LJWorld.com

Although the high school baseball season officially came to a close two weeks ago, Lawrence High and Free State recently received one final shot in the arm that demonstrated just how successful the 2009 seasons were for the city squads.

Against players who were selected in Major League Baseball’s 2009 Amateur Baseball Draft, the Lions and Firebirds had a combined record of 3-2.

The baseball draft is one of the toughest things to figure in all of sports. Unlike in football and basketball, where just about every player picked (during much shorter drafts) has a chance to quickly become an impact player, the success rate in the MLB draft is substantially lower. An enormous percentage of the players taken never even make it to the Major League level, that includes a large chunk of first-rounders.

The draft a three-day, epic event that takes the better part of 20+ hours, spans 50 rounds and touches all four corners of the country. In all, players who range from seniors in college to seniors in high school are selected, some without even having played for a school during any given year.

This year’s 50-round festival came to a close around 2 p.m. on Thursday, and although no city players were selected (LHS senior shortstop Aaron Rea had an outside shot of being picked), four names familiar to both schools did get the call.

Shawnee Mission South pitcher Michael Morin (40th Round, Kansas City), Shawnee Mission East pitcher Jeffrey Soptic (43rd Round, Kansas City), Bishop Ward shortstop Beau Stoker (18th Round, Minnesota) and Maize hurler Garrett Gould (2nd Round, LA Dodgers) all heard their names uttered during the league’s conference call, where representatives from all 30 Major League teams are asked to methodically report their picks in the following order: Player ID, Last Name, First Name, Position and School.

Gould, the Kansas Baseball Coaches Association’s Player of the Year, was the top pitcher for second-seeded Maize, a potential state tournament opponent for the Lions, but his team lost in the semis and Gould and LHS never got the chance to square off.

In a pair of victories against SM South and SM East, the Lions did not face Morin or Soptic. Free State, however, did see one of the two, as junior Hayden Emerson out-dueled Morin in an April 29 meeting between the Firebirds and Raiders. In handing Morin the loss, and therein taking control of the race for the Sunflower League title, the Firebirds scored three runs and picked up nine hits.

As for Stoker, the only position player among the four, he was on the field during Bishop Ward’s 5-0 victory against LHS on April 17. The loss dropped the Lions to 5-4 at the time. LHS finished the season 21-4, winners of their final 16 games.

It’s hard to say exactly what happens for these four players now. Gould likely will receive a hefty signing bonus and will immediately begin his pro career in the minor leagues. Stoker, depending on what kind of money is thrown his way, may opt to sign or may attend college, hoping to become a better player and improve his stock.

The two late-round selections likely will take their talents to college, armed with the shiny title of being drafted out of high school. Very few players in the late rounds actually sign with the organizations that draft them because the contracts they’re offered are so small. Still, there can’t be many thrills quite as cool as knowing that you were good enough in high school to be on the Major League radar screen.

Baseball is full of incredible success stories from the late rounds. Former Dodgers and Mets catcher Mike Piazza was picked in the 62nd Round of the 1998 Draft and went on to become a 12-time all-star. Current MLB standouts Mark Buehrle, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, and Mike Jacobs, Kansas City first baseman, were selected in the 38th and 39th rounds, respectively. And several other second- and third-day selections went on to have long and profitable pro careers.

Whether the four names familiar to Lawrence who were taken in this year’s draft will join them remains to be seen. And, because of the nature of baseball, the final verdict might not be in for several seasons.