|
Post by Crew Chief on Dec 1, 2011 8:11:12 GMT -8
I will be doing my own interviw with Cory Hahn in the next few days. Be watching the "NEWS" section of the home page for it!
|
|
|
Post by Crew Chief on Dec 4, 2011 6:47:00 GMT -8
TOP 2012 HIGH SCHOOL PROSPECTS FROM BASEBALL AMERICA!
Rank Player Pos. B/T Ht. Wt. School 1 Byron Buxton OF R/R 6-2 175 Appling County HS, Baxley, Ga. 2 Lucas Giolito RHP R/R 6-6 230 Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif. 3 David Dahl OF L/R 6-2 185 Oak Mountain HS, Birmingham 4 Walker Weickel RHP R/R 6-6 205 Olympia HS, Orlando 5 Stryker Trahan C L/R 6-1 220 Acadiana HS, Lafayette, La. 6 Matt Smoral LHP L/L 6-8 225 Solon (Ohio) HS 7 Max Fried LHP L/L 6-4 170 Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif. 8 Gavin Cecchini SS R/R 6-2 185 Barbe HS, Lake Charles, La. 9 Lance McCullers RHP R/R 6-2 195 Jesuit HS, Tampa 10 Albert Almora OF R/R 6-2 170 Mater Academy, Hialeah Gardens, Fla. 11 Carlos Correa SS R/R 6-4 190 Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Gurabo, P.R. 12 Joey Gallo 1B/RHP L/R 6-5 205 Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas 13 Trey Williams 3B R/R 6-2 205 Valencia HS, Santa Clarita, Calif. 14 Mitchell Traver RHP R/R 6-7 235 Houston Christian HS 15 Courtney Hawkins OF/RHP R/R 6-3 215 Carroll HS, Corpus Christi, Texas 16 Lucas Sims RHP R/R 6-2 195 Brookwood HS, Snellville, Ga. 17 Duane Underwood RHP R/R 6-2 205 Pope HS, Marietta, Ga. 18 Lewis Brinson OF R/R 6-4 185 Coral Springs (Fla.) HS 19 Addison Russell SS R/R 6-1 205 Pace (Fla.) HS 20 Freddy Avis RHP L/R 6-2 180 Menlo School, Atherton, Calif. 21 Hunter Virant LHP R/L 6-3 175 Camarillo (Calif.) HS 22 Ty Hensley RHP B/R 6-5 220 Santa Fe HS, Edmond, Okla. 23 Rio Ruiz 3B L/R 6-2 195 Bishop Amat HS, La Puente, Calif. 24 Nick Williams OF L/L 6-3 190 Ball HS, Galveston, Texas 25 Nathan Kirby LHP L/L 6-2 185 James River HS, Midlothian, Va.
|
|
|
Post by anonymous on Dec 4, 2011 7:41:32 GMT -8
Interesting they have Trey Williams rated above Rio Ruiz.Williams, albeit good, gets "bonus points" because his dad is a former major leaguer. Ruiz is generally rated far better and will go higher in the draft.
|
|
|
Post by Crew Chief on Dec 5, 2011 10:36:15 GMT -8
Who is William's dad? They seem to be about the same size, is Ruiz better with the glove or the bat?
|
|
|
Post by Crew Chief on Dec 5, 2011 10:40:57 GMT -8
What I always like to watch is how many of these kids sign a pro contract or decided to play college ball!
|
|
|
Post by Anonymous on Dec 5, 2011 11:33:13 GMT -8
Who is William's dad? They seem to be about the same size, is Ruiz better with the glove or the bat? Eddie Williams, former first round pick of the Indians back in early 80's. Williams has more power, but Ruiz is the better all around player. Pitches, SS, 3rd and can flat out hit. Ruiz signed with USC, Williams with Pepperdine. Both talented and deserving of being selected early, just most scouting reports I've seen have Ruiz ranked higher. It's all subjective though.
