Finally we have a list of the Santa Clara recruiting class that will come to school in the fall of 2012.  I was driving yesterday when I got the following email from Assistant Coach Gabe Ribas and I am thankful that he provided me the chance for the scoop.  Unfortunately I couldn't take advantage of it and post it before it went up on the SCU site, but I do appreciate getting the info early!

Here is what Gabe sent me:

Blaine,

Our class should be released on the website today.  As soon as it goes up I will send you the link.

So you can get the first scoop here are our guys.

1) Paddy O'Brien -- Miramonte (RHP/ C)
2) Kert Woods-- Buhach Colony (SS/CF)
3) Kyle Cortopassi-- St. Mary's of Stockton (UTL)
4) Jose Vizcaino Jr.-- Francis Parker School-- San Diego (3B/SS)
5) Casey Munoz-- Palomar Junior College-- Cathedral Catholic-- San Diego (OF)
6) Steven Wilson-- Dakota Ridge High School -- Littleton, Colorado (RHP)
7) Peter Hendron-- Redmond High School-- Redmond, Washington (RHP)
8) Reece Karalus-- Mt. Si High School-- Snoqualmie, Washington (RHP)

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Of those players, I am familiar with O'Brien (he was in BAWS 2010) and somewhat familar with Woods (saw him play for NorCal Valley last summer in a tourney in AZ).  I don't think I know anything of the other players. 

I know that O'Brien is a strong, physical hitting catcher with a good arm and I see that since he is listed also as a pitcher, well, that arm strength has transferred to the mound.  Not too many college catchers can effectively pitch too though, with the obvious demands on catchers.  We shall see.  Of note, O'Brien verballed to the former coaching staff and obviously the new staff re-recruited him well enough to get him to keep that commitment.  There were some other kids who had verballed who did not keep their verbals to SCU (and in some cases the new staff "let" some kids out of their verbals) and committed elsewhere.  As for Woods, he is a good athlete, runs well, plays with intensity and seems like a good fit in the college game.

As for Vizcaino,I haven't seen him play, but it is always nice to know that a player's dad was a big leaguer and in this case, his dad was a good big leaguer.

Anyway, this is the Santa Clara Broncos 2012 incoming class. 

I have some bad news to pass along, particularly in the South Bay region.  I was included on an email from Los Altos HS head coach Sandy Wihtol... here was the email.  I myself met Coach Camuso a few years ago when I was scouting former Homestead HS RHP Evan Marshall.  I didn't know him well but I do know that in that one day we met, he chatted with me like we were long friends and he was an easy man to talk to, and he clearly had a big heart for his players and for the game of baseball.  May he rest in peace.

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Word travels fast these days and many of you may of already heard but Coach Chuck Blair of Homestead High School informed me that former Head Coach Chuck Camuso passed away yesterday from a stroke.

There is no word on a service/memorial as of yet but I did want to pass on the sad news.  

Besides coaching against Chuck during his years as the head coach at Homestead, he also was the head coach at Sunnyvale High School in the 1970's when I played against his teams when I was a player at Homestead High. I only mention this as I was fortunate to know him on both sides of the line and he was and will be remembered by me as one of the all time good guys in everything he did with all of his sporting activities. 

Sandy Wihtol, Head Coach Los Altos High Baseball, Former Homestead High Player & 1973 Grad

Former Valley Christian HS lefthander Anthony Kupbens (BAWS IV) has been has been selected as the Big West Conference's preseason Pitcher of the Year by College Sports Madness, according to a release on Thursday by the publication. The website also predicted Kupbens, who recorded a 2.36 earned run average in 2011, to be an All-Big West first team honoree, along with his teammate David Popkins.

Here is a link to the posting on the UC Davis website

Get your spikes out, start tossing the ball around and get ready for your shot at pro baseball! 

Earlier in the fall I had a chance to sit and talk with the GM of the new independent team, the San Rafael Pacifics.  Hopefully it all goes well because I think an independent team in San Rafael, playing at Albert's Park could be a great thing for baseball fans, particularly in the North Bay.  I got the email about their tryout so here are the details...

