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UH baseball recruits
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After having six recruits selected in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft, Hawaii baseball coach Mike Trapasso is counting down to the start of the fall semester to see how many eventually make their way to Manoa.
"It's a process and it goes all the way up to the first day of school," Trapasso said. "Usually what happens is the pro clubs will make one last push as we get closer to the start of school."
Pitcher Evan MacLane (New York Mets) and infielder Travis Denker (Los Angeles Dodgers) have already started their pro careers, while pitchers Jeffrey Pry (Cleveland), Steven Wright (San Diego) and Matthew Buck (Montreal) remain unsigned.
Former Iolani catcher Kala Ka'aihue had his contract with the Boston Red Sox voided due to an elbow injury and is awaiting a doctor's opinion before deciding his next move.
Trapasso said he also expects outfielder Tim Montgomery to sign with the Cleveland Indians later this summer. Montgomery was selected in the 23rd round by the Indians and has a year of eligibility left.
Trapasso got some good news before the draft when Kauai graduate Mark Rodrigues chose to attend UH in the fall rather than sign with the Oakland A's.
Oakland picked Rodrigues last year as a draft-and-follow prospect, retaining the right to sign him until a week before this year's draft. Trapasso said the A's made a late push to sign Rodrigues, who pitched at Los Medanos Junior College last year, but he decided to stick with college.
"He's got a chance to be outstanding," Trapasso said. "It's probably a similar situation to (UH pitcher) Keahi (Rawlins), who's really done well and has a lot of people excited about him. It's kind of neat to get a local guy from a neighbor island to come in and be an impact guy."
Brandon Bailey, an outfielder from Sacramento City Community College, was also drafted in 2002, but will enroll at UH in January.
Denker, a 21st-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers, signed a pro contract on June 20 and is playing rookie-league ball with the Gulf Coast Dodgers.
In nine games, Denker is hitting .259 with one home run.
MacLane, a left-handed pitcher, signed with the New York Mets on June 4 after being selected in the 25th round. He was assigned to the team's rookie league squad, the Kingsport Mets, and has appeared in six games with a 1-0 record and a 2.92 earned run average. He has 10 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.
A former UH recruit who chose the pros over college participated in his first Major League All-Star Game yesterday. Cleveland left-hander C.C. Sabathia signed with the Rainbows in 1998, but went pro after Cleveland made him the 20th overall selection in the draft.
