Duke Sardinha has pro ball on his mind

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

If everything goes according to plan, this will be junior third baseman Duke Sardinha's final season at Pepperdine. And that would suit him just fine.

Pepperdine's Duke Sardinha hopes to have a good junior season to position himself for the Major League draft. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

If he has a good season, Sardinha (Kamehameha '98) is expected to selected in the June first-year player draft. There is a good chance that he would sign because it would be the last time he would have leverage in negotiations.

Sardinha turned down a $100,000 signing bonus from the Colorado Rockies, who made him a 42nd-round selection in last summer's draft. He was drafted low possibly because of a wrist injury (he missed 20 games last season) and he had indicated plans to return to school. But the Rockies took him as a draft-and-follow; they liked his progress during the summer and offered him a bonus commensurate with a seventh-round pick.

He was draft-eligible after his sophomore season because it was his third year in the program after red-shirting as a freshman.

Sardinha said the Rockies' offer was tempting, but he felt returning to school would bring him closer to graduation. He said he probably could graduate after the fall semester. Yet, he admits there is a bit of pressure to perform to justify his decision to stay in school.

"I know what they offered me was better compared to others (drafted in the same round)," Sardinha said. "It was a big decision. I have to play to where I would be a seventh-round (pick) or better."

But decisions to turn pro or stay in school are nothing new to the Sardinha family. Older brother Dane, now in the Cincinnati Reds organization, had to make the determination twice; he was a second-round pick by Kansas City upon graduation from Kamehameha in 1997 but later signed with the Reds, who also drafted him in the second round in 2000 after his junior season at Pepperdine.

Younger brother Bronson, a first-round supplemental pick (34th overall) in last June's draft, received a $1 million signing bonus from the New York Yankees and is considered one of their top prospects. The 2001 Kamehameha graduate had signed a letter of intent with Pepperdine.

Sardinha missed the first 20 games of the 2001 season with Pepperdine. He batted .225 with six doubles, three home runs and 18 RBIs. As a freshman in 2000, he started all 59 games, batting .242 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs.

Sardinha said he will likely be a catcher professionally. Although he is pegged as the starting third baseman, he said he will work on catching this season.

"A lot of teams that called me said they might draft me as a catcher since I'm not that fast," he said. "I never caught in my life."

Sardinha will be returning to Hawai'i this season. The Waves are scheduled to play at Hawai'i-Hilo March 15-17.

Notes: Other Hawai'i players listed on Pepperdine's roster are three 2001 Punahou graduates: right-handed pitchers Peter Phillips and Kea Kometani, and infielder Spencer Kam.

MORE BASEBALL

• Brigham Young: The Cougars have two starters from Hawai'i in first baseman Kainoa Obrey and outfielder Douglas Jackson. The 1999 Iolani School graduates are juniors. Obrey is draft-eligible and was rated one of the top prospects in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a summer wooden bat league. He also is a preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

They return here when BYU plays Hawai'i-Manoa Feb. 21-23.

• Cal-Irvine: The program was revived after it was dropped in 1992 because of budgetary issues. But new coach John Savage, like new UH coach Mike Trapasso, is considered one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the country. He was here in May recruiting and landed left-handed pitcher Reid Matsushima (Punahou '01).

The Anteaters will visit UH-Manoa March 1-3.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at 525-8042 or skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.