AMATEUR BASEBALL DRAFT : St. Louis Selects Gonzales; Giants Choose Borgogno

Cal State Fullerton left fielder Rich Gonzales, who sprained his neck when he hit the outfield wall during the College World Series, was notified Thursday that he has been drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Gonzales, a senior who led the team with a .386 average but had only one at-bat in two world series games, said he was chosen in the 27th round and will probably sign with the Cardinals Monday.

Titan second baseman Mate Borgogno was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 18th round, and Titan relief pitcher Doug Ketchen was chosen by the Houston Astros in the 19th round.

Mike Bradish, a first baseman who hit .352 with seven home runs and 30 runs batted in for Christ College of Irvine, was picked by the Chicago White Sox in the 13th round.

Willy Speakman, a catcher from Fullerton College, was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 16th round, but instead will attend Cal State Long Beach on a baseball scholarship, said his father, Ralph Speakman.

Borgogno, a junior, said he will make a decision on whether to sign with San Francisco or remain in college by next week. He met with a Giants representative Thursday but didn’t seem happy with the team’s offer.

“We’re kind of far apart right now, but I’m in no big hurry,” Borgogno said. “If it doesn’t work out, I’ll be glad to go back to Fullerton.”

Ketchen, a senior, could not be reached Thursday.

Titan pitcher Huck Flener, who was selected in the ninth round by the Toronto Blue Jays, met with a team official Thursday and said he “will most likely sign.”

Gary Mota of Fullerton College signed a minor-league contract with the Houston Astros, who drafted him in the second round. Mota, son of Dodger coach Manny Mota, has until Tuesday to report to Auburn of the New York-Penn League.

Former Tustin High School standout Steve Surico signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He was drafted in the 51st round Wednesday.

Surico, a left-handed pitcher, was a Southern Section 3-A first team selection in 1986. He pitched for four seasons at Loyola Marymount. His best season was 1988, when he went 12-2 and led Loyola to the NCAA regionals.

UC Irvine pitcher Ken Whitworth, who was selected in the 10th round by the Miami Miracle, an independent team in the Class-A Florida State League, has not decided between professional baseball or dental school.

Whitworth, who has been accepted to the UCLA dental school, had mixed feelings about being picked by the Miracle, which made its draft debut in the fourth round and will hold rights to its selections for one year.

“It can be good in that you start at the A level instead of rookie league, and if you do well, other teams can bid for you,” Whitworth said. “But it can hurt you because you’re not affiliated with a major league team.”

Southern California College had four players drafted , according to Coach Charlie Phillips.

Right-handed pitcher Jim Dedrick was selected in the 28th round by the Baltimore Orioles and was signed Thursday. Dedrick, who will report to Baltimore’s rookie team in Bluefield, W.Va., was an All-District III first team selection. He was 9-3 with 1.98 ERA last season.

Outfielder Raphael Garcia (21st round by Toronto), shortstop Joe Aversa (40th round, St. Louis) and right-handed pitcher Larry Jacinto (40th round, Dodgers) were other SCC players drafted.

Times staff writers Mike DiGiovanna and Ara Najarian, and Stu Matthews contributed to this story.