Bonanza product drafted by Braves

Colby Shreve answered his phone early Friday morning, did not recognize the area code and had no idea who was calling. It turned out to be a scout from the Atlanta Braves.

Of the many calls Shreve received during the two days of the major league draft, the one from the Braves was most significant.

Atlanta picked Shreve, a freshman right-hander from the Community College of Southern Nevada, in the eighth round.

"I was really relieved when I got the call," said Shreve, a Bonanza High graduate. "If everything goes well, maybe we can get a contract done and I can be on my way."

Shreve went 5-2 with a 2.78 ERA in his first season with the Coyotes. He has until Aug. 15 to sign with the Braves or return to CCSN.

Shreve said he had a certain signing bonus he wanted, and several teams asked him to lower that number. He refused to compromise and slipped in the draft as a result.

He was the 258th overall selection and the second from Las Vegas.

The Toronto Blue Jays picked Mike McDade, a catcher and first baseman from Silverado High, in the sixth round, 205th overall.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 260-pound McDade, who hit .458 with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs as a senior, signed with the Blue Jays. He had committed to CCSN.

"He's got big power from both sides of the plate, and that's really intriguing," said Coyotes coach Tim Chambers, who compares McDade to Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder.

Shreve was expected to go in the first five rounds, and the same was true for Bishop Gorman's Taylor Cole. A pitcher and shortstop, Cole dropped to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 26th round.

Cole, who helped the Gaels to their second consecutive Class 4A state title, probably is headed to CCSN.

UNLV is on the verge of losing two-thirds of its starting rotation after juniors Kevin Skogley and Craig Heyer were selected Friday.

The Chicago White Sox took Skogley, a left-hander who went 3-6 with a 6.55 ERA, in the 12th round. That was an improvement for Skogley, a 30th-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels last year.

The New York Yankees picked Heyer in the 22nd round. A right-hander who started his career at CCSN, Heyer finished 6-8 with a 5.69 ERA in his one season with the Rebels.

UNLV junior first baseman Efren Navarro Jr. went to the Angels in the 50th and final round.

Brigham Young senior right-hander Jesse Craig, a 24-year-old from Basic High, went in the 17th round to the Cincinnati Reds. Craig was the Mountain West Conference's Pitcher of the Year.

The Florida Marlins picked Ben Lasater, a third baseman from Foothill High and the College of Charleston, in the 29th round.

McDade and Cole made up half of the local prep seniors selected. Arbor View right-hander Michael Blazek went in the 35th round to the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Oakland Athletics took Silverado left-hander Kevin Rath in the 38th round.

Three pitchers from Western Nevada Community College, all former Las Vegas-area prep players, were selected in the middle rounds.

Justin Garcia (Sierra Vista) went in the 25th round to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who also took Stephen Sauer (Shadow Ridge) in the 31st round.

Atlanta picked T.J. Wohlever (Rancho) in the 32nd round.