Harrington awaits offer from Padres

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Harrington awaits offer from Padres

By Tom Halliburton

The Port Arthur News

BEAUMONT -- A bit of negotiating remains before Allen Harrington can be absolutely certain but the opportunity awaits for the Lamar lefthander to pitch in the San Diego Padres farm system.

  ... Or if the former Port Neches-Groves pitcher is not satisfied with his signing money, there's a pretty appealing second choice still available for Harrington, too. He could stay another year at LU and could develop more under the tutelage of Cardinals head coach Jim Gilligan.

  By late Friday afternoon, though, it was more likely that the Groves native probably would come to terms with the Padres during the weekend and would begin his professional career.

  Gilligan had expressed a hope that Harrington might stay for one last season if the LU pitching ace did not get drafted very high in this week's Major League Baseball amateur draft.

  But when Friday afternoon arrived, Harrington turned into the fourth of five Lamar players selected in the two-day, 50-round marathon. Harrington followed fifth-round outfielder Collin DeLome (Astros), sixth-round catcher Michael Ambort (San Francisco Giants) and 10th-round outfielder Erik Kanaby (Los Angeles Dodgers). The LU contingent also contained 24th-round Chicago Cubs righthanded pitching prospect Scott Meyer.

  Harrington sounded quite pleased by late Friday afternoon to become a 13th-round pick of the Padres. He indicated that he would not have been surprised at all if his name popped up in the 16th through 20th round.

  "In my mind, as a small lefty, you never want to expect too much," he said.

  Then the man with 217 career strikeouts at Lamar paid a deep, heart-felt tribute to his mentor and pitching advisor Gilligan.

  "I'm sure in getting picked this high that coach G had a lot to do with it," Harrington said. "We've got a little more negotiating to do and we're just going to have to weigh our options.

  "I'm pretty sure that I will sign (with the Padres) but you never rule yourself out. I will negotiate in the next couple of days and we will see what's going on. My mind is not made up 100 percent."

  Harrington posted a 9-4 record with a 3.72 ERA in 16 starts this season. He limited opponents to a .254 batting average. Besides having a great rapport with Lamar's coaching staff, Allen also had a terrific friendship with fellow LU lefty Brian Sisk.

  "It's just been a great situation for me, because coach Gilligan has treated me very well and has helped me a tremendous amount," the Cardinals ace pitcher said. "He's not in the (Texas Baseball) Hall of Fame by accident. He does a great job with pitchers and with Lamar's program."

  Harrington's mound opponent in two most recent Lamar/McNeese games -- McNeese righthander Derek Blacksher -- completed the area draft haul late Friday when the Florida Marlins selected the former Bridge City pitcher in the 33rd round. Blacksher reached terms quickly and planned to report next week to Jamestown, N.Y. Blacksher will compete for the Jamestown Jammers of the Single A New York-Penn League.