The draft is drawing ever closer and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo published his updated Top 100 prospects list for the 2013 MLB draft.  There are lots of lists, lots of draft experts, lots of blah blah blah and to call anyone an expert regarding how the draft will go is silly.  Mayo is an office, he has a phone, he calls GMs, crosscheckers, scouts, agents, etc.  He is contacted by agents who want to push up their own clients, etc.  He has video he can watch and the more anyone watches something, the better they can be at analyzing it. 

I say all of that because as a former scout, I always giggle when I watch TV and see guys from Baseball America and MLB.com and wherever else, presented as experts, as though they were the ones out there driving around, finding and evaluating the players, breaking down the tools, getting the signability, getting to know the make-up of the players, etc.  They get the results of all the work scouts do and by the time they are on TV talking about it or on the web writing, the thousands upon thousands of players scouts sift through are funnelled to a couple hundred the draft talking heads write and talk about.  It's pretty easy by that point.

Anyway, because I don't have my own prospect list (unless you are interested in Petaluma American Little League's AA division of 7-9 year olds), I too read what guys like Mayo write.  I used to write and do my own rankings with Team One and Perfect Game USA, so I do enjoy seeing lists because they are at the very least, interesting.  Especially so for those of us who live in fertile prospect areas like Northern California.

On Mayo's Top 100 list are 13 players who are within the typical territory for a scout who covers Northern California.  That territory generally goes north to the Oregon border, south down to Monterey, over toward Coalinga and Fresno, some go as far south as Visalia, then north and east to cover Northern Nevada.  A few might still cover Bakersfield as well and some might sneak down into San Luis Obispo. 

So, who are those players in this area?  Here you go..

#1 Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford - Appel is a former participant in my event and I also had the pleasure of having him on one of my Braves scout teams.  Great kid, great talent, hope he goes #1 overall.

#13 Braden Shipley, RHP, Nevada - Shipley had a great sophomore year for a Nevada team that really overachieved, well, that's what I thought.  Then I realized that Shipley was not only a good college pitcher, but also a high end prospect with a good fastball (reported to be up to 98 mph).

#24 Aaron Judge, OF, Fresno State - I liked Judge when I was still scouting, but at that time I hadn't seen much of him as a position player, but rather as a pitcher.  Well, he's put the pitching aside and is a highly regarded prospect due to his tools, size, speed, power, etc.  Tall hitters are tricky though, there are lots of moving parts and generally I'd call tall and toolsy hitters a boom or bust type of prospect.  Think Michael Taylor and John Mayberry... rather than Dave Winfield.  Mayberry is a solid MLB contributor, Taylor seems to be a AAA player and of course, Winfield is an all-time great.

The 2013 Major League Baseball amateur draft is right around the corner so it’s time to take a look at who are the top high school prospects in Northern California.  Now, you might be saying, “the draft is in June, that isn’t right around the corner.”  You would be correct if only considering the calendar and how many days until the draft.  However, a scout’s “pref list” is turned in by May 1^st and from here on out it is all about making sure all the paperwork is in, getting last looks at the top guys, and more than anything, getting each player’s signability. 

 You might need some help deciphering some of that language in the previous paragraph.  A “pref list” is an area scout’s preferred order of the prospects in his territory.  Some scouts have DEEP lists (say up to 75 players) and some have very shallow lists (maybe as few as 40 players).  The top ten players won’t be exactly the same for every scout but in each scout’s top ten there are likely to be at least five common names.  The term “signability” refers to what it will take to sign the player to a pro contract.  A high school senior with a scholarship to a major college program will tell clubs how much it will take for him to forgo going to college.  Signability isn’t really supposed to affect how high a player gets drafted or IF he gets drafted, but the reality is that signability has trumped talent in some ways.

I was out at the Casa Grande/Cardinal Newman game on Wednesday (May 8) and there was a small collection of scouts, including a west coast crosschecker, to see Casa Grande's catcher, Francis Christy.  Christy signed with Oregon and as a left-handed hitter with power and a strong arm, he is obviously on the radar to be drafted.  How high?  I could see the 4th or 5th round as a possibility, based on talent and his profile.  Is he signable in those rounds?  I have no idea.  I do know that he didn't have his best day on Wednesday, showing poor blocking skills, including a lazy effort with a runner on third base that allowed that runner to score, and poor baserunning instincts and effort. 

