Few from Hawaii likely
to go in this week’s
MLB draft

After three straight years with
11 players taken, the state is
expected to see a steep dropoff

The consensus among local professional baseball scouts is that the talent pool in Hawaii is not that deep this year.

Major league teams selected 11 players with Hawaii ties in the First-Year Player Draft each of the past three seasons. It is doubtful that number will be reached this year when the 50-round draft is conducted Tuesday and Wednesday.

From 1999 to 2001, 42 players were selected, including the all-time high of 15 in 2001.

"A lot of guys were inconsistent and some got hurt this year. We'll probably be lucky if we get 10 guys drafted with Hawaii ties, but I swear there will be some surprises," said one scout who submitted just one name, Hawaii Rainbow right-hander Steve Bryant, to his scouting director.

Another scout said, "It's going to be a very weak year, unfortunately. There is strong athletic talent here, but it needs to be nurtured. Hawaii's high school players need competition to play at a high level consistently."

There isn't a bona fide, high-quality player available like a Justin Wayne, Jerome Williams, Brandon League, Bronson Sardinha or Kurt Suzuki, as there has been in recent years.

Two players frequently mentioned are Pepperdine senior Kea Kometani and Milton Loo, an infielder from Molokai who had a standout season for Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz.

Kometani, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, led the Waves with 10 wins. He lost five games, pitched 118 1/3 innings, walked 33, struck out 90 and had a 3.35 ERA in 17 starts.

Loo was a draft-and-follow pick (17th round, 498 overall), by the Cincinnati Reds in 2004.

In his freshman season at Yavapai, the shortstop hit .404, second-best in the league, with 14 doubles, six triples, five homers and 38 runs batted in. Loo was named to the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference first team.

The 5-foot-10 Bryant was the ace of the 'Bows staff. He started 16 games, was 8-3 with a 3.17 ERA in 105 innings. One scout said, "Steve has tools. His advantage is he comes overhand and looks like a 6-footer."

There is some interest in two UH juniors, outfielder/catcher Matt Inouye and second baseman Isaac Omura, but neither is expected to be a high pick. Inouye did not have a good year at the plate and scouts cite Omura's average speed as a drawback.

Inouye was selected in the 41st round of the 2001 draft by the Boston Red Sox, but opted for the Rainbows.

Right-handers Ricky Bauer, a 39th-round selection by the Boston Red Sox in 2001, and Colby Summer, a 38th-round pick by Boston last year, are question marks.

UH coach Mike Trapasso thinks there is a good chance five of his 13 recruits for next year will be drafted, although Landon Hernandez, a catcher from Indio, Calif., has told scouts he will not sign and will join the UH program.

Three right-handed pitchers -- Cody Allen from Elk Grove, Calif., Matthew Daly from Yorba Linda, Calif., and Tyler Davis from Santa Barbara (Calif.) City College -- and infielder Ryan Selden from Moreno Valley, Calif., are expected to be chosen.

Other local high school players mentioned are Kauai High School right-hander Kirby Yates, who helped the Red Raiders win the Kauai Interscholastic Federation title; first baseman Kasey Ko and right-hander Jared Pate of Punahou's state championship team; right-hander Jayson Kramer, a UH recruit from Mid-Pacific Institute; and Kamehameha outfielder Nick Freitas.

Yates, the younger brother of New York Mets pitcher Tyler Yates, is the most frequently mentioned prep player.

"It's unfortunate Kirby comes from an island with only three teams. He doesn't get exposure, but would be a good draft-and-follow," said one scout. "The rest of the high school players need to go to school and develop, improve their game. There is some talent, but it is all chance picks."

The Yates family has been through the process before with Tyler, but that was after he pitched for the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans for three years.

"It has been a frenzy. There probably have been 20 scouts come to Kauai," said Janna Yates, Kirby's mother. "Unless they offer a substantial signing bonus, it's not worth Kirby missing college. He is going to Yavapai on a full scholarship. They have a good baseball program and they develop players there. We met the coach (Sky Smeltzer, who played first base for Wyoming) and he told us he would take care of Kirby. 'Just get him to us.' "

Molokai’s Luuloa done
after 10 years

The first Molokai High School graduate to be selected in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft has retired after 10 professional seasons.

Keith Luuloa made that decision in the offseason despite an invite to play the 2005 campaign for the Bridgeport (Conn.) Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League, where he had a .304 batting average in 2004.

"I knew I wanted to go back, talked with the general manager, but I left it up in the air. I was working at Costco, was recently promoted to supervisor and things were headed in the right direction," said Luuloa from his California home.

"I decided to move on. I just wanted to be home and be a family man. Another good thing happened in January when we finalized the adoption of Cheyne (Keith and Denise's oldest son). I'm glad that is over. We are one family now."

The Luuloas have another son, Ashton.

Luuloa was chosen in the 33rd round by the then-California Angels in the 1993 draft as a draft-and-follow pick. He signed after his second year at Modesto Junior College in May 1994.

"I've thought about being the first player from Molokai. I decided to pursue the career and proved to the people of Molokai that anything is possible if you make the best of it," Luuloa said. "I played a long 10 years, had a blast, met tons of people and went to places I never even dreamed about. It is good that other people have followed me. Someone had to test the waters."

Luuloa reached Double-A ball in his third year, then seemed stuck for three years at Midland in the Texas League.

He had his best season ever in 1998, when he hit .334 for Midland and made the Texas League All-Star team. He followed up with a solid .285 season for Edmonton in the Pacific Coast League. In 2000 he was called up by the then-Anaheim Angels.

"When I got the call I knew (shortstop) Gary DiSarcina was hurt. I knew it would end when they signed Kevin Stocker," said Luuloa. "I made the best of my time with the Angels, gave it my all."

The infielder appeared in six games and was 6-for-18 (.333) at the plate.

"The highlight of my career was probably the two weeks I spent in the big leagues. You hit brand new baseballs, play before 30-40,000 people, the plane trips, the hotels ...," said Luuloa. "When I went back to the minors, it was like 'Bull Durham.' You get on the bus and tell the kids what it is like up there. When they get there they will find out for themselves."

Sent back to Edmonton after two weeks with the Angels, Luuloa was traded to the Chicago Cubs on July 28, 2000, and looked at the move as a positive break for his career. After four games with Chicago's Triple-A team in Iowa, a bad break ended his season.

Luuloa suffered a fractured trapezoid bone in his left wrist when he was hit by the opposing shortstop's throw to first as he slid into second base.

"After that it was tough finding a home again. I kept playing because I got a taste of the big leagues ... but being away from the family for six months every year always bothered me.

"I started going backward. I wasn't playing every day, I was platooning. Finally, it got to the point where I didn't get any telephone calls and I ended up in Bridgeport.

"I loved a game I got paid to play. I played a kid's game and had fun."

Drafted out of high school

Seven Hawaii players, who were drafted after their senior year in high school and signed professional contracts, played in the major leagues.

The list shows the year drafted, player, high school, first year in majors and team.

1970: Doug Capilla, Kailua (1976 with St. Louis Cardinals)
1977: Joey DeSa, Damien (1980 with St. Louis Cardinals)
1981: Sid Fernandez, Kaiser (1983 with L.A. Dodgers)
1995: Onan Masaoka, Waiakea (1999 with L.A. Dodgers)
1999: Jerome Williams, Waipahu (2003 with S.F. Giants)
1999: Shane Victorino, St. Anthony (2003 with San Diego Padres)
2001: Brandon League, Saint Louis (2004 with Toronto Blue Jays)