|
|
|
Post by anonymous on Dec 5, 2011 11:46:28 GMT -8
What I always like to watch is how many of these kids sign a pro contract or decided to play college ball! Agreed and thats why I always find it funny when sports writers rave about what a "great recruiting class" such and such school had. Wait till after the draft and signings to see how many actually make it there. Does anyone really think Giolito, Fried, Virant, Poteet and Kaprelian will all make it to UCLA next fall? Maybe 2 will. Giolito's going in the top 5 picks in the draft and Fried and Virant will both go in top 50 picks. Poteet and Kaprelian possibly both gone by 5th round. Who knows what UCLA will end up with. Show me a great recruiting class when they end up on campus, then you can judge it.
|
|
|
Post by Crew Chief on Dec 5, 2011 20:36:17 GMT -8
Hey- I appreciate your posts, please keep them coming as you have great insight into the subject! What do you think the "magic number" is for a kid to sign or go to school? My friends and I debate this all the time. Of course, they are so many variables that go into the decision.
|
|
|
Post by Crew Chief on Dec 5, 2011 21:01:55 GMT -8
What 2012 players in Orange County do you think will have the opportunity to sit down with their families when the time comes and have to make the decision...do I sign this pro contract sitting in front of me and put $500,000 (or more) in the bank or do I attend the D1 school for 3 years, try to get much better and hopefully be looking at a contract of $2,000,000 (or more)?
|
|
|
Post by anonymous on Dec 6, 2011 9:29:44 GMT -8
What 2012 players in Orange County do you think will have the opportunity to sit down with their families when the time comes and have to make the decision...do I sign this pro contract sitting in front of me and put $500,000 (or more) in the bank or do I attend the D1 school for 3 years, try to get much better and hopefully be looking at a contract of $2,000,000 (or more)? With the new CBA, it doesn't make sense to sign unless you go in first 10 rounds and in OC I can only see a few kids drafted that high. Kaprielian at Beckman, Moore at Mater Dei, Irvin at Servite and Twomey at El Do will probably have to decide assuming they all stay healthy and have good springs. I probably would have included Trevor Megill from Marina here to as he's a big projectable righty (6'7", low 90's) however I think he's an early entry to LMU, hence taking himself out of the draft.
|
|
|
Post by anonymous on Dec 6, 2011 17:40:47 GMT -8
What 2012 players in Orange County do you think will have the opportunity to sit down with their families when the time comes and have to make the decision...do I sign this pro contract sitting in front of me and put $500,000 (or more) in the bank or do I attend the D1 school for 3 years, try to get much better and hopefully be looking at a contract of $2,000,000 (or more)? With the new CBA, it doesn't make sense to sign unless you go in first 10 rounds and in OC I can only see a few kids drafted that high. Kaprielian at Beckman, Moore at Mater Dei, Irvin at Servite and Twomey at El Do will probably have to decide assuming they all stay healthy and have good springs. I probably would have included Trevor Megill from Marina here to as he's a big projectable righty (6'7", low 90's) however I think he's an early entry to LMU, hence taking himself out of the draft. You can also add Felipe Perez to the list. RHP from Fairmont Prep in Anaheim. Another guy that is committed to UCLA. As you can see from the list, all pitchers with the exception of Moore (can't see him pitching beyond HS). Lots of quality position players in OC but no senior ones that will be drafted high next year.
|
|
|
Post by Crew Chief on Dec 6, 2011 18:52:43 GMT -8
Great input once again, you have a tremendous amount of knowledge of OC baseball and I thank you for sharing it in the forum for all to see! Please keep it coming! Adam Pluko from the Upland area had a very good freshman year at UCLA. With what they have coming in this year to pitch from high school, how do you rate their pitching staff?
|
|
|
Post by anonymous on Dec 7, 2011 9:10:42 GMT -8
Great input once again, you have a tremendous amount of knowledge of OC baseball and I thank you for sharing it in the forum for all to see! Please keep it coming! Adam Pluko from the Upland area had a very good freshman year at UCLA. With what they have coming in this year to pitch from high school, how do you rate their pitching staff? Thanks, I've just been around awhile and enjoy following young players coming up. Plutko had a great season last year. UCLA has so many quality arms scheduled to come in this year it's unbelivable what Savage has done. Obviously they'll only get a couple of them, but if they work out as expected, they might be deeper then they were last year. Obviously losing Cole and Bauer is huge and you can't truly replace them, but with Plutko a year older and the rest of the staff, combined with a couple they're bringing in, they'll be tough. By the way, I like what your doing giving exposure to the young players coming into high school. Unlike football and basketball where young players are frequently discussed, baseball barely gives any following to the young high school player. I'll be interested to follow in the spring.
