A’s don’t hesitate
to grab Bryant

Oakland takes the UH pitcher
in the 20th round

Seven more players with Hawaii ties were selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft yesterday.

Of the 1,501 players picked in the two-day, 50-round draft by the 30 major league teams, nine were from Hawaii or played for the Hawaii Rainbows and two were UH recruits.

Rainbows right-hander Steve Bryant was the first Hawaii player chosen yesterday, going in the 20th round (611th overall) to the Oakland Athletics.

"I was shocked for a few seconds when I saw my name on the Internet because I heard from a bunch of teams this morning and the A's weren't one of them," said Bryant from his Chico, Calif., home.

"I had watched for 7 1/2 hours the first day and nothing happened. Today (Wednesday) it only took about 25 minutes and that was good. I think the A's are a perfect fit. I'm excited to go to that organization. I'll have to prove myself and want to go as high as I can. That's my dream."

UH pitching coach Chad Konishi said, "I would compare Steve to a poor man's Tim Hudson (former A's starter traded to the Atlanta Braves in the offseason). Steve has similar stuff, may not throw as hard, but if he comes out of the pen, he will be great because his breaking ball is hard to lay off.

"I think he is with the right organization. If Steve does well he would move up quickly. For me, it is a hometown pick. I talked with the A's scouting director Eric Kubota after the first day. Eric was surprised Steve was still available. He said he would take him early (yesterday) if he was available."

Ian Mopas, a left-hander from Iolani, went in the 26th round (795th overall) to the Minnesota Twins and Kirby Yates, a right-hander from Kauai High School, was selected moments later by the Boston Red Sox in the same round (798th overall).

Yates, who is with the Hawaii Island Movers, needed both parents to get him the news.

"My mom (Janna) called and told me I had been taken in the 26th round, but she didn't know which team because she was jumping around," said Yates. "My dad (Gary) called back and told me it was Boston.

"I was relieved because nothing happened Tuesday. I just wanted to see in what round I was going and how high.

"I'm going to be a draft-and-follow pick. It's a business now and I would like to have more options."

Yates will go to Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz., this fall.

"If I have one good year or two good years then maybe I'll move up the ladder," he said.

Boston scout Wally Komatsubara said, "Unfortunately, Kirby doesn't play many games on Kauai. At Yavapai, he will play a lot of games and his game will improve. We will be watching him closely."

Twelve more rounds went by before Jacob Myking was chosen in the 38th round by the Kansas City Royals.

Myking, a catcher from Kalaheo, was taken by the Royals in the 45th round in 2004. A draft-and-follow choice, he played at San Joaquin Delta College this year and hit .351 with nine doubles and two triples.

The Royals were impressed with his progress and want to keep organizational control of Myking, so he will be a draft-and-follow pick for another year.

Rainbow recruit Ryan Selden went in the 41st round to the Philadelphia Phillies and the Royals took catcher Kip Masuda from Mid-Pacific Institute in the 47th round and Saint Louis first baseman Chester Wilson in the 48th round.

Selden, a second baseman, said, "I was excited when it happened. I thought I would go higher, but that didn't happen. I'll be meeting with the Phillies tomorrow (today). I'll wait and hear what they have to say before making a decision."

Masuda plans to enroll at Long Beach State this fall on a partial scholarship, so the Royals consider him a draft-and-summer follow.

"There are a lot of good players out there, but there is always a chance you'll be picked. I'm probably going to school. I'm going back and forth right now, but most likely I'll go to school," said Masuda.

In a signing unrelated to the draft, Kala Ka'aihue signed a free-agent contract with the Atlanta Braves earlier this week.

Ka'aihue, a catcher at Iolani, played first base for South Mountain Community College in Phoenix this spring after sitting out a year following Tommy John surgery.

"I didn't find out I was a free agent until the last day of the (National Junior College) tournament. I became one 90 days after the Red Sox voided my contract," said Ka'aihue.

He was drafted by Boston in 2003, signed, but the Red Sox voided the contract when a physical indicated surgery was needed.

"I adapted really well to playing first base. I made a lot of good plays this year. I am confident there," said Ka'aihue. "I'm really happy and excited to get going."

He leaves Phoenix tomorrow for Florida and has been assigned to the Braves in the Gulf Coast League.

Hawaii players in MLB draft

Players with connections to the islands who were drafted in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft:

Player, Pos.	School	Round (No.)	Team
Milton Loo, 3b	Molokai/Yavapai	9th (272)	Reds
Cody Allen, 3b	UH recruit	10th (306)	Marlins
Kea Kometani, rhp	Punahou/Pepperdine	15th (459)	Rangers
Isaac Omura, 2b	Mid-Pacific/UH	17th (521)	Athletics
Steve Bryant, rhp	Hawaii	20th (611)	Athletics
Ian Mopas, lhp	Iolani	26th (795)	Twins
Kirby Yates, rhp	Kauai	26th (798)	Red Sox
Jacob Myking, c	Kalaheo/San Joaquin Delta	38th (1,132)	Royals
Ryan Selden, ss	UH recruit	41st (1,235)	Phillies
Kip Masuda, c	Mid-Pacific	47th (1,394)	Royals
Chester Wilson, 1b	Saint Louis	48th (1,422)	Royals