Phillies select two high school pitchers in Major League Baseball draft

The Phillies tapped two hard-throwing high school righthanders with their initial selections in Major League Baseball's first-year player draft.

Shane Watson, a righthander from Lakewood (Calif.) High School, who was 4-3 with a 1.19 ERA this spring, was the team's initial pick Monday night.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder was taken in the compensation round - 40th overall. This is the fifth consecutive year the Phillies have chosen a high school player with their first pick.

Watson has a college commitment to attend Southern California. He was listed as the No. 30 prospect by Baseball America and No. 34 by MLB.com.

"I was getting tired of seeing my name fall back and it is quite an honor to be their first pick of the draft," Watson said.

Phillies assistant general manager Marti Wolever compared Watson to another first-round pick.

"Shane Watson has a plus fastball and curveball, with a curveball similar to Brett Myers in high school," Wolever said "He is extremely competitive."

With the 54th overall selection, the Phillies took another righthander, 6-3, 205-pound Mitch Gueller of W.F. West High in Chehalis, Wash. Also a football standout, he was a Washington State baseball recruit after going 6-0 with a 0.82 ERA.

"Mitch is a big guy who looks like Roger Clemens, and he was up to 94 [m.p.h.] in the spring," Wolever said. "He has a chance to have at least two to three average-to-above-average pitches, and he is very athletic and competitive."

The Phillies received two first-day picks in the compensation round, Nos. 40 and 54. The 40th pick was for losing Ryan Madson, who signed as a free agent with Cincinnati. The 54th choice is compensation from the New York Yankees for signing Raul Ibanez.

The Phillies lost their first-round pick (No. 31 overall) for signing Jonathan Papelbon. (Boston selected Florida lefthander Brian Johnson).

MLB's recommended value for the No. 40 pick, under rules established this year, is $1,291,300. The value of the No. 54 pick is $940,200.

Carlos Correa, a 17-year-old shortstop from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, was the first overall selection by the Houston Astros. Byron Buxton, an outfielder from Georgia's Appling County High School, was the second pick by the Minnesota Twins.

Monmouth righthander Pat Light went 37th overall to the Boston Red Sox.

Of the 31 first-round picks, 17 were from high schools and 14 from colleges.