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Big Boys with Big Numbers
Heading into the major league draft, which began on Tuesday, here
are four top prospects.
RICKIE WEEKS, 2B, SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY The 20-year-old was the
best pure hitter in the draft. With a .483 average this season,
the 6-foot, 195-pound Weeks became the second Division I player
to repeat as NCAA batting champion, and his .467 career average
is the best Division I mark ever.
DELMON YOUNG, OF, ADOLFO CAMARILLO HIGH, CAMARILLO, CALIF. The
6'3" Young, whose older brother Dmitri plays leftfield and third
base for the Tigers, has tremendous power (.541, seven homers, 28
RBIs this season). In last year's World Junior Championships
tournament he set a U.S. junior national team record by hitting
nine homers in eight games.
KYLE SLEETH, RHP, WAKE FOREST Sleeth went 7-3 with a 2.81 ERA
this season and won an NCAA-record-tying 26 straight decisions on
his way to a 31-6 career mark. The 6'5", 200-pound Sleeth has a
94-mph fastball, a low-80s slider and a sweeping curve.
JEFF ALLISON, RHP, PEABODY (MASS.) HIGH The 6'2", 195-pound
Allison was the ace of the junior national team in 2002, going
1-1 with a 2.57 ERA. This season in 51 innings of high school
ball through Sunday he gave up only seven hits and was 7-0 with a
0.00 ERA and 118 strikeouts. --Albert Chen
COLOR PHOTO: TRAVIS SPRADLING/THE ADVOCATE (WEEKS) Weeks
