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| Tuesday, June 6 | |||||
| Some familiar last names taken in draft | |||||
| NEW YORK -- Once the Florida Marlins took a look at Adrian
Gonzalez's smooth left-handed swing, their minds were made up.
The Marlins selected Gonzalez, from Eastlake High School in
Chula Vista, Calif., with the No. 1 pick in Monday's baseball
draft.
"We all agreed that Adrian Gonzalez was the best hitting
prospect available in this year's draft," Marlins scouting
director Al Avila said. "Every time I went to see him, he hit. He
definitely possesses the best pure stroke in this year's draft."
Gonzalez showed the Marlins and their fans why he was the overall No. 1 pick in the Monday's draft. He hit line drive after line drive, some down the right-field line, some to the opposite field. He hit two home runs and two more off the fence in his 28 swings during batting practice before Florida's game against Boston. "I was a little nervous at first, but I settled down and was able to stay back and put some good wood on the ball," said Gonzalez, who turned 18 last month. Cal State Fullerton right-hander Adam Johnson was taken by Minnesota with the second pick. Shortstop Luis Montanez from Coral Park High School in Miami was then selected by the Chicago Cubs. Mike Stodolka, a left-hander from Centennial High School in California, was taken by Kansas City with the fourth pick. Montreal then selected right-hander Justin Wayne from Stanford. A number of players with famous fathers figured prominently in the first few rounds. Arizona State right-hander Jason Fingers, son of Hall of Fame reliever Rollie Fingers, was selected by Kansas City with the 284th pick. The New York Yankees took Michigan catcher David Parrish, son of Lance Parrish, with the 28th pick, and Atlanta claimed Pennsylvania high school shortstop Aaron Herr, son of infielder Tom Herr, with the 40th pick. San Francisco selected Florida Southern infielder Lance Niekro, son of knuckleballer Joe Niekro, with the 61st pick and then took Cuesta College right-hander Kyle Gross, son of infielder Wayne Gross, with the 151st selection.Anthony Gwynn, the son of San Diego's Tony Gwynn, was drafted Tuesday by the Braves with the 1,000th pick. The younger Gwynn, a center fielder for Poway High School in California, was taken in the 33rd round of the 50-round draft. He will have to make a choice between turning pro or accepting a scholarship offer from San Diego State, his father's alma mater. On Monday, the Braves took Pennsylvania high school shortstop Aaron Herr, son of former Cardinals second baseman Tom Herr, with the 40th pick. Herr hit .418 for Hempfield High School in Lancaster, Pa. Among other selections of note, California third baseman Xavier Nady, at one time considered the favorite to be selected No. 1 overall, dropped to the second round as San Diego made him the 49th pick. Other expected first-rounders who lasted until the second round included first baseman Jason Stokes from Coppell High School in Texas, who was taken 41st by Florida; San Francisco first baseman Taggert Bozied, taken No. 42 by Minnesota; Pepperdine catcher Dane Sardinha, selected 46th by Cincinnati; and Stanford righty Jason Young, taken with the 47th pick by Colorado. With Detroit's selection of right-hander Matt Wheatland with the eighth pick and catcher Scott Heard's selection at No. 25 by Texas, the Rancho Bernardo High School players from California became the third set of first-round high school teammates. In 1972, Mike Odina and Jerry Manuel, the current manager of the Chicago White Sox, were drafted out of Rancho Cordova High School in California; and Michael Cuddyer and John Curtice of Great Bridge High School in Virginia were first-round selections in 1997. Bobby Hill, the former Miami shortstop drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the second round last year but couldn't come to a contract agreement, was drafted by the Cubs in the second round. Gonzalez worked out for the Marlins 10 times in March, and was told that Florida wanted to take him with the first pick in the second round. But he soared up the team's chart in recent weeks, and Florida was confident it could sign him. Gonzalez agreed to a $3 million signing bonus -- the third-highest for a high school player -- before the draft. "It takes a lot of pressure off your back," Gonzalez said. "He wanted to play baseball, but he wanted something fair," agent John Boggs said. "He was the one in the family who drove the negotiations. This is a baseball family. They just want the opportunity to play baseball." Johnson was 7-4 with a 2.72 ERA and six complete games for Cal State Fullerton. He is the Titans' career strikeout leader with 365 and set the season record this year with 166. Montanez, an outstanding defensive player with a strong arm and smooth throwing motion, hit .431 with seven homers and 25 RBI at Coral Park High School in Miami. Stodolka went 10-0 with a 0.67 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 52 innings at Centennial High School. Wayne, the Pac-10 co-pitcher of the year, has been compared to former Cardinal ace Mike Mussina. He's a polished pitcher who throws four pitches for strikes and takes a 30-4 career record into the College World Series, which starts Friday. Rocco Baldelli, an outfielder from Bishop Hendricken High School in Rhode Island, was taken by Tampa Bay with the sixth pick. Colorado took high school right-hander Matt Harrington with the seventh pick. Harrington, from Palmdale High School in California, was generally considered the top high school pitcher in the nation. The Tigers then selected Wheatland. High school left-hander Mark Phillips, from Hanover High School in Pennsylvania, was taken ninth by San Diego. Anaheim took left-hander Joe Torres from Gateway High School in Florida to round out the top 10. Oakland and Arizona didn't pick until the second round, and Seattle waited until the fourth round -- at No. 116 -- to make a pick. | ALSO SEE No. 1 pick's story a fairy tale so far Sickles' analysis A plan for a better draft MLB Draft 2000: 1st round picks Rockies take why-not approach to drafting Heisman hopeful Vick  | ||||
