Drew Doty played in the 2009 Area Code Baseball Games on the Oakland Athletics. Out of Gaither (Tampa, Fla.) High School, Doty had a great week in August. Oh and remember the name Patrick Schuster, Doty broke up his string of no-hitters.
Starting on Saturday, September 12, the Team USA 18U Trials are set to begin. There are a total of 44 players who will be in the Cary/Raleigh, N.C. part of the state trying to secure a roster spot for when Team USA travels to Barquisimeto, Venezuela, to play in the 2009 COPABE Pan Am "AAA" (18U) Championships. That tournament gets underway later this month, September 24.
Last year, Team USA took home the Silver Medal in the International Baseball Federation's XXIII AAA World Junior Championships, which was held in Canada. The 2009 team looks to better last year's international competition's results in a couple of weeks.
Looking at the roster there are some names that stand out.
The catcher out of Las Vegas has been everywhere it seems. Bryce Harper has tremendous power at the plate and has a strong arm in the field. Harper is no stranger to international competition. Back in 2008 Harper played on 16U Team USA, in the COPABE "AA" Youth Pan American Championships. In that tournament, Harper hit .571 with four homers and 16 RBIs. Team USA captured the Gold Medal in that tournament.
Other 16U players trying out for the 18U team:
Matt Lipka: Out of McKinney (Texas) High School, Lipka played in the 2009 Area Code Baseball Games as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers. In 2008, while playing in the COPABE "AA" Youth Pan American Championships, he hit .467.
Marcus Littlewood: Out of Pine View (St. George, Utah) High School, Littlewood is an alternate at this year's tryout. Back in 2008 Littlewood hit .375 with 12 RBIs. He was named to the COPABE "AA" Youth Pan American Championships All Tournament Team, along with Bryce Harper.
Christian Lopes: The infielder out of Valencia (Calif.) High School is another player on the roster for the trials. Lopes is a smooth fielding shortstop, who played in the 2008 and 2009 Area Code Baseball Games. In 2009, for Valencia, Lopes hit .453 with 15 homers. He was named to the First Team All State by CalHiSports.com, as a sophomore. There were only three underclassman on that team. He was also named State Freshman of the Year by CalHiSports.com and threw his first two years in high school has hit 25 homers.
Anthony Wolters: The infielder from Rancho Buena Vista (Vista, Calif.) High School had a solid summer, to say the least. He was named the 2009 AFLAC All-American Game MVP, has he came up with a big hit to send the AFLAC All-American Game into extra innings. He was named to the Second Team All-State by CalHiSports.com.
There are a total of 16 players from California, by far the most from any state, in North Carolina this week. Florida came in second with five players.
Players from the 2009 Area Code Baseball Games
Jesse Biddle | LHP | Germantown Friends | Philadelphia, Pa Cody Buckel | RHP | Royal | Simi Valley, Calif. Sean Coyle | INF | Germantown Academy | Chalfont, Pa. Gabriel Encinas | RHP | St. Paul | Whittier, Calif. Kevin Gausman | RHP | Grandview Aurora | Centennial, Colo. Cory Hahn | OF | Mater Dei | Corona, Calif. Travis Harrison | OF | Tustin | Aliso Viejo, Calif. Keenan Kish | RHP | Germantown Academy | Worcester, Pa. Matthew Lipka | RHP | McKinney | Frisco, Texas Christian Lopes | IF | Valencia | Canyon Country, Calif. Justin O'Conner | IF | Cowan | Muncie, Ind. Brian Ragira | OF | Martin | Arlington, Texas Jake Rodriguez | IF | Elk Grove | Elk Grove, Calif. Stefan Sabol | C | Aliso Niguel | Aliso Viejo, Calif. AJ Vanegas | RHP | Redwood Christian | Alameda, Calif. Tony Wolters | IF | Rancho Buena Vista | Vista, Calif. Marcus Littlewood | IF |Pineview | Saint George, Utah Griffin Murphy | LHP | Redlands East Valley |San Bernadino, Calif.
