Canham could be an Em; Braves tackle UO's Dixon.

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

An Oregon State catcher is apparently headed to the Eugene Emeralds. Is the Oregon quarterback headed back to baseball?

Those were two intriguing possibilities offered up Thursday as the major league baseball draft unfolded, with Canham one of three OSU baseball players taken and talking optimistically about playing for the Ems, a single A farm team of the San Diego Padres, the team that chose Canham.

Not so clear is the situation for Dennis Dixon, the senior quarterback for the Ducks. He was taken by Atlanta in the fifth round as an outfielder, too early of a pick to be used casually by a major league team, particularly considering the Braves are the team that held an individual workout for Dixon in January, though he hasn't played organized baseball since the summer after his senior year of high school.

Under new rules of baseball, the Braves have only until Aug. 15 to sign Dixon or they lose their rights. He could sign a professional contract for baseball and still be eligible for college football whether he played professionally this summer or not, though Oregon couldn't keep him on scholarship if he was a professional in another sport.

Roy Clark, Atlanta's director of scouting, said the plan is for Dixon, an outfielder, to play baseball in the Braves' organization this summer before returning to Oregon for the fall.

"He's a tremendous athlete that can run, hit and throw," Clark said on the Braves' Web site. "But he's going to be raw. We have to be patient with him."

Attempts to reach Dixon on Thursday were unsuccessful, but he has in the past said baseball would always be an option. He was selected in the 20th round of the 2003 draft by the Cincinnati Reds as a high school senior, on the basis of his strong throwing arm, speed and power hitting. Though he didn't sign with the Reds, he played baseball that summer and delayed enrolling at Oregon while considering his options.

After his workout with the Braves last winter, he said his interest in baseball was `another door I'm trying to open up, just in case things don't work out," an apparent reference to his future as a professional football player.

Canham, meanwhile, was enthusiastic about his selection by the Padres, with a supplemental pick in the `Sandwich Round' between the first and second rounds of the draft. Those picks are awarded to teams that lost players to free agency, and the Padres had four of them to use Thursday.

Though the OSU catcher could return for one more season of college eligibility, he has repeatedly expressed his intent to sign a professional contract as soon as this college season ends, with the assumption he would be drafted.

`I like it,' he said of being taken by San Diego, with the likelihood of playing this summer in Eugene offered by officials of the Padres who telephoned him after his selection.

`I'll be here in the Northwest, and they've also got a AAA team up in Portland and spring training is in Arizona rather than Florida, so it will be a good fit for me.

`I know the organization is real good and they treat their players good, and there are a lot of opportunities for me to advance up.'

Canham is hitting a team-leading .346 for the Beavers, who play at home this weekend in the NCAA Super Regionals against Michigan, with the winning team advancing to the College World Series. The all-league catcher in the Pac-10, the left-handed hitting Canham also has the team lead in home runs with nine and is tied for the team high in RBIs with 53 in as many games.

The first OSU player taken Thursday was relief pitcher Eddie Kunz, as the 42nd overall selection to the New York Mets during the `Sandwich Round.'

`Great,' the 6-foot-6 Kunz said. `I can't wait. I was watching (the draft) all day and it was good to hear my name for once. It was kind of nice.'

Kunz has been primarily used as OSU's closer, finishing games in which the Beavers lead. He had a 2-0 record with 10 saves and a 2.84 earned run average. He recorded 34 strikeouts in 38 innings and opposing batters hit .183 against him.

While OSU has previously had players taken in the first round, this is the earliest that two Beavers have been selected in the draft.

OSU shortstop Darwin Barney was then the third pick of the fourth round, the 127th selection of the draft, to the Chicago Cubs. Like Canham and Kunz, Barney has another year of eligibility but has indicated, as the other two have done, that he plans to sign a professional contract rather than return for a final season at OSU.

After two all-league seasons, including being the Pac-10 freshman of the year, Barney hit .293 this season with 23 of his 67 hits for extra bases. He also stole 11 bases in 14 attempts.

Along with the three juniors, the Beavers may have also lost a couple of players from their standout recruiting class of high school seniors, who may find professional offers are too much to turn down for college baseball.

Tim Alderson, a pitcher from Scottsdale, Ariz., was taken by San Franciso in the first round as the 22nd player overall and infielder Travis Mattair of Kennewick, Wash., was selected in the second round, the 83rd player overall, by Philadelphia. Both had signed letters of intent with OSU.

Alderson is a 6-foot-7 right-hander who went 34 innings this season without walking a batter and threw 90- to 92-mph fastballs. Mattair is considered the top prep prospect in the Northwest, a power hitter who could replace Barney if he opted for college over a pro contract.

In addition to Canham, the Padres went exclusively early with college selections, raising the possibility that some of those draft picks could be headed to Eugene, if they are signed.

San Diego's pick in the first round, 23rd overall, was left-handed pitcher Nick Schmidt of Arkansas. Along with Canham, San Diego's picks in the `Sandwich Round' were outfielder Kellen Kulbacki of James Madison, 40th overall; left-handed pitcher Cory Luebke of Ohio State, 63rd overall, and followed immediately by outfielder Daniel Payne of Georgia Tech.