Poly draftees tune up in summer leagues

Although the Cal Poly baseball season ended May 25, many Mustangs are in the midst of playing in summer collegiate leagues across the country.

Former Mustangs Brent Morel, Logan Schafer, Derrick Saito and Brian Grening, who have all already signed professional contracts, are also playing summer baseball, after being chosen in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft from June 5-6.

Morel, a third baseman, agreed June 7 to a $458,000 signing bonus with the Chicago White Sox after being chosen with the 86th overall pick and is batting .233 in Great Falls, Mont. for the Great Falls Voyagers of the Pioneer League.

Schafer accepted June 14 a signing bonus of about $400,000 plus college tuition and incentives from the Milwaukee Brewers, who chose the center fielder 94th. He’s hitting .235 for the Helena Brewers, also of the Pioneer League.

Saito, a left-handed pitcher who’s struck out five batters in 2 1/3 innings of work for the league’s Idaho Falls Chukars, came to terms June 9 on a $100,000 signing bonus plus one year of college tuition from the Kansas City Royals, who selected him 475th.

Grening, a right-hander, has surrendered three earned runs in an inning on behalf of the New York-Penn League’s Mahoning Valley Scrappers of Niles, Ohio after inking a deal June 12 with the Cleveland Indians upon being picked 1,161st.

Four more Mustangs drafted – sophomore right-hander Kevin Castner, sophomore outfielder Luke Yoder, junior southpaw Jared Eskew and sophomore right-hander D.J. Mauldin – are also playing this summer.

Castner (taken 303rd by the Texas Rangers) is suiting up for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League, Yoder (996th by the Minnesota Twins) for the Alaska Baseball League’s Anchorage Pilots, Eskew (1,400th by the Baltimore Orioles) for the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League’s Corvallis Knights and Mauldin (1,441st by the Seattle Mariners) for the Eau Claire Express of the Northwoods League.

Closer to home, several Mustangs are playing for the California Collegiate League’s San Luis Obispo Rattlers and the unaffiliated San Luis Obispo Blues.

The Rattlers’ roster features incoming second baseman Evan Busby, sophomore left-hander Kellen Moriarty and incoming right-hander Mason Radeke.

Meanwhile, the Blues feature incoming catcher Jordan Hadlock, junior outfielder Philip Ortez, incoming outfielder Robert Crocker, freshman third baseman J.J. Thompson and junior right-hander Eric Massingham.

Professional teams have until Aug. 15 to sign players who’ve not fully utilized their college eligibility.