A SPECIAL REPORT: DRAFT DAY : Slim Pickings

Although the San Fernando Valley has traditionally stocked professional baseball with enough prospects to fill a lineup card, this year is far from a bumper crop. Scouts say that few area high school players are ready for the grind of the minor leagues, and none possesses the talent of last year’s phenom, Jon Garland, a 6-foot, 6-inch pitcher from Kennedy High School who was the Chicago Cubs’ first-round pick.

Pierce Prospect

Left-handed pitcher Barry Zito transferred from UC Santa Barbara to Pierce College before the season so that he would be eligible for the draft. Players at four-year colleges are not eligible until after their junior year. After going 9-2 with 135 strikeouts in 103 innings, Zito is the top prospect in the Valley, a probable second-round pick.

No Kennedy Clone

Cal State Northridge produced a first-round pick in shortstop Adam Kennedy last year, but scouts predict that no Matadors will be drafted in the first 10 rounds this year. Only second baseman Nakia Hill and outfielder Darren Dyt have drawn interest.

College Bound

Monroe right-hander John Ennis was projected to be the top high school pitcher drafted from the Valley, but he has accepted a scholarship from UCLA and scouts believe he will attend school rather than sign professionally.