BASEBALL / AMATEUR DRAFT : Dodgers Pick a Pitcher for Fourth Year in Row

For the fourth consecutive year, and eighth time in the last 15, the Dodgers used their first pick in the annual June draft Monday to select a pitcher.

With the ninth pick overall, they took Ron Walden of Blanchard, Okla., population 2,100.

A 6-foot-3, 180-pound left-hander, Walden was 11-0 with a 0.36 earned-run average and 162 strikeouts in 68 innings this season at Blanchard High. He follows Dan Opperman, Bill Bene and Kiki Jones as pitchers who were No. 1 Dodger picks.

“We just felt that when we drafted, this boy was the best player available,” said Ben Wade, Dodger scouting director.

Walden, 17, is excited about the prospect of playing for the Dodgers.

“I’m happy because I heard they were a real good organization for pitchers,” Walden said from Blanchard. “I talked to the Dodgers quite a bit before the draft and I was pulling for them (to select him) the last week.”

The commissioner’s office in New York releases only the names of first-round selections, a practice major league baseball adopted a few years ago to prevent colleges and agents from using the draft list as a recruiting aid.

The Angels did not have a first-round pick, losing it to the Montreal Expos as compensation for the free-agent signing of Mark Langston. The Angels selected in the second round, the 64th pick overall, but declined to reveal the player’s identity.

Last year, bonuses for the 23 first-round selections signed by major league teams averaged $183,000, an increase of more than 25% from 1988.

Walden, who has signed a letter of intent with the University of Oklahoma, said he is aware of those figures.

“You bet I am,” he said. “I’ve got that written down.”

Last year, 14 of the 26 first-round picks were college players, among them Louisiana State right-hander Ben McDonald, who was chosen first overall by the Baltimore Orioles.

This year, 16 of the first-rounders were high school players, including eight of the first 12 picks.

Other highlights:

--The Atlanta Braves made Chipper Jones, a shortstop from The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., the first player selected. Jones, 18, was Florida’s high school player of the year, batting .488 with five home runs and 25 runs batted in.

The Braves hoped to select Todd Van Poppel, a right-handed pitcher from Martin High in Arlington, Tex., but backed off when Van Poppel insisted that he will attend the University of Texas. The Oakland Athletics, with seven of the first 66 picks, made Van Poppel the No. 14 choice. Van Poppel was 9-3 with a 0.97 ERA this season.

--Six players from Southern California were selected in the first round, four in the top six picks.

The Detroit Tigers made 6-7 outfielder Tony Clark of Christian High in El Cajon the No. 2 choice. Clark batted .543 this season and has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Arizona.

The Philadelphia Phillies took catcher Mike Lieberthal of Westlake High in Westlake Village with the No. 3 choice and signed him later in the day. Lieberthal batted .448 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates chose right-handed pitcher Kurt Miller of Bakersfield West High with the No. 5 pick. Miller was 9-1 with a 1.41 ERA.

The Seattle Mariners chose first baseman Marc Newfield from Huntington Beach Marina High No. 6. Newfield batted .467 with six home runs and 20 RBIs.

The St. Louis Cardinals made shortstop Aaron Holbert of Long Beach Jordan High the No. 18 pick. Holbert batted .438 this season.

The San Francisco Giants took San Diego State catcher Eric Christopherson 19th. Christopherson, a junior from Huntington Beach, batted .349 with five homers and 38 RBIs.

--UCLA catcher Paul Ellis and Bruin pitcher Dave Zancanaro were selected between the first and second rounds as compensation for the loss of Type A free agents.

Ellis, a junior who led the nation with 29 home runs, was selected with the 30th pick by the Cardinals as compensation for Tony Pena.

Zancanaro, a left-hander who was 11-6 with a 3.20 ERA, was taken 34th by the A’s as compensation for Storm Davis.

--Alex Fernandez, a right-hander from Miami-Dade Community College in Florida, was selected No. 4 and signed with the Chicago White Sox.