Danbury pitcher gets draft call from Indians

6/11/2009
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

LAKESIDE Michael Hamann just had one of his dreams come true.

Hamann, a pitcher from Danbury High School, yesterday heard his name called in baseball s amateur draft. Cleveland selected the 6-3 right-hander in the 24th round with the 725th overall pick.

I really couldn t believe it when I found out I had been drafted, Hamann said. It s hard to find words to describe it. I don t want to say I was surprised, but I ve always dreamed of getting this call.

Hamann said the Indians drafting him made the day even more special.

That was awesome, because I ve followed the Indians since I was young, he said. They are the No. 1 team in my heart.

Hamann knows he now has a tough decision to make: should he sign with the Indians or should he play collegiately at the

University of Toledo, in hopes of raising his draft status in the next three years?

When I talked to the [Cleveland] scout, he said I could either sign a contract now, or they would follow me through the summer, then we could talk later, said Hamann, who noted that players drafted this year must be signed by mid-August. I want to talk to my parents and see what they re feeling, but I know eventually it s my decision.

I m happy with my decision to go to Toledo, and I m leaning toward college right now, but I still want to listen to what Cleveland has to say.

At Danbury this season, Hamann posted a 7-2 record with a 0.27 ERA. He struck out 116 hitters in 52 innings and walked only eight.

The highest-drafted local player was Marc Krauss from Deshler, who was taken with the 62nd overall pick by Arizona. A second-round choice who played his high school ball at Patrick Henry, Krauss was named Mid-American Conference player of the year this spring after bashing a school-record 27 home runs and collecting 70 RBIs for Ohio University.

Justin Collop, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Toledo, was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the sixth round. The 193rd overall pick, Collop is a junior who went 4-7 with a 6.51 ERA in 13 starts for the Rockets this season, finishing eighth in the MAC in strikeouts with 63.

The sons of a current Mud Hens coach and two former Hen managers also were drafted yesterday.

Lance Durham, the son of Mud Hens hitting coach Leon Bull Durham, was chosen by Toronto in the 14th round. The 430th pick in the draft, Durham starred at the University of Cincinnati this season, posting a school record with a .427 batting average.

Daniel Fields, a shortstop whose father, Bruce, managed the Hens in 2001 and 02, was chosen by Detroit in the sixth round. The 180th pick, Daniel graduated from University of Detroit Jesuit High School and has a scholarship at the University of Michigan.

And Eric Roof, a catcher whose father, Gene, managed in Toledo from 1997-99, was selected by the Tigers in the 18th round. The 540th overall pick, Roof is the third member of the family the Detroit organization; his father is an outfield instructor, while brother Shawn is an infielder for Double-A Erie.

Rounds 31-50 of the draft will be completed today starting at 11:30 a.m.

Contact John Wagner at:jwagner@theblade.comor (419) 724-6481.