A day after advancing to the Super Regionals, seven Longhorns - all juniors - were selected in the first seven rounds of the 2004 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
All-American left-hander J.P. Howell was selected by the Kansas City Royals with the 31st overall pick in the supplemental portion of the first round. Howell has been steady, if not spectacular, as the ace of the Texas staff, posting a 13-2 record with a 2.24 ERA. In 2001 he was drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Braves, but he spurned the big leagues to enroll at Southern Cal and later transfer to Texas.
While many baseball scouting services projected Huston Street as a first-round pick, the Longhorns' All-American closer joined Howell in the supplemental round, going 40th overall to the Oakland Athletics. Despite missing 24 games with a groin injury this season, the junior closer is 5-1 with a 1.49 ERA and 12 saves. Street holds the career saves record for Texas, the Big 12 Conference, the College World Series and Team USA.
"The opportunity is exciting," Street said. "Every kid, when he plays Little League, the majors is what he dreams of. Your goal is always Major League Baseball."
Street will face a tough decision when he entertains a contract offer from the Athletics - tougher than the choices facing most college athletes mulling their professional futures - because his connection to The University of Texas is unique. He came to Texas and reminded Longhorn fans of his legendary father, former Texas quarterback and pitcher James Street. And now his younger brothers, twins Jordon and Juston, have signed letters of intent to play baseball for the Longhorns next season.
But, if he chooses to sign a major league contract, he will only further strengthen the Athletics' fan base in Austin. Former Longhorns Dustin Majewski and Omar Quintanilla were selected by Oakland in the 2003 draft.
The Toronto Blue Jays selected Curtis Thigpen 57th overall in the second round. Thigpen has played four different positions this season and leads the Longhorns with a .363 batting average.
Second baseman Seth Johnston was drafted by Baltimore as the 199th overall pick.
Texas reliever Buck Cody was drafted in the seventh round - 210th overall - by the St. Louis Cardinals. The left-hander has pitched in a team-high 36 games, posting a 1.74 ERA.
A high number of players being drafted is a sign of a top baseball program. Recruits being drafted is another, and this year was no different for the Longhorns.
J.D. Reininger was the last Texas player picked up Monday, as he was drafted by Cincinatti in the 14th round.
The talent of the Longhorns' recruiting class was evident early on as two potential Longhorns were drafted in the first round. Homer Bailey, from La Grange High School, was picked seventh overall by the Cincinnati Reds. Bailey, who keeps hitters off-balance with his curveball and 97 mph fastball, is 11-0 this season and is still pitching with La Grange in the Texas UIL State Playoffs. He has 157 strikeouts in 66 innings and only eight walks.
Greg Golson, from Pflugerville's John B. Connally High School, was selected 21st overall by the Philadelphia Phillies and is one of the fastest prospects in the draft.
Joshua Wahpepah, a right-handed pitcher from Cowley County Community College in Kansas, was selected in the third round (76th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers, and Joshua Johnson, a shortstop from Middleton High School in Tampa, Fla., was selected a few picks later (85th overall) by the Royals. Troy Patton, a left-handed pitcher from Tomball High School in Houston, was selected in the ninth round (274th overall) by the Houston Astros.
Although a contract with a large signing bonus is enticing, major league teams do not always come to terms with high draft picks. Texas outfielder Drew Stubbs was selected in the third round by the Astros in 2003, but he turned down the Astros' contract offer and enrolled at Texas.
Although defending champion Rice was eliminated from postseason play Sunday, its pitching staff is still setting records, as three Rice pitchers were selected in the top eight picks.
The remainder of the top 10 was a surprise because of those who weren't selected - namely pitcher Jered Weaver and shortstop Stephen Drew. Weaver, who is the younger brother of Dodgers pitcher Jeff Weaver, led Long Beach State past Stanford last weekend, while Drew, who is the younger brother of Braves outfielder J.D. Drew, helped Florida State defeat Central Florida. Speculation prior to the draft had the San Diego Padres selecting one of the two players with the top pick, but the Padres instead selected local California high school shortstop Matt Bush.
Weaver and Drew are represented by agent Scott Boras, the California-based agent who negotiated Mark Prior's contract when he was the No. 1 pick and Alex Rodriguez's contract when he signed with the Texas Rangers in 2001. Concerns over the signability of the two players possibly caused them to fall out of the top 10. Weaver went 12th to Anaheim, and Drew fell to Arizona and the 15th pick.
Notes
* Vanderbilt's Jeremy Sowers became the first left-handed pitcher selected when he was selected at No. 6 by the Cleveland Indians. Sowers is a former first-round draft choice of the Reds and will likely pitch against the Longhorns in the Super Regionals.
* Oklahoma State third baseman Josh Fields was selected in the first round by the White Sox. If Fields signs, he will likely be forced to give up his other job as the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma State football team.
Be the first to comment on this article!