For some, dreams remain simply that: dreams.
For five UCLA athletes, those dreams are closer than ever to being realized.
Five Bruin baseball players ““ senior Alden Carrithers and juniors Ryan Babineau, Brandon Crawford, Jermaine Curtis, and Tim Murphy ““ were selected in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft that was held June 7 and 8. Three of the five ““ Babineau, Curtis, and Murphy ““ have signed professional contracts and are currently playing in the minor leagues.
The first Bruin player to hear his name get called was Murphy, a junior left-handed pitcher. Murphy was drafted in the third round with the 89th overall pick by the Texas Rangers.
“I was really excited,” Murphy said. “I was glad it happened, I was honored, I was you name it. It was a pretty emotional day because it’s something you work for your entire career.” Murphy had previously been drafted in 2005 as an outfielder in the 11th round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Instead of playing professionally right out of high school, Murphy elected to enroll at UCLA.
After spending his freshman season in the outfield, a blend of athleticism and arm strength prompted coach John Savage to move Murphy from the outfield grass to the pitcher’s mound.
The switch proved to be an effective one for Murphy, who eventually became the ace of the Bruin pitching staff and led the Pac-10 last season with 111 strikeouts. Murphy currently plays for the Spokane Indians, the Rangers’ short-season, Class A affiliate in the Northwest League.
“It’s different than college ball,” Murphy said. “You’re not going to school and all your emphasis is on baseball. The minor league life is not as glamorous as college baseball, but it’s just what you have to do to work your way up and make it to the major leagues. I expect to do what I did in college ““ go out there and perform, compete, and develop everyday. That’s what I’m looking forward to right now.”
Crawford, who was chosen in the fourth round by the San Francisco Giants, was the second Bruin player to be drafted. Known for being a slick-fielding shortstop with a cannon arm, Crawford displayed his all-around skills in his three seasons at UCLA. The Bay Area native started all 179 games that UCLA played, hit over .300 in each season, and even struck out five hitters in four innings as a relief pitcher last season. He has yet to sign a contract with the Giants.
The St. Louis Cardinals picked Curtis in the fifth round, making him the third Bruin to be taken.
“I was at a loss for words,” Curtis said. “Your whole life, you want to experience the dream of becoming a professional baseball player. Getting the call from the St. Louis Cardinals and seeing my name pop up on the screen ““ I just lost my words.”
Curtis, a native of Fontana, hit over .300 in each of his three seasons and started all 60 games at third base last year. In the prominent Cape Cod League last summer, Curtis accumulated a .295 batting average using a wooden bat, as opposed to the collegiate aluminum bat. He earned a starting spot on the East Division All-Star team. The difference was encouraging, since players who play professionally must use wooden bats.
“The wooden bat is different from aluminum bats, so it feels a bit different in my hands.” Curtis said. “Obviously, the pitching is great. There is a lot of competition and everyone throws hard, but I feel that I’m ready.”
Curtis is currently playing in Class A short season for the Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League.
Ten rounds after Curtis had been taken, Carrithers became the next Bruin to be drafted when the Detroit Tigers used their 15th pick to take him off the board. Carrithers, who transferred from UC Santa Barbara following his sophomore season, hit a combined .364 atop the batting order in his two seasons as the Bruin second baseman. He has yet to sign with the Tigers.
Babineau was the last UCLA player to be selected when the Arizona Diamondbacks took him in the 17th round.
“I was actually driving on the freeway,” Babineau said. “My dad called me and told me that I got drafted. It felt good, you know, it’s an honor to be drafted. A lot of people work hard and deserve to get drafted and only a select few do. I’ve worked hard for it my whole life and to finally hear my name get called was really exciting.”
Babineau had previously been selected three years ago coming out of Etiwanda High School. The Milwaukee Brewers took him in the 13th round, four rounds higher than he was taken this year. Babineau admitted that he did not go nearly as high as he wanted or have nearly the offensive season that he thought he was capable of having during his junior year.
Although he was not satisfied with his offensive production, Babineau was a force behind the plate in his three seasons as a Bruin, managing to throw out nearly 40 percent of potential base-stealers. The stellar defensive catcher is currently playing for the Yakima Bears in Washington, the Class A affiliate of the Diamondbacks in the Northwest League.
“It’s been fun so far,” Babineau said. “Everything you do revolves around the game. You wake up, you go lift, your whole eating plan, sleeping ““ it all revolves around the game that day. I think we have three days off in three months, so organizations are definitely getting their money’s worth on you. That’s pretty cool for a guy that loves the game ““ you couldn’t ask for a different situation. Where else would a guy that’s 21 years old and trying to make it to the big leagues rather be?”
Babineau stressed the team aspect when asked what he will miss most about UCLA.
“The atmosphere,” Babineau said. “The camaraderie we had as a team was pretty special. We had a lot of great guys that you look forward to being on the field with that day. It’s much more of a team game in college, that’s for sure. Up here, everybody is kind of concerned about themselves ““ which is what I’m not used to.”
When asked the same question, Curtis echoed the same feeling.
“The family, the Bruin family,” Curtis said. “The coaches, the people for being there for us, the city of Los Angeles. You know, that’s home for me.”