June 8, 2007

Two Moore League stars selected early
Lancers' d'Arnaud, Bruins' Dent high draft picks.

By Ben Villa

Both Lakewood High catcher Travis d'Arnaud and Wilson shortstop Ryan Dent were so good this year, that there was never really a question if they were going to get drafted or not, only when.
Neither had to wait long for their phone to ring on Thursday.

On the first day of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft conducted by Major League Baseball, both players were picked in the compensation round, d'Arnaud 37th overall to the Philadelphia Phillies and Dent 62nd by the Boston Red Sox.

"Dent is a great shortstop and all year long, we had pro teams calling me about Travis and coming to our games," Lancers coach Spud O'Neil said. "We knew something was going on. This was the most attention any one of my players ever got and this is the highest one of my players has ever been drafted."

D'Arnaud had a great senior season, batting .420 with seven home runs and 49 RBI. He was perhaps even better behind the plate, using his rocket arm to throw out runners on a consistent basis. He was selected as the Moore League's Player of the Year.

He had signed a letter of intent to play at Pepperdine, but on Thursday, he said it has always been a dream of his to play professional baseball.

"When I got

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drafted, I was really excited," d'Arnaud said. "I was so happy that all the hard work paid off and that I'm going to get a chance to live my dream. I'm going to sign with the Phillies unless they don't treat me fairly, and I don't see why they wouldn't.
"And the best thing is, I'm a Phillies fan. Chase Utley is one of my advisor's clients, so it would be great to play with him."

Dent also had a fabulous final campaign. He signed in the offseason with UCLA but during the season, he showed his pro potential nearly every game.

Dent batted .496 with 44 hits, 44 runs scored, 29 RBI and used his speed to steal 28 bases.

Then in the playoffs, Dent's career came full circle when he helped the Bruins reach the CIF Southern Section Division I final at Dodger Stadium.

In his final high school game, Dent went 1 for 1 with three walks and two runs scored.

Like d'Arnaud, Dent said he will probably pass on the chance to play college baseball and opt to begin his professional career as soon as possible.

"I'm extremely excited about the chance to play pro ball," Dent said. "The Red Sox are a great organization and I feel I can move up quickly in the organization. I'm just so excited about going there. Not too many teams can match their tradition. It's just a great opportunity."

One other local player was drafted. Reggie Williams of Bellflower was picked in the fourth round, 152nd overall by the Minnesota Twins. Williams also has a full ride to Cal State Fullerton if he opts for that.

"He's in a great situation," Buccaneers coach Brian Tripp said. "Either he'll sign and get paid to play baseball or if not, he has a scholarship waiting for him at Cal State Fullerton. Either way, he can't go wrong."