Cardinals Draw a Full House

Welcome to baseball’s bargain bin.

Major League teams spend the second day of the amateur draft digging through leftovers in search of overlooked treasures.

On Tuesday, 20 players from the region--an extraordinarily high number--were taken, bringing the two-day total to 36.

The St. Louis Cardinals took the jackpot, drafting five players from the region between the 25th and 47th rounds. Chuck Fick, the Cardinals’ scout responsible for Southern California, was delighted.

“I’m really happy about how we did in the late rounds,” he said.

The Cardinals began their spree in the 25th round by taking Ryan Hamill, a catcher from UCLA who played at Chaminade High.

Hamill was a backup this season after transferring from Nevada Las Vegas, but he has long been considered a prospect.

Tyler Johnson, a left-handed pitcher from Moorpark College and Newbury Park High, went to St. Louis in the 34th round and slugger John Santor of Highland High was chosen by the Cardinals in the 35th round.

St. Louis took another Moorpark College player, center fielder Brian Fatur from Calabasas High, in the 41st round and made shortstop Felipe Tetelboin of Grant High their 47th-round pick.

The first player from the region taken Tuesday was Larry Brown, an athletic outfielder from College of the Canyons. Brown was picked in the 22nd round by the Seattle Mariners, who picked him in the 12th round last year out of San Fernando High.

Josh Higgins, a right-handed pitcher from The Master’s College, went to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 23rd round. Higgins was 12-4 with a 4.06 earned-run average this season.

Two Pepperdine players were selected, bringing the total of Waves drafted to three. Catcher Dane Sardinha was a second-round pick on Monday, and center fielder Austin Evans (23rd, Texas Rangers) and second baseman Damon Katz (37th, Indians) were taken Tuesday.

Conor Jackson, the El Camino Real High infielder many expected to be taken in the early rounds, dropped to the 31st round. The Cleveland Indians picked Jackson, who is expected to attend California.

Jackson was one of nine high school players from the region taken Tuesday.

Catcher Joey Hamer of Newbury Park High was the Minnesota Twins’ 25th-round pick.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the Baltimore Orioles’ 33rd-round selection of Kurt Birkins, who last pitched for UCLA in 1999 after leading El Camino Real to the City Section title in 1998.

Birkins did not attend school this year and is an assistant coach for the Conquistadores, who played in the City final Tuesday night. The left-handed Birkins has a broken right arm and will not be able to pitch this summer.

One player disappointed at where he was selected Monday might feel better after surveying the list of drafted players.

Jamie Shields, Hart High’s talented right-handed pitcher, wasn’t picked until the 16th round by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays after missing much of the season because of a back injury. Shields has a scholarship to Louisiana State, which had seven players and 16 recruits drafted in the first 20 rounds.

Included were 10 pitchers.

Clearly, three years in Coach Skip Bertman’s program will improve Shields’ stock.

“It’s obviously a great program for all those guys to get drafted,” Shields said.

LSU recruit Mark Phillips, a left-hander from Hanover, Pa., was the first-round pick of the San Diego Padres and left-hander Jason Miller was the fourth-round choice of the Minnesota Twins. Three more Tiger pitching recruits were taken between the seventh and 13th rounds.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

In the Draft

Area players selected in the Major League Baseball amateur draft. The round is followed by overall selection in parentheses.

NAME: Matt Harrington

SCHOOL: Palmdale HS

POS.: RHP

ROUND: 1st (7)

TEAM: Colorado Rockies

*

NAME: Joe Borchard

SCHOOL: Stanford--Camarillo HS

POS.: OF

ROUND: 1st (12)

TEAM: Chicago White Sox

*

NAME: Dane Sardinha

SCHOOL: Pepperdine

POS.: C

ROUND: 2nd (46)

TEAM: Cincinnati Reds

*

NAME: Mike Schultz

SCHOOL: Loyola Marymount--Cleveland HS

POS.: RHP

ROUND: 2nd (69)

TEAM: Arizona Diamondbacks

*

NAME: Matt Parris

SCHOOL: Highland HS

POS.: RHP

RouND: 6th (168)

TEAM: Detroit Tigers

*

NAME: Matthew Merricks

SCHOOL: Oxnard HS

POS.: LHP

ROUND: 6th (190)

TEAM: Atlanta Braves

*

NAME: Bill Scott

SCHOOL: UCLA--Alemany HS

POS.: OF

ROUND: 8th (231)

TEAM: Milwaukee Brewers

*

NAME: Jesse Kozlowski

SCHOOL: Westlake HS

POS.: RHP

ROUND: 9th (251)

