Major League Baseball Draft : Tar Heel Catcher Surhoff Is Brewers’ No. 1 Pick

Major league baseball’s 21st annual summer free-agent draft took on Olympic proportions Monday when North Carolina catcher B. J. Surhoff, Mississippi State first baseman Will Clark, Oklahoma pitcher Bobby Witt and Michigan shortstop Barry Larkin were the first four players selected.

Surhoff, Clark, Witt and Larkin all were members of the college all-star team that represented the United States in last year’s Olympic tournament.

Another player from that team who was eligible for this year’s draft, San Diego State outfielder Chris Gwynn, was the 10th player picked. The 15 other members of the Olympic team were drafted last year, 13 of them in the first round.

Surhoff, chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers, became the ninth collegian to be the No. 1 player picked in the free-agent draft. Surhoff, 20, a junior who bats left-handed, hit .388 in 58 games this season. He hit 14 home runs, drove in 57 runs and stole 29 bases. He struck out only five times in 224 at-bats.

He also excelled defensively, throwing out 9 of 23 runners attempting to steal.

In his three-year college career Surhoff, who also played shortstop, third base, and the outfield, batted .393, hit 32 homers, drove in 157 runs, stole 64 bases and had a .624 slugging percentage. He struck out only 24 times in 676 at-bats.

Surhoff signed with the Brewers immediately after being selected, and will start his professional career at Beloit, Wis., Milwaukee’s affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

“There was no haggling. They made a very fair offer,” Surhoff said. “I’ve had a feeling for quite awhile that I was going to be picked by the Brewers. I was hoping, anyway.”

Said Ray Poitevint, the Brewers’ director of player procurement: “Even though we’re drafting him as a catcher, we would have also made him the first pick as a shortstop. He’s that good. He has a good throwing arm and good bat control. He’s also got good first-step quickness.

“We just thought Surhoff was the best overall player in the draft. He has similar tools to Robin Yount. As far as complete tools, Surhoff is the best in this year’s draft. That’s how Robin was. . . I’m sure he’ll be helping us in a couple of years.”

Clark was picked second by the San Francisco Giants, Witt was chosen by Texas, and Larkin was taken by Cincinnati. Gwynn, brother of the Padres’ Tony Gwynn, was selected by the Dodgers.

Eleven of the first 12 players picked were collegians. In all, 18 of the 26 first-round selections were college players.

Gwynn, who missed almost half of San Diego State’s season with wrist and shoulder injuries--he played in 39 of 72 games--still batted .403 and drove in 37 runs. Last season as a sophomore, he batted .383 in 89 games, setting an NCAA single-season record with 137 hits. He also hit 19 homers and drove in 95 runs.

“I’m really happy about staying on the West Coast,” Gwynn said. “That’s what I wanted all along. The Dodgers are a good organization. I’m lucky.”

The first high school player drafted was Glendora catcher Kurt Brown, whom the Chicago White Sox took with the No. 5 pick. Brown, 6-2 and 200, who has signed a football letter of intent with Cal State Long Beach as a linebacker, batted .400, hit 13 homers and drove in 49 runs this season.

The Angels drafted 15th and selected William Fraser, a right-handed pitcher from Concordia College in Bronxville, N.Y. Fraser, 6-3 and 200, was 6-3 with a 3.51 earned run average and struck out 69 in 59 innings. The Angels also had the 19th pick, received from Baltimore as compensation for signing Fred Lynn, and chose South Carolina right-hander Mike Cook.