Thursday, June 7, 2001
[ MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ]
10 more with Day 2 of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft brought good news for 10 more players with Hawaii ties -- six from college and four from high school.
Hawaii connections
get the call in draft
They join the 5 who were
The picks
drafted on Day 1 for
a shot at the prosBy Al Chase and Jason Kaneshiro
Star-BulletinThe University of Hawaii's most outstanding pitcher this season, right-hander Jeff Coleman, was picked in the 21st round (641st overall) by the Oakland Athletics.
Coleman was a little surprised he wasn't drafted on the first day, but he went in the first round of the draft's second day.
"I woke up this morning to my mom saying, 'You've been drafted.' That was kind of cool," Coleman said. "I've talked with the scout twice today and we'll talk more this week. I'm going to sign. I just want to get the best deal I can now."
Bryce Uegawachi, a senior shortstop from Hawaii Pacific University, was selected in the 26th round (787th overall) by the Cleveland Indians. He should receive his contract in the mail by the end of the week and will be assigned to either Burlington, N.C., in the Appalachian League or Mahoning Valley in the New York-Penn League. Both are short-season rookie leagues.
"I was still in bed when the call came about 7 a.m.," said Uegawachi, who prepped at Kaiser High School. "I was pretty surprised. It didn't hit me until I really woke up. I thought I would be picked later, so I feel it's kind of a compliment to be picked in the 26th round."
Brian Rooke, University of Hawaii-Hilo's center fielder, was taken in the 31st round (941st overall), also by Oakland.
Neto Quiroz, a left-handed pitcher from Koloa, Kauai, was selected in the 38th round (1,147th overall) by the Cleveland Indians. He played for Saddleback College in Thousand Oaks, Calif., in 2000, sat out this year and plans to return to Saddleback in the fall.
"He is a draft and follow," said Cleveland scout Darren Chun.
Duke Sardinha and Reid Santos were drafted in the 42nd round. Sardinha, a redshirt sophomore at Pepperdine, was picked (1,233rd overall) by the Colorado Rockies. Santos, pick No. 1,249, went to the Texas Rangers.
Rooke, who didn't know if he would get drafted or in what round, was overwhelmed at being selected, especially after hitting .230 for the Vulcans this year.
"I'm just happy to be drafted and get the opportunity to play," Rooke said. "I spoke to my scout today and he told me I would report to Vancouver, British Columbia, next Wednesday. They will send their L.A. area scout with a take-it-or-leave-it deal in a couple of days and I'll accept."
Vancouver is in the short-season, rookie Northwest League.
Since finishing his senior season at Hilo, Rooke has been working on his hitting with a former Oakland scout.
"He broke down my swing on video tape last January and there were a lot of things wrong with it, a lot of holes in it. I had a couple of short hitting streaks at Hilo, but I need to be a lot more consistent," Rooke said.
Santos is on the mainland awaiting Tommy John surgery on his left arm later this month. He plans to return to Saddleback College next year, redshirt and see what happens after his rehabilitation is complete.
Sardinha, who redshirted as a freshman, missed the first 25 games this season with a wrist injury. When he returned to the lineup, he hit .225 with three home runs and 18 RBIs.
Jeremy Guthrie, a right-hander who was 12-4 with a 2.58 ERA and starts for Stanford in the Cardinal's opening College World Series game against Tulane today (9 a.m., ESPN), was taken in the third round (84th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Guthrie's mother is a Kailua High School graduate and he has relatives living here.
James McNair, a right-hander who played two seasons for the Rainbows before transferring to Virginia Commonwealth, was chosen by the Houston Astros in the 43rd round.
From Hawaii's high schools, Kauai pitcher Mark Rodrigues was picked by the Montreal Expos in the 29th round yesterday morning. Mid-Pacific pitcher Ricky Bauer went to the Boston Red Sox in the 39th round. The Milwaukee Brewers selected Kamehameha pitcher Hubert Pruett in the 41st round. And Moanalua outfielder Stephen Green was picked by the Kansas City Royals in the 43rd round.
Kamehameha shortstop Bronson Sardinha and St. Louis pitcher Brandon League were the only prep stars taken on the first day of the draft.
Bronson Sardinha met with representatives from the New York Yankees last night and could be headed for the team's rookie camp in Tampa, Fla., as early as Sunday.
League's mother, Leigh Sogi, said they will meet with a Toronto Blue Jays representative tomorrow. If League signs, he would be assigned to the organization's instructional league team in Medicine Hat, Canada.
Rodrigues, a left-handed pitcher, said an Expos representative told him the club would be in touch within the week to discuss a contract offer.
Bauer, whose favorite player is Red Sox hurler Pedro Martinez, found out about his selection through his father, who called when a friend saw the pick on the Internet.
"This whole year I was told I had the potential to be picked," said Bauer, a 6-foot-2 right-hander. "And now that it happened I'm super happy and I'm grateful that I was seen."
While Bauer awaits an offer from the Red Sox, he is also weighing his college options. He said he has been contacted by a couple of junior and four-year colleges.
Pruett, also a right-handed pitcher, found out about his selection after completing his round at the Ewa Villages Golf Course. Pruett's father, Hubert II, said although his son was excited to get the call from the Brewers, he'll probably continue his career at Lewis-Clark State College.
Green, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound outfielder, said the Royals may opt for a draft-and-follow plan. The team would retain Green's signing rights for a year and track his progress in college. Green is considering attending Cuesta (Calif.) College or Eastern Arizona. If he doesn't sign with the Royals within a year, he would be eligible to re-enter the draft.
"It was unexpected," Green said of his selection. "I would never have thought that I would be drafted."
"I was just speechless. I was so excited I had to call my parents. ... They were at work, and they came right home as soon as I told them."
Hawaii players taken
in MLB draft
Name, school Position Team Round Pick Bronson Sardinha, Kamehameha SS NY Yankees 1* 34 Brandon League, St. Louis RHP Toronto 2 59 Rex Rundgren, Sac. City College/Mid-Pacific SS Florida 11 332 Kaulana Kuhaulua, Long Beach State/Waianae 2B Minnesota 12 347 Shane Komine, Nebraska/Kalani RHP St. Louis 19 584 Jeff Coleman, Hawaii RHP Oakland 21 641 Bryce Uegawachi, Hawaii Pacific SS Cleveland 26 787 Mark Rodrigues, Kauai LHP Montreal 29 862 Brian Rooke, UH-Hilo OF Oakland 31 941 Neto Quiroz, Saddleback CC/Kauai LHP Cleveland 38 1,147 Ricky Bauer, Mid-Pacific RHP Boston 39 1,173 Hubert Pruett, Kamehameha RHP Milwaukee 41 1,227 Duke Sardinha, Pepperdine/Kamehameha 3B Colorado 41 1,233 Reid Santos, Saddleback CC/Castle RHP Texas 42 1,249 Stephen Green, Moanalua OF Kansas City 43 1,281 *Taken in supplemental round between first and second rounds.