I took my little league team out to the game to see the top ranked Gauchos because most of the kids I coach will attend Casa Grande someday.  I didn't go out to see Christy but seeing some of my old scouting colleagues got me thinking about the rest of the area, which is generally regarded as VERY strong and top heavy this season.

Here are the top five high school prospects in Northern California, generally speaking: LHP/1B Matt Krook of St. Ignatius Prep, OF Jordan Paroubeck of Serra HS, RHP Chris Viall of Soquel HS, RHP Carlos Salazar of Kerman HS, and LHP Jonah Wesley of Tracy HS.  Now, those players aren't ranked in order, but those five players are likely to be the most commonly listed near the top of the pref lists.  That doesn’t mean they are the top five of ALL prospects in Northern California because a full list takes four-year and junior college players into account. 

Krook signed with Oregon, Paroubeck signed with Fresno State, Viall signed with Stanford, Salazar signed with Fresno State, and Wesley signed with UCLA.  All of those can be considered major college programs, obviously.  It is basically a foregone conclusion that kids committed to Stanford will go to school so Viall likely won’t get serious attention, despite his exceptional talent.  Krook recently had a VERY poor outing in front of a very large gathering of draft decision makers and that will affect his draft slot.  UCLA isn’t quite as good as Stanford in getting their players to come to school, but they do get their fair share so Wesley’s signability is likely in question, as will be Krook’s. 

Of those players, Paroubeck and Salazar are likely the most signable, simply because a degree from Fresno State and playing baseball in the Mountain West Conference doesn’t quite measure up with a degree form Stanford, UCLA, and Oregon, while playing Pac-12 baseball.  That statement isn’t intended to disrespect a great Fresno State baseball program and a fine university, rather, it just reflects part of what is considered in the draft process.

Last year SportStars Magazine and Bay Area World Series got together on a partnership, with SportStars becoming the official media partner of BAWS.  That relationship will continue this season.  With that, I write columns for both the on-line version of the magazine and the print version that is distributed all over the Bay Area and Northern California.  The first article is up, on-line and it details the plan for BAWS events this summer. 

Here is a copy of that article...

By BLAINE CLEMMENS | Special to SportStars

Last spring SportStars became the official media partner of Bay Area World Series (BAWS) and that relationship will continue in 2013. 

Starting in 2004, BAWS is the longest running and most successful showcase-focused organization in Northern California. This summer, BAWS will be held at its traditional home, Schott Stadium on the campus of Santa Clara University, June 21-23. BAWS 2013 will focus mainly on the region’s top 2014 graduates (current juniors). This season Spalding has come on board as the title sponsor of BAWS. There are some exciting new aspects of the Spalding/BAWS partnership!  

A second major BAWS event will debut later in the summer, BAWS Underclass.  BAWS Underclass will take place at beautiful Baggett Stadium on the campus of Cal Poly in scenic San Luis Obispo, July 19-21. Cal Poly was actually the host of BAWS 2012 due to Schott Stadium field renovations. The venue, the weather, the city, and the cooperation of the Cal Poly coaching staff was outstanding, leading to BAWS Underclass which will feature 144 current freshmen and sophomores.

Each new season now brings an abundance of top prospect lists and the one that gets the most public attention is compiled by ESPN draft analyst Keith Law.  Having been part of a company that publishes public rankings, I can tell you that it is impossible to make everyone happy when it comes to a ranking.  Law puts in the time and has an opinion and that makes his rankings worth checking out.  Here is a link to his Top 100 Prospects of 2013 ranking, but you have to be an ESPN "insider" to access it.

The list includes four players with local ties, including three pitchers who are from Bay Area high schools and two players who played at one of our local universities, both of which are in the West Coast Conference.

Former USF right-hander Kyle Zimmer checks in at #27 overall.  Zimmer wasselected fifth overall by the Royals in the 2012 draft and he had a really nice first professional season.  He is on the fast track to Kansas City and I would expect to see him reach the big leagues during the 2014 season.

