Cleveland Selects Wright in First Round; Detroit Picks Gaspar : Baseball draft: Titan outfielder Powell goes to Giants with 22nd pick. Reds add to their Boone collection.

Jaret Wright, Katella High School’s hard-throwing pitcher, finally had the answer for everyone.

Cleveland.

Wright was selected Thursday by the Indians in the first round of the amateur baseball draft. He was the 10th player selected.

“People have been buzzing around me all night and all morning,” Wright said. “All anyone talked about the last few weeks was the draft. Everyone wanted the inside scoop.”

It had long been speculated that Wright would be a first-round pick. His fastball has been clocked as high as 94 m.p.h. and Baseball America rated him the fourth-best high school player in the nation before the season.

Wright, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound right-hander, did nothing to jeopardize that standing.

He was 7-2 with a 2.99 earned-run average during the regular season and won one more game in the Southern Section Division I playoffs. He led Orange County with 100 strikeouts. He was 4-3 with 80 strikeouts as a junior.

Wright, who also plays first base, hit .474 with seven home runs and 31 runs batted in during the regular season. He had seven home runs and 26 RBIs as a junior.

Those numbers attracted attention and scouts flocked to Katella’s games.

“The Cleveland scout was at every game,” Wright said. “He was like a grandpa to me. I tried not to let all the attention be a hassle. It wasn’t, because my dad took a lot of it off me. He’s been really stressed.”

Clyde Wright is a former pitcher with the Angels.

“Aw, shucks, I’m not important anymore,” Wright said. “I’m just ‘Jaret Wright’s father.’ ”

Pepperdine pitcher Cade Gaspar, who played at Capistrano Valley High and Saddleback College, was the 18th player selected. He was taken in the first round by the Detroit Tigers.

He was previously drafted by the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, but he turned down six-figure signing bonus by the Astros to go to college and become a pitcher.

Gaspar, the son of former New York Met outfielder Rod Gaspar, was an infielder and didn’t become a full-time pitcher until he reached Pepperdine. He learned fast. He was 6-1 with a 2.30 ERA this season.

Cal State Fullerton outfielder Dante Powell was selected 22nd by the San Francisco Giants.

Powell, a multi-talented outfielder, had a disappointing junior season for the Titans. He hit .289, but stole 40 bases in 47 attempts. He was named second-team All-American despite his struggles at the plate.

“I’m happy with where I was picked, and it’s great to be able to stay in California,”’ Powell said in Omaha, Neb., where Cal State Fullerton is preparing to meet Georgia Tech in today’s opening game of the College World Series. “The Giants are a class organization. I thought I might have a shot at going with the Angels. That would have been fine, too, since they’re the team in my back yard.”

Powell, who played at Long Beach Millikan High, was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, who took him as a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds in 1991. He turned down a $425,000 offer to attend Fullerton. He hit .307 as a freshman and .335 as a sophomore.

Powell said he has not talked with anyone from the Giants at this point and has no plans to do so until after the College World Series ends.

“The World Series is my first priority right now, and when the tournament is over, we’ll go from there,” Powell said.

Only players drafted in the first round are announced by Major League Baseball officials.

USC third baseman Aaron Boone, who played at Villa Park, was drafted by the Reds in the third round. Boone, a second-team All-American selection, hit .340 with six home runs and 30 RBIs for the Trojans. He also stole 26 bases, a school single-season record.

Bret Boone, Aaron’s brother, plays second base for the Reds and his father, ex-Angel Bob Boone, is a coach with the team.

“I didn’t have any clues,” Aaron Boone said. “Dad didn’t tell me anything. He was in a golf tournament today and called me from the golf course a couple hours ago. My brother called to congratulate me, too.”

Ray Boone, Aaron’s grandfather, had a 13-year major league career.

Aaron France, a pitcher from Cypress College, was drafted in the third round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. France, who played at Loara High School, was 12-4 with a 2.82 ERA in helping the Chargers win the State championship. He has signed a letter of intent with Miami.

Mater Dei catcher Matt Treanor was taken by the Kansas City Royals in the fourth round. Treanor, an excellent defensive catcher, hit .368 with three home runs and 23 RBIs for the Monarchs.

Cal State Fullerton pitcher Mike Parisi, who is scheduled to be the Titans’ starting pitcher today in the opening game of the College World Series, was selected by Miami in the sixth round.

Parisi, a junior, is 11-3 for the season with a 2.55 ERA. And teammate Jeff Ferguson, a junior second baseman who was chosen co-Big West player of the year, was picked in the ninth round by Minnesota. Ferguson is hitting .373 and leads the team in RBIs with 56.

Laguna Hills shortstop Brett Nista was taken in the seventh round by the New York Mets. Nista, who has signed with UCLA, set county career records for hits (155) and runs scored (128).

Tustin third baseman Derek Baker was drafted in the 12th round by the Angels. Baker, who has signed with USC, hit .397 with three home runs and 19 RBIs during the regular season.

Dana Hills pitcher Seth Etherton was drafted in the 16th round by the Florida Marlins. Etherton, who also has signed with USC, was 9-1 with a 1.15 ERA and 99 strikeouts this season.

Times staff writer Lon Eubanks contributed to this story.