Paciorek Moving Up the Ladder

The draft-and-follow tactic used by organizations on players who need a year of seasoning at a junior college before signing worked well for Pete Paciorek, 22, who is in his fourth professional season and has moved up a level each year.

Paciorek, son of former major leaguer John Paciorek and nephew of former Dodger Tom Paciorek, played for Glendale College in 1995 after being drafted in the 16th round by the San Diego Padres the previous year. The Padres signed him before the ’95 draft and he has put up solid power numbers.

Paciorek, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound first baseman, leads Rancho Cucamonga with eight home runs and 32 runs batted in. He continues to work on making consistent contact, however, and is batting only .223. His lifetime average is .255.

Paciorek’s brother, Mack, was drafted this week in the 31st round by the Detroit Tigers. Mack is a third baseman at L.A. City College.