Former Alhambra High right-hander Robert Stephenson is ranked #48.  Stephenson was a selected by the Reds in the first round of the 2011 draft.  His former summer baseball teammate Joe Ross is ranked #88.  Ross, a right-hander, was also selected in the first round in that same 2011 draft, by the Padres.  Both Ross and Stephenson are likely looking at 2015 for their potential big league debuts, though it is conceivable that Stephenson could reach Cincinnati toward the end of 2014.  Ross is the younger brother of Oakland A's right-hander Tyson Ross.

The fourth local player on the list is former Livermore High and Santa Clara University right-hander J.R. Graham, who checks in at #94.  Graham was a good two-way player in high school (shortstop) and he also competed as a two-way player at Santa Clara.  However, it was his raw arm strength that got him first drafted by the A's out of high school and then eventually drafted and signed by the Braves in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. 

Graham participated at Bay Area World Series 2007 and both Ross and Stephenson participated in the event in 2009 when BAWS had merged with another organization for a two year period. 

Here are Law's scouting reports for each of these players...

The FCA Coaches Challenge will be held on Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend 2013 at the San Jose State Football Conference Room.

The FCA Coaches Challenge is a coach’s conference designed to elevate and equip coaches who want to capture the heart of their athletes and impart more of their faith into coaching.  Dr. Jeff Duke who coached under legendary football coach Bobby Bowden, will be the Key Note Speaker and equip coaches with the Three Dimensional Pyramid of Coaching Success. You will be inspired to be a Three Dimensional leader and capture the heart of your athletes.  We believe this weekend will equip you with practical tools on how to leave a lasting impact into the lives of the athletes you lead that will transcend the wins and losses.

Dr. Jeff Duke’s is a leadership expert whose Three Dimensional Pyramid of Coaching Success is revolutionizing the coaching landscape. Coaches are discovering a unique approach that produces ultimate athletic performances.  Dr. Duke’s coaching experience encompasses the youth levels to professional ranks with a wide array of knowledge in a variety of sports.  We invite you to join us at the FCA Coaches Challenge and connect with other coaches through fun and engaging fellowship and learn from one of the best leadership experts on coaching.

Attendees MUST be Pre-registered in order to participate in this coaches conference.

Please help us spread the word and pass this email on to other coaches who you think

would be interested or benefit from this event.

FOR ONLINE REGISTRATION OR MORE INFO. CLICK LINK BELOW

http://bayareafca.org/coacheschallenge

________________________
Rigo Lopez
Bay Area Representative
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
408-300-0744 office

Today I was researching the correct spelling of a player's last name before sending him an invitation for Bay Area World Series Underclass.  So of course I entered the player's name and his school into a Google search.  The results of the search directed me to this player's Twitter account.  Interesting.

When I was a college coach and a MLB scout, I did what most recruiters and scouts do, I researched players via social media, looking for as much background information as possible regarding the character and off field habits of players.  I searched Facebook, MySpace and had Twitter been as big as it is now, I'd have searched Twitter too.  You would think (ok, maybe hope is a better word) kids these days would be much more aware of how their social media musings can reflect upon them.  Guess what?  They aren't.

Simply put, if you are a player who wants to be recruited or wants to be drafted and you are posting stuff on your Facebook or Twitter account that reflects negatively on your character or off field habits or social circle you run with, you can and likely will be ELIMINATED from consideration by recruiters and scouts.  Yes, it's a fact.  I eliminated players based on the poor choice of an email address handle, based on what I found on Facebook pages, based on conversations with a high school coach about practice habits.  Someday you will want a job and you will apply for one.  An employer will check your background. 

Read that again if you are a player.  If you are a parent reading this, then I suggest you become MUCH more aware of any social media accounts your son or daughter might have and what they are posting and who they are linked to (yes, that matters too).  You work hard for your kids.  They likely are working hard in the classroom and in the weight room and on the practice fields.  However, all that work can and will be undermined by their social media habits.

When I found the player's Twitter account today, the most recent post was just the type that would raise a red flag if I was a recruiter or scout.  Then I scrolled his tweet history and found A LOT more disturbing posts, the types of postings that would eliminate him from a recruiter's radar. 

I will not throw this kid under the bus and tell you his name or what he posted.  I just hope someone helps him figure out that he is well on the way to ruining his chances of playing major college baseball (I have no idea yet if he is that good) if he keeps up the type of Twitter activity he has displayed to this point.

