ANGELS DON'T WAVER ON WEAVER PADRES SCARED OFF IN DRAFT BY DEMANDS.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

Jered Weaver and the Angels were equally stunned to join forces Monday when the dominant Long Beach State right-handed pitcher fell to their No. 12 draft spot and the club leaped at the chance to select him, though it likely will take the largest signing bonus in club history to get him in the fold.

Weaver, a Simi Valley High graduate and brother of Dodgers starter Jeff Weaver, probably will be the consensus collegiate player of the year after going 15-1 with a 1.65 ERA and leading the 49ers into this weekend's NCAA Super Regionals.

As recently as last week, the 6-foot-7 junior was expected to be chosen by the San Diego Padres, who held the top pick in the Major League Baseball draft. As recently as Monday morning, he had no idea the Angels were interested in him.

But the Padres backed off after fears they could not match a contract demand representative Scott Boras reportedly said expects to be in the range of former USC star Mark Prior, who received a guaranteed four-year, $10.5 million major-league contract from the Chicago Cubs in 2001.

The Padres instead drafted San Diego prep shortstop Matt Bush, whom they reportedly have signed to a $3.1 million bonus. As for Weaver and others, general manager Kevin Towers said Monday that ``we had heard there were (financial) expectations far higher than where we thought they should be.''

The New York Mets, another potential Weaver suitor, opted for Rice pitcher Philip Humber in the third slot.

With a bevy of low-revenue teams picking after that, Weaver, who has struck out a nation-leading 201 batters in 136 innings against just 19 walks, popped on Anaheim's radar. They did not waver at his potential asking price and both sides are confident a deal will be struck.

``At 9:58 a.m.,'' scouting director Eddie Bane said when asked when he thought Weaver would fall to them. ``The draft started at 10. We picked at 10:20. You get phone calls from guys who think they know what's going on, and it turned out they were way off.''

Much to Weaver's delight.

``It threw me for a loop,'' he said, ``because I hadn't heard from them before. It's going to be sweet to play in my backyard.''

First, Weaver must complete his work with the 49ers, who play host to Arizona next weekend with a chance to advance to the College World Series. And then, the Angels must sign him.

Weaver and general manager Bill Stoneman both think that won't be a problem. When asked if he anticipated circumstances forcing him to return to Long Beach for his senior year, Weaver said, ``No, not at all.''

Weaver said he and Boras began talking finances a few weeks ago, when Weaver said Boras ``told me he saw me in the range of (Dewon) Brazelton and Prior and we went from there. It was a matter of an organization that viewed my talent to those two. It just so happened they worked out.''

Brazelton received a guaranteed $4.8 million major-league contract from Tampa Bay in 2001. Just one Angels pick, the injury-riddled Pete Janicki in 1992, has received a major-league deal - a contract that ensures the player is guaranteed a spot on the 40-man roster.

General manager Bill Stoneman said he wouldn't necessarily be averse to awarding a major-league deal, and has had preliminary discussions with Boras, though negotiations will not pick up until Weaver completes his collegiate eligibility.

Although it will take a financial commitment beyond the usual $2 million that No. 12 picks have received in recent years, Stoneman said he did not need owner Arte Moreno's approval before selecting Weaver. Troy Glaus ($2.25 million, '97) received the largest signing bonus in club history.

``If we didn't think we'd have a chance to sign him, we wouldn't have drafted him,'' Stoneman said. ``We'll start (negotiations) at the appropriate time. He's got other stuff to do right now.''

Weaver said: ``I want to go play. I told Scott that and he agrees with me. It's just a matter of coming to an agreement. Hopefully, it happens soon.''

In Weaver, the Angels get an emotional, long-haired pitcher who lost his spot in the 49ers rotation as a freshman, only to re-emerge as the nation's top collegiate pitcher. Although some scouts considered his bloodlines a negative in that Jeff Weaver has been inconsistent at the big-league level, Bane said they saw the elder Weaver's track record as a positive.

Jeff Weaver was the 14th overall pick, by Detroit, in 1999. After arriving with the Dodgers in Toronto early Monday, he was awakened by his younger brother, who informed him that after many years apart, they soon could be employed in close proximity to one another.

``We haven't been close at all,'' Weaver said, referring to distance. ``Now, we have a Freeway Series. He was more than happy to hear I was with the Angels.''

Because of their free-agent signings of pitchers Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar, the Angels did not pick again until the 113th spot. With that pick, in the fourth round, they chose Alabama high school center fielder Patrick White, who hit .487 with 12 home runs at Daphne High, but also is an all-state option quarterback with a scholarship to West Virginia.

White recently told the Mobile Register he would honor his scholarship unless chosen in the first three rounds.

With outfield depth an organizational weakness, they spent their fifth- round pick on another high school player, Luis Rivera of Puerto Rico.

The Angels' plan for Weaver? Sign him, give him some time off and hopefully get him out to Double-A ball this summer. With Aaron Sele and, possibly, Ramon Ortiz a free agent this winter, it's not an impossibility for Weaver to contend for a rotation spot next spring.

All that makes the sting of falling from No. 1 to No. 12 much easier to deal with.

``I had no idea what was going to happen,'' he said. ``It turned out everything turned out for the best.''

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, 4 boxes

Photo:

(1) San Diego Padres director of scouting, Bill Gayton and number one draft choice, Matt Brush, right, hold up Bush's jersey as general manager Kevin Towers, left, looks on.

By Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

(2) JERED WEAVER

(3) WES WHISLER

(4) TREVOR PLOUFFE

(5) CHRIS BOYD

Box:

(1) FIRST ROUND SELECTIONS

(2) LOCAL DRAFT PICKS

(3) DODGERS

(4) ANGELS