Former Coyote standout drafted by White Sox

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers BORN TO RUN—Jordan Yallen, who spent three seasons at Calabasas High before transferring to Golden Valley High at Santa Clarita, says speed is his biggest asset on the baseball diamond. Don't blink or Jordan Yallen might be gone.

The Calabasas resident is the first student-athlete from Golden Valley High at Santa Clarita to be selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, getting picked earlier this month by the Chicago White Sox in the 47th round.

Yallen, who considers his speed his greatest skill on the diamond, isn't sure if he'll sign with Chicago's South Side team.

The recent graduate, who played his first three high school seasons with the Calabasas Coyotes, has a baseball scholarship to Gonzaga University at Spokane, Wash.

Yallen, 18, was eating lunch with his grandmother when he found out he was drafted. Local coach and scout Chuck Fick told Yallen's father, Bob—and the father called his son.

"I've been thinking forever about what it would feel like to get drafted," Jordan Yallen said.

The center fielder eventually found the words he was looking for.

"It's a dream," he said. "It's a goal. It's something I've wanted my whole life. It's pretty cool to take steps to make that a reality."

Yallen's speed runs in the family.

Bob Yallen was an AllAmerican track standout at Cal State University Northridge. As a member of the Matadors' 4x100 meter relay squad, he finished third at the 1978 NCAA Division II championships.

Yallen's grandfather, Sydney, ran track at Fairfax High and once completed the 100-yard dash in 9.7 seconds.

The player's grandmother, Penny Joyce, was a world-class ice skater who was also the star of variety television show "Frosty Frolics," which aired from 1950 to 1954, according to Bob Yallen.

Golden Valley coach Scott Drootin, the former skipper at Newbury Park, said Yallen is an outstanding leadoff hitter.

"He's what I would call a pest to the other teams," Drootin said.

"When they expect him to get a hit for power, he'll bunt on them or hit a double in the gap. It was hard to read him because he could do so many things well—and that drove other teams crazy."

Yallen led the Grizzlies with a .406 batting average and 20 runs, adding 10 stolen bases, 13 RBI and five doubles.

Bob Yallen has enjoyed seeing his son mature.

"I love watching him develop to a man," he said. "I enjoy his enthusiasm for the game, and I enjoy that he's a student of the game and that he has a passion for it."

Drootin said he hopes the Calabasas player will head north to Spokane instead of carve a path to the Windy City.

Yallen, who began playing varsity baseball at the end of his freshman year with Calabasas, said he's "99 percent" certain he will play for Gonzaga next season and study business.

He didn't have a hard time picking a place to play.

"Just talking with the coach, seeing the field and visiting the school, it just seemed like my best option and my best choice," Yallen said.

"There wasn't much of a question. It seemed like the best fit for me."

Yallen enjoys fishing, playing cards and wakeboarding, but said, "I'm not allowed to wakeboard anymore."

He hopes the best is yet to come. He hopes he continues to be a diligent student of the game and that he's fast enough to stay one step ahead of everyone else.

"I've been playing baseball my whole life," Yallen said. "I've been playing organized ball since I was 5 and probably was hitting on a tee when I was 2.

"I love it. There's so much. You've heard the expression, 'There's a game within the game?' It's a challenging game, but when you're successful there's nothing like it.

"Coach Drootin and my parents are a huge support system. Everybody offers support. It's a great thing to be able to have a team of people around me believe in me. That's a good feeling. Baseball is a game of failure, and plenty of times you doubt yourself. It's nice to have that support."