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'Dream' might wake up Portland
If the Padres draft Jered Weaver No.. 1, he could be pitching for the Beavers while on a fast track
By JOHN HUNT
The Oregonian
Monday, May 17, 2004

The San Diego Padres have the No. 1 pick in next month's draft, and they have been heavily scouting Jered Weaver, the 6-foot-7, wild-haired pitcher at Long Beach State and brother of the Los Angeles Dodgers' Jeff Weaver.

In improving to 14-0 on Friday night, Jered Weaver retired 21 consecutive UC Riverside batters and pitched his second two-hitter in a row.

He's a pitcher undeniably on the fast track, but could that track go through Portland this season?

"He's thrown a lot of innings," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "I just don't know how much pitching we'd want him to do, based on the number of innings he's already logged.

"That's if we select him."

Jered Weaver has a 1.27 ERA in 1131/3 innings at Long Beach State. He has given up 55 hits and 14 walks while striking out 171. Opponents are hitting .142 off him.

The Padres have to consider another number: $10 million.

That's the value of contracts signed by Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior and Texas Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira. Weaver, like Prior and Teixeira, is represented by high-powered agent Scott Boras.

"More than likely, (Weaver) is going to be a late sign," said Tye Waller, the Padres' director of player development. "Unless we give him the world right off the bat."

Needing a backup plan in case Weaver proves too expensive, Towers has scouted Rice University pitcher Jeff Niemann. And on Friday, Towers went from Memphis, Tenn., where he was watching the Beavers, to Tallahassee, Fla., where he scouted Florida State All-American shortstop Stephen Drew.

Weaver, Niemann and Drew are the three players Towers is considering for the top pick. The Detroit Tigers, a former team of Jeff Weaver, pick second and appear ready to select Old Dominion University pitcher Justin Verlander.

The Tigers could grab another Weaver if Towers and the Padres take a pass, but Towers said the Boras factor is not a big concern.

"We're not going to shy away from a player just because Boras represents him," Towers said. "But the way Boras does things, I think it would be real doubtful (Weaver) would play this summer."

When he eventually plays professional baseball, Weaver promises to be a crowd favorite. The 14-0 record and all the other statistics aside, Weaver has a little Mark Fidrych in him. Each inning, he performs an odd stretching routine behind the mound, then carves the initials "EHH" into the dirt by the rubber, in honor of his late grandparents.

His mechanics and appearance are much like his brother's. Jered Weaver is 6-7, 205; Jeff is 6-5, 200.

But Jered figures to have more major league success than Jeff, who is 53-67 with a 4.60 ERA in six major league seasons.

Jered Weaver has put up numbers favorable to those of Prior at USC, and he even threw an eight-inning one-hitter at Petco Park in March, in front of Towers, in an exhibition game against UCLA. He struck out 15 in that one.

Nicknamed "Dream," Weaver is a shoo-in for the Roger Clemens Award, which goes to the country's best college pitcher.

If the Padres draft Weaver, look for a rapid ascent through the system, even if he doesn't make it to Portland in 2004.

Tim Stauffer, the Padres' first-round draft pick last year -- fourth overall -- is overcoming weakness in his rotator cuff and labrum but is still on the way up.

Stauffer made six starts at Class A Lake Elsinore (Calif.) before being promoted to Double A Mobile (Ala.) last week. In Elsinore, Stauffer went 2-0 with a 1.78 ERA in 351/3 innings.

"He's a strike thrower," Towers said. "He really knows how to pitch. If he stays healthy, he should move quickly through our system."

Stauffer could advance to Portland before long, and another pitcher that Towers is high on, young Justin Germano, already is here.

"It all depends on what transpires after the selection," Waller said on the possibility of Weaver making a similar leap this season. "It all depends on the individual."

John Hunt: 503-294-7643; johnhunt@news.oregonian.com