Pitching Is Focus of Team’s Draft

As the July trading deadline creeps closer, with the Angels emerging as a playoff contender, General Manager Bill Stoneman might well consider trading prospects to acquire a power hitter, starting pitcher or veteran reliever. The most valuable commodity in the sport is young pitching, and scouting director Donny Rowland did his part to help Stoneman by stocking up on more in Tuesday’s draft.

Scott Spiezio has two home runs, the fewest of any American League first baseman with 100 or more at-bats. If the Angels decide to trade for a power-hitting first baseman, they already have pitching prospects aplenty, including Chris Bootcheck, Bobby Jenks, John Lackey, Francisco Rodriguez, Joe Torres and Matt Wise.

“If you’re a team people see as having a boatload of pitching, you can go out and get your position player,” Rowland said.

So, although the Angels are strong in pitching prospects and weak in hitting prospects, Rowland selected pitchers with the top three draft picks Tuesday. The Angels also signed two fifth-year college seniors ineligible for the draft but considered by the team as the equivalent of two additional selections in the first five rounds.

The Angels’ top pick, Virginia Tech left-hander Joe Saunders, said scouts had compared him to Tom Glavine and Eric Milton. But Saunders’ polish, exceptional command and finesse style also evoke comparison to Brian Anderson, whom the Angels selected in the first round of the 1993 draft. He made his major league debut that year and established himself as a fine No. 3 or No. 4 starter, if not an ace.

Saunders likely will sign for a bonus in the range of $2.2 million to $2.4 million. The Angels considered selecting left-hander Scott Kazmir, a projected top five pick who slipped past them at No. 12 to the New York Mets at No. 15, but decided Saunders was almost as good and would sign for about half of Kazmir’s asking price.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

JARROD

WASHBURN

(5-2, 3.29 ERA)

vs.

RANGERS’

ISMAEL VALDES

(3-5, 3.86 ERA)

Edison Field, 7

TV--Fox Sports Net.

Radio--KPLS (830), XPRS (1090).

Update--An MRI examination Tuesday confirmed that Shawn Wooten has a strained muscle on his right side. The Angels expect him to miss three to six weeks; Wooten said he hopes can resume workouts in about 10 days.

Tickets--(714) 663-9000.