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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Indians May Get Royal Treatment In ‘97 Spokane Expecting Pair Of No. 1 Draft Choices From K.C.

It’s a rare season when a No. 1 draft selection is sent to play for the Spokane Indians.

This shakes out to be a rare season.

The Kansas City Royals announced Saturday that their No. 1 selection from the 1996 amateur draft, outfielder Dermal Brown, will be on the roster when the Indians open their minicamp Friday.

Brown, 19, of Marlboro, N.Y., played for the Royals’ Gulf Coast rookie league team in Fort Myers, Fla. He hit .050, with one double in 20 at-bats.

Another Royals No. 1 choice may be Spokane-bound. Right-handed pitcher Dan Reichert, the seventh overall selection in the just-completed draft, is a good candidate for Spokane’s short-season A Northwest League.

Reichert, from the University of Pacific, struck out 22 Washington State batters during an early spring game. Reichert throws a nasty slider and was ranked third by Baseball America for best breaking pitch among college prospects.

Spokane is likely to receive several players from the Royals’ Class A Midwest League team in Lansing, Mich. A few players drafted in early rounds are struggling at Lansing and may be sent here.

Four other players drafted in the top 10 rounds this year have been assigned to Spokane, including a pair from Texas Tech. Pitcher Jason Gooding, a fifth rounder, and infielder Joseph Dillon, a seventh rounder, played for the Red Raiders.

Also just drafted and coming to Spokane are Kansas State’s Eric Yanz, right-handed pitcher, eighth round; University of Santa Barbara’s David Willis, catcher/ first base, 10th round; Limestone (S.C.) College’s Jason Gilsillan, right-hander, 12th round; Minnesota’s Justin Pederson, right-hander, 15th round; University of Richmond’s Justin Lamber, left-hander, 17th round; Mobile College’s Carlos Pagan, catcher, 20th round; Purdue’s Roderick Matzler, second base, 21st round; and Indiana State’s David Ullery, catcher, 29th round.

Returning to Spokane will be pitchers Jamie Burton and Donald Quigley. Burton was 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 11 appearances for the ‘96 Indians. Quigley was 0-1 with a 6.26 ERA in 19 games.

Moving up to Spokane after playing at Gulf Coast in ‘96 are pitchers George Kauffman, Todd Meady and Jason Roeder; catchers Michael Brambilla and Jeremy Hill; infielders Ricardo Montas and Merrel Ligons; and outfielder Francisco Bautista.

Also assigned to Spokane are pitcher Jordy Alexander, who threw last year for the Tri-City Posse of the independent Western League, and pitcher Ken Fitzpatrick, a four-year minor leaguer who had elbow surgery last year.

The Indians minicamp, open to the public, begins its four-day run at 1 p.m. Friday. Spokane begins its NWL season at home, June 17-21, with a set against the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

, DataTimes