--All five players coming out of high school; three players hail from state of Georgia--
ANAHEIM, CA – The Angels selected five of the first 40 players drafted during the first day of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft; Third baseman Kaleb Cowart (Cook County H.S. - Adel, GA), RHP Cameron Bedrosian (East Cowata H.S. – Sharpsburg, GA), centerfielder Chevez “Chevy” Clarke (Marietta H.S. –Marietta, GA), shortstop Taylor Lindsey (Desert Mountain H.S. - Scottsdale, AZ) and centerfielder Ryan Bolden (Madison Central HS – Madison, MS). Today’s announcement was made by Angels’ Director of Scouting Eddie Bane.
Cowart, pronounced “Cow-ert”, was named the 2010 Gatorade National High School Baseball Player of the Year out of Cook County High School in Adel, GA. A dual-purpose threat as a pitcher and third baseman, Cowart batted .650 with 11 home runs, 55 runs scored, 59 RBI and 36 stolen bases (in 36 attempts) at Cook County. His batting average ranked second all-time in Georgia state single-season history.
On the mound, the right-hander was 10-1 with one save and a 1.05 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 73 IP. The 6’ 3”, 210-pounder has signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Florida State.
Bedrosian, the son of 1987 N.L. Cy Young Award Winner Steve Bedrosian, competed at East Coweta
High School in Sharpsburg, GA. The 5’11”, 190-pound right-hander posted an 8-1-1 record and a 1.44 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 58 IP. Bedrosian has signed a letter of intent to play at LSU.
Clarke, who has signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Georgia Tech, batted .403 (31/77) with five home runs, 14 RBI and 17 stolen bases this season at Marietta H.S. in Georgia. He is a 6’0”, 185-pound centerfielder.
Lindsey, selected in the compensation round of the draft (37th overall), hails out of Scottsdale, AZ. The 6’0”, 185-pounder attended Desert Mountain HS where he batted .347 (34/98) with eight HRs and 31 RBI. He has signed a letter of intent to play at Arizona State.
Bolden, a 6’3” outfielder, helped lead Madison Central HS to the Class 5A State Championship in 2010. He was named one of the Top 100 high school players in the nation by Baseball America and batted .351 (33/94) with eight home runs, 30 RBI and 19 stolen bases. Bolden signed a letter of intent to play baseball with Ole Miss.
Following is a breakdown of the Angels’ first five picks today: #18 from the Mariners (compensation for C. Figgins), #29 from the Red Sox (compensation for J. Lackey) and #30 (regular slotted pick). The Angels also had #37, for Lackey, and #40, for Figgins, in the supplemental first round. 2010 marks the second time in club history that the Angels have had three picks in the first round. The first time was 1986 when, just as in 2010, the Angels had two sandwich picks in addition to their three first round picks.
