Prep Notes : Draftees Facing Major-League Decisions

To sign or not to sign. That’s the question facing the young men selected in baseball’s amateur draft on Wednesday, including at least two high school players from the South Bay.

St. Bernard High School shortstop Royce Clayton, chosen by the San Francisco Giants as the 15th pick in the nation, says his decision will be based on money and how fast he feels he can move up in the Giants’ organization. Clayton already has a scholarship waiting for him at USC.

“We’ll have to reach a pretty good agreement before I take (the Giants) over college,” he said. “It’s going to have to be something that clearly persuades me to take the money.

“My heart says I want to play pro ball. But you can’t do things based on how your heart guides you. I have to think what’s best for my future.”

Redondo pitcher-shortstop Scott Davison, drafted in the fourth round by the Montreal Expos as a middle infielder, is in the same situation as Clayton. He has a scholarship to USC but is waiting to hear what the Expos have to offer when both parties meet tonight for negotiations.

“I don’t think we’ll get it over in one day,” Davison said. “From what I’ve heard from scouts and players, they never come in the first time with what their top money is going to be. If I don’t get the kind of money that I want, I’ll go to USC.”

The slick-fielding Clayton, who batted over .500 with 10 home runs for St. Bernard this season, was surprised he was selected by the Giants, a team that had not contacted him prior to the draft.

During the hours leading up to Wednesday morning’s draft, Clayton said he received four telephone calls from the Texas Rangers, who used the No. 6 pick in the first round to select Oklahoma State shortstop Monty Fariss.

“I really didn’t understand their point,” he said. “Some scout said he heard there were rumors that I didn’t want to play for certain teams, like the Baltimore Orioles. My father told him that I never said anything like that.”

Clayton said he expected to be picked by the Orioles, who had the fourth pick and used it to select pitcher Gregg Olson of Auburn University.

“Ed Crosby, the (Orioles’) head scout for the West Coast, called me and said he would be fighting for me,” Clayton said. “But he also said they were looking for a pitcher.

“I wasn’t disappointed. It’s an honor to be selected in the first round. As far as a bonus goes, I don’t think going fourth or 15th will make that much of a difference.”

Clayton said he plans to check on the number of shortstop prospects the Giants have in their minor league system.

“If I don’t feel I can get up (to the major leagues) in three or four years, then why take that kind of chance when I can go to school and make it that way?” he said.

Davison, who was projected by Baseball America to be a second-round pick, was surprised he lasted until the fourth round, where he was the 108th player taken overall.

“I was a little disappointed at first, but then I realized it’s a pretty high pick,” he said. “I heard the Expos organization was happy to get me. I figure that’s a good sign. Pro ball is looking pretty good.”

Redondo baseball Coach Harry Jenkins, coming off his best season in 18 years at the school, says he might not return next season.

“I’m going to decide after this week,” he said. “My business is doing real well, and it’s giving me plenty of time to do what I want.”

Jenkins, whose company builds condominiums and apartments in the South Bay, mentioned he might take a year off to travel.

Redondo finished with a 30-3 record after losing to Covina, 6-1, in the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section 4-A playoffs Tuesday at Northview High in Covina. It completed the best season in the school’s 83-year history.

The loss left Jenkins with a career record of 339-179-4 since he took over the Redondo program in 1970. The Sea Hawks have won 10 league titles in the past 13 years, including the Pioneer League co-championship this season.

If Jenkins does not return, one of the likely candidates to replace him would be his son, Mike, a Redondo assistant coach.

Redondo’s Davison, who gave up almost as many earned runs (six) in Tuesday’s playoff loss to Covina as he had in 113 previous innings (seven), said it was the first time he had ever pitched with Rawlings baseballs.

“The Rawlings baseballs have no seams on them,” he said. “I’ve used Diamond (baseballs) my whole career.

“I think it hurt my slider. My slider was up and flat. I don’t know if it was the ball or me. But I think the ball had a little bit of an effect.”

Davison surrendered eight hits and six runs in 2 innings before he was ejected for exchanging words with the home-plate umpire. The loss ended his quest for a perfect season, leaving him with an 18-1 record.

The senior right-hander ended his four-year varsity career with three CIF Southern Section records and among the leaders in several other categories. His accomplishments included:

* First in career hits (149).

* First in career (142) and single-season (58 in 1987) runs batted in.

* Second in career wins (48), most wins in a season (18) and consecutive wins (18).

* Second in career (511) and single-season (218) strikeouts.

* Fifth in career home runs (23).

* Fifth in career runs scored (114).

Top-seeded St. Bernard (22-4) watched its baseball season come to an end on Tuesday with a 3-2 loss to Norte Vista of Riverside in the semifinals of the CIF 2-A playoffs, but not before the Vikings hit one more home run.

Daric Pernell homered in the sixth inning to give St. Bernard 47 homers on the season, the second-best mark in Southern Section history.

The Vikings finished four homers behind the single-season record of 51 hit by Glendora in 1985.

PREP NOTES

Mira Costa, winner of four CIF championships in the last six years, will hold a girls volleyball alumni match tonight at 7 at the school. Players expected to play include Wendy Fletcher, a member of UCLA’s national championship team in 1985; Kerrie Trieschman of Pacific, freshman of the year in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn.; Holly McPeak of UC Berkeley, freshman of the year in the Pacific-10 Conference; Lindsay Hahn of Arizona State and Lisa Arce of UC Berkeley. . . . South Torrance, Redondo, Harbor Christian of Harbor City and Coast Christian of Redondo Beach will be among the high schools honored Sunday at Dodger Stadium during the sixth annual CIF “Shake for Sportsmanship” awards program. A representative from each of the honored schools will be recognized prior to the Dodgers-Cincinnati Reds game, scheduled for 1:05 p.m.