Harkey to Report to Cub Rookie Camp : Team Says Its Top Draft Choice Will Be Developed With Care

Mike Harkey, the Cal State Fullerton pitcher who last week became the first collegiate player chosen in the 1987 professional baseball draft, will begin pitching for a living today.

Harkey, the fourth player selected in last Tuesday’s draft, on Wednesday signed a contract that included a “substantial” bonus and is scheduled to report to the Chicago Cubs’ rookie camp in Mesa, Ariz., today before joining the club’s Class A affiliate in Peoria, Ill., sometime next week.

Gene Handley, the scout for the Cubs who is primarily responsible for negotiating with Harkey and his family’s attorneys, declined to disclose the amount of the signing bonus. “He received a substantial bonus, comparable or better to what any young man picked fourth in the country would get.”

Harkey was also unwilling to divulge the figure when contacted Wednesday. “We don’t feel it’s necessary to disclose that, for the Cubs’ purposes and for mine,” Harkey said. “I’m happy with the way it came out. (The negotiations) went pretty smooth.”

Whatever the correct figure is, it’s safe to assume that the Cubs intend to protect their investment. Gordon Goldsberry, the club’s director of minor leagues and scouting, said the Cubs will handle Harkey’s climb through the minor league system with care.

“Some clubs try to rush college-age ballplayers and put them up against tough competition too quickly,” Goldsberry said. “If they fail, it’s hard to get them back to where they have confidence in their ability to win.

“We have good feelings about Mike’s future. We just want to be patient and not put too much pressure on him. No. 1 draft choices sometimes put too much pressure on themselves.”

Harkey knows all about pressure. He spent most of the 1987 season being closely scrutinized by major league scouts, after being ranked as one of the top pitching prospects in the country in the preseason. Each time he took the mound for the Titans, he did so with the knowledge that several scouts would have their radar guns trained on him to measure his big league potential.

Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido called Harkey “the best athlete at any position to come through the program,” and marveled at the way the 20-year-old from Diamond Bar dealt with his status as a prospect. “The level of pressure got higher and higher toward the end, and he continued to grow,” Garrido said. “That says a lot.”

Harkey, a 6-foot 5-inch, 210-pound junior, finished the season with a 10-2 record, 101 strikeouts and a 2.72 earned-run average. His last appearence for Fullerton was a four-hit, 4-0 victory over Tulane in the NCAA South II Regional tournament at New Orleans.

Harkey’s position in the draft is the highest ever for a Fullerton player. Tim Wallach was selected 10th by the Montreal Expos after leading the Titans to the 1979 NCAA championship. Harkey said he is satisfied with the Cubs’ plan to move him up the minor-league ladder slowly.

“That’s fine with me,” he said. “However they want to handle it. I want to get to the bigs, but I don’t want to rush it, either.”