Islands’ top Major League picks

Kean Wong has had scouts tracking his every move throughout high school. Isiah Kiner-Falefa wasn’t even a blip on teams’ radars when the school year began.

Both are now getting ready to begin their professional baseball careers.

Wong and Kiner-Falefa became the two highest draft picks from Hawaii selected straight out of high school since Kamehameha’s Bronson Sardinha and Saint Louis’ Brandon League in 2001 after they were taken two picks apart in the fourth round of the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Friday.

Wong, a University of Hawaii signee from Waiakea High, was taken No. 128 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays as an infielder. Kiner-Falefa, a San Jose State commit who recently graduated from Mid-Pacific, was selected No. 130 by the Texas Rangers as a shortstop.

Both said they would sign pro contracts and give up their college eligibility.

"Now I have to go prove myself," said Wong, whose brother, Kolten, was a first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011.

Kolten Wong earned a $1.3 million signing bonus three years after he turned down $75,000 from the Minnesota Twins as a 16th-round draft pick out of Kamehameha-Hawaii.

Kean Wong’s signing bonus is expected to be $400,000, which is about the same as the slot value of $393,500 associated with the 128th overall pick.

He hit .435 his senior season and was named the BIIF player of the year. In 21 games, he went 27-for-80 with eight doubles, six triples, three homers and 26 RBIs. He competed in a showcase in Los Angeles just over a week ago that Kean said his father, Kaha, helped put together.

"There were about 60 scouts who watched me and I did good, so maybe that upped my stock a little bit more," Kean said.

Unlike Wong, Kiner-Falefa wasn’t listed as a potential high pick by any of the major recruiting services, but he had quietly talked to teams throughout the season.

He declined to participate in any postseason workouts.

"I got invited to a bunch of workouts but didn’t attend because I felt like I had a good season," said Kiner-Falefa, who is still negotiating his deal but expects to report to the club’s extended spring training site in Arizona next weekend. "I had a feeling I was going to get drafted, but I wasn’t sure I was going to go that high, and then the Rangers called me this morning."

The first call came from Texas around 5:30 a.m., saying the Rangers were interested in drafting Kiner-Falefa between the fourth and seventh rounds.

His pick at No. 130 overall has a slot value of $385,900.

Kiner-Falefa hit .381 with three doubles and 17 runs scored as a senior, leading the Owls to their first state championship since 2002.

Teammate Marcus Doi, who wasn’t selected in the first 10 rounds, was ranked in Baseball America’s top 50 before the season and updated top 400 heading into the draft.

"Honestly, most of this was the help of Marcus because he brought in a lot of scouts for me," Kiner-Falefa said. "They came to watch him and saw how I played and saw I played hard, and honestly, I don’t think I would have been drafted unless Marcus brought in those scouts."

Saint Louis’ Iolana Akau, who like Doi played catcher in high school and has signed with UH, also wasn’t selected on Friday.

The draft continues today with rounds 11-40 beginning at 7 a.m.

University of Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso has had three of his eight fall signees selected in the first 10 rounds.

Left-hander Blake Taylor went in the second round (No. 51 overall) to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, and first baseman Jake Bauers of Marina (Calif.) High was selected in the seventh round (No. 208 overall) by the San Diego Padres on Friday.

The Bauers pick has a slot value of $182,100.