Players from the 2009 AFLAC All-America Game
Justin O'Conner | IF | Cowan | Muncie, Ind. Karsten Whitson | RHP | Chipley | Bartow, Fla. Kevin Gausman | RHP | Grandview Aurora | Centennial, Colo Bryce Harper | C | Las Vegas | Las Vegas, Nev. Matthew Lipka | RHP | McKinney | Frisco, Texas Tony Wolters | IF | Rancho Buena Vista | Vista, Calif. Marcus Littlewood | IF |Pineview | Saint George, Utah Brian Ragira | OF | Martin | Arlington, Texas Stefan Sabol | C | Aliso Niguel | Aliso Viejo, Calif. AJ Vanegas | RHP | Redwood Christian | Alameda, Calif. Jameson Taillon | RHP | The Woodlands | The Woodlands, Texas.
Players from the 2009 Under Armour All American Game
Nick Castellanos | IF | Archbishop McCarthy | Davie, Fla. Drew Cisco | RHP | Wando | Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Karsten Whitson | RHP | Chipley | Bartow, Fla. Daniel Child | RHP | Jesuit | Carmichael, Calif. Garin Cecchini | IF | Barbe | Lake Charles, La. Brian Ragira | OF | Martin | Arlington, Texas Jameson Taillon | RHP | The Woodlands | The Woodlands, Texas.
Dillon Moyer (The Pendleton School, Bradenton, Fla.) has baseball blood lines. His father, Jamie, is a left handed pitcher with the Phillies won a World Series ring in 2008. Moyer is also the grandson of ESPN basketball analyst Digger Phelps. Hilary May caught up with the infielder this past August.
Contributing: Hilary May, Grant Bomann, Andrew Drennen
Long Beach, Calif. -- For a high school baseball game played in central Florida, the scene was electric; with an unprecedented throng of reporters and national media on hand.
Patrick Schuster, a crafty left-hander out of Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, Florida, had set a Florida state record by tossing four consecutive no-hitters. But in this particular game and the quest for no-no No. 5, Schuster was facing a tough playoff game against a familiar foe with a good hitter that had previous success against the no-hit maestro.
The foe on this late April day in a District 6A-7 Semifinal showdown was Gaither High out of Tampa. The Cowboys' contact hitter with the cool demeanor was one Drew Doty, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound centerfielder who is competing at the 2009 Area Code Games for the Oakland Athletics' sponsored team.
In a previous meeting against Mitchell earlier in the 2009 season, Doty recalled hitting a double and striking out against Schuster. Before a standing room only crowd, the soft-spoken Doty felt the electric atmosphere of the event but treated it as any other game when it was time to play.(Read full post)
The New York Times had a piece on Patrick Schuster, the young Florida high school pitcher who tossed four straight no-hitters. According to the piece his is just two away from tying the national record of six, set by Chris Taranto in Mississippi in 1961 and by Tom Engle in Ohio in 1989. Check out the times story here.
Kelly Dugan (Notre Dame; Sherman Oaks, Calif.): Dugan blasted two homers in an 8-6 win over Jesuit (Carmichael, Calif.)
Jimmy Bosco (Jesuit) launched a homer over the centerfield wall in the 8-6 loss to Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
Ryan Arnold of Northview (Covina, Calif.) is headed off to UNLV. He hit one out Monday against Mitty. He has a strong arm and a good bat. Interesting thing about that game is that it will be finished at 9am on Tuesday morning with the score tied at seven.
Matt Hobgood hit one out Monday against Casey Upperman of Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Norco (Calif.) fell 9-8. Hobgood is scheduled to throw on Tuesday in their game against Aptos (Calif.). There is anticipation when he takes the mound against Aptos. There should be many scouts in attendance for that game and wouldn't be surprised if there are scouts coming in from other areas.
Scores from the day:
Mater Dei - 4 Aptos 3 Notre Dame (AZ) 9 - Norco 8 Esperanza 8 - Mamaroneck (NY) 7 Palm Beach Central (FL) 3 - Spanish Fork (UT) 1 Notre Dame (CA) 8 - Jesuit 6 El Dorado 9 - Don Bosco Prep (NJ) 7 El Toro 8 - De La Salle 6
Best matchup on Tuesday may be Notre Dame Prep (AZ) vs Mater Dei Best matchup story may be De La Salle vs Don Bosco Prep. The last time these two schools met in the 08-09 school year was on the football field and the boys from New Jersey came out on top.
