MLB.com

By Gary Rausch / MLB.com

Los Angeles Dodgers' Paul Lo Duca, drafted in the 25th round, says late-round picks have to hustle more to get noticed. (Jack Dempsey/AP)

And they all have something in common (besides being Major Leaguers, of course) -- each remains with the team that selected him in Round 20 or later of baseball's annual draft.

"Getting picked low devastated me and it takes a while to get over it," said Lo Duca, a 25th-round selection. "But you get over it and get on with it."

Being a draft afterthought usually even serves as an inspiration.

"It's definitely a motivating factor," said Spivey, taken in Round 36. "For me, any time you're drafted past Round 20 it's going to motivate you. It's basically a do-or-die situation. It makes you work that much harder; it makes you more committed. I didn't get big money. There was less room for error for me because I had nothing to fall back on."

Selected after 500-600 other players, your chances of ever wearing a big league uniform are pretty slim. So imagine trying to make your way to the Majors if you're drafted after round 80.

Meet Scott Seabol and Travis Phelps.

Seabol is a first baseman currently playing for the New York Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Columbus. When he stepped to the plate in Yankee Stadium during a 16-5 blowout win over Toronto on April 8, 2001, he became the lowest draftee ever to play in a big league contest.

New York's 2000 Minor League Player of the Year was picked off the West Virginia campus in the 88th round in 1996. After opening the 2001 season with the Yankees, he was optioned on April 22, his monumental distinction a short-lived one.

That's because on April 19 of last season, Phelps, a Tampa Bay relief pitcher, erased Seabol's mark when he entered an 8-3 home loss to Pedro Martinez and the Red Sox. Phelps was taken in Round 89 in 1996, the 1,721st pick that June.

Like so many late choices, Phelps was a draft-and-follow -- teams have up to a year to ink a drafted player, so they often chart his progress before deciding if he should be signed. Phelps attended Crowder Community College before signing with the Devil Rays just before the 1997 draft. Hardly physically imposing, Phelps is 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds at age 24. So imagine how intimidating he looked as a high schooler, all 5-foot-5, 105 pounds of him.

Size can be a draft drawback, but so can position and experience.

Rogers, 37, is in his 21st professional season, 14th in the big leagues and second stint with Texas. He didn't play for his Plant City, Fla., high school team until his senior season -- and then as an outfielder. The Rangers selected him in the 39th round as a pitcher, based solely on arm strength.

"You can't come from any lower than I did," Rogers said. "If the Rangers hadn't saw something in me, I'd be picking berries right now, but it all worked out for the best."

Rogers' accomplishments include a rare perfect game in 1994 and a 2000 Gold Glove Award. The left-hander entered play Thursday with a 3-0 record in six 2002 starts, and the third-lowest American League earned run average at 2.03.

"The truth is, the guys who get drafted high get more shots, there's more money invested in them." -- LA's Paul Lo Duca

Spivey, who is hitting .337 with 11 doubles through Wednesday for the Diamondbacks, concentrated on basketball in high school and his first year of junior college. He started his pro career playing shortstop, second and third base for the lowest-ranking rookie team in the debut season of Arizona's farm system.

Mike Piazza has already garnered a lot of publicity over the years as Los Angeles' Round 62 choice in 1988, but the Dodgers discovered another pretty good catcher in their system when Piazza was traded away in 1995.

Lo Duca hit .446 to gain All-America honors and lead Arizona State to the College World Series in 1993, but at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds he certainly didn't project as a big-time catcher. The Dodgers took him late and Lo Duca responded with a .315 career minor league average.

	Player, Team	Round
	Wade Miller, Houston Tim Redding, Houston Andy Pettitte, New York (AL) Roy Oswalt, Houston Jorge Posada, New York, (AL) Paul Lo Duca, LA Shane Spencer, New York, (AL) Junior Spivey, Arizona Mark Buehrle, Chicago (AL) Kenny Rogers, Texas Julio Lugo, Houston Vance Wilson, New York (NL) Kyle Farnsworth, Chicago (NL) Marcus Giles, Atlanta Mike Piazza, LA	20 20 22 23 24 25 28 36 38 39 43 44 47 53 62

"I guess a lot of guys who get picked high lose motivation. They're the king of the draft and everything comes easy to them," Lo Duca said. "When you're drafted where I was, you're out to impress everybody and prove everybody wrong, you hustle more.

"The truth is, the guys who get drafted high get more shots, there's more money invested in them. I don't know if life would be different for me if I was drafted high. I might have been up three or four years ago. But eventually they have to notice you if you keep playing well."

