Tagliaferri Accepts Detroit’s Terms : Former Kennedy Shortstop to Play in Minors Instead of College

Gino Tagliaferri, the state high school home run leader, was faced with two choices: play now or play later. Much later. He chose the present.

After eight weeks of spirited negotiations, Tagliaferri committed Tuesday to play for the Detroit Tigers for an undisclosed amount. A third-round selection in the June free-agent draft, he will report Saturday to Niagara Falls--a member of the Class-A New York-Penn League--when he will officially sign a contract.

Tagliaferri, 18, hit a school-record and state-high 13 home runs last season at Kennedy High. He was selected City Section 4-A Player of the Year and was named to the all-state team by Cal-Hi Sports.

His decision to sign with Detroit was hastened, he said, when he received news two weeks ago that he had failed to score 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, as required by the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Tagliaferri had signed with Fresno State and was scheduled to room with Tim Costic, a 1989 graduate of Monroe High.

But rather than sit out a full season and lose a year of eligibility, as stipulated under the NCAA’s Proposition 48 rules, Tagliaferri reconsidered signing. After his team was eliminated from Palomino playoff competition last week, he said the prospect of sitting out a full year pushed him toward professional ball.

“After we lost, it hit me--no baseball for another year,” he said. “I have baseball talent, and it’s time to use it. I was given the chance to go to school, but I can go to school later on if I still want to. This is a chance that might not ever come around again.”

Tagliaferri (5-10, 190) established a single-season City record with 13 home runs and his 23 career homers also set a City mark.