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Former Corona catcher drafted by Detroit Tigers
By
Brian Gomez
Former Corona del Sol High School
catcher Josh Tarnow was so sure he wasn’t going to be selected during last
month’s Major League Baseball Amateur Draft that he went golfing as the
final rounds concluded in New York.
But on the seventh
hole at Rolling Hills Golf Course, Tarnow’s cell phone suddenly rang. It
was professional scout Brian Reed, saying the Detroit Tigers had nabbed
Tarnow in the 45th round.
“I wasn’t
expecting it at all,” said Tarnow, who became only the 11th player in
school history to be taken in the draft.
“I hadn’t really
talked to him all that much. At the end of the season, he came up to me and
kind of threw out the idea of the draft. I knew there was a possibility, but
I didn’t really think anything of it.”
After mulling his
choices with Reed, Tarnow agreed to a draft-and-follow, meaning he won’t
immediately play for one of the Tigers’ minor-league affiliates. He’ll
instead attend South Mountain Community College in Phoenix for a year before
re-evaluating his options.
The Tigers retain
rights to Tarnow until next summer’s draft, at which point Tarnow could be
selected again by the team in a lower round. He could also be taken by any
other major-league club if he declines to sign with the Tigers.
“It all depends on
how I play next year,” Tarnow said. “The Tigers have the rights to me.
They own me, basically. If they do not draft me, then I’m free to be taken
by anybody.”
One of 18 Arizona
high school seniors drafted this summer, Tarnow often went unnoticed while
playing on a mediocre team that was eliminated in the opening round of the
Class 5A state tournament.
Tarnow actually
posted better numbers as a junior than he did during his senior year.
The all-state
honorable mention selection watched his batting average drop 50 points last
spring to .343. He was also charged with a handful of passed balls after not
allowing any during Central Region play the previous season.
“His hitting needs
to be a little more consistent as he moves up the food chain,” Corona head
coach Ron Davini said.
“If he can get all
his stuff together, he has a good chance to try to play at the next
level.”
Tarnow had
originally planned to join former Aztecs Brian Smith and Matthew Michael at
Grand Canyon University, but he wouldn’t have been draft-eligible until
after his junior year. He turned down the full tuition waiver so he could
play for South Mountain head coach George Lopez, whose team finished dead
last this past year in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference.
The Cougars lost
seven sophomores, including former Corona pitcher Bryce Gundry. Lopez signed
18 high school graduates, three of whom went to Corona ¾ infielder Eric
Gundry and outfielders Kyle Chilton and K.C. Kaiser.
Tarnow hopes to
raise his stock this summer when playing for an Arizona-based traveling team
that has already made stops in Las Vegas, Memphis and Albuquerque. The tour
gives him an opportunity to adjust to the wooden bats that he’ll be forced
to use next year in junior college.
Tarnow is also
trying to add weight to his 175-pound frame by working with Milwaukee
Brewers trainer Keith Wilson.
“It’s going to
be the same game, just a little faster,” Tarnow said.
“I feel like I’m
ready to go, but that’s one of those things I’ll find out.”
Martin heads to
Oregon
Three days after
watching his collegiate career come to an end at Cal State Fullerton, former
Corona pitcher Sean Martin was activated by the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a
Single-A San Francisco Giants affiliate based in Keizer, Ore.
In three games thus
far, Martin has been tagged for four runs on only two hits in 2 2/3 innings.
He has walked one batter and struck out three.
During the College
World Series, Martin made relief appearances in two games against Louisiana
State and Stanford. He relinquished one run on one hit in 2 2/3 innings,
while walking one and fanning one.
Vericker now in
minors
Former Corona first
baseman Brad Vericker signed with Salem-Keizer last month following a
sensational four-year career at Point Loma Nazarene in which he set school
records for career home runs, runs scored and walks.
In 24 Northwest
League games this summer, Vericker is hitting .280 with six doubles, five
home runs and 13 RBIs. He leads the Volcanoes with a .560 slugging
percentage and he ranks second on the team with a .393 on-base percentage.
Vericker was named
an all-Central Region selection and an all-city pick during his last two
seasons at Corona. As a senior, he batted .410 with six homers in 30 games
before earning second-team all-state and team Most Valuable Player honors.
Vericker also marked a club-best six wins that year, to go along with 57
strikeouts and a 1.24 ERA.
Honsa joins
Phillies
Having finished his
sophomore season at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, former Corona
pitcher Chris Honsa signed with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, a Rookie
League Philadelphia Phillies affiliate based in Clearwater, Fla.
Honsa played for
Corona in 2000 and 2001. He was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 33rd
round of the 2001 draft.
Gundry visits
schools
After completing his
sophomore season at South Mountain, Gundry will visit a pair of four-year
schools this month. He’s scheduled to travel to Concordia University
(Irvine, Calif.) on July 18 before heading to Trevecca Nazarene University
(Nashville, Tenn.) on July 24.
Baseball rule
change
In an attempt to
preserve sportsmanship, The National Federation of State High School
Associations Baseball Rules Committee last month adopted a rule prohibiting
both teams from being in “live-ball territory” during pregame infield
practice.
Some players have
made a habit of glaring at their opponent from the grass in front of the
dugout as means of intimidation. There have even been reported instances in
which players have made inappropriate comments.
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@wranglernews.com
or visit him online at http://sundevils.freeyellow.com/briangomez.html.
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