Angel from the cornfield: here is a team-by-team look at the first round of baseball's amateur draft, kicked off by Darin Erstad

Sporting News, The, June 12, 1995

Some scouts compare Darin Erstad to Angels outfielder Tim Salmon, the 1993 American League Rookie of the Year. "There are a lot of things he does that will remind you of this player or that player," says Bob Fontaine, the Angels' personnel director, "but he and Timmy Salmon are a little different on some points. I think that some day, people will be saying that another young player reminds them of Darin Erstad."

The Angels, as expected, chose the center fielder/kicker from the University of Nebraska with their top overall pick in last week's amateur draft. They obviously expect to get more out of Erstad than they did with their only previous No. 1, catcher Danny Goodwin, who was taken in 1975 and played sparingly for three teams from 1975 to '82.

Erstad, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior, hit .410 with 19 homers, 76 RBIs and 11 steals in 58 games this season en route to becoming co-player of the year in the Big Eight. His poor showing in the Big Eight Tournament didn't hurt his stock, and he's expected to give up his Husker punting/kicking duties in favor of a signing bonus worth at least $1.55 million - what the Mets gave top pick Paul Wilson last year.

The Angels don't plan to rush Erstad, a five-tool prospect who says baseball would be wise to send a few more scouts to his home state of North Dakota. "There is no timetable," Fontaine says. "Everybody's on their own timetable. And the day that he's ready to play in the major leagues is when he's ready to play in the major leagues."

The rest of the round:

2. Padres. Ben Davis, a switch-hitter from Malvern Prep outside Philadelphia, has been touted as the best catching prospect out of high school since Dale Murphy. Davis was batting .507 with 6 homers and 37 RBIs in 71 at-bats when the Padres picked him, but his coach, Mike Rooney, says his top attribute is his arm strength. "He's been clocked at 86, 87 mph as a pitcher," Rooney says. "That kind of arm strength is remarkable behind the plate." Davis is expected to join Idaho Falls of the Class-A short-season Pioneer League.

3. Mariners. Choosing the son of a former major leaguer worked for Seattle in 1989, when it picked Ken Griffey Jr. with the top overall pick. It will try again with Rice University outfielder Jose Cruz Jr., son of Jose Cruz Sr., who batted .284 with 165 homers during a 19-year major league career. Although the younger Cruz played center field for the Owls, batting .372 with 16 homers, 71 RBIs and 18 steals this season, the Mariners predict the switch-hitter will play alongside Griffey, perhaps in 1997. "We see an opening in left field for him," says Roger Jongewaard, the director of player personnel. "With Junior, Junior and Bones (right fielder Jay Buhner), we can't go wrong."

4. Cubs. Scouting director Al Goldis, who signed Jack McDowell and Alex Fernandez for the White Sox, compares 17-year-old righthander Kerry Wood to Dwight Gooden at the same age and feels Wood's poise and presence are similar to a college pitcher. "When I first started scouting, I saw Gooden in Tampa," Goldis says. "I would have taken Wood ahead of him. I haven't seen a guy throw like this in 10 years." Wood was 12-0 for Grand Prairie (Tex.) High at draft time with a 139-33 strikeout-walk ratio in 72 innings.

5. A's. Righthander Ariel Prieto, a Cuban refugee who impressed scouts while pitching for Palm Springs of the independent Western League, could reach the majors this season. The A's took him to address their immediate needs in the starting rotation. Only one starter, Steve Ontiveros, began the week with an ERA below 5.00. Prieto, 28, could supplant struggling No. 5 starter Mike Harkey.

6. Marlins. Jaime Jones hit .475 and stole 26 bases this season for Rancho Bernardo High in San Diego, but it remains to be seen whiter he will go straight from prep ball to the minors. The lefthanded-hitting outfielder is represented by Scott Boras, and the Jones family has let the Marlins know they want a signing bonus in the $1.6-million range - the record bonus Florida gave Josh Booty last year. Signing bonuses were expected to be the next area to feel the pinch in baseball's economic climate.

7. Rangers. Texas is confident righthander Jonathan Johnson will be a better investment than Mike Loynd, the last Florida State pitcher they took (in 1986). The Rangers scouted Johnson's previous eight starts, and it was his complete-game effort against Clemson to win the ACC championship after three days rest that sold them on him. Their biggest question - the resilience of Johnson's 6-foot, 180-pound frame - was answered. "That showed us how durable he is," scouting director Sandy Johnson says. "He's a kid who could (climb) pretty fast, but you don't want to get in a situation where you lump him too high and challenge him too much."

8. Rockies. Expected to keep going with pitchers, the Rockies called an audible and took Tennessee first baseman/quarterback Todd Helton. "We're always looking for pitching, but you have to remind yourself not to get blinded and ignore a top quality position player," scouting director Pat Daugherty says. "(Hefton) is an impact guy who is going to play great in (Coors Field). He's a patient hitter with power to all fields and he played in front of 95,000 people in football." Helton went into the College World Series having already won the Southeastern Conference's home-run (19) and RBI (89) titles and had a three-point edge in batting average (.419) over David DeLucci of Mississippi, whose season had ended.