Here are five infielders to keep an eye on this year. This is obviously open to debate so if you have your own list of five to watch go ahead and post a comment below.
Jiovanni Mier-SS R/R 6'2 175lbs. '09 Bonita/La Verne, CA A gifted athlete with a lightning quick bat. Flashy glove with all the tools at shortstop. High energy player and is a threat on the bases. Scholarship to USC.
Mychal Givens-SS R/R 6'1 180lbs. '09 Plant/Tampa, FL High caliber offensive player. Possesses a strong throwing arm and is an excellent baserunner. Scholarship to Oklahoma State.
Scooter Gennett-SS/2B L/R 5'10 175lbs. '09 Sarasota/Bradenton, FL Versatile defensive infielder with a reliable glove. Steady hitter with a great eye at the plate. Scholarship to Florida State.
Devin Marrero-SS R/R 6'1 180lbs. '09 American Heritage/Plantation, FL Dominating offensive high school player. Power swing at the plate with an aggressive style. Scholarship to Arizona State.
David Nick-2B/SS R/R 6'1 185lbs. '09 Cypress/Cypress, CA An all around talent. Excellent big stage hitter and a sound defensive player at shortstop and second base. Scholarship to UCLA.
The Oakland Athletics have released their two tryout dates for the 2009 Area Code Baseball Games. Both workouts are invitation only and will take place on June 15 at Henly Field (Lake Brantley, Fla.) and on June 16 at Southwest Guilford High School (Greensboro, N.C.). Once again the Athletics will represent the Southeast region of the country.
The Orlando Sentinel caught up with some former high school standouts and asked them about their high school days. There also is some notes on the Florida playoff system in baseball.
A couple of months after Tropicana Field hosted an ALCS and the World Series, the home of the Rays played host to the International Power Showcase High School Home Run Derby. Players from around the nation and even the world met up under the dome to display their power.
McCullough Family
Cole Frenzel (l) and Justin McCullough (r) dipsplayed their power at the Trop.
A total of 62 players showed up from the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, Germany, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico.
One of the players in attendance was Justin McCullough out of El Segundo High School in California. "This was the first time I went head to head with players from other countries,” said the young catcher.
McCullough was one of four California players to be selected for the event. Based on recommendations from baseball people in Southern California, event director, Brian Domenico contacted McCullough.
"I received a call from Brian personally telling me I had been chosen as 1 of 4 representatives from the state of California to compete in the showcase.”
The event was a two-day affair in Florida. The first day was hosted at the New York Yankee Spring Training facility, where according to McCullough, the players were able to work out. "It was incredible. In addition to the usual training and BP we had a chance to tour the facilities including the clubhouse.”
The day of the event it was Bryce Harper who stole the show. The catcher from Las Vegas, Nev., put on a display of power that enthralled the people there. According to BaseballAmerica.com , Harper was one of two members of the 2011 class at the event.
One of the blasts Haper hit, with an aluminum bat, traveled 502 feet. According to Greg Rybarczyk, on BaseballAmerica.com, Haper's blast would have left Yankee Stadium. "It would have cleared the back wall of Yankee Stadium with probably about 15 to 20 feet to spare."
McCullough, who was on the field watching it agreed. "He put on a show,” he said, "all eyes were on him.”
It is not, too, often that high school players can participate in an event like this, especially one with international players. But, for McCullough it was memorable.
"This was the first time I went head to head with players from other countries. I got to know some of the international players on a personal level. They are great guys, level headed, and just out to have a good time.”
Yesterday it was reported that Palm Beach County would start to test high school players for alcohol use and illegal and presciption drug use. All this is pending board approval.
"I think people look at this as punitive. It's not punitive at all," said Kim Williams to PalmBeachPost.com.
According to the article on PalmBeachPost.com, the testing is there to ensure the safety of the students both on and off the field. It is interesting that the test would not detect steroi use, as the Florida High School Association had already been testing for them. However, steroid testing could be added this this initiative at a later time.
Last year only one positive test occurred out of 600 conducted.
