Posted on Thu, Jun. 05, 2008

The roar came from the back room.

That is where part of Eric Hosmer's draft party -- overflowing at his Cooper City home -- watched Thursday's Major League Baseball amateur draft on a small TV, while Hosmer and others crowded in front of his living room's high-definition TV.

And that back room is where -- with no high-definition hookup, and thus no delay on the ESPN2 broadcast -- the announcement first hit the Hosmer home:

The Kansas City Royals picked the power-hitting Plantation American Heritage first baseman with the third overall pick.

Not a bad season for Hosmer: It started with his team ranked No. 1 by numerous publications, continued with the 3A state championship and ended with Hosmer becoming the highest high school draft pick from Miami-Dade or Broward since Miami Coral Park's Luis Montanez was taken third overall by the Cubs in 2000.

He also is the first Broward player taken out of high school in the first round since 1997, when the Atlanta Braves took Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas' Troy Cameron 29th overall.

''I've been working for this all my life,'' said Hosmer, who met with the Royals for about two hours Tuesday. ``So this is really special.''

Widely considered the best pure high school hitter in the draft, only signability issues -- Hosmer is advised by the notoriously demanding Scott Boras Corp. -- kept him from being a top-five lock in most projections.

But the Royals have a history with Boras clients, selecting one in each of the past two first rounds: pitcher Luke Hochevar (first overall in 2006) and shortstop Mike Moustakas (second in 2007). Plus, they love his promise, enough to make him the second high school player picked Thursday (shortstop Tim Beckham of Griffin, Ga., went first overall to the Tampa Bay Rays).

'He has a `wow' factor,'' general manager Dayton Moore told reporters in Kansas City.

``It really doesn't take a keen scouting judgment or eye to walk in a ballpark on any given night -- no matter who's playing -- and look at Eric Hosmer and know that he's the best player on the field.''

The Royals also need power, and Hosmer has it. ''This guy might be, five years from now, the best power-hitter in the draft,'' ESPN's Peter Gammons said on the live broadcast.

Kansas City is last in the major leagues in home runs this season, after finishing in the same position in 2007 and 2006.

Signing Hosmer, though, isn't a lock. Hosmer, who is 6-4, 220 pounds, -- he doubles as a hard-throwing left-handed reliever -- accepted a scholarship from Arizona State, and hasn't ruled out college. He has until Aug. 15 to decide.

Hosmer didn't want to discuss signing-bonus numbers Thursday.

He didn't even talk timetables with the Royals director of baseball operations Lonnie Goldberg or Moore, with whom he spoke shortly after the pick.

'[Goldberg] told me, `Just enjoy yourself now,' '' Hosmer said, ' `and we'll talk later.' ''

Meanwhile, Hosmer's friend and American Heritage teammate, catcher Adrian Nieto, slipped to the fifth round, where the Washington Nationals took him with the 151st pick. He was projected as a possible ''sandwich'' pick between the first and second rounds.

In Miami-Dade, Florida Christian outfielder Jarrett Burgess was picked in the sixth round by the Seattle Mariners, 192nd overall. Braddock shortstop Harold Martinez, once considered a first-round possibility, still is on the board after six rounds.

In Broward, American Heritage pitchers JuanCarlos Sulbaran and Greg Conver remain on the board, along with Flanagan shortstop and University of Miami recruit Rolando Gomez.

The 50-round draft resumes at 11:30 a.m. Friday.