I am not suggesting this player or ANY young player who makes poor social media choices is a bad person, not at all.  Clearly kids do foolish things (and doing foolish things is not a market cornered by only young people).  I did foolish things as a high school kid that could have limited the interest recruiters would have had in me.  However, I was a high school kid from 1987-1991 and social media did not exist. 

Players, it's true, as your parents and coaches have told you, you never know who is watching, who is listening, who is paying attention to you.  If the guy who runs Bay Area World Series is looking for information about you, I think you can safely assume a Pac-12 recruiting coordinator is looking a little deeper and a little harder. 

Make better choices. 

Now that the early signing period for National Letter of Intent has passed, here are the names of some talented players who DID NOT commit or sign in the early period, to my knowledge... As always, these are not the ONLY good players who remain uncommitted, they are just many that I have seen and think need to be on the radar for college programs...

INF/P Lucas Erceg - Westmont HS

INF Mason Melin - Monte Vista HS

CF Marcus Wise - Deer Valley HS

OF Draco Roberts - Dougherty Valley HS

OF Austin Lonestar - De La Salle HS

MIF Jesse Medrano - Clayton Valley HS

IF/OF Scotty Akrop - Soquel HS

INF Michael Angulo - Fremont HS

C Ray Bartolomucci - De La Salle HS

C Bryan Bucher - Aptos HS

RHP  Anthony Bender - Casa Grande HS

RHP Ryan Bohnet - Benicia HS

INF Daniel DeFazio - California HS

INF Ryan Hooper - Campolindo HS

1B Tyler Hall - Benicia HS

C Jimmy Hill - Monterey HS

C Dylan Isquirdo - Foothill HS (Pleasanton)

RHP Cole Lang - Homestead HS

RHP/SS Logan Lanza - Rodriquez HS

RHP Andrew Merken - Acalanes HS

IF/OF Ryan Morris - Dublin HS

RHP Sam Nathan - Amador Valley HS

LHP Ryan Stevenson - Sonora HS

C Jacob Tonascia - San Benito HS

RHP Tyler Vistalli - Deer Valley HS

I saw all of these players at BAWS 2012 and some of them I have seen quite a few other times.  Each one of them, in my opinion, is recruitable somewhere at the D1 level, whether that is locally, regionally, or nationally, somewhere.  It doesn't mean I think they are Pac-12 caliber talents but they all bring something to the table.

Know of other kids you think should be known?  Email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and let me know.  In June 2013 at Bay Area World Series I will have some of these seniors there.  If you know of or are a senior who has either slipped through the cracks or has been steadily improving to the point that maybe you are considerably better than colleges may have seen last summer or fall, then let me know, I'd love to have you at  BAWS and give you that last shot to be seen and maybe get your shot.

Hello Parents/Coaches/Teachers/Youth & Community Leaders:

The 7th Annual FCA Pro and College Baseball Youth Challenge will be held on Sunday, November 11th,  2012 from 1pm – 4:30pm at Santa Clara University.

This youth baseball clinic is fashioned for kids ages (6 -14) and will involve an assembly of talented professional baseball players and college student-athletes from various Bay Area universities including: Stanford, Cal, USF, Santa Clara University, Cal State East Bay, San Francisco State and San Jose State. This is a one of a kind experience as pro and college athletes unite to give back and make a difference, while teaching kids baseball and encouraging them to develop into leaders with character.

Professional baseball players from various professional baseball organizations will also be participating.

Continue for more details....

In 2004 when Bay Area World Series (BAWS) was born, there were some very talented players who stood out and some who quickly made a name for themselves in college eventually in pro ball.  There was Bryan Shaw of Livermore HS (2nd round, D-Backs, current MLB reliever), Brett Jackson of Miramonte HS (1st round, Cubs, current MLB outfielder), Jared Lansford (2nd round, A's) and Matt Long (current Angels prospect) of St. Francis HS, and Tayler Creswell of Deer Valley HS (Giants draft pick).  Those players were pretty obviously among the most talented kids at the inaugural BAWS. 

However, they weren't the ONLY talented players there.  It is fairly easy to spot the players who are the most talented.  Kids who have some tools, who have physically matured a little faster than others, they tend to stick out among their peers.  However, at a high school event with kids who have just completed their sophomore year, haven't even played a varsity game, identifying the "prospects" gets a little more difficult.

