AREA BASEBALL STARS PREPARE TO CASH IN.Byline: Eric Sondheimer and Scott Wolf Scott Richard Wolf (born June 4, 1968) is an American actor. Born in Boston, Massachusetts to Steven Wolf and Susan Enowitch, Wolf was raised in West Orange, New Jersey. He graduated in 1986 from West Orange High School. Ever since he was a little kid sitting at home watching major-league games on TV, Jon Garland's life-long goal has been to become a pro baseball player. On Tuesday, when baseball holds its amateur draft, the 17-year-old Kennedy High School senior figures to become the highest drafted pitcher from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. since Saugus' Roger Salkeld Roger William Salkeld (born March 6, 1971 in Burbank, California) is an American former profesional baseball player. A pitcher, Salkeld played Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners in 1993 and 1994 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1996. was chosen No. 3 overall by the Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Mariners have played in Safeco Field. in 1989. ``He's the best I've ever seen,'' USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. coach Mike Gillespie There are 3 sports coaches with the name Mike Gillespie:
Gillespie signed Garland to a national letter of intent last November, but he now knows Garland won't ever set foot on USC's campus. Garland is projected to be taken in the first 10 picks Tuesday, which would make him an instant millionaire. The lowest bonus received in last year's draft among the top 10 picks was $1,060,000. ``I will be real excited,'' Garland said. The Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Tigers have played in Comerica Park. have the first pick. There are 31 first-round selections. In addition there are 10 sandwich picks between the first and second round for teams that lost free agents. Last summer, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound Garland began the hard selling process to increase his draft value. With his cousin, John Bushart, a former Cal State Northridge pitcher and ex-minor leaguer, providing advice and support, Garland went about convincing scouts of his ability. In the fall, he started impressing scouts not only with the velocity on his 91-mph fastball but his poise. Throughout his senior season, he has never let being under close scrutiny affect his performance. This season, he was 9-3 with 111 strikeouts in 80-2/3 innings and a 1.22 ERA. More than any other game, it was his performance against Antelope Valley's Sean Douglass last March before more than 70 scouts that helped make his case. Scouts say Garland, a right-hander, is further developed at this stage than even former Cleveland High School star Bret Saberhagen ``In terms of physical prowess, projectability, pitchability, I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if anybody has looked as good as this kid,'' said Oakland A's scout Rick Magnante. Baseball America  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . projects Garland will be taken with the No. 7 pick overall by the Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium. . Two other high school pitchers could go ahead of him, left-hander Ryan Anderson from Dearborn, Mich., and left-hander Rick Ankiel from Port St. Lucie, Fla. Pitcher Matt Anderson, a right-hander from Rice, and outfielder J.D. Drew from Florida State also could be top 5 picks. The Angels, with the No. 3 pick, have closely scouted Garland, but they are also looking at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX shortstop Troy Glaus. According to Magnante, there's little reason to believe Garland will fall out of the top 10. ``It's going to be difficult for people to walk away from him,'' he said. ``If he slides in the draft, in my opinion, it will be because a team feels like taking a safer bet and going with college players. It's not because he's not a good prospect.'' Bob Hartsfield, the coordinator of scouting for the San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era , who draft No. 4, said of Garland, ``Let's just say he's been one of the heavier scouted guys in the L.A. area.'' The next-best area pitcher could be Fresno State's Jeff Weaver from Simi Valley. Weaver set an NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association record last week with 21 strikeouts in Fresno State's first-round playoff victory over Texas A&M. ``This guy was pretty much an unknown at Simi Valley,'' Magnante said. ``It just goes to show you how inexact in·ex·act adj. 1. Not strictly accurate or precise; not exact: an inexact quotation; an inexact description of what had taken place. 2. our business is. This kid blossomed quickly. He'll be a top pick.'' Pepperdine left-hander Randy Wolf, a former El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
Besides Garland and Weaver, the area draws mixed reviews from scouts. ``I think the Valley for a number of years was down, but it's really coming back,'' said Doug Mapson, the West Coast scouting supervisor for the San Francisco Giants. However, Magnante was less enthusiastic about the local talent. ``It's OK. I don't think think it's a bounty year by any means,'' he said. ``There will be some guys taken that surprise some people. I don't think it's quite the year when (Stacy) Kleiner, (Dan) Cey and (Brad) Fullmer came out (in 1993).'' One of the most interesting players to watch on draft day could be Cal State Northridge shortstop Adam Kennedy. Although he was named an All-American last week, Kennedy was overshadowed this season by Glaus. His hitting ability alone should guarantee that he is a high draft choice. ``The reality of it is he can hit. He might be one of best bat prospects in the country,'' Magnante said. ``His bat will take him to the big leagues. Will he be a front-line player? I don't know.'' Antelope Valley's Douglass, who has been working out for scouts on weekends since quitting his high school team, could go anywhere from the third to sixth round. He signed with Pepperdine but would prefer to turn pro. Cleveland pitcher Mike Schultz has seen his stock rise in recent weeks. His fastball speed has increased and he has also beaten Garland twice this season. He will be drafted, although he is also expected to sign with Cal State Northridge. Glendale outfielder Fernando Rios is also expected to be drafted, although major-league teams will have to secure a visa for him, because Rios is a Mexican citizen. AREA PLAYERS TO WATCH ON DRAFT DAY Joe Borchard: Camarillo, Outfield Would have to turn down Stanford. Sean Douglass: Antelope Valley, Pitcher Doesn't do pushups but throws hard. Jon Garland: Kennedy, Pitcher Best pro pitching prospect since Salkeld. Troy Glaus: UCLA, Shortstop Should go in the first five selections. Ryan Hamill: Chaminade, Catcher Will be legitimate power hitter one day. Adam Kennedy: CS Northridge, Shortstop. Led nation in hits two straight years. Jim Parque: UCLA, Pitcher. Always underrated but comes through. Fernando Rios: Glendale, Outfielder. Can hit and has a terrific arm. Bill Scott: Alemany, Outfield Figures to go to UCLA, but he sure can hit. Mike Schultz: Cleveland, Pitcher He's 6-7 and showing lots of improvement. Jeff Weaver: Fresno State, Pitcher A tall, hard-throwing late bloomer. Randy Wolf: Pepperdine, Pitcher Left-hander who can be setup man in majors. ?Photo: (1--Color) GARLAND (2--Color) GLAUS Box: (Color) AREA PLAYERS TO WATCH (See Text) CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Box |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion