BYU third baseman Kainoa Obrey spent Tuesday at home in Hawaii with his mother, Iwalani Obrey, who was carefully monitoring Tuesday's Major League Baseball draft proceedings from thousands of miles and several time zones away — via the Internet.
As it turned out, it was Obrey's mom who was the first to tell him that he had been drafted in the 13th round (395th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals.
"She was excited," Obrey told the Deseret News. "She's supported me during the summers so I could get better. I've always wanted to play pro ball. I'm ready."
This isn't the first time Obrey has been drafted. A year ago, the Kansas City Royals selected him in the 11th round despite the fact he had missed nearly all of the 2002 season with a back injury. Instead of signing with the Royals, though, he opted to return to school for another year.
"I was really surprised last year to be drafted," said Obrey, who is a junior in eligibility and exercised a medical hardship in 2002. "It was a hard decision, but I needed a year to rehab and to be able to play with no pain. I didn't sign because I wanted to go into pro ball being fresh after playing a full season. I played summer ball in Cape Cod last year, and it helped. I got a lot stronger."
Obrey enjoyed a strong and pain-free season in 2003 with the Cougars, hitting .362 with 24 doubles, 11 home runs and 65 RBI.
There was also another benefit of returning to Provo for another year.
"I was happy going back to school," he said. "I'm almost done; I have one semester left to graduate." Now, he's about to embark on his pro career.
How did Obrey plan to celebrate Tuesday after being drafted? "I'll probably go to the beach," he said.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com