Special Comment:
Back in the fall of 2005 SPARQ Magazine covered an issue similar to this. More than 1,000 athletes were surveyed over the course of the year. The athletes were comprised of both football and baseball players and the then survey topic was steroids.
At the same time Major League Baseball had announced its testing policy and 59% of those surveyed stated that the testing needed to be stronger. A staggering 92% of the players stated that they believed sterioud users are cheaters and when asked if they knew of a teammate was using them 23% responded yes.
A University of Michigan study, in 2003, suggested that about 270,000 (3%) of athletes use steroids.
Should Palm Beach County be taking this course of action?
That is for you to decide. Yes, professional athletes do set some sort of an example for high school athletes. Yes, they are currently tested and does that deter them from still trying to beat the system?
So this is where we are at, a win at all costs mentality and the word win could have different meanings to different people. Win a game, win a championship, win a scholarship.
At which point does this spark a conversation about the bigger picture? Have we really come down the road where we have to test high school athetes?
Players from around the globe headed to Tropicana Field this past weekend for the Third Annual International High School Power Showcase Home Run Derby. The event wanted to "unleash the world's up-and-coming power hitters," according to TampaBay.com.
Ronnie Richardson, out of Lake Region High School in Eagle Lake, Florida was one of three member of the Thunder team to sign a national letter of intent. Richardson will move on and play at the University of Central Florida in the Spring of 2010. At the 2008 Area Code Baseball Games, Richardson played on the Oakland Athletics team, which represented the Southeast. In the program he was listed as an outfielder and accoring to NewsChief.com he may see some time on the mound.
Cole Hamels and Geoff Jenkins will represent two coaching legends in this year's World Series. They also are two of 12 former prep standouts from California on the roster of either the Tampa Bay Rays or Philadelphia Phillies.
Two of the nation's most successful high school baseball coaches -- both in terms of victories and helping launch their players toward careers in the major leagues -- have a rooting interest in the Phillies.
Sam Blalock, longtime head coach at Rancho Bernardo High in San Diego, coached Broncos' alum Hamels, MVP of the National League Championship Series and starting pitcher for Game 1 on Wednesday.
Game One of the 2008 World Series goes tonight starting in Tampa, Fla. The Rays are making their first appearance in a World Series and for the Phillies it is their sixth appearance, and their only win came in 1980. Kazmir is one of ten players, combined on both rosters, to play in the Area Code Games. He played in 2001 for the Texas Rangers Area Code Team.
Both Cole Hamels and Scott Kazmir were drafted in 2002, two picks away from each other. Kazmir was the 15th pick in that 2002 draft to the New York Mets. He was then traded to Tampa in 2004 for Victor Zambrano.
Hamels was taken by the Phillies with the 17th pick and signed that August. He made his MLB debut at the age of 22 and when he takes the mound tonight against Kazmir, you will see two up and coming lefties in the game today.
Today we take a look at the top 5 power hitters entering the 2009 season. It looks like the power will come from the west, but maybe not the state you would think. Two players from Nevada take the top two spots, Bryce Harper and Taylor Malm.
Harper, led Team USA to the Gold Medal in the 2008 COPABE "AA" Youth Pan American Championships in Mexico this past September, and was named tournament MVP.
Malm, played for the Team USA 18U team in the 2008 IBAF World AAA Junior Championships, where they lost to Korea in the Medal Rounds. Their loss to Korea was their only one of the tournament, which they took the silver. Malm hit an impressive .464 and led the team with 11 RBIs.
1. Bryce Harper-C 6'3 195lbs. '11 Las Vegas/Las Vegas, NV A true power hitter with explosive wood bat power and a lightning quick stroke. Just a sophomore with all the credentials to warrant the #1 ranking. Area Code and Team USA phenom.
2. Jeff Malm-1B 6'3 225lbs. '09 Bishop Gorman/Las Vegas, NV Left-handed power to all fields capable of tape measure shots. Has sound hitting fundamentals and a great eye at the plate. Also has led his team to three consecutive state titles.
3. Matt Davidson-3B 6'3 205lbs. '09 Yucaipa/Yucaipa, CA Displays a compact right-handed power swing with towering home run shots. A big stage player at Area Codes and AFLAC All-American Game.
