Published: June 09, 2009 01:43 pm      

MARK MAYNARD: Draft day 25 years ago

Twenty-five years ago, Ashland’s Drew Hall was working out in Central Park while his phone was practically ringing off the hook.

The baseball world was calling.

“The phone was ringing constantly,” Hall said. “They kept calling my dad. My dad told me I needed to come home. I remember being completely overwhelmed.”

Scott Boras, who was Hall’s advisor, told him he needed to get away from all the phone calls, to clear his head, because some big things were about to happen.

It did. Hall was taken with the No. 3 overall selection by the Chicago Cubs, behind only Shawn Abner and Bill Swift.

Hall had positioned himself as one of the top prospects, a left-handed pitcher who had refined his trade under Steve Hamilton at Morehead State University.

Hall was a 1984 Sporting News All-American and arguably the best left-handed pitcher available in the June Amateur Major League Baseball Draft. He was living a dream come true.

However, he also remembers it as being the most confusing and hectic time of his life.

“The NCAA ties your hands so badly on that (negotiating),” he said. “You’re not allowed to negotiate. At the time, you can only say yes or no. Luckily, you could have an advisor but, once again, that was bad, too. You needed more than an advisor to negotiate your first contract. You get taken advantage of.”

Boras, one of the super agents in baseball today, was good even then, Hall said.

“He was good, but I was not mentally prepared for the onslaught of what it was going to be like,” Hall said.

While Hall did get a hefty signing bonus, it’s nothing like the demands of the past 10 years or so. For instance, top draft choice Stephen Strasburg is asking for $50 million from the Washington Nationals.

“What I got was probably not even close to what a 10th-rounder gets anymore,” Hall said. “I just wanted to play.”

The stars aligned correctly for Hall, who had a brilliant junior season at Morehead State and then pitched “the game of my life” in the competitive Shenandoah Valley League after the season. He struck out 22 of 27 batters, skyrocketing his draft status.

Hall had worked out for the Cincinnati Reds in a tryout at Riverfront Stadium and also pitched in front of Reds superscout Gene Bennett in front of Fairview High School.

“The Reds had the fifth pick that year and I had a pretty good idea they were interested in me,” Hall said. “That’s when I really started to get excited about everything.”

Hall came to Morehead State a raw talent with a lively fastball with control problems. However, Hamilton, a former major leaguer who was also left-handed, taught Hall the slider and how to change speeds on the fastball. Hall went from being a hard-throwing lefthander to a dominate pitcher in a short time.

“I got better and better as far as throwing strikes,” Hall said. “Developing the slider, the pitch I could throw (when) behind in the count, was the big thing.”

Hall was the Cubs’ first selection in 1984 and the second was a high school player named Greg Maddux.

That same year, Hall made the 25-man traveling squad of the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team in 1984, too. But on the last cut to 20 players, he was cut — along with Norm Charlton and Greg Swindell, the only other lefties on the roster. The U.S. team played with an all right-handed staff.

Hall eventually made it to The Show in 1986 and defeated the New York Mets for his first victory in September of that year. He was only a journeyman in the majors, finishing with a 9-12 career record while pitching for the Cubs, Texas Rangers and Montreal Expos from 1986 to 1990.

But for that one Tuesday in June, Hall was the talk of the baseball world.

How many can say that?

Time has passed and Hall’s career has faded, but he’s still got baseball in his blood as a pitching coach for Morehead State University.

Hall played in the major leagues and sat side-by-side with Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and future Hall of Famer Maddux. He pitched with Jamie Moyer, who just last week notched his 250th career victory.

Hall, Moyer and Rafael Palmiero were part of a trade between the Cubs and Rangers. His best season was in Texas, where he went 3-1 with a 3.70 ERA in 38 appearances in 1989.

He was traded to the Expos the following season and worked in 40 games before a bout with tendonitis cut short that season and eventually his career.

But 25 years later, Hall can still remember the call when he was No. 1 on the Chicago Cubs’ speed dial.

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.