Playing first base, the outfield and even third base when he wasn't behind the plate, Lo Duca endeared himself to Dodger Stadium fans with a breakout 2001 campaign. Despite missing 37 games with injuries, he led the Dodgers with a .310 average plus 28 doubles, 25 home runs and 90 runs batted in.

Giles, Atlanta's 5-foot-8, 180-pound second baseman, is another who fought and beat the size knock en route to the big leagues. The Braves didn't take the Pirates' Brian Giles'little brother until Round 53 in 1999.

"When I found out they had drafted me, I thought 'great, nice pick,'" Giles said. "I knew that I had better numbers than those guys drafted in the first couple rounds. I just wasn't as tall or big as they were."

Giles averaged .322 in the minors, and hit .262 with nine homers and 31 RBIs after his July 31 callup last season. He was batting .278 with four homers through Wednesday.

"I know plenty of guys drafted in the first couple rounds that signed million-dollar bonuses that are sitting behind a desk now or still in the minors," Giles added. "Getting your foot in the door is the most important thing. So, my advice to guys drafted late is to give it everything you've got and prove that you belong."

Vance Wilson proved he belonged and the New York Mets found a talented backup to Piazza. The 44th-round choice in 1993 was hitting .292 in his first 14 outings this season.

Chicago's Mark Buehrle was tied for the American League lead with four victories after six 2002 starts. In his first full season with the White Sox, he went 16-8 with a 3.29 ERA over 222 1/3 innings. Not bad for a 38th-round 1998 draft-and-follow.

On the northside of Chicago, Kyle Farnsworth authored a 2.74 ERA with 107 strikeouts over 82 innings in 2001, his first full season as a Cubs reliever. He was a 47th-round draft-and-follow in 1994.

"When I found out they had drafted me, I thought 'great, nice pick.' I knew that I had better numbers than those guys drafted in the first couple rounds. I just wasn't as tall or big as they were." -- Atlanta's Marcus Giles

Often lost amidst criticism of the Yankees "buying" championships is New York's homegrown talent. Pettitte (22nd round) and Posada (24th) were both 1990 draft-and-follows while Spencer went in Round 28 that same June.

Posada wasn't even aware he was drafted until a day or two later, when he received a telegram at his home informing him of it.

"When I got to (Single-A short season) Oneonta (N.Y.) in my first year, I was moved to a different position, and I said, 'Whatever it takes,' Posada said. "I just wanted to put up some numbers and open some eyes. You have to be lucky too. Some guys go down, some get released and others keep moving up.

"They put that 'prospect' word on you and you get to play every day. They treat everyone the same, but [prospects] get to play every day, which is the biggest thing."

Teammate Shane Spencer says lower-round picks definitely have a more difficult road to the promised land.

"I think you have to work hard, no matter what," he said. "But they do tell you 'You can't do this, you can't do that' a little more. A guy like Derek Jeter had enough talent to shoot right up through the minors, but a lot of us had to work a little harder. I came up with guys like Brian Daubach and Benny Agbayani, so when we finally made it, it made it all worthwhile. It seemed like we had to work so much harder.

"My first four years, I'd start the season on the bench as the fourth outfielder, then I'd win the job halfway through the year and have a good season. But as long as the team had its money invested in those guys, they'd have their job back in Spring Training. It's like any business -- if you're going to invest money in something, you better use it. They're paying these guys millions of dollars out of high school, and if you're paying them that, you might as well see what they can do."

Small-market Minnesota is blessed with a few late-round contributors. Second baseman Denny Hocking wasn't drafted until the 52nd round in 1989, and third baseman Corey Koskie went in the 26th round in 1994. In the bullpen reside J.C. Romero (21st round in 1997) and current AL saves leader Eddie Guardado (21st round, 1990).

Over in Pittsburgh, the Pirates have outfielders Adrian Brown (48th round, 1992), Rob Mackowiak (53rd round, 1996) and catcher Keith Osik (24th round, 1990).

Also vying for space on a late-round All-Star team are Anaheim outfielder Orlando Palmeiro (33rd round, 1991), St. Louis outfielder Kerry Robinson (34th round, 1995) Seattle reliever Ryan Franklin (23rd round, 1992) and outfielder Charles Gipson (63rd round, 1991), and Toronto shortstop Chris Woodward (54th round, 1994).

Gary Rausch covers the minors for MLB.com. Steve Gilbert, Mark Bowman, Jesse Sanchez, Mark Feinsand and Ken Gurnick contributed to this story, which was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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