Wai'anae pitcher Awana selected by Mariners
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Graduating high school seniors from Hawai'i fared better in the second day of Major League Baseball's first-year player draft.
Wai'anae High all-star pitcher Dane Awana learned he was picked in the 32nd round by the Seattle Mariners only after a reporter called him yesterday morning. He had been asleep when the announcement was made over MLB Radio's Internet broadcast.
"It feels good to get drafted," a somewhat groggy Awana said.
In Tuesday's first 22 rounds, Iolani School's Micah Kila Ka'aihue was the only prep player from Hawai'i drafted.
Awana, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Western Division Player of the Year, was the first of three Hawai'i graduating seniors to get picked yesterday. Moloka'i High pitcher/first baseman Keahi Rawlins and Mid-Pacific Institute catcher Matthew Inouye were also selected.
Rawlins, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound right-hander, was taken in the 36th round by the Philadelphia Phillies; Inouye was picked in the 41st round by the Boston Red Sox. Both signed with the University of Hawai'i in November.
"I'll find out what they (the Red Sox) have to give and then weigh my options," Inouye said.
Inouye batted .438 with three home runs and 26 RBIs and helped the Owls win the state championship last month.
Awana, a 6-foot, 170-pound left-hander, was 5-0 with a 0.90 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 39 innings. He has plans to attend Santa Barbara City junior college.
Two Hawai'i high school graduates who played in junior college were also selected yesterday.
Left-handed pitcher Mark Rodrigues was a 37th-round pick by the Oakland Athletics out of Los Medanos JC. He was a 29th-round selection by the Montreal Expos last year out of Kaua'i High.
"I will go back to school for another year," Rodrigues said. "That's always been my plan."
Another left-handed pitcher, Chad Bailey, was picked in the 47th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of North Idaho JC. He has grown from 6 feet 3 and 190 pounds, when he graduated from Campbell High last year, to 6-5, 220.
Both players said they will be "draft and follows." That means the teams that drafted them will evaluate them next season before making an offer. The teams have until a week before the next draft to sign them. Junior college players are eligible for the draft each year.
Because North Idaho is dropping baseball, Bailey said the Dodgers will place him at another junior college.
In somewhat of a surprise, former UH catcher Grady Symonds was picked in the 39th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Symonds, one of seven underclassmen not returning to the Rainbows, made 19 appearances, starting seven games. He batted .179, but did hit a grand slam against UC Irvine. His father is the baseball coach at Triton JC in Illinois.
Another UH recruit, right-handed pitcher Nick Ponomarenko, was taken in the 38th round by Montreal out of Cuesta JC in California. He was 5-3 with a 6.49 ERA. On Tuesday, Orange Coast JC left-hander Justin Azze was a 10th-round pick by Montreal.
"Obviously, we have to wait and see where teams will come in (with their offers)," UH coach Mike Trapasso of his recruits. "For the most part, if teams hold to the (bonus) value of the round, then I feel good. I know it was disappointing for some of our guys; some scouts told them they would go higher."
Trapasso said that with three seasons at UH, the incoming freshmen "will be where they need to be" the next time they are eligible for the draft. Unlike JC players, four-year college players are not eligible for the draft until after their junior seasons or if they turn 21 within 45 days of the draft.
Players not drafted might still get free-agent contract offers.
Notes: Santa Cruz (Calif.) High shortstop/right-handed pitcher Neil Walton, who made a recruiting visit to UH during the Louisiana Tech series, was picked in the 23rd round by the San Francisco Giants. He has yet to make a commitment. ... UH coach Mike Trapasso is nearly finished signing late recruits for the upcoming season. ... UH Baseball Camps will be held June 22-23, June 24-28, July 8-12 and July 13-14. For more information, call the baseball office at 956-6247.
