Another 10 with Hawai'i ties picked in baseball draft
• 2004 drafted players with ties to Hawai'i
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
With the 10 players picked in yesterday's final 32 rounds, a total of 15 players with ties to Hawai'i were selected over the past two days of the 50-round Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Although Baseball America Online's predraft assessment rated Hawai'i as lean, one scout begged to differ.
"Although everyone thought it was lean, I felt otherwise," said Kansas City scout Eric Tokunaga, who had four players drafted. "There were a lot of good players and I'm sure their time will come. If I had my way, I would've drafted 10 guys."
Meanwhile, the University of Hawai'i had three players picked, as well as five of its recruits. Two went in the third and fourth rounds and UH coach Mike Trapasso expects big bonuses will sway them to go pro. He also had three recruits get picked yesterday.
"You never know what's going to happen," Trapasso said. "When a guy passes the 15th round, a high school guy, I've let my opinions be known that he'd be crazy to sign, unless there were extenuating circumstances. You're never comfortable until this all shakes out."
Here's how the draft affected players with ties to Hawai'i.
Rainbows
Three Rainbows, two out of eligibility, were picked. Shortstop Brian Finegan went in the 15th round to Cleveland and yesterday, right-handed pitcher Clary Carlsen went in the 33rd round to Philadelphia.
"Feels great to come out of retirement," joked Carlsen, whose UH career ended 10 days ago.
Carlsen (6-8, 5.03 ERA) was primarily a starter this past season after pitching solely in relief as a junior.
"I'm very excited for Clary," Trapasso said. "He deserves it. It's something he's always wanted, and now he has the chance to show people how good he is."
Although he has been part of the team the past two seasons, Colby Summer has yet to pitch in a Division I game, as he has been recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery he had May 3, 2003. Yet, the Boston Red Sox picked him in the 38th round.
"After the past two years, it's nice to know people are still watching me," said Summer, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound right-hander.
Summer, who is pitching for Aloha (Ore.) in the Pacific International League, said Boston area scout John Booher has been monitoring his progress. Summer pitched in a game for the first time last Friday, facing four batters in a scoreless inning, striking out one.
"I threw for John at Oregon State (in a workout)," Summer said. "Out of the stretch, I hit 90 (mph) after my fifth or sixth bullpen. So the velocity is there and I hope it keeps climbing."
Summer, who still has eligibility to play for UH, said he is on a draft-and-follow status. He said the Red Sox will monitor his progress and could sign him before UH begins classes.
Meanwhile, Trapasso saw three recruits drafted yesterday.
Waiakea left-handed pitcher Myles Ioane, Kamehameha right-hander Kanekoa Texeira and Yavapai JC catcher Esteban Lopez were picked by Kansas City (24th round), Milwaukee (31st) and Philadelphia (48th), respectively.
Ioane is weighing the benefits of turning pro or going to UH.
"I'm not leaning to any one side," he said. "I'm sure the decision will be hard, but I'm still undecided."
Ioane had hoped to be picked higher, but "just getting drafted feels good."
"Myles could be interesting," Trapasso said. "We'll have to wait and see."
Texeira, who is from Kula, Maui, might not make it to UH anyway. He said he is considering enrolling at a JC so he can be draft-eligible next year. If he attends a four-year program, he has to wait until after his junior season to be draft-eligible again.
Meanwhile, UH is on hold to see how much California prep outfielder Greg Burns and New Mexico high-school pitcher James Parr will be offered in bonuses after they were picked in the third and fourth rounds by Florida and Atlanta, respectively.
Not picked was UH junior right-hander Ricky Bauer (8-4, 3.60). Trapasso said Bauer can improve his draft standing next year the way Finegan did.
In a related note, former Rainbow outfielder Craig Johnson, who was on the 2002 team after redshirting the previous season, was picked in the 19th round by San Diego out of Sacramento State. He led the Hornets with a .337 batting average and 13 doubles. He also had 42 RBIs.
Prep picks
Besides Ioane and Texeira, three other local high school players were selected yesterday, all by the Royals.
Kalani right-handed pitcher Ty Sarchet, Kalaheo catcher Jacob Myking and Mid-Pacific Institute shortstop Randy Rundgren went in the 44th through 46th rounds, respectively.
Sarchet is an intriguing pick because he sat out his senior season for reasons he cannot disclose. He was planning on enrolling at Division II Chapman (Orange, Calif.), but said he will likely attend at JC so he can be a draft-and-follow. That allows him a chance to improve his stock and gives the Royals until a week before next year's draft to sign him.
"It's been like a lifelong dream to be able to go out and play (professionally)," Sarchet said.
Myking also shares the dream.
"It's something I've wanted to do since I was a little kid," he said. "I'll do what they want me to do because I'm getting the opportunity to do it."
Rundgren is the second in his family to get drafted. Brother Rex was drafted by Florida in 2001 out of Sacramento City JC. Even though he plans to go to Sac City, too, Rundgren admitted getting nervous as the draft was moving along and his name wasn't called until the fourth-to-last round.
"I just wanted to get drafted to see how it feels," he said.
It's not surprising Kansas City chose him. Royals area supervisor Keith Snider was with the Marlins when they selected Rex.
Randy said he will be heading to Europe for a couple of weeks to join his father, musician Todd Rundgren, who will be on tour.
Moloka'i's Milton Loo was the highest Hawai'i high school draft pick, when he was taken in the 17th round by Cincinnati on Monday.
Junior college
A former UH recruit, Kailua graduate Steven Kamaile Santos, was picked in the 42nd round by Florida out of Diablo Valley JC in Concord, Calif. It is the second year in a row he has been picked; Seattle took him in the 30th round last year out of Los Medanos JC in Pittsburg, Calif.
Santos, who has signed a letter of intent with Oklahoma State, was 5-2 with a 4.10 ERA splitting time between starting and relieving. He said he had some shoulder problems, but a magnetic resonance imaging showed nothing serious.
Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042.
