Round 38, Pick 1138: Joseph DeBernardis | 3B, Lake Zurich HS

[!NICK!]

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[Marlins#1]

"Lake Zurich's Joey DeBernardis was in a win-win situation heading into the Major League Baseball first-year player draft this week.

He had already accepted a scholarship to Penn State University, but if he were selected high enough in his opinion, he would consider backing out and signing a professional contract.

DeBernardis was selected in the 38th round by the Florida Marlins.

"It's exciting, but that's pretty (low)," said DeBernardis, who was drafted 1,138th overall. "We'll just have to see what happens."

DeBernardis, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound third baseman, had a monster senior season for Lake Zurich. He batted .542 with a school-record 13 home runs, 15 doubles and 56 RBI. He also went 7-2 with a 0.82 ERA as a pitcher, and threw a no-hitter in the North Suburban Conference championship game.

He was named all-state and was selected as co-captain of the Daily Herald Lake County All-Area team."

[Juanky]

Looks like this guy won't be joining the camp any time soon

[markotsay7]

nope.

MARLINS PICK DEBO: P/INF DeBernardis (LZHS, '08), who received a baseball scholarship from Penn State, was selected by Florida in the 38th round (1,138th player overall) of the Major League first-year player draft on Friday. "Right now, signing (with the Marlins) is slim," his father, John DeBernardis, said Tuesday. "But they're giving him until Aug. 15 to decide." DeBernardis batted .542 with 13 homers and 56 RBI for the 28-6 Bears this spring. This summer he'll play Legion ball and for the Illinois Sparks, a travel team based in Aurora.

Zummo tosses no-hitter in Legion opener :: High Schools :: YourSeason

[Juanky]

We'll leave this one open since he didn't totally rule it out.

[Marlins#1]

Tough call: Pro baseball or college :: News Sun :: Darren Day

Tough call: Pro baseball or college July 2, 2008Recommend Joey DeBernardis has a big decision to make at the end of the summer. But the recent Lake Zurich High graduate knows whatever decision he makes won't be a bad choice. "It's a win-win situation for me," he said. Wood bats will be the order of the day all this week at Bowen Park in Waukegan. That's because the annual Fred Gordon Legion tournament has been turned into a wooden-bat event. NEWS-SUN FILE PHOTO That's because DeBernardis has to choose between signing a pro baseball contract with the Florida Marlins or to accept a scholarship offer to Penn State University. Either way, he won't be around to terrorize opposing pitchers from teams from Lake County with his explosive bat. This past spring for the Bears, DeBernardis hit an amazing .542 with 56 RBIs and 13 home runs to finish with 28 homers in his four-year varsity career. He also posted a 7-2 pitching record this season with a 0.82 earned run average when not playing third base. He is currently pounding the cover off the ball for Lake Zurich's American Legion team, plus manning the hot corner for the Illinois Sparks travel team out of Aurora on weekends for tournaments. "The Sparks play a lot of games in wooden-bat tournaments, so that will help me if I do decide to sign with the Marlins," said DeBernardis, who took part in the East-West Illinois High School All-Star Game in Peoria last weekend. "I really like hitting with a wooden bat. In fact, I prefer using wood." Several Marlins scouts got a chance to see DeBernardis take batting practice a few times with a wooden bat earlier this spring, and they liked what they saw. The Marlins used their 38th pick in the June amateur draft to take DeBernardis. "I knew Florida was looking hard at me, so I wasn't surprised they took me," he said. The Marlins will keep close tabs on DeBernardis' progress this summer -- including getting a chance to see their draftee in a wooden-bat tournament this week in Atlanta, Ga., with the Sparks. "Toward the end of the summer, I will sit down with the Marlins and listen to their offer," said DeBernardis. "If the money is right, I wouldn't mind signing because I've always wanted to be a pro player. But getting a chance to play at Penn State isn't a bad option either." DeBernardis inked a letter of intent with the Nittany Lions before the start of his senior season. "I have a lot of family out there and I really fell in love with the campus when I visited it," he said. "The baseball field and clubhouse is just incredible." Penn State's pluses make DeBernardis' decision all the more difficult. "I could go to college and do well, then get drafted higher," he said. "But since I have to wait until I'm 21 to get drafted again, there's always the chance I could get hurt and might not get drafted again at all. "It's not going to be an easy decision." Either way, the Marlins or the Nittany Lions will be getting one of the best hitters to come out of Lake County in quite some time.