8 more locals drafted
Orange Coast College continued to dominate the list of locals chosen in the Major League First-Year Player Draft, as six players who competed for the Pirates, including four during the 2012 season, were among eight selected on the third and final day on Wednesday.
Stefan Sabol, Boog Powell, Joel Licon and Chris Carlson were members of the 2012 OCC squad that reached the four-team state championship tournament taken in rounds 16 through 40.
Former Pirates Ryan Dunn and Calvin Drummond were also selected, as was Mark Trentacosta, a junior on the 2012 UCI team, and UCI signee Andrew Potter.
Sabol, who began his career at the University of Oregon, was taken in the 17th round (No. 530 overall) by the New York Mets. A catcher who also played in the outfield for OCC, he hit .255 with four home runs and 24 runs batted in in 29 games in 2012. His season was shortened by a broken hamate bone sustained in the preseason.
Sabol has signed a letter of intent with Oklahoma State University.
Ryan Dunn, a member of OCC’s 2009 state championship team and a senior third baseman at Oregon State in 2012, was a 17th-round pick (No. 542) of the Tampa Bay Rays. Dunn hit .286 with seven home runs, 36 RBIs and 19 doubles in 60 games for the Beavers, who were eliminated at the NCAA Regional last weekend at LSU.
Powell, a freshman center fielder, led OCC in hits (76), batting average (.398) and runs (49) on his way to first-team all-state and All-Orange Empire Conference laurels. A first-team all-state and all-conference honoree, he was taken in the 20th round (No. 619) by the Oakland Athletics.
Licon, a sophomore bounce-back from Loyola Marymount, was selected in the 25th round (No. 760) by the Minnesota Twins. The OCC shortstop in 2012, he hit .310 with four homers, 31 RBIs and 43 runs. The second-team all-state performer was drafted as a second baseman.
Licon has signed with Liberty University.
Andrew Potter, a senior right-handed pitcher at Eastside High in Lancaster in 2012, was taken in the 31st round (No. 963) by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was 7-4 with a 2.26 earned-run average as a senior, when he struck out 86 and allowed 38 hits in 65 innings.
Carlson, the California Community College and Orange Empire Conference Player of the Year, was a 33rd-round pick (No. 1,021) by the Boston Red Sox. He hit .421 with seven homers, 43 RBIs and 12 doubles for OCC in 2012 and has signed a letter of intent with New Mexico State.
Trentacosta, who made 18 of his 20 appearances for the Anteaters in relief, was taken in the 34th round (No. 1050) by the St. Louis Cardinals. The left-hander was 1-0 with a 2.91 ERA. He struck out 26 and allowed 41 hits in 34 innings.
Drummond, also a member of OCC’s 2009 state champion and a junior pitcher at the University of San Diego in 2012, was taken in the 38th round (No. 1,159) by Oakland.
He went 8-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 86 2/3 innings. He struck out 80 and allowed 98 hits.
Drummond was taken in the 34th round (No. 1,027) of the 2011 draft by the Washington Nationals.
The eight players above join seven with local ties selected on Day 2 (rounds two through 15).
Included in that group were Brandon Brennan (a freshman pitcher at OCC who was taken in the fourth round by the Chicago White Sox), D.J. Crumlich (a senior shortstop at UCI chosen in the ninth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates) and Bijan Rademacher (a freshman outfielder and pitcher from OCC selected in the 13th round by the Chicago Cubs).
Also drafted on Tuesday was UCI signee Kevin Grendell, a left-handed pitcher at San Pasqual High who was taken in the 11th round (No. 342) by the Baltimore Orioles. He was 7-3 with three saves and a 1.48 ERA in 75 2/3 innings in 2012. He struck out 122, walked 24, allowed 40 hits and had eight complete games.
The two UCI players chosen were the fewest since 2003, when only one was picked following the second season after the program was revived.
Twitter: @BarryFaulkner5