4. Robert Borchering-3B 6'4 200lbs. '09 Bishop Verot/Fort Myers, FL Switch hitter that possesses prolific power. The premier power hitter on the East Coast with excellent bat speed with a short smooth swing.
5. Jonathan Singleton-1B 6'2 215lbs. '09 Millikan/Lakewood, CA One of the quickest bats in the country with an aggressive hitting style. Physically dominating for the high school level and has a natural power swing.
The Team USA 16U team is in Mexico playing in the COPABE "AA" Youth Pan American Championships. Going into their fifth game today Team USA is 4-0 with their closest game thus far coming against Cuba.
The United States opened things up with a 15-0 smashing over Panama. Scoring for the Americans did not come until the bottom of the third. The highlight of the inning was when Las Vegas (Nev.) High School's Bryce Harper blasted two homers in the third and Jake Rodriguez (Elk Grove, Calif.) left the yard twice himself.
According to USABaseball.com, the twelve run third inning was a record for the 16U team.
Cody Buckel got the win for Team USA going five strong innings with eight strikeouts.
Game two for Team USA was a match against Cuba. Thus far, the team's closest game coming out on top 3-1. The game went scoreless through ten innings and was decided in the eleventh. Because of the game entering the eleventh inning, a new rule regarding extra innings applied. Now, each team had to place a runner at first and second.
Bryce Harper drew a bases loaded walk moving the Americans into the lead at 1-0. The score moved to 2-0 on a passed ball and the third run of the inning came via a sacrifice fly by Jake Rodriguez.
The Cubans scored one in the bottom of the eleventh off an error by Harper, who came into pitch. He did earn the save as Team USA improved to 2-0.
Game three for the Americans pitted them against Puerto Rico, and it was another blowout, 16-1. Harper, Rodriguez and Christian Lopes (Canyon Country, Calif.) did the damage in this game. Rodriguez and Lopes added two hits a piece and Bryce Harper collected three hits and drove in a trio.
The Americans won their third game of the tournament and it was their second game via a blowout.
Game four was a 23-3 win over Guatemala. Marcus Littlewood, Jake Rodriguez and Bryce Harper all had five RBIs in the blowout. Harper, Rodriguez, Will Allen (Will Allen (Gainesville, Fla.) and Michael Lorenzen (Anaheim, Calif.) each hit homers in the win.
A new record has been set of 7.4 million high school athletes participating in high school sports, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. The number of athletes playing baseball sits at just over 475,000 players. Football was No. 1 with almost 1.2 million players. Baseball ranked No. 4 behind football, basketball and track. Check the article out here.
This years Area Code Games produced a deep crop of premium high school talent. With well over 300 Major League Scouts in attendance throughout the week the scouts walked away with many players from around the country to follow into next spring. The games featured eight power packed teams that were run and organized in an excellent manner. The detail in which the games are run is truly a unique model.
The Texas Rangers in the final game defeated the last years defending Area Code Champions the Milwaukee Brewers Blue 4-2. The Rangers from top to bottom had a tremendous group of players which featured a 23 player roster. The Rangers had a balanced attack of offense and solid pitching. Shelby Miller a 6'3 195lb. righthander from Brownwwod High School and Todd Glaesmann an athletic 6'4 190lb.outfielder from Midway High School were standouts.
The games also unveiled many of the rising underclassman around the country. Bryce Harper a 2011 catcher from Las Vegas showed power at the plate well ahead of his years leaving many MLB Scouts in the stands to make comparisons to the Minnesota Twins Catcher Joe Mauer. Other notable underclassman at the Area Codes were Josh Sale a 2010 outfielder from Seattle WA displayed one of the best all around swings and hit for the cycle against the Chicago White Sox. Christian Lopes from Valencia High School a 2011 shortstop had solid performances the entire week.
Tim Beckham 2008 No. 1 overall pick took home 6.15 million.
Now that the 2008 signing period is over for this year's draft, we see that three total players in the first round were not able to negotiate their way into a professional contract, and of those three was young flame-thrower Gerrit Cole out of Orange Lutheran High in California. Being advised by the Scott Boras Corp., Cole was unable to reach terms with the New York Yankees, but he is committed to play at UCLA this upcoming season as UCLA looks to be a biggest winner after this year's MLB Draft.