TEAM: Florida Marlins

*

NAME: Tom Canale

SCHOOL: Cal Lutheran

POS.: RHP

ROUND: 10th (306)

TEAM: Cleveland Indians

*

NAME: Fred Sanchez

SCHOOL: Oklahoma City Univ.--Burbank HS

POS.: SS

ROUND: 11th (332)

TEAM: Boston Red Sox

*

NAME: John Wilson

SCHOOL: Kentucky--CSUN--L.A. Baptist HS

POS.: C

ROUND: 11th (335)

TEAM: New York Mets

*

NAME: Jason Kubel

SchOOL: Highland HS

POS.: OF

ROUND: 12th (342)

TEAM: Minnesota Twins

*

NAME: Jamie Shields

SCHOOL: Hart HS

POS.: RHP

RouND: 16th (466)

TEAM: Tampa Bay Devil Rays

*

NAME: Adrian Mendoza

SCHOOL: CSUN--Royal HS

POS.: 1B

ROUND: 16th (477)

TEAM: Dodgers

*

NAME: Charles Merricks

SCHOOL: UCLA--Channel Islands HS

POS.: LHP

ROUND: 17th (497)

TEAM: Rockies

*

NAME: Doug Slaten

SCHOOL: Pierce College

POS.: LHP

ROUND: 17th (519)

TEAM: Diamondbacks

*

NAME: Larry Brown

SCHOOL: College of the Canyons--San Fernando HS

POS.: OF

ROUND: 22nd (656)

TEAM: Seattle Mariners

*

NAME: Josh Higgins

SCHOOL: The Master’s College

POS.: RHP

ROUND: 23rd (689)

TEAM: Pittsburgh Pirates

*

NAME: Austin Evans

SCHOOL: Pepperdine

POS.: OF

ROUND: 23rd (694)

TEAM: Texas Rangers

*

NAME: Joey Hamer

SCHOOL: Newbury Park HS

POS.: C

ROUND: 25th (732)

TEAM: Twins

*

NAME: Jack Cassel

SCHOOL: Pierce College

POS.: RHP

ROUND: 25th (739)

TEAM: San Diego Padres

*

NAME: Ryan Hamill

SCHOOL: UCLA--Chaminade HS

POS.: C

ROUND: 25th (743)

TEAM: St. Louis Cardinals

*

NAME: Conor Jackson

SCHOOL: El Camino Real HS

POS.: 3B

ROUND: 31st (936)

TEAM: Cleveland Indians

*

NAME: Delwyn Young

SCHOOL: Littlerock HS

POS.: 2B

ROUND: 31st (940)

TEAM: Braves

*

NAME: Chris Dickerson

SCHOOL: Notre Dame HS

POS.: OF

ROUND: 32nd (968)

TEAM: New York Yankees

*

NAME: Kurt Birkins

SCHOOL: El Camino Real HS

POS.: LHP

ROUND: 33rd (984)

TEAM: Baltimore Orioles

*

NAME: Tyler Johnson

SCHOOL: Moorpark College--Newbury Park HS

POS.: LHP

ROUND: 34th (1013)

TEAM: Cardinals

*

NAME: John Santor

SCHOOL: Highland HS

POS.: 3B

ROUND: 35th (1043)

TEAM: Cardinals

*

NAME: Mike Serrata

SCHOOL: Hueneme HS

POS.: OF

ROUND: 36th (1080)

TEAM: Oakland Athletics

*

NAME: Damon Katz

SCHOOL: Pepperdine

POS.: 2B

ROUND: 37th (1116)

TEAM: Indians

*

NAME: Adam Hilzendeger

SCHOOL: Palmdale HS

POS.: RHP

ROUND: 40th (1209)

TEAM: Braves

*

NAME: Brian Fatur

SCHOOL: Moorpark College--Calabasas HS

POS.: OF

ROUND: 41st (1222)

TEAM: Cardinals

*

NAME: John Voita

SCHOOL: Granada Hills HS

POS.: C

ROUND: 45th (1338)

TEAM: Athletics

*

NAME: Brian Baron

SCHOOL: UCLA--Hart HS

POS.: 2B

ROUND: 46th (1348)

TEAM: Twins

*

NAME: Corry Parrott

SCHOOL: Cal State L.A.--Burbank HS

POS.: OF

ROUND: 47th (1380)

TEAM: White Sox

*

NAME: Felipe Tetelboin

SCHOOL: Grant HS

POS.: SS

ROUND: 47th (1381)

TEAM: Cardinals