bethune.' And the only thing he had in his contract was that he had to be given the time off for the two or three hours the Expos played, no matter what the time difference was. He had a satellite radio that was provided for him in China and he would climb up the mountain behind where he was working and just sit on top of the hill listening to an Expos game. So yeah, it was understood between me and my brothers and my twin sister that the Expos took precedent over anything, including us."

Kiefer, who grew up in Southern California and Toronto, did play some Little League baseball, but mostly stopped after that. He was, of course, busy acting in movies from a young age and was much more skilled in track, hockey and skiing. Throwing over 100 mph, like the Jack Bauer of Illinois' Lincoln-Way East High School, was not in his future.

"I would doubt I got even close to throwing 53 mph," Sutherland said. "No, not even close."

Funny enough, as much as the fireballing 18-year-old lefty has embraced his "24" namesake, Bauer has still not seen the show. His parents were massive fans and he knows it's good, he just hasn't yet found the time. The first six seasons did air before he was even born.

"Sometime in the future, I do plan on watching it," Bauer told Callis. "I've heard great things."

Sutherland understands how the teenager's life might be a bit busy.

"I have a feeling he's not gonna find much time very soon," Sutherland laughed. "When he gets a look at it later in his 30s, I hope he enjoys it."

Because of his young age and some command issues to conquer, it's hard to determine when or where Bauer will be picked in the Draft. If it's early enough and he gets a good signing deal, he may turn pro. If not, he is committed to Mississippi State.

Either way, Sutherland says he'll be following his progress and is happy that his Emmy Award-winning show made such an impact on the Bauers. Still, there's only one real reason why people should be watching Bauer (the pitcher).

"If the show means something to this man and his family, I'm really proud of that. I think that's cool," Sutherland told me. "But at the end of the day, this is a kid who's throwing a 103 mph fastball. That's what everybody should be focused on."