Wednesday, June 3, 1998
Drew will do for Cards in MLB draft

ST. LOUIS (AP) ­


Taking outfielder J.D. Drew in the first round of the baseball draft on Tuesday showed again that the St. Louis Cardinals don't shy from controversy.

''Sometimes, you've got to step up and take a risk,'' general manager Walt Jocketty said. ''We're going to give it our best shot.''

Last year, the Cardinals were not deterred by the high price tag for high school phenom Rick Ankiel, taking the left-handed pitcher in the second round and then signing him to a record $2.5 million bonus. Now comes Drew, who failed to come to terms with the Philadelphia Phillies after being the second pick of last year's draft.

Drew's demand for a $10 million contract kept him from signing with the Phillies, whose best offer was a $3 million bonus and a chance to earn $3 million more in salary. Neither that, nor the fact that Drew's agent is Scott Boras seemed to bother the Cardinals, who took him with the fifth pick.

Boras represented Andy Benes in a spectacular failed deal last winter. Benes and the Cardinals agreed on a five-year, $30 million deal, but it was voided because it came an hour after the Dec. 7 midnight deadline.

''Despite what happened in the Andy Benes negotiations, I've had a long, lasting relationship with Boras,'' Jocketty said. ''I think that if you have a problem with one negotiation, it shouldn't really interfere with what you do in the future.''

Jocketty cited the signing of Ankiel, another Boras client.

''We got the Ankiel contract done when a lot of people didn't think we would,'' Jocketty said. ''We'll go about it in a very businesslike manner.''

Jocketty also said if the Cardinals didn't take Drew, one of the teams picking right after St. Louis would have.

Drew, an outfielder who played at Florida State, played in the independent Northern League last season rather than sign. The Cardinals' scouting director, Ed Creech, took a look at Drew playing for St. Paul, Minn., last week and reported that Drew only got better.

Jocketty said Drew could start in the outfield next year and could hit 30-40 home runs a year very soon.

''The thing you've got to remember is this guy has a very high ceiling,'' Jocketty said. ''This guy, I think, is arguably the best player in this draft and maybe the best player in the last two or three drafts."

Two of the Cardinals' outfielders, Ray Lankford and Ron Gant, have long-term contracts. But Brian Jordan, who entered the day leading the league in batting, can be a free agent.

Copyright 1998 Hannibal Courier-Post

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