That is why I get great enjoyment when I get an email from a player or parent who participated a long time ago, updating me about how a player is faring, either in pro ball or college ball.  Honestly, as much as I love running my event, as much as I love being involved with player and their families and doing anything I can to assist them with their goal of college baseball, I think I get the greatest enjoyment when I get the out of the blue email about a player having success.  I got one of those emails the other day, from the father of Ty Kelly.

Who is Ty Kelly?  Kelly was a player at BAWS I.  He was an infielder, a switch-hitter from St. Mary's HS (Stockton) and he had yet to play varsity baseball when he was invited to BAWS.  I can't take credit for scouting him out either.  His father got in touch with me about his son and other good players from St. Mary's as I was signing players for BAWS.  He convinced me to offer his son a spot, so I did.  Did Kelly stand out at BAWS I?  I dare say no, he didn't.  Was he competitive, was he holding his own even as he was clearly not physically ready yet?  Yes.  So he came back to BAWS II the next year and all of a sudden he looked like a college prospect.  He ended up with a scholarship to UC Davis and has a real nice college career. 

Did I ever think he was going to be a significant professional prospect?  I liked his swing, I liked his game instincts, but no, I didn't think he was a prospect, not based on big tools or anything like that.  What I did know is that Kelly was/is a hard working, no nonsense type of kid.  He was quietly intense, he was a grinder, he was like the classic analogy of a the appearance of a duck... quiet and calm on the top of the water and paddling like crazy underneath the water, which no one can see. 

Kelly was drafted in the 13th round of the 2009 draft, yes, a draft I was part of with the Braves.  I did turn Kelly in as a prospect, but simply as an organizational type of player, a player who could fill a utility role and maybe play a few years.  Kudos to former Orioles area scout James Keller for having a much better feel for Kelly and for getting him a little earlier than I think most of the other area scouts would have wanted him.  Perhaps that is why Keller is now a pro scout for the Birds, he knows the big league game.

It isn't as though Kelly is ready to send Manny Machado to the pine or make J.J. Hardy expendable for the Orioles.  He might not even be a threat to Robert Andino at 2nd base.  However, he is making waves in the organization and he seems likely to finally get to the big leagues in 2013, as a utility player.  He is a switch-hitter, he can play a few defensive positions, he is going to be good in the clubhouse, intense, quiet, a worker, a grinder.  He could even end up similar to a player like Daniel Descalso and eventually earn a bigger role with performance dictating his opportunities.

In 2012 Kelly played at three different levels... here is the blurb about his 2012, that was included in that email I got from his dad the other day, about the Orioles Organizational All-Stars (which included Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy, two of the most recognizable prospect names in all the game)...

Utility -- Ty Kelly, Frederick (76 games), Bowie (46 games), Norfolk (11 games): Kelly ended 2011 with Class A Delmarva. Fast forward 12 months and he blitzed his way through three levels to reach Triple-A Norfolk. The 2009 13th-round pick out of Cal-Davis batted .327 with 11 homers and 70 RBIs in 133 games. He walked more often (79) than he struck out (72) and posted an .892 OPS. His 220 total bases led the system while his average was the highest among all Orioles playing full-time in full-season leagues. Kelly batted .346 at Frederick and would have won the Carolina League batting title if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. Defensively, Kelly saw time at second base, third base and left field.

Congrats Ty!  Hard work pays off, grinding away at a very tough game pays off, keeping your head down and staying the path pays off.  

I have the White Sox/Indians game on and as Indians' 2B Cord Phelps came to the plate, it got me thinking about how many players with local (defined as from the Northern California scouting territory) ties are on current MLB rosters.  Since we are in September, the rosters are expanded, which has allowed more players to dip their toes into the big league waters.  Oh, if you weren't aware, Phelps went to Stanford, though he is originally from Santa Barbara.

Let's just go team by team, alphabetically (by team city)... I'm going to miss some, so feel free to update me on Twitter @BayAreaWS ... Before you click to read the list, make a guess and see if you are high or low.

Which university has more, Cal or Stanford?  Or is it possibly Nevada-Reno or Fresno State?  Which two high schools have multiple alumni in the bigs?  Which THREE junior colleges have two former players in the show?