Lovegrove, Chosen by Indians, Leads Local MLB Draftees

It's a day that every Little Leaguer dreams about, and this week it finally happened for some south Orange County baseball players who are no longer 12 years old.

Draft day.

Phone call.

Ambition overload.

Kieran Lovegrove, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound senior at Mission Viejo, received that phone call from the Cleveland Indians after being selected in the third round of Major League Baseball's first-year draft.

Teams have until July 13 to sign the players who were drafted over three days earlier this week.

Lovegrove, who has the option of attending the Arizona State on a scholarship, is a right-handed pitcher who was chosen 110th overall. He told the Orange County Register, "I'm as excited as I could be. I definitely think it's a better fit for me to go to pro ball."

Only one Mission Viejo High player has ever been selected higher than Lovegrove. Catcher Dave Schmidt was drafted 39th overall, by the Red Sox, in the second round of the 1975 draft.

Lovegrove was 8-4 with a 2.35 earned-run average in 2012, helping Mission win the Sea View League title. Although the winning pitcher in the first round of the Southern Section Division 2 playoffs against West Hills Chaminade, Lovegrove was beat up for eight runs—all earned—in a 17-2 quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Garden Grove Pacifica. Absent that outing, his ERA would have been 1.67.

A hard thrower who routinely throws in the 90 mph range and can reportedly hit 95 mph, Lovegrove struck out 93 in 77 1/3 innings, walked 43 and hit 20 batters; opponents batted .198 against him.

Baseball America had Lovegrove ranked as the 52nd right-handed pitcher available, and the 131st player overall.

Lovegrove wasn't the only local athlete selected, just the first.

Others included:

• Brandon Brennan of Capistrano Valley, an Orange Coast College right-handed pitcher chosen by the White Sox in Round 4, No. 141 overall.
• Robert Refsnyder of Laguna Hills, an Arizona outfielder chosen by the Yankees in Round 5, No. 187 overall.
• Stefan Sabol of Aliso Niguel, an Orange Coast College catcher who was chosen by the Mets in Round 17, No. 530 overall. 
• Aaron Jones of San Clemente, an Oregon catcher who was chosen by the Rockies in Round 18, No. 558 overall.
• Boog Powell of Mission Viejo, an Orange Coast College outfielder who was chosen by the Athletics in Round 20, No. 619 overall.
• Jake Pintar of San Juan Hills, a right-handed pitcher who was chosen by the Orioles in Round 29, No. 882 overall. Pintar is 6-feet-7. This is the school's first drafted player.