Word spread quickly through the small town of Prescott, Ariz., (pop. 18,873) two years ago, and Ben Diggins bought into the talk that he wasn't getting his due.

	Ben Diggins from the University of Arizona.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound pitcher/designated hitter admits he was immature and spurned a $950,000 signing bonus by the St. Louis Cardinals after they chose him with the 32 overall pick in the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.

"I was being naive going into the draft and my dad and I listened to all the hype," says Diggins, who elected to attend the University of Arizona after graduating from Bradshaw Mountain High (Dewey, Ariz.). "After getting drafted I was disappointed I didn't get picked where I should have.

"I should have been very happy where I was drafted."

So he came to Jerry Stitt's University of Arizona baseball program. Diggins was the highest-drafted prep player in the school's history and had a fastball that was consistently clocked in the mid-90s, but he flopped almost immediately.

"I just wasn't mentally ready," says Diggins, who was Baseball America's top high school power-hitting prospect after setting the Arizona career scholastic record with 31 homers and 143 RBI. "Physically I was ready, but I hadn't grown up yet. I was just like any other high school kid."

But this high school kid was a late bloomer.

"In Little League, he was so bad that they wouldn't let him hit," says Jim Jones, Diggins' coach at Bradshaw Mountain, who recently retired from coaching. "They made him bunt."

When Jones began coaching Diggins at the start of his junior season, the teen was an awkward, lanky catcher. However, Jones moved him to the mound and Diggins struck out 17 batters in his pitching debut while hitting 93 mph on the radar gun.

To be sure, the transition from behind the plate to the hill was much easier than the one from high school to college. Diggins, now 20 years old (he'll turn 21 on June 13), finished with a Coors Field-esque 6.95 ERA and hit .190 last spring at Arizona. And yet, Diggins somehow managed to land a spot on the USA Baseball national team. The experience seemed to turn everything around.

"The summer with the USA team was huge for him, because it gave him a chance to be with the elite players," says Stitt. "Plus, he was their closer."

Diggins dominated in his new role, going 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA and three saves. But the Wildcats program needed his services as a starter, so he was tossed back into the rotation as the team's ace upon his return to Tucson in the fall. This time, he excelled.

Diggins won his first eight decisions this spring and began moving up nearly everyone's draft lists. He even put up some lofty numbers as a part-time designated hitter, batting .336 with nine home runs and 34 RBI. On the mound, he finished the year 10-4 with a 3.83 ERA (the team ERA was 7.48) and 127 strikeouts in 112 2/3 innings.

"His size, strength and athleticism are amazing for a guy his size," says Stitt. "It was just a matter of maturing and just growing up ... being able to control his emotions, and he did that this year."

Although Diggins won't rule out pitching in an Arizona uniform next season, Stitt says he's almost positive Wildcats fans have seen the last of the hard-throwing righty.

"Oh yeah, he's gone," says Stitt. "Some scouts have said he'll be the No. 1 or 2 pick. If he's still around at the 10th pick, I'd be surprised ... Someone is going to teach him a split-finger and he's going to be an awesome closer in the majors someday."

While Diggins hears the same chatter he did two years ago about his draft status, this time around he's nonchalantly shrugging it off and simply going about his business.

"I'm going in to the draft this year with no expectations whatsoever," says Diggins. "Honestly, I'll be happy wherever I'm picked. That's the best way to go into it, because the draft is so unpredictable."