This will run in the Saturday paper, but for those who miss it or are curious now, here are our local baseball draftees. My comments are below.

Rd. Overall Name School Pos. Team
1 26 James Simmons UCR*/Norco P Athletics
3 105 Daniel Carroll Valley View CF Mariners
5 175 Mark Rzepczynski UCR P Blue Jays
7 243 Lucas Duda USC*/Arlington 1B Mets
9 284 Daniel Runzler UCR LHP Giants
9 296 Jaime Pedroza UCR* SS Dodgers
11 345 Jeff Dunbar UCR C Mariners
11 352 Adam Reifer UCR* RHP Cardinals
12 369 Wally Crancer Ga.Tech/RCC/Norco RF Orioles
12 376 Garrett Parcell SDSU/Norco RHP Marlins
13 406 Chris Shafer Cajon RHP Marlins
13 410 Kyle Ocampo Poly RHP Rangers
20 615 Stephen Penney UCR* RHP Mariners
21 635 Kevin Brophy UCLA/Paloma Val. RHP Devil Rays
27 820 Aaron Seuss CBU/Palm Desert RF Nationals
28 848 Matt Clark RCC 3B Pirates
30 918 Rene Escobar RCC/Perris 1B Braves
31 958 Eddie Orozco Rubidoux RHP White Sox
32 985 Anthony Renteria Great Oak CF Padres
34 1040 Brett Hambright Temescal Canyon C Phillies
36 1075 Herbert Hudson MSJC OF Athletics
38 1121 Randy Yard Palm Desert RHP Braves
38 1123 B.J. Salsbury San Jacinto RHP Rangers
39 1170 Joe Scott Cal St. Full.*/Centennial SS Brewers
41 1219 Tyler Topp RCC/Woodcrest Chr. RHP Royals
42 1257 Bryson Rahier Cajon C Braves
46 1349 Reyes Dorado RCC RHP Pirates
*college junior

Carroll
Carroll knows he didn't hit as well as he could have this year (.343), but he possesses several traits you can't teach. He's got tremendous speed (6.4-6.6 in the 60), a cannon for an arm (a rare trait among speedsters), and good size. He's also got an above-average batting eye for a prep player and isn't afraid to lean into one.

Shafer
He worked closely with a Marlins scout, to the point that the scout taught him a new, more effective grip on his slider. With an 88-93 mph fastball that projects as having good sink, and a 6-2, 235-pound frame, Shafer is projectable. He said the Marlins told him to expect a lot of lifting and a lot of running in rookie ball. He was 7-0 with a 1.83 ERA and hit .453 with seven homers.

Ocampo
Ocampo throws an easy 94 and his slider could develop into a solid pro pitch. With an improved changeup, those two pitches would work even better. Ocampo said the Rangers are thinking about using him as a closer. He's a rangy 6-3 and could potentially add something to his pitches. Evidence of that could be found in the fact that he's throwing harder this year than last year. He finished 8-1 with a 2.01 ERA.

Orozco
Orozco is an impressive pitcher who drew plenty of scouts this year; his low draft position could be reflective of his having signed a letter of intent with UC Riverside, because on talent alone he could have gone higher (as could have several other players drafted below him). Orozco has solid velocity but it's the movement on his pitches that often impresses area coaches. Orozco was 10-2 with an 0.81 ERA this year and also batted .518 with good power.

Renteria
The son of former Lake Elsinore Storm manager Rick Renteria, now the manager of the Padres' Triple-A affiliate in Portland, Renteria is a center fielder with a good build and power potential. Renteria batted only .286 with four home runs for Temecula Great Oak this year, but he hit .387 last season with 15 extra-base hits.

Hambright
Hambright, another UCR signee, has good tools behind the plate and previously in his prep career was a good pitcher. With a powerful build and a strong arm, Hambright has potential behind the dish. He hit .432 and walked 22 times this year.

Yard
Yard was hurt for much of the season, but despite being only 6 feet tall, he has a powerful arm and was considered a Division I/draftable talent because of his low 90s velocity and command of four pitches. He struck out 21 in 15 innings and was 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA.

Salsbury
He played in a Division 6 league, but Salsbury's stats -- 13-2, 0.57 ERA, 159 strikeouts in 98 innings -- are no mirage. He struck out 13 against a Division 1 league champ and nine against the top-ranked team in Division 3. Additionally, the Major League scouting bureau rates Salsbury's curve very highly on the scouting scale. He's another UCR signee.

Rahier
Rahier has good size behind the plate and showed versatility this year. After moving to the top of the lineup, he walked 24 times and finished with a .513 OBP to go with a .389 average. He was an early signee of San Jose State.