THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 2, 1995 TAG: 9506020673
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
The Texas Rangers put potential ahead of performance and selected VMI and former Churchland High pitcher Ryan Glynn in the fourth round of the major league draft Thursday.
Glynn, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound junior, was 4-5 with a 5.61 ERA this spring. But his fastball is consistently in the low 90s and has been clocked as high as 97 miles per hour.
``That's exactly what I figured, the third or fourth round,'' Glynn said. ``But Texas was a bit of a surprise. Their scout, Mike Tomey, did all of his talking with my coach (Scott Gines) and never sat down with me.''
Three other players with South Hampton Roads connections were taken Thursday.
Old Dominion outfielder Kevin Gibbs went to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth round, Norfolk State pitcher Antone Brooks went to Atlanta in the 11th and Wilson High pitcher Brian Settle went to Pittsburgh in the 13th round.
The top draft picks in the state were James Madison University pitcher Brian McNichols and University of Richmond first baseman Ryan Casey. Both went in the second round - McNichols to the Chicago Cubs and Casey to the Cleveland Indians.
The draft continues through Saturday.
Glynn expects to start negotiations with the Rangers early next week, but stopped short of guaranteeing he'll sign. He doesn't have an agent and will rely on his parents and Gines for advice.
``I'm very excited about professional baseball, but it's a short-term business venture,'' he said. ``VMI is a good school. You get a good salary coming out with good job security.
``If I sign, I'll still return to VMI in the fall.''
Gibbs was considered a possible first-round pick after batting .436 as a sophomore and starring for Team USA last summer. But he batted only .352 this spring with two home runs.
There wasn't a dropoff in his speed, however - Gibbs stole a school-record 48 bases in 1995.
``The same kind of thing happened to me in high school,'' Gibbs said of his slide in the draft. ``People said I'd probably go higher then.''
Instead the Red Sox picked him in the 44th round and he signed with ODU.
Gibbs still has a year of eligibility, but doesn't plan to exercise it.
``I'm excited to get this opportunity and I'm looking forward to working something out,'' he said. ``The Dodgers are a premier organization and I know their area scout, Gene Kearns, pretty well.''
Gibbs will be represented in negotiations by his father, Ed, a lawyer.
``Good things happen to people who work hard and I'm going to play as hard I can every day,'' Kevin Gibbs said.
Settle, like Glynn, is a profile in potential. He was only 1-8 for the Presidents this spring, but stands 6-5 and has been clocked consistently between 88 to 90 mph, he said.
``I was hoping to get in the top 15 rounds. The 13th round sounds good to me,'' he said. by CNB