Jeff's Sweeney, Xavier's Keller among those drafted

CEDAR RAPIDS - Tuesday morning started early for Kellen Sweeney.

The Cedar Rapids Jefferson shortstop had a weight-lifting session with the rest of his teammates at 6:30. Still tired, he came home post-lift and went back to bed.

Around 11:30, his slumber was interrupted by highly excited older sister Kaylee.

"I hear some screaming," Kellen said. "My sister comes upstairs and jumps on my bed. She was like 'You just got drafted!' I was just like 'Really?'"

Yes, really.

"He kept laying there," Kaylee Sweeney said. "I'm like 'Don't you want to know who by or what round?'"

"I was still half asleep," Kellen explained.

It was the Toronto Blue Jays who took him Tuesday in the second round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Sweeney was one of four current or former Metro players who selected in the first 30 rounds.

Cedar Rapids Xavier pitcher Jon Keller went in the 11th round to the Seattle Mariners, former Cedar Rapids Prairie outfielder Scott Schebler went to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 26th and former Marion pitcher Patrick Lala in the 29th to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Former Northern Iowa pitcher Lucas O'Rear was taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the 13th round. Iowa Hawkeye outfielder Kurtis Muller went to the Reds in the 22nd and pitcher Zach Robertson to the Florida Marlins in the 30th. West Des Moines Dowling High School pitcher Jonathan Musser was a 21st-round selection of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Sweeney was the 69th-overall selection, 17 picks later than his brother, Ryan, went in the second round in 2003 to the Chicago White Sox. Kellen was in fifth grade back then.

Ryan Sweeney, of course, is the starting right fielder for the Oakland A's.

"I was on our fifth-grade field trip to Dubuque that day," Kellen remembered. "I was on a ferry boat and that's when they called my teacher. My teacher gave the phone to me, and they told me what had happened."

Ryan Sweeney's signing bonus was $785,000. Last year's 69th-overall pick was Illinois prep pitcher Tanner Bushue, who was taken by the Houston Astros and signed a seven-year contract with a bonus of $530,000.

Kellen Sweeney, by the way, is represented by his brother's agent, Larry Reynolds, brother of former big leaguer Harold Reynolds.

"Yes, I do," Kellen said, when asked if he wants to turn pro. "One hundred percent."

It wasn't quite as good a day for Keller.

He was told by his adviser that the Mariners were set to grab him in the fifth round. The sides had even agreed on a signing bonus.

"About three or four minutes later, and they didn't take me," Keller said.

In fact, he had to wait quite awhile longer before hearing from his father, Al, that Seattle had drafted him seven rounds later. Jon said he was upset enough after the seventh round that he walked away from his computer and quit monitoring the draft.

"I'm still kind of numb," Keller said. "It was really an up and down day. It was really exciting, obviously. But it also got frustrating."

Keller has a scholarship waiting to the University of Nebraska but said he also wants to turn professional. Both the Blue Jays and Mariners have affiliates in the Midwest League - at Lansing and Clinton, respectively.

"The Mariners said they were going to be real aggressive in trying to sign me," Keller said. "They're pretty close to what we're asking for (signing bonus-wise)."

Schebler recently completed his freshman season at Des Moines Area Community College in Boone, where he hit .446 with 20 home runs. He has signed with Wichita State.

Lala is a hard-throwing right-hander who played at Kirkwood for two seasons. He has signed with Iowa.

The 50-round draft concludes Wednesday.