June 11 , 2007

Napa High grad Pridmore picked by Nationals
SRJC star may go to four-year school

By RANDY JOHNSON

Clinton Pridmore’s dream can come true — if he wants it to.

Pridmore, a Napa High School graduate and Santa Rosa Junior College standout the last two seasons, was picked in the 44th round by the Washington Nationals in Friday’s baseball draft.

“It feels great, man,” said Pridmore via cell phone on Friday night. “It feels unbelievable. I’ve been dreaming of this forever.”

However, Pridmore may pass up professional baseball in order to move on to a four-year college.

“I haven’t made my decision yet,” he said, adding that Nationals representatives are set to contact him today to discuss financial matters.

Pridmore batted .320 for the Bear Cubs this spring, adding three home runs, 14 doubles and 27 RBIs in 41 games.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Pridmore primarily played third base and made four emergency starts at shortstop when a teammate fell ill. In all, he made just eight errors on the season.

Pridmore’s head coach, Damon Neidlinger, was proud of his accomplishment.

“It’s almost every young guy’s dream to have this happen, to be recognized by the highest level of baseball for all your hard work,” said Neidlinger, a fellow Napa High graduate who has been with Santa Rosa for 13 years.

“He deserves it. He’s just not sure what direction to go in right now.”

Neidlinger said that Pridmore has “scholarship offers on the table” from four-year colleges and has had contact with schools such as Indiana State, Southeast Missouri and Oral Roberts, among others.

The Detroit Tigers are hoping another Kaline can help them win games someday.

Colin Kaline, the grandson of Hall of Famer Al Kaline, was selected by the Tigers in the 25th round Friday — the second day of the baseball draft, in which lots of familiar names were called.

The younger Kaline played second base and shortstop for Groves High School in Michigan, but it was uncertain if he’d sign with the Tigers because he has committed to Florida Southern.

Kaline wasn’t the only player with major league bloodlines that the Tigers went after Friday. They also took Cale Iorg, son of former big league infielder Garth, in the sixth round.

Iorg last played baseball in 2005, when he was a freshman at the University of Alabama. After hitting .280 with 38 RBIs as the team’s starting shortstop, Iorg spent the past two years in Portugal on a mission trip. The Tigers obviously liked what they saw, despite the long layoff.

Detroit also drafted Wade Lamont, the son of third-base coach Gene Lamont in the 29th round; Joel Zumaya’s brother, Richard, in the 42nd round; and Nate Robertson’s brother, Matt, in the following round.

A few major league managers had proud moments when their teams drafted their sons Friday. Baltimore took Shippensburg University second baseman Eric Perlozzo, son of Sam Perlozzo, in the 35th round, the Chicago White Sox selected North Park University second baseman Oney Guillen, son of Ozzie, in the 36th round, while the Los Angeles Angels took California high school first baseman Matthew Scioscia, son of Mike Scioscia, in the 41st.

There were some other familiar names selected among the draft’s 1,453 picks, spanning 50 rounds.

Former outfielder Kevin Romine had both of his sons taken on the first day: California high school catcher Austin Romine went to the New York Yankees in the second round, while brother, Andrew, a shortstop for Arizona State, was taken by the Los Angeles Angels in the fifth round.

California high school outfielder Cory Vaughn, son of four-time All-Star Greg Vaughn, was taken by Philadelphia in the 43rd round; Cal State Fullerton catcher Matt Wallach, son of five-time All-Star Tim Wallach, went to the Dodgers in the 22nd round; and University of Texas lefty James Russell, son of former closer Jeff Russell, was a 14th-round pick of the Chicago Cubs.

The sons of Kevin Bass, Dann Bilardello, Andy Benes, Mike Gallego, Tom Herr and Brook Jacoby were also among those who heard their names called Friday.

The Cubs also made a sentimental pick when they took Florida high school right-hander Ryan Acosta in the 12th round. Acosta’s father, Oscar, was Chicago’s former pitching coach who was killed in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in April 2006. The elder Acosta was the manager of the Gulf Coast Yankees of the Rookie League at the time.

Not every team went the full 50 rounds, with Toronto finishing its picks after the 30th round. The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets each passed in the 40th round, and nine teams were done by round 49.

The New York Yankees made an interesting pick in the 45th round, taking ambidextrous Creighton pitcher Pat Venditte. The junior reliever was 8-2 with four saves and a 1.88 ERA while pitching from both sides, and had a streak of 43 2-3 scoreless innings stopped in the regionals last weekend.

The Yankees also had the final pick of the draft — No. 1,453 — and selected Connecticut catcher Larry Day. Baseball’s version of Mr. Irrelevant was a major part of the Huskies’ team that advanced to the Big East tournament title game.