Apparently, those two Mr. Baseball awards were well deserved.
Former Pine View shortstop Marcus Littlewood, a two-time Deseret News Mr. Baseball award winner, was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the second round of the Major League Baseball draft on Tuesday. Littlewood was the 67th overall pick, making him the highest position player ever selected in state history.
"It's awesome," Littlewood said. "There were a lot of great players coming out of Utah this year, and in the past. I'm fortunate."
Another great player out of Utah, Spanish Fork's Adam Duke — who was taken in the 16th round by the Boston Red Sox — said he's happy for Littlewood.
"He's a great player," Duke said. "He deserves all of that."
Littlewood was disappointed when he wasn't picked in the draft's first round or compensatory round on Monday. Those feelings erased when he saw his name pop up on his computer screen on Tuesday morning — along with other family members huddled around it — making it official that the Mariners took him with the 67th overall pick.
"It's been a crazy two days — an emotional roller-coaster," Littlewood said. "I wanted to go as high as I could. Not going in the top 50 was disappointing, but what can you do? I'm happy and thrilled to go in the second round."
Littlewood said he got a bunch of calls from teams after the draft's first day. Those clubs mainly wanted to know what it would take to sign him. Littlewood said he still plans on going to college at the University of San Diego. He has until Aug. 15 to work out a deal with the Mariners.
"That's the plan," Littlewood said of going to college rather than signing. "It hasn't changed."
What has changed is that Ryan Bowers loses a prestigious title. The former Pine View catcher previously held the distinction of being the earliest position player taken in the MLB draft in state history. He went to the Mets in 1995 with the 77th overall pick.
Littlewood has seemingly been destined to break Bowers' mark for years. He was a four-year starter at Pine View and hit .538 with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 27 RBIs as a senior. Littlewood's play was on another level defensively at shortstop and was probably the main reason the Mariners picked him when they did. "All the hard work, and everything building up to that moment … I was just relieved," Littlewood said of when he was picked.
Littlewood led what was a solid day for Utah prospects in the MLB draft. He was the only position player picked, but three pitchers had their names called.
Oregon State's Tanner Robles, a three-time state MVP at Cottonwood High, was the second player with local ties taken in the draft. He was picked in the ninth round by the Reds. It was the second time Robles has been drafted. Out of high school, the Angels took him in the 14th round of the 2007 draft.
Duke, the 4A MVP of the 2010 season, was the next local player taken, going 503rd overall to the Red Sox. Others expected Duke to be picked sooner, but he said he wasn't surprised after talking to teams about what it would take to sign him. Duke has signed with Oregon State, and it would take a lot of money for him to not play for the Beavers. He talked with the Red Sox, who were thinking of drafting him as early as the second round on Tuesday, but the price wasn't right for the right-handed pitcher or the team.
"I had a high price tag, so I figured I'd slip down in the draft," Duke said. "It's all right. It's all a big game, really."
Duke said he's still 50-50 on whether he goes to college or signs with the Red Sox. He'll keep in touch with Boston throughout the summer, and he looks to impress the organization with his play in the Tournament of Stars in Cary, N.C., later this month. He'll also try to make Team USA's 18-under team later this summer, along with Littlewood and Alta shortstop Kavin Keyes.
"That'll be fun," Duke said. "Hopefully, we can get three Utahns on there."
Making Team USA would go a long way to making Duke some money from the Red Sox.
"It's a big summer," Duke said. "They liked me enough to draft me. I just got to do what I do."
Tyler Hanks, another Spanish Fork High pitching product, was picked in the 17th round, three selections after Duke. Hanks played at Southern Nevada in 2010 — along with No. 1 overall pick Bryce Harper — and was dominant at times. In 442?3 innings pitched, he recorded 46 strikeouts and had a 1.61 ERA.
The MLB draft wraps up today with rounds 31-50.
e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com