1998 brings strong group of draftable baseball players

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, April 16, 1998 | 9:08 a.m.

With Major League Baseball's annual June draft around the corner, scouts arrived in town this spring in search of the best prospects baseball-rich Las Vegas has to offer.

And this year's crop did not disappoint. As many as 15 area high schoolers could be selected this June, with Green Valley pitchers Mike Nannini and Joe Orloski, Chaparral catcher Russell Cleveland and Bishop Gorman pitcher/ outfielder Jason Van Meetren expected to lead the charge.

Although scouts are prohibited from predicting a specific player's potential draft position, San Francisco Giants scout Doug McMillan raved about the area's overall talent level.

"Every year, Las Vegas has better prospects, percentage-wise, than any city in California," McMillan said. It's because of coaches like (Green Valley's) Rodger Fairless, (Durango's) Mike Gomez and (Gorman's) Tim Chambers. They run excellent programs and they end up with quality kids."

Nannini, a 5-11 right-hander whose fastball tops out in the mid-90s, will likely be the first local player taken. But after signing to play with Arizona State next season, the 17-year-old might have a tough choice on his hands.

"I'm in a win-win situation," he said. "It's my dream to play (pro) ball, but the college scholarship is there just in case."

Orloski, who has also signed with Arizona State, could find himself in the same boat as his Gator teammate, while Van Meetren may face a similar decision between a professional contract and a scholarship to Stanford.

Next year will likely also feature a strong batch of Vegas prospects, with Cimarron-Memorial pitcher Mike Esposito and Durango outfielder James Burgess currently the leading juniors.