Nannini awaits call on draft day

Green Valley seniors taking their math exams shouldn't drop their pencils if they hear an unexpected ringing sound Tuesday morning.

It will only be a cellular phone belonging to classmate Mike Nannini, as he waits for one of the most important calls of his life -- the news from his father about which team selects him in this year's Major League Baseball amateur draft.

"It'll be hard to concentrate on my exam," admitted Nannini, a right-handed pitcher who is expected to be the first local player taken in the three-day, 50-round extravaganza that kicks off Tuesday at 9 a.m. "I'm looking forward to getting that call."

With a fastball clocked at 95 mph this spring, Nannini understandably has teams from both leagues interested. At 5-11, however, he doesn't fit the profile of a typical major league pitcher, and that could affect how early he is selected.

Although scouts are prohibited from discussing a prospect's potential draft position, most pre-draft prognosticators have Nannini as a definite top five round pick, possibly going as high as the late first or early second round.

The round in which Nannini is taken will ultimately have a major affect on his wallet, with the first pick in the second round generally expected to sign for nearly one-third less than the final pick in the first round.

But Tom Valcke, an area scout for the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau, says the organization that selects Nannini will get its money's worth, regardless of when it makes the pick.

"The thing that's going to take Mike Nannini to his ceiling is something that a radar gun can't measure, and that's his heart," Valcke said.

Although he might be the first, Nannini certainly won't be the last Las Vegas-area resident taken in the three-day draft, which will conclude sometime Thursday afternoon.

Anywhere between six and 10 local players will likely be selected, with Nannini, Chaparral catcher Russell Cleveland, Green Valley right-handed pitcher Joe Orloski, Bishop Gorman outfielder/right-handed pitcher Jason Van Meetren and UNLV junior third baseman Kevin Eberwein all expected to go on day one, which should take teams through the 17th or 18th round.

And even if the area's total doesn't live up to last year's draft, when 10 local prep players were selected, Valcke says this year's Las Vegas crop may be better.

"I see 1998 as more of a quality year versus a quantity year," he said. "Not just the area scouts, but the powers-that-be in Major League Baseball continue to rave about the surge of prospects in Las Vegas, and I attribute that to the intensity and commitment of the coaches in the area."

Unlike Nannini, Van Meetren won't have to spend day one of the draft worrying about his schoolwork. After graduating from Gorman last week, the senior will be able to wait for his phone call in the comfort of his own home.

"I'm going to try to go about a normal day, and hopefully we'll get a call," Van Meetren said. "I'll just hang out by the phone."

Whenever they are selected, Nannini, Orloski and Van Meetren will all have tough choices on their hands: whether to sign with the team that drafts them or attend college and wait three years before they can be re-drafted.

Nannini and Orloski have both signed with Arizona State, while Van Meetren has already committed to Stanford.

Draft position and the signing bonus that goes with it will obviously go a long way toward determining what decision those players make, but for a position player like Van Meetren there are other factors to consider.

"I'm looking for a team with good opportunities for me to play and for me to move up quickly through the minor leagues," said Van Meetren, the Southern Zone Player of the Year. "I hope to stay with the team that drafts me throughout my career."

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