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To All Who Are, Or Know Somebody Who This May Interest: 

This is Riley Sullivan here.  Most of you may know me from Wine Country Baseball League.  As few of you know, I am now affiliated with a new independent league baseball team called the San Rafael Pacifics of the North American Baseball League (formally known as the Golden Baseball League).  The Pacifics are a brand new, expansion team that will begin its inaugural season this coming Spring! 

Unlike Major League Baseball, expansion teams in independent league baseball do not get the luxury of having an expansion draft.  To sum it up, WE NEED PLAYERS TO TRYOUT!!!! This is an opportunity to BECOME A PAID, PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE!!!!

There is a tryout fee of $150 due the day of tryouts.  If you pre-register by phone, the tryout fee is $100.  If this idea intrigues you, or somebody you may know, please follow the directions which are listed below:  

1) Call (415) 485-1563 to pre-register *save $50 off tryout fee by pre-registering!

2) Arrive ready to showcase your talents at 7:30am on Sunday, January 22, at Laney College (park in the big lot across the street from the field)

3) This may be an all day event as we want to provide all players the best possible chance to display their true skills, so come prepared!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).  I wish you all a very happy and successful new year!  Best of luck to all!!

Last year there were three players from Northern California D1 programs named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team.  Two of them are from the region and one of those is a Bay Area player. 

INF Kyle DeMerritt of Santa Clara (Bellarmine Prep) hit .280 with 8 doubles, 27 RBI and 3 stolen bases, not eye-popping numbers but solid.  He was an All-Freshman selection in the WCC and after having DeMerritt on my last Braves scout team, I feel good about the career he has ahead of him.  He is the kind of player who plays much bigger than his numbers because he impacts the game in more ways than what his stats say.

DeMerritt is a tough kid and I remember him showing up to our scout ball games on Sundays, sometimes just a day after a football game.  He was often beat up and not feeling well but he showed up, didn't complain and if he was able to get out there and play, he did.  Frankly, he is the type of player college baseball is all about and over the years Santa Clara just hasn't had enough players like him.  Identifying the right make-up and "style" of a high school player and how that projects to the college game is to me, more important than the evaluation of the ability and talent, which isn't difficult.  Santa Clara hasn't lacked talent over the years, far from it.  They have lacked enough of what Kyle DeMerritt brings and hopefully there are more players like him who play for the Broncos.

1B/OF Aaron Judge of Fresno State (Linden HS) is a player I LOVED as a scout.  However, I liked him as a right-handed pitcher.  Turns out, he had some injury history with his right elbow and I think that allowed Fresno State (and the scouts that were on him for the 2010 draft) to start considering him as a position player prospect.  Judge is a big young right-handed hitter who runs well and has some power.  Maybe a young Derrek Lee?  Well, I don't want to get ahead of myself and Judge is taller than Lee, not to mention that it is possible that Judge is not done as a pitcher.  Stay tuned.  In either case, as a freshman he was a 1st team WAC selection and WAC Freshman of The Year.  He hit .358 with 12 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs and 30 RBI. He also had 11 stolen bases.  He is listed as an OF/RHP for the 2012 season.

The other player from the area to make the Freshman All-American team was Stanford OF (1B/UTL) Brian Ragira (Arlington, TX).  I first saw Ragira at the Area Code Games and fell in love with his athleticism and raw talent.  He is a centerfielder who was put at 1B by Stanford because they wanted to get his bat and speed and athleticism into their line-up.  When I saw him in high school, I felt like I was watching a smaller version of Cameron Maybin, and yes, I saw Maybin in high school, quite a bit.  It shocked me to see Ragira at 1B for the Cardinal but they were so deep in the outfield and apparently he was the best option of their good outfielders to contribute at 1B.  Ragira was named Pac-10 Freshman Player of The Year.  He hit .329 with 7 doubles, 5 triples, 4 homers, 46 RBI. He also was named to the Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 team.

The college season is right around the corner and no doubt we will see more Freshman All-American selections from the area.  When all the full rosters are posted I will go through them and make my predictions regarding who might earn such an honor.  I will also select an all-preseason Northern California D1 team, project the seasons for each program and try to keep up with it all during the spring.

