Friday, June 8, 2007
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Simi Valley pitcher, Newbury Park outfielder drafted by Devil Rays, Dodgers\
Barnese, Lambo get call on Day 1
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By Rhiannon Potkey
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They attended several of the same workouts, competed against each other in front of scouts during high school games and shared an advisor.
\ Simi Valley\'s Nick Barnese and Newbury Park\'s Andrew Lambo were nearly in lockstep throughout the draft process, and the seniors were linked again on Thursday.
\ The fellow Marmonte Leaguers were the only area players selected on the first day of the Major League Baseball draft. Barnese was selected by Tampa Bay Devils Rays in the third round with the 95th pick overall while Lambo was taken a round later by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 146th pick.
\ \"I am really happy for both of us,\" Lambo said. \"Nick is a great kid, and I know we will always remain buddies throughout our careers.\"
\ Barnese was tracking the draft at home with his parents and a couple of friends, and the pitcher expected to hear his name called in the second or third round. When the Devil Rays prepared to make their pick at the top of the third, Barnese\'s father, Ernie, predicted his son was headed to Tampa Bay.
\ \"Right when they picked my name we all jumped up and screamed,\" Barnese said. \"It was pretty awesome.\"
\ Barnese will have some local company in the Tampa Bay organization. The Devil Rays made Camarillo High graduate Delmon Young the top pick of the 2003 draft.
\ Tampa Bay\'s area supervisor, Robbie Moen, said the 6-foot-2 Barnese has the tools in place to advance through the minors quicker than some pitchers.
\ \"He has a fast arm and a good sink to his fastball and he has very good mound presence,\" Moen said. \"He is not afraid to pitch to anybody and is not intimidated by anybody.\"
\ Barnese, who finished 5-3 with a 2.41 ERA and 75 strikeouts this season, has a scholarship offer to play at Cal State Fullerton. But the right-hander is leaning toward signing a major league contract.
\ \"I just want to get out there and start playing ball,\" Barnese said. \"It\'s always been my goal to become a major leaguer. Every little boy dreams of that.\"
\ Lambo has committed to Arizona State, but the 6-foot-3 outfielder has no intention of playing in Arizona unless it\'s for spring training with the hometown team.
\ \"I want to be a Dodger more than anything in this world,\" Lambo said. \"I want to be in the blue with the L.A. boys and playing on an L.A. field as soon as possible. I want to win ballgames for the Dodgers and win another World Series.\"
\ Before the high school season started, Lambo was projected as a potential supplemental first-round pick by Baseball America. But his family thinks a recent hand injury and Lambo\'s past may have caused him to drop.
\ During his freshman and sophomore seasons at Cleveland High in Reseda before transferring to Newbury Park, Lambo was suspended for disciplinary problems and academic shortcomings.
\ \"It\'s unfortunate I fell a little bit, but it\'s all about what you do when you get there,\" said Lambo, who hit .453 with 30 RBIs and nine home runs this season. \"You could be a $3 million bonus baby and not succeed. The important thing is what happens after you sign.\"
\ The first five rounds of the draft were completed on Thursday, and it will resume today at 9:30 a.m. with teams picking through 50 rounds.
\ But Barnese and Lambo no longer have to play the waiting game, and can begin discussing their futures with advisor Arn Tellem.
\ Barnese planned to celebrate his selection with a steak dinner, and Lambo spent a few hours with friends at Lampost Pizza.
\ \"Everything finally paid off for us,\" Lambo said. \"We got our foot in the door, and hopefully we can get our whole bodies in the door.\"
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\ Simi Valley\'s Nick Barnese and Newbury Park\'s Andrew Lambo were nearly in lockstep throughout the draft process, and the seniors were linked again on Thursday.
\ The fellow Marmonte Leaguers were the only area players selected on the first day of the Major League Baseball draft. Barnese was selected by Tampa Bay Devils Rays in the third round with the 95th pick overall while Lambo was taken a round later by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 146th pick.
\ \"I am really happy for both of us,\" Lambo said. \"Nick is a great kid, and I know we will always remain buddies throughout our careers.\"
\ Barnese was tracking the draft at home with his parents and a couple of friends, and the pitcher expected to hear his name called in the second or third round. When the Devil Rays prepared to make their pick at the top of the third, Barnese\'s father, Ernie, predicted his son was headed to Tampa Bay.
\ \"Right when they picked my name we all jumped up and screamed,\" Barnese said. \"It was pretty awesome.\"
\ Barnese will have some local company in the Tampa Bay organization. The Devil Rays made Camarillo High graduate Delmon Young the top pick of the 2003 draft.
\ Tampa Bay\'s area supervisor, Robbie Moen, said the 6-foot-2 Barnese has the tools in place to advance through the minors quicker than some pitchers.
\ \"He has a fast arm and a good sink to his fastball and he has very good mound presence,\" Moen said. \"He is not afraid to pitch to anybody and is not intimidated by anybody.\"
\ Barnese, who finished 5-3 with a 2.41 ERA and 75 strikeouts this season, has a scholarship offer to play at Cal State Fullerton. But the right-hander is leaning toward signing a major league contract.
\ \"I just want to get out there and start playing ball,\" Barnese said. \"It\'s always been my goal to become a major leaguer. Every little boy dreams of that.\"
\ Lambo has committed to Arizona State, but the 6-foot-3 outfielder has no intention of playing in Arizona unless it\'s for spring training with the hometown team.
\ \"I want to be a Dodger more than anything in this world,\" Lambo said. \"I want to be in the blue with the L.A. boys and playing on an L.A. field as soon as possible. I want to win ballgames for the Dodgers and win another World Series.\"
\ Before the high school season started, Lambo was projected as a potential supplemental first-round pick by Baseball America. But his family thinks a recent hand injury and Lambo\'s past may have caused him to drop.
\ During his freshman and sophomore seasons at Cleveland High in Reseda before transferring to Newbury Park, Lambo was suspended for disciplinary problems and academic shortcomings.
\ \"It\'s unfortunate I fell a little bit, but it\'s all about what you do when you get there,\" said Lambo, who hit .453 with 30 RBIs and nine home runs this season. \"You could be a $3 million bonus baby and not succeed. The important thing is what happens after you sign.\"
\ The first five rounds of the draft were completed on Thursday, and it will resume today at 9:30 a.m. with teams picking through 50 rounds.
\ But Barnese and Lambo no longer have to play the waiting game, and can begin discussing their futures with advisor Arn Tellem.
\ Barnese planned to celebrate his selection with a steak dinner, and Lambo spent a few hours with friends at Lampost Pizza.
\ \"Everything finally paid off for us,\" Lambo said. \"We got our foot in the door, and hopefully we can get our whole bodies in the door.\"
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\"Up to me he was throwing almost all fastballs,\" Cross said. \"He started mixing in a couple other pitches afterward, like a splitter and a curve ball.\"
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This season, LaBelle plans to use Hale in the Pioneers\' leadoff position, where according to LaBelle, he\'s already proving he belongs. In the first two scrimmage games for Simi Valley, the left-handed Hale has led off the game with opposite-field doubles.
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