July 23, 2007

Still Holding Out

By Cary Osborne
Signal Sports Editor

The elation has subsided a bit.

For 10 baseball players with local ties, the celebration of being selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft seems long ago.

Now business has taken a front seat.

Of the 10 locals who were drafted, only four have signed and are now playing in the Minor leagues.

The six remaining are either playing the waiting game, or not waiting at all.

Major League Baseball amended a rule just this year that prevented what is termed as a "draft and follow."

An organization could draft a high school or junior college player in the past with JC eligibility remaining and sign him up to a week before the following year's draft.

Now all players must sign by Aug. 15 - including four-year college players with a year of eligibility remaining.

The four who have signed are Hart graduate John Curtis, Valencia graduates Danny Worth and Garrett Rieck and former College of the Canyons shortstop Brian Chavez.

The others do not appear likely to sign.

The only area high school player drafted was Virgil Hill.

The recent Valencia High graduate was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 28th round and said he doesn't intend to sign.

Instead, Hill said he will likely play baseball at Mission College in 2007-08.

"Yeah, I do feel I'm taking a risk," Hill said. "There is that slight chance you don't get drafted again, but I'm on a new program and doing all the things necessary to get me to that point."

Hill said money played in his decision not to sign.

He didn't say how much he was offered, but noted it was more than the $10,000 to $15,000 many selected in his slot would usually get.

But the risks he now takes include not being drafted, being drafted later in the draft and injury.

The former track star and three-sport athlete at Valencia High said he is confident that his choice to go to Mission will do nothing but make him a better baseball player.

"Now it's just hurry up, get right and wait 'til next year and get drafted again," Hill said. "The main goal for baseball is to get to that point."

Canyon graduate and College of the Canyons sophomore-to-be John Hay will also likely not sign.

Hay was selected in the 39th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who employ Chuck Crim, his former head coach at Canyon, as a scout.

The Cougars outfielder said he was a little surprised by being drafted and said he is a Dodgers fan, nonetheless, he like Hill wants more seasoning in college.

"I got drafted so low, if I went out there and (signed), I wouldn't really play," Hay said. "I'd get better, but if I play at COC and have a better year, I could get drafted higher or get a better opportunity to play at a four-year school."

College of the Canyons head coach Chris Cota said outfielder Tyreace House (49th round, Atlanta Braves) will likely stay put after being taken by the Braves for the second year in a row.

"I think Tyreace is coming back," Cota said. "I don't think there was much of an offer given to him. He's a guy that could benefit by coming back."

As for left-handed pitcher Mike McCravey, the coach said the Marlins, who selected him in the 40th round, will likely wait up until Aug. 15 to sign him.

McCravey, a sophomore who injured his pitching shoulder in the second week of the season and was granted another year of eligibility, is working to rehabilitate it.

If he doesn't sign, Cota said, he will likely be back in a COC uniform.

Valencia grad and Cal State Fullerton junior Jared Clark, selected in the 21st round by the Cleveland Indians, is also on the mend and biding his time.

Clark tore his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament at the beginning of the season and has been rehabbing since.

He said he hasn't heard from the Indians in four weeks.

"Now they're kind of waiting to see how my knee is in the next couple of weeks," Clark said. "I'm right there in the middle. I'd love to go back to school, but I'd also like to start a new part of my life."

Hart graduate and Fresno State outfielder Steve Susdorf, taken in the 27th round by the Detroit Tigers, is still unsigned as well and said he will likely not sign unless something happens between now and August 15.

Clark's best friend Rieck, a former Valencia High pitcher, is making the most noise of those who have signed.

Rieck, a 29th round pick by the Indians, is 2-0 heading into the weekend with a 0.53 ERA, striking out 17 batters in 17 innings for the Class-A Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

"He signed as quick as he could," Clark said. "He couldn't wait to get out there."

The other three have struggled, though.

Valencia graduate Danny Worth was the highest drafted local, going in the third round to the Detroit Tigers.

The infielder is hitting .233 with four RBIs in 43 at-bats for the Class-A Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Hart High and Cal State Fullerton graduate John Curtis is batting .190 with four doubles and three RBIs in 42 at-bats for the Class-A Great Falls White Sox.

He was selected in the 14th round by the Chicago White Sox.

Brian Chavez, a College of the Canyons product, was taken out of the University of San Francisco by the New York Yankees in the 32nd round.

He is currently on the seven-day disabled list for the Staten Island Yankees, who are 17-13 in their first season under legendary former College of the Canyons and University of Southern California head coach Mike Gillespie.

Chavez is 1-for-13 this season.