BASEBALL AMATEUR DRAFT : Former Los Alamitos Star Kelly Is Picked Second

The Atlanta Braves Monday made former Los Alamitos High outfielder Mike Kelly, a junior at Arizona State, the second pick in the amateur draft.

Kelly, 21 and expected to be one of the top three picks, was one of six Southern California players selected in the first round. Succeeding rounds will be held through Wednesday, but players picked in those rounds will not be announced until June 12.

The New York Yankees, who had the first pick, chose 19-year-old pitcher Brien Taylor of Beaufort, N.C.

Taylor, a left-hander from East Carteret High who has thrown as fast at 98 m.p.h., becomes only the seventh pitcher chosen No. 1 since the amateur draft began in 1965.

Kelly, 6 feet 4 and 195 pounds, batted .373 with 15 home runs, 56 runs batted in and 23 stolen bases in 62 games this season. He was Baseball America’s collegiate player of the year in 1990.

“I was looking for a team that’s going with the young guys,” Kelly said. “That’s important for a guy like me. I think we’ll have an opportunity to go to the big club right away.”

Chuck LaMar, the Braves’ director of scouting and player development, said he hoped to sign Kelly in the next few weeks. Kelly reportedly is seeking a signing bonus of about $700,000.

Other Southern California players selected in the first round were shortstop Dmitri Young of Oxnard Rio Mesa High, fourth, by St. Louis; outfielder Mark Smith of USC, ninth, by Baltimore; pitcher Tyrone Hill of Yucaipa High, 15th, by Milwaukee; outfielder Shawn Green of Tustin High, 16th, by Toronto and infielder Benji Gill of Chula Vista Castle Park High, 19th, by Texas.

Young, 17, was expected to be selected in the first round. Larry Young, Dmitri’s father, said he was not surprised his son was taken by the Cardinals. St. Louis put Dmitri through a workout at Rio Mesa last month.

“I had a feeling St. Louis would take him, based on that workout,” Larry Young said. “They liked everything he did, and he’s the type of player they seem to like.”

Young, 6-2 and 215, was a four-year starter at Rio Mesa, batted .488 and was among Southern Section leaders in hits with 159, runs scored with 137, doubles with 36, home runs with 29 and RBIs with 127.

Young, who has signed a letter of intent with the University of Miami, is expecting a signing bonus worth more than $300,000. That is the amount former Westlake High catcher Mike Lieberthal received last year when Philadelphia made him the the No. 3 pick.

Smith, a junior, said he expects to leave USC as soon as he agrees on a contract with Baltimore. The former Arcadia High standout said he plans to attend tryouts for the national team next week in Tennessee but will report to the Orioles for assignment as soon as they need him.

“I don’t know how much money I can expect, but I assume it will be a fair amount,” said Smith, 21. “Baltimore has shown a lot of interest in me, so I’m not surprised they drafted me. I expected it.”

Last year, first-round picks averaged signing bonuses of $250,000, a 37% increase over 1989.

Smith, 6-2 and 195, led USC in hitting this season with a .333 average. He had 11 home runs and a team-high 54 RBIs. He was a three-year starter.

Being selected by the Brewers was a fitting end to a successful senior season for Yucaipa’s Hill. On Saturday, the left-handed pitcher led his team to its first Southern Section title in a 6-2 victory over Riverside Norte Vista in the 2-A Division championship.

Hill, 19, finished the season with an 11-1 record and an 0.35 earned-run average. Although he expected to go in the first round, no one was projecting him as high as the 15th pick.

“I couldn’t sleep well last night because I was wondering who was going to pick me,” Hill said. “I sure was happy when Milwaukee called me at 10 o’clock this morning. I’m ready to go.”

Hill, 6-6 and 195, had not signed a letter of intent with a college yet because he was awaiting results of the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Tustin’s Green said he is undecided whether he will sign with the Blue Jays or honor his letter of intent with Stanford.

“I knew I would go in one of the first two rounds,” Green said. “But I didn’t know if the Blue Jays would gamble on me in the first round.”

Green, 6-4 and 180, hit .479 this season.

Draft Notes

Minnesota made Stanford first baseman David McCarty the third pick. McCarty, Baseball America’s player of the year this season, hit .420 with 24 home runs and 66 RBIs in 1991. . . . Hawthorne High outfielder Tarrick Brock was selected in the second round by Detroit. Brock also was a standout on the football team as a wide receiver. . . . Burbank Burroughs High right-handed pitcher Mike Rossiter was taken in the second round by Oakland. The 6-6 senior struck out 103 batters in 60 2/3 innings this season. He was 3-5 with a 1.62 ERA.

Times staff writers Mike Reilley and Jeff Riley contributed to this story.