Ready to deliver

By Jay Jenkins

Published: June 5, 2008

Every Major League Baseball team’s scouting department is focused on one common denominator: signability.

With the MLB Draft remaining an inexact science, the ability to ink a player to a contract through the 50-round, two-day shopping spree remains the pressing issue.

Some players will laugh off lowball offers, heading to — or back to — the college ranks. Some will hold out until the 11th hour, jockeying for financial incentives, before making their ultimate decision. Others — with or without leverage — will take the money and run.

Players associated with Virginia’s baseball program, and at least one local prep standout, will likely run the gauntlet, covering all the scenarios during the draft process that kicks off today at 2 p.m. (ESPN2) and concludes Friday in rapid-fire style during the final 45 rounds.

Who will stay and who will go?

Starting pitcher Pat McAnaney and reliever Michael Schwimer, a pair of departing seniors from UVa, are expected to take an abbreviated amount of slot money for the corresponding round they are selected, departing quickly for the professional ranks.

Second baseman David Adams and right-handed pitcher Jacob Thompson, intriguing yet affordable players after undistinguished junior campaigns, are expected to be first-day selections that look back only to congratulate former teammates.

First baseman Jeremy Farrell, another junior, could also fall into this category after his first injury-free season and steady success in the middle of the team’s lineup during the regular season.

After that, as it annually does, it may become nerve-racking for Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. Greg Miclat, a rising senior and starting shortstop, and a host of recruits that have signed National Letters of Intent to play at Virginia have fielded calls — and will continue to — from prospective suitors gauging interest in their signability.

“This is a process that is and has been unique to college baseball, and I know that a number of our current players and a number of our recruits are very highly thought of for this year’s draft,” O’Connor said. “The third-year players have to determine what is best for them individually, and while I believe that the players we recruited are committed to coming to school, they will need to explore their respective opportunities.”

At least one standout from Central Virginia could also be eyeing a life-changing decision — St. Anne’s-Belfield left-handed pitcher/first baseman Kyle Long garnered attention from countless scouts after lighting up radar guns last summer with a fastball in the mid 90’s. For now, Long remains steadfast in his commitment to play at Florida State, and his dad, Howie, told The Daily Progress that it was sensible to take a “wait-and-see approach” in regards to the draft.

That is not the case for Adams, who was drafted in the 21st round by the Detroit Tigers coming out of high school. This season, the Florida native registered a career-worst .286 batting average, but set new personal-best totals with six homers and 51 RBI.

“I have enjoyed my time at Virginia, but I am ready,” said Adams, who expects to be taken in the first five rounds. “I am ready to take the next step.”

Thompson, Virginia’s all-time wins leader, admitted that he shares the same mindset.

“There’s a lot of people who do understand the draft and there are a lot who don’t, but I feel like it is my time and I am ready,” Thompson said. “UVa has prepared me as much as it could with all the in-depth coaching and I think it is my time to go. I think it is my time to move on.”

Thompson, once considered a Top 10 selection, struggled in the middle stages of the year and finished 6-4 overall with a 4.30 ERA. He finished with 27 wins in his three-year career.

“This season really wasn’t my best, but I did good things, had a good finish and I think the scouts will see that,” he said. “We kind of had a rough bumpy road, but I think it all paid out in the end and I give all the credit to coach O’Connor.

“He could have given up on me and moved me to the bullpen, but he stood by me and remained confident in me. That’s why I really enjoyed playing under him.”

Miclat, currently tied for the program’s all-time stolen base record, praised the coaching staff, as well, and said that helped him relax as the draft approached. A team will either meet his undisclosed contract demands or he’ll enjoy another year of tutelage under O’Connor and associate head coach Kevin McMullan.

“For me, the round I am taken doesn’t matter,” Miclat said. “It is just the [financial] figure. If I don’t get it right away, then I am going to the Cape [Cod League] and see what happens later in the summer, and if it doesn’t happen then, I will go back to school.”

“Coach Mack is a great mentor and he really looks after your best interest as a person and a player. Returning back under guidance and his wing is just as good as any situation I could be placed in.”