Mariners Draft Pirkl; 2 Other Locals Chosen : Los Alamitos Catcher Goes in 2nd Round; Mets Take Saunders; Royals Pick Hamelin

Greg Pirkl of Los Alamitos High School was selected in the second round of the amateur baseball draft Wednesday by the Seattle Mariners.

Pirkl was the first Orange County player selected and 40th player taken overall. Doug Saunders of Esperanza High School was selected in the third round by the New York Mets, and Bob Hamelin of Rancho Santiago College was taken by the Kansas City Royals.

“I was praying that I would go low in the first round or high in the second round,” said Pirkl, a catcher. “Naturally, I couldn’t be more happy.”

Until last summer, Pirkl had never caught before. However, his rapid development, plus his hitting abilities, brought interest from college recruiters and professional scouts.

Pirkl hit .549 with 10 home runs, 13 doubles and 40 runs-batted in last season. He is still being recruited by USC and the University of Tennessee, but is strongly considering signing.

“It looks like I’m leaning towards professional baseball,” Pirkl said. “I was the 40th player picked in the nation, that must mean something.”

Pirkl said he plans to meet with a representative from the Mariners this weekend.

Saunders, an infielder/pitcher, was surprised at being drafted in the third round.

“I got home and there was a message from the Mets on the answer machine; they drafted me in the third round,” he said. “I was shocked. I was expecting to be drafted, but much lower.”

Saunders is hitting .470 with 9 home runs this season for Esperanza, which plays Diamond Bar in the Southern Section 5-A final Saturday.

He also has a 1-1 record with 8 saves as a pitcher. He has 11 career saves.

Saunders has already signed a letter of intent with the University of Illinois. However, he said he will consider an offer from the Mets.

“Right now they can’t meet with me because my season is still in progress,” Saunders said. “I’ve signed with Illinois, but it all depends on what they (the Mets) offer.”

Hamelin, a sophomore at Rancho Santiago, declined to say what round the Royals took him.

“The Royals asked me not to say,” he said. “I was drafted in a good spot.”.

Teams released the names of players chosen only on the first round on Wednesday.

Hamelin, a first baseman, figured to be picked high. During the season, he set state records with 31 home runs and 105 RBIs, as the Dons finished second to Sacramento City College in the state playoffs.

Hamelin has already made a commitment to play at the University of Texas next season.

“I’ll wait until the negotiations (with Kansas City) before determining what I’ll do,” he said.