Boone’s Son Aaron Is Latest to Be Drafted by the Angels : Baseball: Villa Park shortstop happy to be selected, but he intends to honor his commitment to play at USC.

The Angels placed a call to the home of Bob Boone Wednesday, but they were not looking for a catcher. Instead, they wanted Aaron Boone, shortstop for Villa Park High School.

Boone, son of the former Angel catcher, was drafted by the team Wednesday, the third day of the amateur free-agent draft. Boone said he didn’t know what round he had been drafted.

“My mom talked to them this morning when I was at school,” Boone said. “I’m excited about being drafted, it’s a neat feeling. But I was taken so late, that there’s probably no money in it.”

Boone has signed a letter of intent to play baseball at USC. His older brother, Bret, also played at USC and is now with Jacksonville, a double-A team for the Seattle Mariners.

In his senior season at Villa Park, Boone hit .423 with 22 stolen bases, numbers that earned him the Century League’s co-player of the year award.

“I’m pretty set on college right now,” Boone said.

Bob Boone played 18 years in the major leagues with the Philadelphia Phillies, Angels and Kansas City Royals. He spent seven years with the Angels.

He signed with the Royals as a free agent in 1989 after a contract dispute with the Angels. Boone’s contract with the Royals was $1 more than what the Angels had offered.

However, there are apparently no bad feelings. Boone said he was happy that his son was selected by the Angels.

“It’s an honor any time you’re drafted,” Boone said. “But they picked him so late that he’ll probably be a player they follow through college.”

Two members of Cypress College’s state championship baseball team were also drafted late in unspecified rounds Tuesday. Sophomore pitcher Carlos Castillo, who was 8-2 with a 3.91 earned run average, was drafted by the Dodgers. Castillo had signed with Chapman College.

Third baseman Troy Babbitt, who hit .373 with a school-record 27 doubles, was drafted by the Royals. Babbitt has made an oral commitment to Cal State Fullerton.

Dennis Burbank, who set the Cypress record with 12 victories in 1989, was drafted by the Yankess in an unspecified round. Burbank played the past two seasons at Oklahoma State. He attended Valencia High School.

Also drafted from the community college ranks was Raul Rodarte, the Orange Empire Conference’s player of the year, who was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 14th round. Seattle scout Ken Compton said he expected to sign Rodarte to a contract Wednesday night. Rodarte, a sophomore shortstop, batted .408 with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs.

The Mariners also signed Craig Clayton, a former Loara standout who played the past three seasons at Cal State Northridge.

Compton said he signed Clayton, who was 13-4 with a 2.05 ERA as a pitcher at Northridge, on Tuesday. He batted .372 with nine home runs and 52 RBIs.

Clayton was drafted by the Mariners as a third baseman in the sixth round of the draft on Monday. Compton said Rodarte and Clayton will be assigned to Bellingham of the Northwest League.

Draft Notes

Former Mater Dei outfielder Mike Basse of Tennessee was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 17th round. Basse set a school record with 87 hits this season, batting .395 with 49 stolen bases. . . . Cal State Fullerton catcher Matt Hattabaugh, who played at Marina High School, signed with the Chicago White Sox Wednesday. He’ll leave for Sarasota, Fla., on Sunday for a 10-day minicamp and then report to South Bend, Ind., or Utica, N.Y., both Class-A teams. . . . Randy Swank, an American River College shortstop who signed with Cal State Fullerton, was a 15th-round pick of the San Francisco Giants. . . . Former Magnolia High and Rancho Santiago outfielder Marty Neff, who played at Oklahoma this season, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in an undisclosed round. . . . Saddleback College shortstop Lou Benbow, who was drafted in the 43rd round, has been signed by the Toronto Blue Jays, the club announced.