Of course I will also occasionally highlight players who participated in my events over the years. 

Speaking of which, Bay Area World Series will be June 29-30/July 1 at Cal Poly-SLO.  Know of an outstanding frosh/soph/junior, let me know about him!  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The high school football season is ALMOST finished for most players, save for those competing in the state finals.  Bellarmine plays in the D1 final on Friday, Campolindo plays Washington Union (Fresno) on Saturday in the D3 final, and in the Open division De La Salle plays against Westlake at 8 PM on Saturday.  That is three Bay Area high schools competing in the state finals and I have to admit I don't follow the high school football season but I am aware enough to know that De La Salle is going to be favored and that Campolindo is undefeated so far.  From what I know about Campolindo, they weren't even picked to finish in the top half of their conference and yet here they are undefeated and in the championship game.  Good luck to all the Bay Area teams!

That Campolindo team has more than a handful of baseball players on it and the baseball team will be favored to 3-PEAT as a section champ this spring.  On that roster I know of these players as varsity baseball players: J.J. Ewing (OF/2013), Ryan Hooper (3B/2013), and Brett Stephens (OF/2013).  There probably are more but I am only aware of those three.  I would guess junior Tyler Luckhurst is also on the baseball team.  I think Tyler is the son of head baseball coach Max Luckhurst.

Now, none of what I have written so far is why I am writing today. The tie-in is that there are some baseball players who just finished their football season in the last few weeks and they are now out there getting ready for the baseball season.  Some of them are legitimate college baseball prospects and as they get into baseball shape they are also attending college camps this winter and some are getting worked out by scouts.  I have been in touch with some of these players and with some coaches and scouts about these players, including the subject of this posting, Dylan Parks. 

College coaches, listen up... there are some PLAYERS for you to recruit and take very seriously.

Petaluma HS senior OF/SS Dylan Parks is one of the top uncommitted hitters in the 2012 class and frankly, he is one of the top 2012 hitting prospects in Northern California, uncommitted or signed.  He is physical, has pro bat speed and the ball jumps off his bat.  He recently attended the Santa Clara/Arizona camp run by Trosky Baseball and he was FAR AND AWAY the most physical hitter there.  Even with the new bats he hits with power and the reason is simple, he has great hands and legitimate bat speed, combined with good raw strength. 

Parks also recently worked out with a west coast crosschecker and part-time area scout and I have been in touch with the crosschecker.  When I asked him what he thought of Parks he said to me, in a text, "He has a loud bat.  Has bat speed and strength, needs some help with backside but there is something in his ability and we will watch his development." 

On top of all that, Parks is a 3.7 student (NCAA core classes), has a 1720 SAT and has taken 11 AP courses.  He is moving to the outfield this year where his plus arm and raw athleticism will translate better than it did for him as a shortstop, where his feet were just ok.  Parks is 6'2" 190, has pro hitting tools and big time grades.  He SHOULD ALREADY be committed to a college program but to this point colleges have somehow not noticed what I have seen of him and what scouts have seen in him. 

Though they aren't really household names here in Northern California (not like Jimmy Rollins or Troy Tulowitzki, etc), there are other players from the region who are in the "hot stove" news these days.  Lots of this stuff can be found at MLBTradeRumors.com.  That is where I tend to find things like my subjects today.  However, there are even times when I scroll at MLBTR and I still miss some names of players from the region.  The notes for today pertain to former Cal Poly lefthander Garrett Olson and former Vacaville HS and Chico State (he then transferred to Long Beach State) righthander Drew Carpenter. 

Olson was signed to a minor league contract by the Mets and Carpenter was outrighted by the Blue Jays, meaning that he was taken off their 40-man roster.  Of note to Giants fans in that link to the Carpenter note is that Travis Ishikawa was signed by the Brewers, to a minor league deal.

Carpenter has pitched in 17 big league games, mostly for the Phillies.  He was in six games for the Padres in 2011.  I believe his to the Phillies was Vacaville HS to Chico State to Sacramento City College to Long Beach State to a 2nd round selection of the Phillies in 2006.

