BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Nebraska’s Erstad Could Go First

The No. 1 pick in the June 1 draft will probably be Nebraska outfielder Darin Erstad, Rice outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. or Seton Hall pitcher Matt Morris. The Angels, who have the top pick, are believed to be leaning toward Erstad.

He is a power-hitting left-hander who is batting .429 with 18 home runs, 75 runs batted in and 80 runs scored. He also plays football and is one of the nation’s top punters.

Bob Fontaine, director of player personnel, is meeting with club scouts in Chicago this week to discuss the draft and said the Angels will probably pick a college player.

“You want a guy who will get to the major leagues as quick as possible,” he said.

Cruz, the son of former Houston Astro Jose Cruz, is a switch-hitter who is batting .376 with 16 homers, 68 RBIs and 67 runs, and Morris is a right-hander who is 9-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 85 innings.

Angel scout Rick Ingalls called this “probably one of the deepest drafts I’ve seen in a long time,” and the top prospects are comparable to those in recent drafts. So it’s safe to assume it will take about $1.5 million to sign the top pick.

Last year’s No. 1 pick, pitcher Paul Wilson, signed with the Mets for $1.55 million. Fontaine said the Angels, often accused of drafting based on affordability instead of ability, have set “a fair budget” for the draft.

“We’re not going to take a guy because of signability,” Fontaine said. “We want the best player.”

Choosing Erstad or Cruz would give the Angels a surplus of top outfield prospects. The team already has speedy Marquis Riley and powerful Garret Anderson at triple-A Vancouver, and last year’s first-round pick, McKay Christensen, is expected to join the organization this year after serving a Mormon mission in Japan.

But that surplus would give the Angels something they currently lack--quality young players to package in a trade for a starting pitcher, without damaging the nucleus of the team.