In the first round, nine high school players were selected out of the first thirty picks totaling over an astounding twenty-four million dollars in signing bonuses.
Today we look at how the organizations dealt with the signing bonuses for the high school players that were selected within the first 100 overall picks.
Long Beach, Calif. -- The Brewers Blue team, quite frankly, is expected to do well this week at Blair Field. The Rangers, on the other hand, have been on a roll after a mediocre performance last year. The 20th and final game on Sunday could be a showdown of undefeated clubs, but obviously there is still a lot of baseball to be played before that. Other Thursday highlights include a Washington Nationals outfielder that hit for the cycle in the nightcap.
Milwaukee Brewers Gray 5, Oakland A's 2
The Milwaukee Brewers Gray club developed a small case of stage fright in their Wednesday evening game and early Thursday morning they attempted to get off the snide against the Oakland A's, a team comprised of players from Florida and the Southeast. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, the gloves again allowed the opponent a gift run early. It wasn't until the fifth inning that Milwaukee Gray club (Northern and Southern California players) could overcome its early demons at Area Code to pull out the win.
The Athletics' Ronnie Richardson (Lake Region, Eagle Lake, Fla.) belted a leadoff double off Brewers Gray starting pitcher Robbie Erlin (Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, Calif.) that got out to leftfield in a hurry. A passed ball by catcher Richard Stock (Agoura, Agoura Hills, Calif.) put Richardson at third and he waltzed home after a dropped third strike where Stock's poor throw was not cleanly fielded by the first baseman.
Erlin got out of the stanza without further damage, but in the second inning allowed a one-out single to Eric Brady (Green Hope, Cary, N.C.) that scored Demetrius McKelvie (East Columbus, Hallsboro, N.C.). McKelvie reached on a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. An error by third baseman Stephen Piscotty (Amador Valley, Pleasanton, Calif.) kept the inning alive, but shortstop Kenny Diekroeger (Menlo School, Atherton, Calif.) made a nice play deep in the hole to end an inning where the A's stranded two runners.
In the bottom of the third inning, the bats of the Brewers Gray finally came alive as A's southpaw Drew Cisco (Wando, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) ran into some trouble. Noah Perio (De La Salle, Concord, Calif.), also a standout on the Spartans Div. I state title winning football team, has done a great job of getting on base in Long Beach. He scored on a sacrifice fly by DarrellMatthews (Clayton Valley, Concord, Calif.) and Piscotty tied the game with a clutch two-out single that scored outfielder Cody Keefer (Davis, Calif.).
Righty Trevor Hildenberger (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose, Calif.) struck out the side in the top of the fourth for the Brewers Gray, which finally got off the snide in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Cisco (Wando, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) walked the bases loaded with zero outs in the fifth and the Brewers Gray didn't let this golden opportunity slip by them as it scored three runs to ice the game. Perio again was on the base paths and he came around to score his second run on a sac fly by Wes Hatton (Norco, Calif.). There was an errant throw back to the infield on that play and Andrew Aplin (Vanden, Suisun, Calif.) and Keefer were able to advance an extra base. After Cisco beaned Piscotty square in the back, Geno Escalante (Rodriguez, Fairfield, Calif.) came through with a clutch single that scored Aplin and Keefer. Escalante continues to impress behind the plate as well, with a live arm that makes him a threat to pick off runners from any angle.
Richardson, the player who got the A's off on the right foot to start the game, came up with two outs in the top of the seventh inning with runners on second and third. He was already two for three in the game and made solid contact with the ball. The throw from the second baseman barely beat him to the bag, ending the threat and game.
Milwaukee Brewers Blue 6, New York Yankees 4
The New York club, now in its second tour of duty handling the elite players from the Northeast Region, came to Long Beach with the Bronx Bombers moniker. The Brewers Blue Murders' Row lineup came up with the clutch hits, however, and the Yankees aided their cause with some fielding miscues.
