Dent Back Atop Area Draft List When It Matters Most : Baseball: Montclair Prep outfielder picked by Baltimore in third round.

After a season of different names floating into the baseball spotlight, the first area player picked in the major league amateur draft turned out to be the guy most would have tabbed two years ago: Darrell Dent.

Dent, a center fielder from Montclair Prep, was picked in the third round Thursday by the Baltimore Orioles. He was the 80th player selected as 18 rounds were completed in the draft, which continues through Saturday.

He was followed by Monroe right-hander Wayne Nix, who went to the Oakland Athletics in the fourth round.

The next three local high school players all went to the Dodgers: Faith Baptist outfielder Judd Granzow in the fourth round, Chatsworth first baseman Jon Tucker in the eighth and Rio Mesa shortstop Eric Flores in the 16th.

The area’s top college pick was Oklahoma right-hander Russ Ortiz, a Montclair Prep graduate. The San Francisco Giants picked Ortiz in the fourth round.

Ventura College right-hander Brandon Knight was picked by the Texas Rangers in the 14th round and Moorpark College right-hander Justin Marine was picked in the 18th round by the Cincinnati Reds and signed Thursday night.

Two summers ago, when Dent was one of a handful of sophomores picked to play in the prestigious Area Code Games, observers figured he was headed toward the first round of the 1995 draft.

With the emergence of Nix, Tucker and Quartz Hill right-hander Darrell Hussman and with Dent having a poor statistical senior year, he seemed to drop into the shadows.

Not in the eyes of Oriole scout Paul Fryer, though.

“I think he’s probably one of, if not the best, athletes in the area,” Fryer said. “I’ve liked him for three years. . . . He was one of our target guys right from the get-go.

“I’m just happy he was there to get in the third round.”

Fryer said he was not dissuaded by Dent’s modest .281 average this spring.

“You throw stats out the window,” he said. “There might be guys hitting .500 who can’t play junior college ball. . . . I hate to say it, but he may have been bored with [high school baseball].

“Pro baseball is where he should go because he needs to be challenged.”

Dent, who is 6 feet 2, 172 pounds and possesses major-league speed, was expected to meet with Fryer to begin discussing a signing bonus Thursday night.

“I’m just ready to get signed as soon as possible and go play,” Dent said.

Nix (6-6, 200), whose fastball has been clocked at 90 m.p.h., was 11-2 with an 0.39 earned-run average and 143 strikeouts in 90 innings this spring.

Granzow (6-4, 200) impressed scouts with his size and powerful left-handed bat, despite playing against weak competition. He hit 12 home runs, tops in the region. He is likely to play either left field, third or first base as a pro.

Ortiz (6-1, 190), whose team begins play today in the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, is 3-2 with a 4.96 ERA. A junior, Ortiz began the season as a starter but has been pitching in relief lately.

Tucker (6-5, 200) hit .400 with one home run and 21 RBIs in the regular season. Scouts were attracted by his powerful left-handed swing and his defensive ability at first base. If he does not sign, he will play at Lewis-Clark State, an NAIA college in Lewiston, Ida. Tucker originally said he would go to The Master’s but he changed his mind because he decided that school was “a little too religious.”

Knight (6-0, 175), the Western State Conference player of the year, was 14-3 with a 1.46 ERA. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies after his senior year at Buena High and again after his freshman season at Ventura. He has signed a letter of intent to play at USC.

Flores (6-3, 190), selected by coaches as the Ventura County co-player of the year, hit .442 with four home runs, 23 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Flores attracted attention with major-league speed and a strong arm. He figures to move to third base in pro baseball.

Marine (6-3, 225), a graduate of El Camino Real High, was the closer for Moorpark this season.

One of the more-intriguing stories of the draft involves Hussman. Based on a strong summer and an off-season of scout-league baseball, Hussman began the season rated by Baseball America as the 74th-best high school prospect in the nation. As draft day approached, he figured to be picked sometime in the first 10 rounds.

But Hussman waited by his phone Thursday until the ninth round, when a Florida Marlin scout called and asked Hussman if he would be willing to forgo a scholarship to Arizona to sign for a bonus of $40,000 to $50,000.

Hussman said no, so the Marlins didn’t pick him.

The New York Mets called in the 12th round and asked what sort of signing bonus Hussman required, and he said he didn’t know. The Mets didn’t phone again.

“So I guess it’s ‘University of Arizona, here I come,’ ” Hussman said.

“They say the draft’s a funny thing, so I just listened to them and tried not to get my hopes up high, but it still knocked me down.”

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The Chosen Ones

Area players selected in the major league amateur draft, which began Thursday. Round information supplied by players. The draft continues today and Saturday.

Player Pos School ML Team Rd Darrell Dent OF Montclair Prep Orioles 3rd Wayne Nix RHP Monroe HS Athletics 4th Russ Ortiz RHP Oklahoma, Montclair Prep Giants 4th Judd Granzow OF Faith Baptist HS Dodgers 4th Jon Tucker 1B Chatsworth HS Dodgers 8th Brandon Knight RHP Ventura Col., Buena HS Rangers 14th Andrew Hall 2B Cal Poly SLO, Camarillo HS Cardinals 16th Eric Flores SS-3B Rio Mesa HS Dodgers 16th Justin Marine RHP Moorpark Col., El Camino Real HS Reds 18th