Posted at 9 a.m., Tuesday, June 5, 2001
Sardinha drafted by Yankees as 34th major league pick
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Bronson Sardinha had the wake-up call of his lifetime this morning.
The recent Kamehameha Schools graduate became the highest Hawai'i player drafted out of high school when the New York Yankees made him the 34th overall pick of Major League Baseball's first-year player draft.
The left-handed hitting infielder was the fourth player taken in the supplemental first round.
"I was sleeping because I thought I would drafted later," Sardinha said. "I didn't want to wake up too early because I didn't think I would get call. It was a good wake-up call."
Then 15 picks later, St. Louis School right-handed pitcher Brandon League was selected in the second round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
League was projected to be picked ahead of Sardinha. None the less, he was still surprised at the selection. He was so excited that he said someone from the Blue Jays called him, but "I can't remember his name."
Ironically, League said the Yankees was his favorite team. So he was pleased that another local player was picked by them. "At least one of us will play for them," League said. "I'm glad it's him and no one else."
Sardinha said that Yankees area scout Gus Quattlebaum called him the night before.
"He asked me if we offered seven figures or more, would you sign," Sardinha said. "I said, yes. Then he said we have a good shot at taking you."
He was referring to a seven-figure bonus.
Sardinha gave prospective teams fair warning.
"I had told all the teams that it would take seven figures to sign me," he said.
A Yankees representative will visit Sardinha tomorrow, he said.
Both players indicated that there is a good chance they will forgo their college scholarships to Pepperdine and turn pro.
Before Sardinha, the highest Hawai'i player drafted out of high school was Waipahu pitcher Jerome Williams, the 39th overall selection in 1999 by the San Francisco Giants. He is at Class AA Shreveport (La.)
Last year, Stanford pitcher Justin Wayne, a 1997 Punahou School graduate, was the highest drafted player with ties to Hawai'i to be taken. He was the fifth overall selection by the Montreal Expos. He is at Class A Jupiter (Fla.).
