Could Kendall Be the Catch of Baseball Draft? : Review: The Torrance standout was the first catcher drafted. If he signs with Pittsburgh, he could end up playing against a team his father coaches.

Despite analysis and speculation to the contrary, Torrance High’s Jason Kendall became the first catcher in the country to be selected in the major league baseball amateur draft Monday.

Kendall, the son of former league catcher Fred Kendall, was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 23rd pick in the first round.

Four other area players were selected in the first two days of the draft: Harbor College catcher Rene Lopez, El Camino College outfielder Andre LeVias, and two St. Bernard High players, outfielder Brian Richardson and shortstop Grant Hohman.

Kendall was drafted ahead of several catchers who were thought to be more coveted by major league teams.

University of Miami catcher Charles Johnson, a first-team All-American, was rated as high as the No. 1 overall pick in the country by some magazines before the season.

Among high school catchers, Kendall entered the season rated behind Ryan Luzinski of Holy Cross High in Delran, N.J., and A.J. Hinch of Midwest City High in Oklahoma.

Although Kendall batted .549 with 14 doubles, nine triples and three home runs and tied a national high school record with a 43-game hitting streak, his offensive skills came into question in a pre-draft issue of Baseball America.

“(Kendall) is an excellent receiver with an above-average arm, but gets downgraded slightly because his bat is a question mark,” it was reported in the May 10 issue.

“I don’t worry about things like that,” Kendall said. “I’ve heard it before with people thinking I’m too small to play catcher.”

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Kendall was the first high school player from Southern California selected. He was the sixth high school player selected in the entire draft.

“I’m pumped. It’s something I’ve waited my entire life for,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep the night before and I spent (Monday) listening to (a radio station) waiting to hear results.”

Kendall is unsure whether he will sign with the Pirates or attend San Diego State, the school he signed a letter of intent with. If he signs with the Pirates, he probably will be sent to their Welland minor league team in the New York Penn League, where his father is coaching the Utica team.

“I’d love to play against my dad’s team, but we’ll see what happens,” Kendall said.

Harbor’s Lopez was selected in the eighth round by the world champion Minnesota Twins.

Lopez was named a first-team community college All-American and was awarded the Southern California Big Stick Award, which goes to the top offensive player.

Lopez said a late-season injury might have prevented him from being taken higher in the draft. During a playoff game last month, he was involved in a collision at home plate and severely injured his left knee and had surgery.

“Before that I thought I’d be in the top five rounds easily,” said Lopez, who batted .394 with eight home runs. “I wasn’t sure anyone wanted to take a chance (after the injury).

“Minnesota was the last pro team to talk to me before the draft. Their scout, Earl Frishman, came to visit me in the hospital.”

Lopez is undergoing therapy three to four hours a day and expects to fully recover in five to eight months.

Lopez said the Twins plan to fly him to Minneapolis to visit their team doctor in hopes of getting him ready for spring training. But Lopez said he might decide on a college career at Pepperdine.

El Camino’s LeVias was selected in the 10th round by the Chicago White Sox.

St. Bernard outfielder Richardson was selected by the Dodgers in the seventh round. Hohman, a four-year varsity starter at shortstop for St. Bernard, was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 15th round.

“I was surprised that I went that high,” said Richardson, who batted .387 this season. “I’m looking forward to it, the Dodgers are my favorite team.”

Richardson said he plans to sign and probably will play third base for the Dodgers’ rookie team in the Florida Gulf Coast League.

Hohman, who batted .394, said he experienced some pressure to commit early to the Marlins. He might attend Harbor College.

“(The Marlins) called me before they were going to pick me and said they couldn’t waste a pick, they needed to know what I wanted to do,” Hohman said.

Hohman said he was surprised that an expansion team would pressure draft picks to commit before being selected.