The Brewers Blue (an all-Southern California squad) didn't waste any time, scoring in the bottom of the first. Cameron Garfield (Murrieta Valley, Murrieta, Calif.) drove in Jake Marisnick (Poly, Riverside, Calif.) on a broken bat single with two outs. Milwaukee starting pitcher Paul Strong came through with a strong two innings, including a second frame where he struck out the side, but the Yankees got things going in the third.
Outfielder Mike Trout (Millville, N.J.) knocked in teammate Jimmy Brennan (Suffern, Airmont, N.Y.) on a triple to leftfield with two outs. Trout then scored on a fielding error by Brewers Blue shortstop Christian Lopes (Valencia, Calif.). Lopes couldn't make the play, but he is the only 2011 prospect that made either Milwaukee club and will be one to watch the next two summers.
Trailing 2-1 going into the bottom of the fourth, the Brewers Blue took control as Marisnick scored when a throw to second base on a steal attempt by Garfield was bobbled. After designated hitter/pitcher Matt Hobgood (Norco, Calif.) struck out, Milwaukee took the lead when Garfield scored on a Nolan Arenado (El Toro, Lake Forest, Calif.) triple.
The inning continued with a bloop single by Lopes that drove in Arenado. The fourth run of the stanza was similar to the first as Lopes scored all the way from second on an errant throw by Yankees' catcher Nelfi Zapata (Boston English, Dorchester, Mass.) that ended up in centerfield.
Hobgood, the CalHiSports.com State Junior of the Year and the L.A. Times Player of the Year last season, got himself into a two-out bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth inning. He allowed another base on balls to PatrickStover (Rocklin, Calif.) that scored Anthony Italiano (St. Anthony's, West Sayville, N.Y.).
The Brewers Blue made up for Hobgood's struggles by scoring an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Matthew Moynihan (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, Calif.) scored on a sacrifice to make the score 6-3 after taking two bases and ending up on third on a fielding error at first base. The Yankees made four errors in the contest.
For Milwaukee, Marisnick went two for three with a stolen base and two runs scored. Garfield ended up two for two with a RBI, a stolen base and a run scored.
In the top of the sixth, the Yankees scored their final run when MarcusStroman (Patchogue, Medford, N.Y.) scored from second after a hit ball took a bad hop on Brewers Blue second baseman Brian Berry (Smithtown East, Nesconset, N.Y.). The Yankees had hoped to load the bases to give Trout one last chance to make something happen, but the inning ended with the all-around standout on deck and two runners stranded.
Trout ended up striking out in the seventh, but he did finish with a single, triple, RBI, steal and run scored. Trout also recorded the second highest SPARQ Rating (83.07) on Tuesday morning behind Kenny Diekroeger (Menlo School, Menlo, Calif.) of the Brewers Gray (85.96). He also ran the second fastest sixty time (6.52) behind Kyrell Hudson (Evergreen, Vancouver, Wash.) of the Washington Nationals (6.33).
Texas Rangers 4, Cincinnati Reds 0
It wasn't a matter if it was going to happen, but when it would happen.
It took place when the second batter of the eighth game, Rangers outfielder Randal Grichuk (Lamar Consolidated, Rosenburg, Texas), took Reds starting pitcher Jake Barrett (Desert Ridge, Mesa, Ariz.) yard. The first home run of the 2008 Area Code Games was a 400-foot shot to leftfield that quickly made the score 2-0, as leadoff batter Everett Williams (McCallum, Austin, Texas) got on board with a line single.
"Oh yeah, it's just a matter of seeing the ball great, Grichuk remarked. "Luckily, I got a hold of one.
The game remained calm until the top of the third when the Rangers' DanePhillips (Central, Nacogdoches, Texas) reached second base on an error as Reds leftfielder Devon Kell (Hilo, Hawaii) dropped a sky-high popup. Jake Miller (Stratford, Texas) followed up with a single to put runners on first and third with one out. The Rangers, however, were only able to muster up one run out of the situation when Phillips scored on a sacrifice fly by Williams.
That missed opportunity didn't mater as Cincinnati could only muster two hits through six and two-thirds innings until Lance Harper (Desert Mountain, Scottsdale, Ariz.) stroked an opposite field single to rightfield. Any thoughts the Reds had of making a comeback ended with the next batter as Rangers' rightfielder Cohl Walla (Lake Travis, Austin, Texas) made a spectacular catch on a low liner to end the game.
