Dodgers Make Position Switch Under Colletti

You pick ‘em, you pay ‘em. It’s the double edge of the amateur free-agent draft.

Unless the player is Luke Hochevar, and the Dodgers know all about that.

The draft is an exciting time for a scouting director with a strong track record, such as Logan White. And it’s a stressful time for a general manager, especially a new one, such as Ned Colletti.

The Dodgers will get three of the first 31 players chosen June 6. In addition to holding the seventh pick -- earned the hard way by finishing with the seventh-worst record last season -- they have the 26th and 31st picks as compensation from the Angels for signing Jeff Weaver.

The players they take will be telling. Colletti was weaned in the San Francisco Giants front office, which views the draft as a dangerously imprecise exercise that often results in a colossal waste of money.

“Everybody is unproven,” Colletti said. “It’s a long road from the first day of the amateur draft to the big leagues. There are no guarantees.

“You have to do all the research, know the talent, the players’ value system, makeup, how bad they want to play.”

A decision the Dodgers have all but made is in keeping with that philosophy. They say they will not budge from their $2.98-million offer to Hochevar, the team’s top pick last year. The right-handed pitcher will go back into the draft if a deal isn’t reached by Tuesday.

Hochevar, last year’s college pitcher of the year at Tennessee, has impressed scouts in outings this month for the independent Fort Worth Cats. His agent, Scott Boras, says he believes he will get at least $4 million from another team, making an 11th-hour agreement with the Dodgers unlikely -- especially considering a contentious episode last September.

In one whirlwind day, Hochevar dropped Boras, secured another agent, agreed to terms with the Dodgers, went back to Boras and backed out of the deal. Boras, Hochevar and White met with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt but differences weren’t resolved.

“I think we were fair and we did everything above board,” White said. “There is a certain principle involved. I was adamant on holding a certain line.”

Colletti inherited the Hochevar quagmire, but he has gained a healthy appreciation for White and his scouts. The Dodgers’ 2003 draft was rated the best of any team by Baseball America, and their 2004 draft was rated best in the National League.

Besides the accolades, Colletti has been sold by the nonstop trade inquiries from teams attempting to acquire Dodgers prospects and the impact at Chavez Ravine made by homegrown rookies Russell Martin, Jonathan Broxton and James Loney.

Colletti would not undermine White by bumping up the offer to Hochevar. Instead, the Dodgers plan to use the money to help sign their three early picks this year. They don’t pick in the second or third rounds.

Although the crop of available players is considered weaker than normal, solid college pitchers are abundant. Colletti would prefer to stock up on pitchers, taking another page from the draft philosophy of Giants General Manager Brian Sabean.

“If you have pitching, you do have the greatest currency there is in building a club and acquiring players,” Colletti said. “They can be traded to improve your current big league club or to fill other holes in the organization.”

Colletti’s primary role during the draft will be to make sure the Dodgers don’t draft another player they can’t sign. Don’t expect them, for example, to take highly regarded Missouri pitcher Max Scherzer or USC pitcher Ian Kennedy, both of whom are represented by Boras.

It’s possible they have already laid the groundwork for negotiations with one or more players. Pre-draft deals -- although technically against the rules -- have become increasingly prevalent.

“There isn’t a whole lot of sense drafting players you can’t sign,” Colletti said. “I will want to make sure the thought process is thorough on draft day.”

A few years ago, Colletti’s mentor Sabean said, “Quite frankly, we’re very reluctant to overspend in the draft ... because it’s so fallible. Our focus is spending as much as we can and being as wise as we can at the major league level and using the minor leagues as a supplement and not necessarily leaning on it totally.”

The Dodgers have aimed higher than that and have a farm system of strong prospects to show for it.

White and his top lieutenants will convene Monday at Dodger Stadium for several days of meetings. Colletti will join them when the Dodgers return from a two-city trip Wednesday and doesn’t figure to dampen their enthusiasm.

His thinking appears to have evolved from his years with the Giants, who ranked 22nd in dollars spent for signing amateur players between 2000 and 2004.

“We’ve got three picks in the first 31, and that’s exciting,” he said. “We can’t let the well run dry. We can’t have an interruption. The heyday of the Dodger franchise was two generations of homegrown talent. My intention is to carry that on.”

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Arms aplenty

College pitchers could dominate the first round of the amateur free-agent draft. A list of the top 20 based on the opinions of several scouts:

*--* Player Team 1. Andrew Miller, LHP North Carolina 2. Brad Lincoln, RHP Houston 3. Tim Lincecum, RHP Washington 4. Greg Reynolds, RHP Stanford 5. Joba Chamberlain, RHP Nebraska 6. Luke Hochevar, RHP Fort Worth Cats 7. Brandon Morrow, RHP California 8. Max Scherzer, RHP Missouri 9. David Huff, LHP UCLA 10. Kyle McCulloch, RHP Texas 11. Daniel Bard, RHP North Carolina 12. Justin Masterson, RHP San Diego St. 13. Kevin Mulvey, RHP Villanova 14. Brett Sinkbeil, RHP Missouri State 15. Ian Kennedy, RHP USC 16. Bryan Morris, RHP Motlow CC, Tenn. 17. Brooks Brown, RHP Georgia 18. Kris Johnson, LHP Wichita State 19. Mark Melancon, RHP Arizona 20. Chris Perez, RHP Miami

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Other players projected by scouts as possible first-round picks include:

*--* Player, Pos. School Evan Longoria, IF Long Beach State Mark Antonelli, 3B/2B Wake Forest Drew Stubbs, 1B Texas Chad Tracy, C Pepperdine Clayton Kershaw, LHP Highland Park HS, Texas Brett Anderson, LHP Stillwater HS, Oklahoma Kyle Drabek, RHP/SS The Woodlands HS, Texas Jeremy Jeffress, RHP Halifax County HS, Virginia Kasey Kiker, LHP Russell County HS, Alabama Chris Tillman, RHP Fountain Valley HS Jordan Walden, RHP Mansfield HS, Texas Colten Willems, RHP John Carroll Catholic HS, Florida Bill Rowell, SS Bishop Eustace Prep, New Jersey Hank Conger, C Huntington Beach HS Chris Parmalee, OF/1B Chino Hills HS Travis Snider, 1B Jackson HS, Washington Chris Marrero, 3B Monsignor Pace HS, Florida Stephen King, SS Winter Park HS, Florida

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-- STEVE HENSON