Baseball Players Have Good Start to Pro Careers
September 22, 1999 | Baseball
Sept. 22, 1999
LOS ANGELES - Eight former USC baseball players began their professional careers this summer, and one is already just one step away from the big leagues.
LHP Barry Zito, a unanimous All-American first teamer in 1999, was the ninth overall pick of the first round by the Oakland Athletics. Zito's rise through the minors was meteoric, and he is now pitching in the Triple-A World Series for the Vancouver Canadians.
Zito began pitching for the Class-A Visalia Oaks in the California League, where he went 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings. That was followed by a trip to Class-AA Midland Rockhounds, where he went 2-1 with a 4.91 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 22 innings. Finally, he was promoted to Vancouver just in time for the postseason, as he was victorious in his only regular-season start.
C Eric Munson, another All-American first teamer this past season, was the third overall pick of the Detroit Tigers. He had an excellent season adjusting to the wooden bats at Class-A West Michigan Whitecaps, where he hit .266 with a team-high 14 home runs and 44 RBI in 252 at-bats.
OF Jason Lane, yet another All-American first teamer at USC, was drafted by the Houston Astros in the sixth round. He played for the Short-Season Class-A Auburn Doubledays and had team highs of 13 home runs and 59 RBI while batting .279 with 283 at-bats.
LHP Steve Smyth, a fourth-round pick of the Chicago Cubs, started his pro career with the Short-Season Class-A Eugene Emeralds, but he was later promoted to the Class-A Lansing Lugnuts, where he went 5-3 with a 6.93 ERA in 50 2/3 innings.
Like Zito, RHP Justin Lehr was also taken by the Oakland Athletics, in the eighth round. He was assigned to the Short- Season Class-A Southern Oregon Timberjacks, where he went 2-6 with a 5.95 ERA in 42 1/3 innings.
OF Brad Ticehurst and IF Dominic Correa were drafted in the 10th and 18th round, respectively, by the New York Yankees. Both were sent to the Short-Season Class-A Staten Island Yankees. Ticehurst (who briefly appeared in a segment of The Tom Green Show while it was being filmed at a game) batted .253 with eight home runs and 39 RBI in 221 at-bats. Correa hit .208 with 22 RBI in 144 at- bats.
Finally, RHP Steve Immel signed a free-agent contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks and played for the Class-A High Desert Mavericks, where he went 4-1 with a 5.53 ERA in 40 2/3 innings.
