Prep snapped up in draft's first round

Derek Thompson, a Land O'Lakes High pitcher, was chosen by the Cleveland Indians.

By JAMAL THALJI

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 6, 2000

LAND O'LAKES -- Let the record show that the call came in at 1:59 p.m. Monday afternoon.

Derek Thompson took the cordless phone handset into the kitchen, family and friends staring intently, hanging on his every word.

"Thank you," Thompson told the caller. "All right."

He turned the phone off and turned to face everyone.

"I'm a Cleveland Indian," he said.

The Thompson household exploded in cheers and screams.

Thompson coolly stood in the middle of the celebration, taking it all in, as years of hard work that began at age 6 in the sport he loves culminated into a lucrative professional baseball contract -- pending his signature.

The 19-year-old left-handed pitcher from Land O'Lakes High School was selected by Cleveland with the 37th overall pick in the first round of Monday's amateur baseball draft.

"Being the highest draft pick in Pasco County, that was a pretty good honor," Thompson said.

No, he didn't look excited. But he was.

"Everyone was going through the roof, everyone was going nuts," Thompson said. "I'm not going to stand there and jump around, let them do it.

"I'm happy too, and they know it."

It is thought to be the highest a Pasco County player ever has gone in Major League Baseball's annual June draft, and it was just the beginning. Three other highly touted Pasco County prep ballplayers also were selected by pro clubs on the draft's first day.

Last year, the 37th pick in the draft received a signing bonus of $660,000, so Thompson's bonus should be the same, said his father, Bob, adjusted upward 5 to 10 percent for cost of living.

That doesn't include incentive clauses or a scholarship program that eventually will pay for Derek's college education. Thompson had committed to pitch for the University of South Florida but said he likely would not attend the university.

Thompson knew it was going to be his day on Monday.

He and his older brother, Shayne, and pal Jimmy Johnson got up at 5:30 a.m. to go fishing at nearby Lake Saxon. Fishing relaxes Thompson, and it proved to be a good omen, too.

Thompson ran back into the house at 7:30 a.m., holding two bass, a 71/2- and an 8-pounder, that he caught.

"I caught one and I thought, gosh, this must be a pretty good day," Thompson said. "When I yanked the other one, I thought, this must be a sign."

Not only that, but the family had started an informal pool before Monday's draft, too. Thompson's father thought the San Francisco Giants would draft him, while brother Shayne thought it would be the Atlanta Braves.

Thompson? He picked . . . the Indians.

"I knew that team wanted me, and that's the team that I thought would get me," he said.

There was more to it than just fishing and intuition, though. Thompson had proved himself one of the nation's top prospects after an excellent senior season that ended Friday with his graduation. Entering the draft, Thompson was rated Florida's top prospect by teamonebaseball.com and No. 59 in the nation by Baseball America.

Thompson set school records with nine wins and 111 strikeouts this season, helping the Gators win 25 games and advance to the regional semifinal playoffs.

Named the Sunshine Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year this season, Thompson was mobbed by scouts all season long as they came from across the country to watch the lefty with the 93 mph fastball.

Cleveland was just one of many teams focused on Thompson. The organization's scouts asked Thompson whether they could see him pitch one more time, at Wednesday's SAC All-Star game at River Ridge High School's Jim Valentine Athletic Complex. Thompson obliged, pitching two innings and striking out four batters.

Thompson has come far in the sport, considering he took his freshman year off. Tired of butting heads with his Little League coach, the 15-year-old Thompson actually was a better bowler than baseball player.

But he had dreamed of making it to the big leagues since he was a kid. After his junior year, Thompson started to realize his own potential and honed his skills, working with a New York Yankees trainer and pitching in the off-season.

The family got a scare Jan. 11, when Thompson felt his right knee pop while planting it during a pitch. He had to have a nickel-sized piece of cartilage removed, yet still came back in time to dominate his senior year.

The family had been hoping Thompson would be drafted high and by a team that trains in Florida so he would be nearby during spring training. Fortunately, the Indians train in Winter Haven.

"I'm not ready for him to leave home," said Christine, his stepmother. "Not yet."

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