Olson graduated from Buchanan HS in Fresno and went on to a great career at Cal Poly.  He was taken by the Orioles as a supplemental 1st round pick in 2005 and moved through their system pretty quickly, making his big league debut on 7/4/07.  He has pitched in the big leagues for the Orioles, Mariners, and Pirates. 

Olson is a player I will tend to always have interest in as he was part of one of my first assignments on a We're There feature for TeamOneBaseball.com back in 2005, when Cal Poly opened up at the University of San Diego.  I recall that it was a weekend when there was nothing else happening in the baseball world and seemingly every scout, crosschecker, and scouting director was at Cunningham Stadium in late January.  Cal Poly and USD both had good teams that year and both had quite a few pro prospects.

Former USF and Campolindo left-hander Aaron Poreda was selected by the Pirates in the AAA portion of the MLB Rule V draft, which is a blurb I found on MLBTradeRumors.com

• In the Triple-A portion of today's Rule 5 draft, the Pirates selected Aaron Poreda, tweets John Manuel of Baseball America. The former first-rounder was part of the trade that sent Jake Peavy from the Padres to the White Sox in 2009.

Poreda burst onto the scene at USF after a solid but pretty anonymous high school career at Campolindo, despite some high school conference honors.  He entered USF as a big, raw kid with a good arm, worked hard to develop and was brought along exceptionally well by USF pitching coach Greg Moore.  When he started at USF his fastball was peaking in the 87-88 mph range and by the time he was a junior he was sitting in the mid-90s, occasionally touching a higher on the radar gun.  Poreda had a GREAT sophomore year, earning WCC 1st team honors with a conference low 2.56 ERA.  That year in the Dons first ever regional, Poreda threw 6.2 innings as USF beat host Nebraska, who was the #6 national seed in the NCAA tournament.  He was a nationally known pitcher and was on national college award watch lists heading into his junior year.

Following that junior year Poreda was selected by the White Sox in the 1st round of the 2007 MLB draft (25th overall).  He flew through the minors (just as former Don Jesse Foppert did) and dipped his toe in the big leagues in 2009.  He made his debut on June 15th of 2009 with 1.2 innings against the Brewers.  He struck out three and gave up only one hit.

Later that summer Poreda was dealt to the Padres in the Jake Peavy deal, along with current Padres left-hander Clayton Richard.  At the time Poreda, not Richard, was considered the more valued prospect.  He got into four games and pitched 2.1 innings for the Pads in 2009 and I am sure they figured he would be in the picture in 2010.  However, Poreda has struggled since that trade and his struggles started in 2009, before the trade.

The only recruiting class I don't have knowledge of yet is Santa Clara's.  The new coaching staff has told me that they will release their class after the 1st of the New Year.  Presumably they will also post the entire team roster at that time.  If you have been to the Santa Clara baseball website you will notice that the roster is blank, with only the coaching staff and baseball administrative staff listed.

My guess would be that as a new staff the Broncos coaches have been evaluating their team all fall and certainly there are going to be some kids you transfer, either because they aren't going to be in the future plans or they might not want to play for the new staff, etc.  I kind of like the idea of not posting a roster, in this case, until after the fall/winter is over.  I think it could keep incumbent players motivated and allow no one to take their spot for granted.  It probably means all the players were told by the new staff that they are all starting at the same place, all with equal opportunities to earn their spot... seniors, freshmen, walk-ons and scholarship players. 

There are a couple of players in their fall class I am aware of, including Miramonte HS catcher Paddy O'Brien, a very physical hitter with a strong arm.  The other player I am aware of is RHP Reece Karalus of North Bend, WA.  He is a 6'3" 230 lb pitcher and that is all I know about him. 

So we wait to see what the 2012 Santa Clara Broncos roster will look like for a bit longer.  No matter how it looks, hopefully they pitch better than in recent years because once again, with the returners they have (assuming the players I am thinking of come back) I think they will score runs again.  I am thinking of players like Pat Stover, Lucas Herbst, Andrew Biancardi, and Kyle DeMerritt.