Mike Mastovich
mmastovich@tribdem.com
JOHNSTOWN —
Richland High School’s Austin Urban had heard he might be picked anywhere from the fourth to the eighth round of Tuesday’s Major League Baseball first-year player draft.
The 17-year-old Penn State recruit also knew he might go later. There’s no exact science to baseball’s draft.
When the phone finally rang, the Baltimore Orioles were calling in the 27th round, making the right-handed pitcher, who also plays second base for Delweld in the AAABA League, the 808th pick overall.
“It was pretty cool, but it was kind of nerve-wracking, too,” said Urban prior to Delweld’s game against Martella’s Pharmacy Tuesday night at Point Stadium. “The Rangers called me in the eighth or ninth round and asked me if me and my family were still looking at the number that me and my family had come up with. We said, ‘Yeah.’ It was kind of tight. If I would have said I wanted to sign for what they call ‘slot money’ it might have been different. Signability kind of hurt me, sliding down a bit. I potentially could have been a fourth- or fifth-round pick if I would have said I would have signed for slot money.”
Urban is a right-handed pitcher who also can play second base and shortstop.
During his senior season at Richland, Urban typically attracted a crowd of scouts who lined up with radar guns behind various high school backstops. Nearly 20 scouts attended a game at Bishop Carroll.
Urban previously had signed to play under scholarship at Division I Penn State, so he’ll have a decision to make.
“You weigh in school and getting a college education,” said Urban, who played under Richland coach John Sidor. “I can always take classes anytime. Pro baseball is something I always wanted to do since I was little. I want to try to take advantage of it while I can. The Orioles said they are going to come in Thursday and meet with me and my family.”
Urban may continue to play for Delweld unless he signs a pro contract. The recent Richland graduate said he intends to weigh his options.
“We’ve dealt with that kind of stuff before,” said Delweld manager Chris DelSignore, who now has had seven prospects drafted. “We’re happy that we can bring in those type of players. If he is with us great, if not, we don’t hold anybody back. It’s a great opportunity for him. We’re behind him 100 percent whatever he decides.”
Urban made an impression on the Orioles prior to the draft.
“It helped me that I went down to their pre-draft workout at Camden Yards,” Urban said. “I touched 95 (miles an hour) down there. It was huge.”
Former pro pitcher Rick Roberts was instrumental in Urban’s development and his navigating the pre-draft process. Like Urban, Roberts was signed by a Division I program, West Virginia, before the draft. But Roberts was selected early in his draft class and signed with the Detroit Tigers.
Eventually Roberts advanced in the Dodgers system before an arm injury cut short his career. He and former Major League pitcher Mike Holtz operate ERA Sports, a baseball program to develop young players in Richland Township and Altoona locations.
“I have to thank Rick Roberts for everything he’s done for me,” Urban said. “He helped me out with the whole process. He actually took me to Camden Yards that day because my parents couldn’t get off of work.
“I’ve been at ERA since I was 13. He’s actually seen me grow up and helped me with everything I’ve gone through.”
Notes: Urban is Richland’s second athlete to be drafted this spring. Last month Cody Boyd, a hockey player who has competed on teams throughout the country, was picked by the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the ninth round of the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection Draft. The OHL is among the premier major junior leagues. ... Delweld’s seven draft picks are Matt Bimeal (Blue Jays), Matt Maropis (Pirates), Randy Dicken (Expos 2002, Blue Jays 2004), Anthony Raglani (Dodgers), Jim Mayer (Rays), Bryan Hagerich (Marlins) and Urban.
