Pitchers at Top of Draft List

Two years ago, the Angels weren’t supposed to be able to draft pitcher Chris Bootcheck. He was expected to be long gone by the time they could pick him, but the teams ahead of the Angels passed on him because of concerns about how expensive he might be to sign. The Angels drafted and signed him, and now he is one of their top prospects.

The Angels are keeping their fingers crossed that a similar scenario unfolds in today’s draft. They’re hoping that one of two high school left-handers projected as top-five picks--Scott Kazmir of Houston or Adam Loewen of British Columbia--is available when the Angels pick at No. 12.

If not, the Angels plan to select one of the six players on their original target list.

Those players are infielder Scott Moore (Cypress High), third baseman-outfielder Matt Whitney (Palm Beach Gardens High in Florida), right-hander Zach Greinke (Apopka High in Orlando), Chris Gruler (Liberty High in Brentwood, Calif., east of San Francisco and Stockton), left-hander Cole Hamels (Rancho Bernardo High) and left-hander Joe Saunders (Virginia Tech).

The team has scouted right-hander Kris Harvey, son of former Angel closer Bryan Harvey. Kris Harvey is expected to be selected in the first 10 rounds.

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Utilityman Shawn Wooten is scheduled for an MRI examination today to determine whether his right oblique muscle is torn. Wooten injured the muscle, located below the rib cage, on Friday during his rehabilitation assignment at triple-A Salt Lake. After an initial examination there and diagnosis of a muscle strain, the Angels estimated he would miss three to six weeks.

Wooten said he suffered the injury on a swing during his first at-bat Friday and probably should have left the game. In a later at-bat, on another swing, he said he “felt a pop.”

“All of a sudden, I couldn’t do anything,” he said. “I couldn’t lay down. I couldn’t sit down. It was very uncomfortable.”

Even while injured, Wooten is helping Salt Lake win. First baseman Larry Barnes had hit one home run in six weeks when a box of Wooten’s bats showed up there. Barnes helped himself, and he hit seven home runs in the next six games.

“I’ve got the good big-league wood now,” Barnes told the Salt Lake Tribune.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS

(3-4, 5.43 ERA)

vs.

RANGERS’

DAVE BURBA

(3-2, 5.34 ERA)

Edison Field, 7

TV--Channel 9.

Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

Update--Outfielder Garret Anderson, unsure whether he could swing a bat properly after injuring his right middle finger while sliding Sunday, reported no problems during batting practice and remained in the starting lineup. He homered in his first at-bat.

Tickets--(714) 663-9000.