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Lonnie Chisenhall, 19, kicked off college team
By Stephanie Storm
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Friday, Jun 06, 2008
They've scouted him since he was a junior in high school and have a top-ranking staffer who knows his college coach well.
That's why, despite an off-the-field transgression that might have chased away other major-league clubs, the Indians selected infielder Lonnie Chisenhall with their first pick (29th overall) in the first round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft on Thursday.
''He's a guy we've targeted for a very long time,'' said Brad Grant, the Indians' first-year director of amateur scouting. ''We've got a lot of history with Lonnie.''
Chisenhall, 19, ranked the 74th-best player overall in Baseball America's draft preview, was originally drafted out of North Carolina's West Carteret High School in the 11th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2006. He turned down his initial opportunity to play professionally so he could suit up for the University of South Carolina.
His stay with the Gamecocks didn't last long, however. As conference play got under way, Chisenhall was arrested, charged with burglary and grand larceny and dismissed from the team.
Despite the serious off-the-field incident, the Indians — an organization known for
preferring high character over pure talent — insist they did their homework on Chisenhall.
''Our area scout has seen Lonnie since he was a junior in high school and [Indians assistant general manager in charge of scouting operations] John Mirabelli knew the high school coach and is very good friends with [coach] Ray Tanner at the University of South Carolina,'' Grant said.
''We very much value makeup and character, so we went above and beyond doing our background and research.''
In 20 games as a freshman at South Carolina, Chisenhall, a left-handed hitter, batted .313 with a home run and 13 RBI.
He enrolled at Pitt Junior College in Greenville, N.C., for the 2008 season. He hit .410 (68-for-166) with 38 walks, 27 doubles, eight home runs and 66 RBI for the Bulldogs (41-15), who finished one win shy of qualifying for the NJCAA World Series.
''We're going to start Lonnie off at shortstop because we feel he has the tools to play there now defensively,'' Grant said.
''That's where he plays now and where he is most comfortable. But we feel as he moves through his minor-league career and ultimately on to his major-league career he will be a third baseman in the future.''
Considering the risk they've taken, the Indians also are banking on Chisenhall being a model citizen.
Other selections
• With their second pick (76th overall), the Indians selected pitcher Trey Haley from Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas. Haley, 18, went 8-2 with a 1.55 ERA in 13 games his senior season. In 50 innings, Haley, 6-foot-4, 190-pounds, limited opponents to 23 hits and struck out 98.
Selecting Haley was a more risky pick as signability could be a factor for a prep pitcher with such high upside.
''He's a projection high-school right-hander,'' Grant said. ''He's got a chance to have two plus pitches (fastball and curve ball) in the future. He's a big, strong kid who's gonna fill out.
''It was a very heavy college-oriented draft this year. We feel very fortunate to be able to get Haley in the second round to be able to have added a high-school upside player to our draft.''
• The Indians, who said before the draft they would select players based on the best talent available rather than need, took two more infielders with their third and sixth-round picks — switch-hitting second baseman Cord Phelps (107th overall) out of Stanford University and right-handed hitting third baseman Jeremy Tice out of the College of Charleston.
Phelps, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior, hit .352 (83-for 236) with 14 doubles, 13 homers, 53 RBI and 70 runs scored in 58 games for the Cardinal. A Santa Barbara, Calif., native, Phelps led the team in walks (38) and on-base percentage (.447).
''He's really developed his power this year, so his power is very advanced,'' Grant said. ''He has a very good approach to hit from the left side and the right side.''
Before the first day of the draft was wrapped up after completing six rounds, the Tribe also selected two right-handed pitchers: 6-foot-3, 200-pound Dave Roberts out of Long Beach State University in the fourth round and 6-foot-2, 225-pound Steve Putnam from the University of Michigan in the fifth.
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com.
They've scouted him since he was a junior in high school and have a top-ranking staffer who knows his college coach well.
Get the full article here.
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