Six players with ties to Hawai'i were picked in yesterday's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

And it was especially eventful for one of them.

Yesterday's portion of the draft covered rounds four through 30. The remaining 20 rounds will resume at 5:30 a.m. today, Hawai'i time.

The University of Hawai'i's Vinnie Catricala was the first among the six picked, but teammate Sam Spangler might have been the busiest. Since both are underclassmen, they can use school as leverage in negotiations.

Catricala, a junior third baseman, was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the 10th round, a 40-round improvement when he was picked by the Cleveland Indians out of his Sacramento, Calif., high school in 2006. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-handed hitter had career highs with a .349 batting averages, 13 doubles, 13 home runs, 49 runs and 41 RBI for the Rainbows.

"I've been wanting to play professional baseball and get the chance to play," Catricala said. "We're going to see what happens in the next couple days."

He will meet with the Mariners' scout today to begin negotiations.

"I'm happy," he said of the round he was picked. "I have no complaints."

Spangler, a sophomore left-handed pitcher, was taken in the 20th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was used exclusively out of the bullpen, going 5-3 with a 4.17 earned run average, striking out 48 and walking 14 in 45 1/3 innings. He had four saves. He red-shirted as a true freshman, making him eligible for the draft after his sophomore season. Because he technically has two more seasons of eligibility, he has even more leverage in negotiations.

At least 10 teams called from the 11th round, asking if Spangler would sign for amounts he declined to reveal if drafted in a particular round. None had met his undisclosed demand.

"My first calls were in the 11th (round) and almost every round until the 20th," he said. "Most of the teams called and asked, 'Are you going to take this? We're looking at this round.' I was going out to lunch; I had kind of given up on everything at that point because I turned down a bunch of teams. I wasn't really getting what I wanted. I had talked to the Pirates guy the past couple days about signability and the team made the selection. I didn't know they were going to do it."

While he said it's his dream to play pro ball, he said he also feels good about returning to UH, which is considering moving him into the starting rotation. If the price is right, it would be hard to expect him to return.

"I had a good exit meeting with Coach Trap (UH coach Mike Trapasso)," Spangler said. "I'm real excited about next year. I just want to do what's best for me, so I don't want to give that up for the opportunity to play at UH and continue my education."

Also picked was UH recruit Kirk Wetmore, a left-handed pitcher from Bellevue (Wash.) JC. He was drafted in the 11th round by the Indians.

Pearl City was the only high school here with players drafted yesterday with third baseman Bryson Namba going to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 12th round and catcher Carlton Tanabe going to the Seattle Mariners in the 24th. It's the first time classmates have been picked in the same draft since 2001, when infielder Bronson Sardinha (New York Yankees in supplemental first round) and pitcher Hubert Pruett (Milwaukee Brewers in the 41st round) were selected out of Kamehameha.

Namba was pleased and surprised at the round he was picked.

"I was thinking 15 to 20, but not 12," he said.

He said the Toronto scouts were following his games, and they will be here later to begin negotiations.

"I'm leaning toward (signing)," Namba said.

It is the second year in a row Toronto has taken a Hawai'i high school player in similar rounds. Last year, the Blue Jays drafted Mililani's Dustin Antolin in the 11th round (and signed him).

Tanabe said he was so thrilled at being drafted, "I felt sick," he said with a laugh.

Tanabe, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association West Player of the Year, was tabbed to go to Yavapai JC in Arizona, but said he is leaning toward signing.

"I just want to get the college plan and sign, I guess," he said. "Whatever they offer me is extra.

"I want to get started already. The earlier the better."

The college plan he is referring to is part of the signing bonus that isn't straight cash. Money for college comes from another fund for when a player decides to attend school.

His father, Collin Tanabe, signed with Milwaukee after it picked him in the fifth round out of UH in 1981. He played in three professional seasons.

Catricala wasn't the only one to benefit from the college experience. Junior right-handed pitcher Cameron Bayne, of NAIA Concordia (Calif.), was chosen by the Chicago White Sox in the 13th round, a 36-round improvement when the Cincinnati Reds picked him in the 49th round out of Saint Louis School in 2006.

"When I was drafted out of high school, I wasn't prepared," Bayne said. "I wasn't in shape. I didn't think I could compete. But I worked really hard the past couple of years in the weight room and running. It's something I've been striving for really hard."

The 6-3, 220-pound Bayne was 1-3 with a 4.66 ERA, making 12 of his 13 appearances in relief. He struck out 32 and walked 15 in 29 innings for the Eagles. He is the highest-drafted player from the Concordia program, a school release said, and the second from Hawai'i. Infielder Keoni Ruth (Kamehameha) was drafted in the 22nd round by the San Diego Padres in 2007.

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to sign," Bayne said. "It's been a dream and it finally came true. I'm excited, I'm pumped. I just want to go out and play."

The deadline to sign drafted players is Aug. 15.