Giants Select Jacob Cruz in 1st Round

Jacob Cruz, an All-American outfielder from Arizona State and Channel Islands High, was the first area player selected Thursday in the major league baseball amateur draft.

Cruz, a junior, was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the 32nd pick in the draft, which fell in the supplemental portion of the first round. Teams are given supplemental first-round picks as compensation when they lose free agents to other clubs.

The only high school players from the area selected were Quartz Hill right-hander Roger Worley, who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round, Newbury Park outfielder Keith Smith, a fifth-round choice of the Detroit Tigers, and Monroe right-hander Joel Zamudio, a ninth-round selection of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Master’s senior right-hander Chris Beck was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the seventh round, and UCLA first baseman Mike Mitchell, a Rio Mesa High graduate, was taken by the New York Yankees in the ninth round.

Left-hander Eddie Oropesa, who lives in Sylmar, was drafted by the Dodgers in the 14th round. Oropesa defected from Cuba during the World University Games last July.

Teams drafted, via conference call, for 17 rounds Thursday. They will draft about 30 rounds each, today and Saturday.

Cruz, a junior who is in Omaha, Neb., while the Sun Devils prepare to begin play today in the College World Series, surprised many draft observers by being selected so high. He was forecast before the season as a fifth- to 10th-round selection. In Baseball America magazine this week, he was listed as the 75th-best prospect in the nation.

But Cruz’s hitting--he enters the World Series with a .408 average and 67 runs batted in--raised interest.

“I like his bat,” said Gene Thompson, the Giants’ scout who covers Arizona State. “His other abilities are not all that great, but they are good enough. I think I’ve seen an awful lot of improvement in his outfield play. I was a little concerned at the start of the spring if he could be a center fielder, but I think he can now.”

Cruz, the Pacific 10 Conference Southern Division player of the year, said before the draft that the College World Series is his primary focus.

“I’m not going to worry about (the draft),” he said. “That’s something that’s going to be there after the World Series. I want to take care of the World Series first. One thing at a time.”

Cruz becomes the fifth first-round pick from the area since 1989, joining Roger Salkeld (Saugus, Mariners), Mike Lieberthal (Westlake, Phillies), Dmitri Young (Rio Mesa, St. Louis Cardinals) and Derek Wallace (Chatsworth, Chicago Cubs). The area boasted first-rounders every year from 1989 to 1992, but last year the top area picks came in the second round.

Worley, who was 5-3 with a 1.55 earned-run average for the Rebels, was not disappointed with being the 83rd player selected this year, despite reports that he would be gone by the second round.

“That’s fine with me,” said Worley, who added he hoped he could sign as soon as possible.

By contrast, Smith will prove much more difficult for the Tigers to sign because he has a football scholarship to play quarterback at Arizona. Smith hit .353 with 19 stolen bases for the Panthers this season. The state’s all-time passing leader, he led the Newbury Park football team to the Southern Section Division III championship.

“I have the best of everything,” Smith said. “I’m just glad everything is over.”

Zamudio, who was 5-3 for the Vikings this season, is also expected to sign soon. He said he has a meeting scheduled for Monday with the Phillies. Zamudio does not have a scholarship to play Division I college baseball.

Beck, who was 5-7 with a 3.40 ERA for The Master’s this season, said he hopes to sign with the Mariners at a meeting today.

Mitchell, a left-handed hitting first baseman, led UCLA with 12 home runs this season. He hit .339 with 46 RBIs and a .597 slugging percentage. He is also scheduled to meet with the Yankees today.

Oropesa played last summer in the independent Northern League after defecting from Cuba. He was 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA in four games for St. Paul, Minn.

Area Players Taken in Amateur Baseball Draft

Area players selected Thursday in major league baseball’s amateur draft, which continues today and Saturday. Round information provided by players.

Player Pos School ML Team Rd Jacob Cruz OF Arizona State, Channel Islands HS Giants 1st Roger Worley RHP Quartz Hill HS Orioles 3rd Keith Smith OF Newbury Park HS Tigers 5th Chris Beck RHP The Master’s Mariners 7th Joel Zamudio RHP Monroe HS Phillies 9th Mike Mitchell 1B UCLA, Rio Mesa HS Yankees 9th Eddie Oropesa LHP None Dodgers 14th

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