|
|
|
Post by Crew Chief on Dec 8, 2011 21:40:43 GMT -8
Thanks, I've really enjoy working on the site. I had no idea of it ever growing this large, but like you say there really wasn't anyone giving any exposure to baseball. I had a major back surgery 6 weeks ago and that has kept me from getting new photos and player info.
I am going to give it a try this weekend though at some local freshman and JV games.
My son started playing travelball at age 8 and I bet he played 100-125 games a year in travel ball and stopped this year as it's his freshman year. Over the 7 years he played I was able to see hundreds of players and knew the ones that would eventually make an impact on their high school teams. Those are some of the players you see on the site now. If you ever have any good photos of the 2013, 2014 and 2015 players please send them, I'll gladly post them. Please feel free post about the college players also, I know a lot of people that have told me they really like your input!
|
|
|
Post by Crew Chief on Dec 15, 2011 5:19:33 GMT -8
2012 NHSI Participants Announced
Posted Nov. 22, 2011 2:09 pm by Nathan Rode Filed under: Around The Nation, News
From March 28-31, the USA Baseball National High School Invitational will be held in Cary, N.C. The event is presented by Baseball America and the Town of Cary and will feature some of the top teams and players in the country. They will compete in a 16-team, single-elimination championship tournament though all teams will be guaranteed to play four games. Of the 16 teams, 12 are eligible for state tournament play—California has section championships and New York City has a city championship—and there are a total of 36 state titles in the schools' histories. Four of the teams have a Baseball America National Championship as well.
TWO TEAMS FROM ORANGE COUNTY INCLUDED...
Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, Calif. Conference rivals with Lutheran High, Mater Dei returns seven starters from a team that finished 24-6 and won the Trinity League title—arguably one of the most competitive conferences in the country. Ty Moore, ranked No. 85 on the Top 100, will be a two-way threat for the Monarchs, serving as the team's ace and one of its top hitters. The 2011 Orange County Player of the Year, Moore is committed to UCLA and a draft prospect for 2012. He has a stocky frame and makes consistent contact at the plate thanks to a quick bat. He hit .510 with 37 RBIs while going 10-2, 3.16 last spring. Moore and catcher Jeremy Martinez give Mater Dei a strong one-two punch on offense. Martinez is a 2013 prospect and committed to Southern California. He hits to all fields and had a strong showing this summer to make the Team USA 18U National Team. In addition to Moore's 75 innings, the Monarchs return 56 innings and six wins between Ryan Barr and Davis Tominaga.
Orange (Calif.) Lutheran HS Just like Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran is familiar with stiff competition as members of the Trinity League. With three players already committed to D-I schools and a few more being recruited, the Lancers are equipped to make a run. Art Moran-Vidrio is a lefthander/outfielder who will be a four-year starter. Over the last three seasons he has sparkling 0.97 ERA. Brent Wheatley is a righthander/first baseman committed to USC who went 6-3, 1.47 in 2011 while hitting .311. The Lancers' utility man, Conner Sullivan, is committed to Duke and hit .366 with eight stolen bases last season. The Lancers also have some underclassmen to watch with outfielder Jason Martin returning to the field after missing most of 2011 with an injury. One of the best athletes on the field will be outfielder Josh Morgan, a sophomore that also missed some time last spring.
Not only will the tournament present a high level of competition and have a strong effect on national rankings, but the level of talent is likely to bring in dozens of area scouts, crosscheckers and scouting directors.
“We're thrilled with the quality of teams that we were able to commit to this inaugural event," USA Baseball Director of Development Rick Riccobono said. "The talent and history of the participants is truly consistent with the mission of the program: To bring together our nation’s most accomplished high school baseball teams in one championship tournament.”
|
|