June 5, 2000
BERKELEY, CA -
University of California junior catcher Mike Tonis and junior third baseman Xavier Nady have been selected the 44th and 49th pick, respectively, of the 2000 Major League Amateur Draft. Tonis was selected in the second round by the Kansas City Royals, while Nady was the second round pick of the San Diego Padres. Both Tonis and Nady were All-Pac-10 selections this season, and Nady was a second team All-American in The Sporting News.
In 2000, Tonis batted a team-high .329 (team-high .363 vs. Pac-10) with a team-best 70 hits and 20 doubles. He also hit 13 home runs and had 47 RBI. Tonis is fourth on the Cal all-time career home run list (40), fourth on the career slugging percentage list (.611), sixth on the Bears all-time total bases list (367), seventh on the RBI list (140) and eighth on the career doubles list (44). He finished the season on a 12-game hitting streak (21-for-52, .404, 6-2B, 3-HR, 15 RBI) and earlier in the year had a team-high 14-game hitting streak (23-for-57, .404, seven doubles, five home runs, 18 RBI) from Mar. 10-Apr. 4.
Defensively, Tonis only allowed one passed ball the entire season and threw out 24 of 60 baserunners (40.0 percent). In a series against Arizona State Mar. 24-26, he threw out five Sun Devil baserunners, including three runners Mar. 26 in a 7-2 Cal victory. He has been named one of 10 semifinalist for the inaugural Johnny Bench National Collegiate Catcher of the Year.
Nady, who was one of 12 semifinalists for the 2000 Rotary Smith Award, batted a team-leading .329 (.340 vs. Pac-10) with a team-high 19 home runs and 59 RBI this season. He also led the Bears in runs scored (53), total bases (133), slugging percentage (.643) and had a team-high 22 multiple hit games and 16 multiple RBI games.
Nady established Cal school records for career home runs (57, third-best mark in Pac-10 history), career RBI (191, tied for the 10th-best mark in Pac-10 history), career total bases (479, sixth-best mark in Pac-10 history) and career slugging percentage (.729). He broke the school record of 50 home runs (Troy Penix, 1990-92) Apr. 14 versus USC, and is also third on the Cal all-time doubles list (53), fourth in runs scored (174), fifth in hits (243) and fifth on the Bears career batting average list (.370).
As a freshman in 1998, Nady was named the National Freshman of the Year, and this past spring he was named the National Preseason Player of the Year. He is also now a three-time All-American, a three-time All-Pac-10 selection, a two-time member of the USA National Baseball Team and was Baseball America's Summer Player of the Year in 1999.
"I am proud of both Mike and Xavier," said Cal coach David Esquer. "I know both players have a bright major league future ahead of them."
Two other players associated with Cal baseball were selected in the first 20 rounds of the amateur draft, letter of intent signee Brian Montalbo and senior right-hander Kevin Johnson. Montalbo, a fourth round pick of the Atlanta Braves, is a 6-4, 205 pound right-handed pitcher/infielder/outfielder from Dimond High School in Anchorage, AK. He was listed as No. 30 in Baseball America's top 50 high school recruits and selected Cal over LSU, Tennessee and Washington State. Johnson is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who was drafted in the 14th round by the Detroit Tigers. This past season, he was 0-1 with a 5.96 ERA and had 20 strikeouts in 25.7 innings. It was the third time Johnson had been drafted as he was selected in the 19th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of high school (St. Joseph High School in Alameda) in 1996, and was drafted in the 12th round by the Minnesota Twins last June.
