"It's all over now and I'm a Yankee," says the ex-Mitchell pitcher, who was kicked off the team and had a DUI arrest.
By GREG AUMAN
Published June 4, 2003
Former Mitchell standout Tyler Clippard, one of Pasco County's top pitchers before off-field problems ended his senior season early, was drafted Tuesday by the New York Yankees in the ninth round of the amateur draft.
"I'm very excited," said Clippard, a left-handed pitcher who was the 274th pick overall. "It's a great organization, and I like that I'll be able to start off locally here in Tampa."
Clippard accepted a scholarship with South Florida, but said his draft position and the chance to play for the Yankees made him choose the professional route.
"I love everything about USF and I really would like to play there," Clippard said. "But getting drafted where I did, especially by the Yankees, I'm going to have to pass (college) up."
It's the first good baseball news Clippard has had in months. After he won six games as a junior and compiled the county's second-lowest ERA, the Mustangs dismissed him early in the season, two days after he was arrested March 7 on misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence.
He transferred to Dunedin, hoping to play for the nationally ranked Falcons, but the Florida High School Activities Association's guidelines prohibit midseason transfers, so he was ineligible. After a month he transferred back to Mitchell where he graduated with friends last month.
"It's all over now and I'm a Yankee," said Clippard, who said his case is still in the court system. A standard plea agreement for first-time offenders would involve a year's probation, a suspended license, community service and payment of court fees.
Clippard, 18, said he did not think his arrest adversely affected his draft status. He entered the draft thinking he'd be taken between the fifth and seventh round, but said the Yankees "never really mentioned" his arrest, even during a personal workout last week.
He had three appearances as a senior, going 1-1 with a 0.81 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 171/3 innings. As a junior, he was 6-4 with a 1.18 ERA and 99 strikeouts. He became the first player in Mitchell's three-year history to earn a Division I-A scholarship.
Clippard spent much of Tuesday at the home of Dunedin slugger Ryan Harvey, a longtime friend and teammate who was taken sixth overall by the Chicago Cubs.
Clippard is likely to receive a signing bonus of about $75,000, based on bonuses given to comparable picks in last year's draft.
No other players with county ties were selected in the first 20 rounds of the draft, which continues today.
