Baseball draft was kinder to Trapasso this year

Now, with the pro draft concluded, comes the next recruiting phase for University of Hawaii baseball coach Mike Trapasso.

You know, the one that didn’t go so well last year.

Most of the Super Class never made it to Manoa, other than on recruiting visits. The allure of playing baseball for money — including some pretty hefty signing bonuses — outweighed the idea of college, even in Hawaii, even in the Big West.

So pardon Trapasso for being happy, nearly giddy, because just four potential Rainbow Warriors were drafted this time … and that two of them were in the 37th round, where the decision of school or pros should be pretty easy.

Maybe this class isn’t too good for Hawaii’s good.

Naysayers can (and will) spin it and say that just four of an incoming class of 15 or 16 new players drafted indicates a talent shortage.

That remains to be seen. But Trapasso is excited by some of the non-draftees, including hard-throwing right-hander Josh Pigg from Consumnes River College. Pigg, who was drafted in the 28th round coming out of high school, struck out 40 batters in 401/3 innings this season but also walked 29.

"I thought he’d get drafted even though he did not have a great JC year," Trapasso said. "We’ve got to work with him on his control but he does what you can’t teach: He throws 92, 93."

He also thought San Joaquin Delta College ace Matt Valencia might get drafted. A look at Valencia’s numbers from this spring and you wonder why not: 10-2, 2.40, 98/48 K/BB in 932/3 innings.

Valencia doesn’t throw as hard as Pigg, but especially since he’s a lefty he might have enough polish to step right into the Rainbows rotation … and, as it is with Pigg, Trapasso doesn’t have to worry about re-recruiting him.

High school first baseman Eric Ramirez went in the 37th round but early indications are the all-fields-hitting lefty will report to Manoa.

"I think he’s a special player," Trapasso said. "And his first reaction is the right one. He said being drafted is a great honor, but he wants to come to school and turn that 37th-round pick into the third round in three years."

The coach admits, though, that Ramirez’s perspective could change after the Brewers talk to him some more.

And it will likely be a tough battle for Luke Eubank, a righty from the JC ranks whom Trapasso feels could be ready to jump right into a starting role at UH. Cleveland, which drafted him in the 15th round, has other ideas for a guy who went 12-1 with an ERA of 0.94 and 131 punch outs in 1241/3 innings.

"That might go into the summer, close to the deadline in mid-July," he said.

The Indians had two first-round draft picks and a supplemental choice, so UH could conceivably benefit from them being over-budget when it comes time to decide how much to bonus their 15th-rounder.

Or so Trapasso can hope.

And after back-to-back bad seasons, UH baseball fans want reason to believe he has found the right combination of recruitability, signability and showupability in this crop.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. Read his blog at staradvertiser.com/quickreads.