Phillies Draft Miami's Burrell
Miami third baseman Pat Burrell was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday as the No. 1 pick in baseball's amateur draft, and controversial outfielder J.D. Drew went to the Cardinals on the fifth pick.
Burrell, 21, has a .426 average, 17 homers and 47 RBIs in 115 at-bats going into today's game against Long Beach State at the College World Series.
"I'm thrilled to have been selected," said Burrell, who found out as the Hurricanes warmed up at Omaha, Neb. "It is an honor to be the first pick overall, and I look forward to playing professional baseball."
While a sore back sidelined him for part of the season, the Phillies say he's healthy now.
"He's been examined by an orthopedic specialist with the Florida Marlins and a back specialist in Miami," Phillies scouting director Mike Arbuckle said, adding Phillies team physician Dr. Phillip Marone is "very comfortable this is not a problem."
Knowing NL Rookie of the Year Scott Rolen is established at third, Burrell said he wouldn't mind moving to first.
"I've had experience with that position before, and it's something I'm comfortable with," Burrell said.
Oakland used the second pick on Michigan State left-hander Mark Mulder. The 6-foot-6 Mulder was 6-6 with a 3.40 ERA and 113 in 84 2-3 innings for the Spartans.
The Chicago Cubs then took outfielder Corey Patterson, who hit .560 with 22 homers, 61 RBIs and 36 steals this season for Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga.
Kansas City used the fourth selection on Stanford right-hander Jeff Austin, 12-4 with a 3.11 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 133 innings. He had eight complete games in 18 starts.
St. Louis then took Drew, selected by Philadelphia with the second pick last year.
Drew, seeking a $10 million contract, turned down a deal from the Phillies that would have guaranteed him $3 million and given him a chance to earn $3 million more. The former Florida State outfielder played in the independent Northern League last season rather than sign.
"We've had a lot of teams that called us and said they would like to get him and said they don't foresee any problems if they do get him," said the outfielder's agent, Scott Boras.
Boras is no stranger to St. Louis. He said the Cardinals spent time during the offseason trying to work out a five-year contract for Andy Benes, then saw the deal voided because it came an hour after the Dec. 7 midnight deadline.
Minnesota used the sixth pick on Arizona State left-hander Ryan Mills. who pitched six strong innings Sunday in Arizona State's 9-2 victory over Miami.
Mills, whose father Dick made two appearances with the Boston Red Sox in 1970, is 8-3 with a 4.32 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 108 1-3 innings.
Cincinnati took outfielder Austin Kearns from Lafayette High School in Lexington, Ky., and Toronto took shortstop Felipe Lopez from Lake Brantley High School in Altamonta Springs, Fla.
With the ninth pick, San Diego tok third baseman Sean Burroughs of Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif. He is the son of former major leaguer Jeff Burroughs - taken by the Washington Senators with the No. 1 pick in the 1969 draft and the American League MVP with the Texas Rangers in 1974.
Texas used the 10th pick on Northeastern first baseman Carlos Pena.
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