June 7, 2007

Again & Again
Hart High graduate John Curtis expects to be drafted by an MLB team — again.

By Cary Osborne
Signal Sports Editor

Right now, it's 11 a.m. John Curtis is today where he was this day in 2006.

He's where he was this day in 2005.

The 2002 Hart High graduate is on the practice field of perennial college baseball powerhouse Cal State Fullerton preparing for UCLA for the Super Regionals beginning Friday.

Practice has actually just started - so has the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Televised for the first time ever, Major League Baseball is trying to bring to baseball fans what NFL, NBA and NHL aficionados already have - a glimpse of the exciting future.

Curtis might TiVo it, he says.

For good reason.

The 22-year-old Titans catcher has already been drafted twice - 2005 and 2006 - and will likely be selected again.

"He's a lefty hitter which is a bit of an anomaly (for a catcher)," says Cal State Fullerton head coach George Horton on why Curtis is a multi-time draftee. "He has that sweet left-handed stroke and he's a very fundamental catcher."

Curtis, who has been drafted on the second day each year, says this time of year is both exciting and confusing.

"If we weren't practicing, I'd be in front of the TV watching it," Curtis says of the draft. "I've been through it two years in a row. I don't want to listen to what anyone says. I'm expecting whatever. I don't want to get excited then get my heart broken."

Heart broken?

The former Hart first baseman/catcher says the draft is a funny thing.

"The draft is always a crazy day," he says. "You talk to scouts and they tell you they expect you to be picked in this round and it doesn't happen."

Curtis says they also talk money, but have little control over how much a player actually gets.

There is a hierarchy within a professional baseball team's scouting department.

It starts with an area scout then goes to a regional supervisor. Next is an area cross checker, then the scouting director and finally the team's general manager.

Today, teams will be selecting from a war room, where many have already been practically living for a week.

Curtis was selected in the 29th round of the 2005 draft on June 8 by the Cleveland Indians.

Horton informed Curtis while Curtis was in the batting cage of the selection.

The Titans were preparing for Arizona State in a Super Regional they would eventually lose.

Curtis didn't sign.

"Because I was a redshirt sophomore, I wanted a good amount of money and it came to a point where they drafted to have a draft and follow (where teams could sign a player up until the week before the following year's draft)," says Curtis, who hit .234 with 29 RBIs in 2005. "They knew I wasn't going to sign and that was it."

Curtis had bargaining power with the Indians because he could rebuff their offer and return to school to better his chances for the following year.

He was selected in 2006 in the 24th round by the Los Angeles Angels - a season he hit .277 with 23 RBIs.

Curtis was informed while practicing for Missouri in a Super Regional the Titans would eventually win.

It may have seemed like the right time to sign - hometown team, though he's a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and his bargaining power was less because he risked having a down senior season or being injured.

But none of those were factors in why he didn't sign.

"It was probably one of the hardest decisions I've made," he admits. "I was so close to graduating from school. I wanted to play minor league ball. There were so many things to lean on. I couldn't make up my mind."

His indecisiveness found certainty when speaking to his parents.

They wanted him to complete his degree in criminal justice.

"This has been probably the best year of my life outside baseball and in baseball," he says now.

Curtis swatted his first collegiate home run Feb. 20 against San Diego State.

Four have followed, including a three-run shot in the last game of the Regionals June 3 against Fresno State - a third inning blast that gave the Titans a 5-1 lead.

"It put the game out of hand against Fresno," says Curtis' roommate and teammate Jon Wilhite.

Wilhite, a junior at Fullerton who has moved from catcher to first base, says a lot of credit for the team's success goes to Curtis because of the way he handles the pitching staff and his attitude.

"He's like the veteran on the team," Wilhite says. "(He's) good for young guys, especially when things are going wrong. He's a solid component. You can't tell if he's rattled or nervous or mad."

Horton seconds the praise.

"John staying for a fifth year has given consistency to a team who had huge turnover," the 11th-year coach and two-time National Champion says. "John has improved a little each year. His main improvement (this season) has been offensively. Instead of hitting in the bottom of the order, he's moved to the middle of the order. We think he had a lot to do with our success last weekend (against Fresno State)."

All of that puts him in a great position.

His team has an opportunity to make it to the College World Series. Curtis already has a College World Series title, winning it in 2004 as a backup catcher.

"I'm just having fun being a senior, a leader on the team. I'm having a great season batting- and catching-wise, hanging out, living the college life," Curtis says. "If I signed, I wouldn't live the college life. I don't regret my decision at all."

Today or Friday, he'll probably be a major league team's choice - a draft choice.

The same thing he's been last year and the year before.