Baseball draft: Clanton tops six draftees

Steve Virgen

Orange Coast College sophomore pitcher Matt Clanton, chosen 38th

overall by the Chicago Cubs, tops five local baseball standouts selected

in the first 11 rounds of Tuesday’s Major League first-year player draft.

Clanton was picked in the compensation phase of the first round, after

compiling a 6-3 record and a 2.90 ERA for the Pirates.

The waiting game also ended for OCC freshman shortstop Donnie Murphy

and sophomore pitcher Justin Azze, along with Vanguard senior first

baseman Chad Chop, UC Irvine junior pitcher Sean Tracey, and UCI junior

catcher Chris Miller.

“There’s no one in the world I love more than the Cubs,” Clanton said.

“They took me where I think I should belong. This is the greatest feeling

in my life.”

The Cubs selected three pitchers before Clanton (Nos. 21, 32, 36), and

eight pitchers after him in the 20 rounds on the first day.

Clanton, kicked off the Pirates’ team after he said he refused to

pitch with an arm injury May 12 in the Southern California Regional

playoffs, was “ecstatic” to hear his name called during an Internet

broadcast of the draft.

“I totally thought I was going to get low-balled by every Major League

Baseball team because everyone has this thought that I’m not coachable,”

said Clanton, a first-team All-Orange Empire Conference selection who

recorded 108 strikeouts and allowed 48 hits and 35 walks in 83 1/3

innings. “My hard work paid off in the long run. I worked really hard to

get where I am. People don’t understand me. I didn’t feel like I should

have been throwing (May 12). My arm was hurting. I tried to go some

innings, but I couldn’t throw. I made a decision for myself. I thought it

was going to affect me in the draft, after coming up with a lame arm at

the end of the season, and having a scuffle with the coaches.”

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Clanton says he has tendinitis in his elbow,

which he is confident he will overcome with rehabilitation.

“My right arm was killing me (May 12),” Clanton said. “I couldn’t

throw the ball. I got pressured into playing. I did what I could do, and

after the third inning I couldn’t do any more.”

Clanton said he and Coach John Altobelli exchanged heated words and

that Altobelli sent him an apology letter recently. Altobelli, in Hawaii

on vacation, could not be reached for comment.

Murphy, who helped lead the Pirates to a 32-14 record and the Super

Regional this season, was selected in the fifth round by the Kansas City

Royals, 138th overall.

Murphy, a first-team All-OEC selection and OCC’s Male Athlete of the

Year, amassed 82 hits to break the school single-season record of 75. He

also posted a .425 batting average, including 13 home runs and 46 RBIs.

Murphy committed just four errors in 23 conference games.

The Montreal Expos selected Chop, the Golden State Athletic Conference

Player of the Year, in the sixth round, 167th overall. The 6-3,

210-pounder led the Lions to their first NAIA Region II championship,

hitting .395 with a team-leading 15 home runs.

“I was just relieved,” Chop said. “I wanted to go in the top 10

rounds. I know I have the talent. I’m just really happy. I’m excited. I

know there are questions with the organization. I don’t care. I’m excited

to play.”

Tracey, right-hander, was taken in the eighth round, 240th overall, by

the Chicago White Sox. Tracey started 17 games this season, leading the

team in strikeouts (96) and innings pitched(106 2/3). He was 8-7 with a

4.44 ERA, averaging 8.1 strikeouts a game.

“I’ve been dreaming of playing in the big leagues,” said Tracey, who

helped the Anteaters tie Cal State Fullerton for fourth in the Big West.

“With the team like the White Sox, you couldn’t ask for a better

situation.”

Tracey and the other local draftees, will attempt to negotiate

contracts with their respective teams the next few days.

Tracey and Miller could play for the Anteaters next season.

Azze, a second-team All-OEC pitcher, will most likely sign with the

Expos, who selected him in the 10th round, 287th overall. Azze, a close

friend of Clanton, said he expected to be picked between the fifth and

10th rounds.

“It was a little stressful, but it was exciting at the end,” said

Azze, who played with Clanton at Fountain Valley High. “It’s so exciting,

being able to play on the professional level.”

Miller was selected by the Cubs in the 11th round, 333rd overall. The

second-team All-Big West Conference performer hit a school

single-season-record 12 home runs.

“I was listening on the Internet,” said Miller, who followed the draft

with Tracey and several other teammates. “I was pretty excited. It’s a

great option for me to have. I really want to start my professional

career. I definitely want to get out there. We’ll see what happens in the

next couple of weeks.”