Laker, Gilmore Among Area Players Drafted

Six more Valley-area players were selected in Major League Baseball’s free-agent draft, which concluded Friday.

Tim Laker of Oxnard College, Lenn Gilmore of Cal State Northridge, Travis Kinyoun of Royal High, Don Pedersen of College of the Canyons, Sean Thompson of Valley and Frank Halcovich of Arizona and Canyons were each chosen by one of professional baseball’s 26 organizations.

Laker, a catcher who also attended Simi Valley High, was selected in the sixth round by the Montreal Expos. Laker has signed a letter of intent with Arizona State.

Gilmore, a Division II third-team All-American, was selected by the Cleveland Indians but was not informed in which round.

Kinyoun, a catcher, and Pedersen, a first baseman who played at Saugus High, were selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 36th and 41st rounds, respectively.

Thompson, an outfielder who played at Westlake High, was drafted by the San Francisco Giants but was not informed in which round.

Halcovich, a pitcher-designated hitter who also played at Granada Hills High, was selected in the 22nd round by the Kansas City Royals.

Olonzo Woodfin (Sylmar); Joel Wolfe (Chatsworth); Doug Simons (Pepperdine, Calabasas); Charlie Fiacco (UCLA, Camarillo) and Mike Magnante (UCLA, Burroughs) are other Valley-area players who previously were notified of their selection.