Cavs’ juniors sort out fates

By Jay Jenkins

Published: June 11, 2008

David Adams is staying in his home state. Jeremy Farrell is inching closer to an agreement. Greg Miclat is heading north. Jacob Thompson remains in limbo.
As of Tuesday, the four Virginia baseball players with a year of eligibility remaining are at opposite ends of the post-MLB draft spectrum.
Adams, who was taken in the third round by the New York Yankees, agreed to a contract late Monday and the second baseman is planning his departure from his childhood home in Miami for the organization’s Gulf Coast League facility in Tampa.
Appreciative of his time and opportunity at Virginia as an everyday starter, Adams said it was always his dream to become a professional baseball player.
While work with hitting instructors awaits at the Yankee Complex for the next two weeks, Adams could be assigned later this month to the short-season Class A team in Staten Island, N.Y., or with the Tampa Yankees, a Class A team in the Florida State League.
Farrell, as expected, is working out the final details of his contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who selected him in the eighth round of the draft. Farrell, who slugged a career-best 11 homers this season, could sign as early as Wednesday, sources confirmed.
Miclat, taken in the fifth round by the Baltimore Orioles, discussed his demands with his advisor and elected to drive Tuesday to Yarmouth, Mass., where he will begin play in the Cape Cod League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox on Saturday. The Orioles have until the league-wide deadline of Aug. 15 to sign Miclat.
“My advisor called them and told them that he would be waiting to hear back from them,” Miclat said.
Returning to Virginia for his senior season would allow Miclat to chase the ACC’s career stolen base record. Miclat, currently with 83 career steals, would need 45 more to pass former Georgia Tech standout Ty Griffin, a figure that he was on pace to obtain in 2007 when he stole 32 in 45 games before having season-ending shoulder surgery.
Drafted in the fifth round by the Atlanta Braves, Thompson is in a holding pattern with his demands. Atlanta, however, is offering slot money near $156,000, sources confirmed, and is not expected to budge from that offer in the near future — if at all.
Virginia senior pitcher Pat McAnaney also told The Daily Progress that he expects to sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks by the end of the week. McAnaney was drafted in the eighth round.

Getting honored

Former Virginia outfielder Mike Mitchell, now with the Asheville Tourists, was voted into the South Atlantic League All-Star game. Mitchell will play with the Southern Division all-stars in a contest that will be played Tuesday in Greensboro, N.C.
Mitchell, who plays centerfield for the Colorado Rockies’ Class A affiliate, is currently hitting .320 with three homers, 26 RBI and 24 stolen bases. He also ranks among the league’s best with a .374 on-base percentage.
Another Cavalier, first baseman Sean Doolittle, was also named to an All-Star game. A supplemental pick last year by the Oakland A’s, Doolittle was selected to represent the California League All-Stars on June 24 in the California/Carolina League All-Star game in Myrtle Beach.
Doolittle is currently hitting .319 with 15 homers and 51 RBI for the Stockton (Calif.) Ports.