Starting pitcher Hoby Milner (Paschal, Fort Worth, Texas), Walla and southpaw Colton Cain (Waxahachie, Texas) got the job done on the hill for the victors. Milner was credited for the win, Walla came in and did an admirable job and Cain frustrated the Reds' batters over the last three innings.
The Rangers added an insurance run in the top of the sixth as Chad Kettler (Coppell, Texas) scored on a RBI single by Michael Hilliard (Cy-Woods, Cypress, Texas) with two outs.
Williams had a nice day at the office, as he finished one for two with a sacrifice RBI and a run on the circuit clout of Grichuk.
"Supposedly the Rangers haven't been winning recently at Area Code, Grichuk added. "A player told me that and the coaches told us, too. We won the practice game (against the Milwaukee Brewers Blue Monday at USC) so it feels good to be undefeated so far.
Washington Nationals 10, Chicago White Sox 2
The final game Thursday at Blair Field was a nine-inning affair and the designated home team from Washington, D.C., jumped out on top and eventually romped. The victors scored in every inning but the second and third and the best individual performance in recent memory at Area Code was turned in by the Nationals' Joshua Sale (Bishop Blanchete, Seattle, Wash.), a 6-foot, 195-pound 2010 outfielder.
Chicago starting pitcher Jarad Grundy (Johnsburg, Ill.) gave up two hard hits in the first inning, one a double to James Robbins (Shorecrest, Shoreline, Wash.) and the other a triple to catcher Chase Anselment (Meadowdale, Edmonds, Wash.) and the Nationals were able to manufacture three runs. Those shots were sandwiched in between three infield hits.
Max Walla (Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque, N.M.) got the first one and advanced to third on Robbins' double. He then scored on a wild pitch by Grundy and Robbins scored on Anselment's triple. The infield single by Sale scored Anselment. Brady Steiger (South Kitsap, Port Orchard, Wash.) also got on board without the ball leaving the infield, but no further damage was done.
The White Sox answered with a run in the top of the second inning when Nationals shortstop Bobby Joe Tannehill (Kentlake, Auburn, Wash.) muffed a grounder that allowed Josh Sheffert (Lincoln Southeast, Lincoln, Neb.) to score. Sheffert advanced to third base on a passed ball. The Sox seemed to be in business as Sheffert scored with one out, but the Nationals turned a double play to end the threat.
Nationals starting pitcher Tim Peterson (Emerald Ridge, Puyallup, Wash.) had some zip on his fastball and pitched a complete four innings, the longest outing at Area Code thus far. When Peterson exited the ballgame, he had allowed three hits and two runs. The second run for the ChiSox came with two out in the fourth when Peterson's wild pitch allowed Justin O'Connor (Cowan, Muncie, Ind.) to score and make it a one-run (3-2) ballgame.
The Nationals stretched their lead back to a couple of runs in the bottom of the fourth when Sale opened the inning with a triple. He then scored on a single by Steiger that took a bad hop right in front of the second baseman.
The game remained a 4-2 affair until the bottom of the fifth when White Sox southpaw pitcher Matthew Little (Bryan, Texas) ran into some trouble. Walla was at the plate with two runners on and zero outs. The base runners advanced to second and third on Little's wild pitch and Ryan Barnes (West Linn, Ore.) came across home plate on yet another errant toss by Little. When Walla legged out his second infield single of the game, the Nationals had their second run of the inning as Michael Englund (Eastside Catholic, Bellevue, Wash.) crossed home plate.
In the bottom of the sixth, Sale made things happen once again. He roped a double to leftcenter, stole third base and manufactured another run for the Nationals on Little's wild pitch. In his last at-bat with two outs and no one out in the bottom of the eighth, Sale's first rip at the ball that he fouled back tipped off the ESPN RISE staff that Sale knew exactly what he needed to complete baseball's most exciting one-day hitting performance.
Two pitches later, Sale delivered. He deposited the ball beyond the rightcenter field wall, 395 feet from home plate. His three-run homer created a buzz in the stands and press box and when Area Code Director Andrew Drennen announced that Sale had hit for the cycle, the game's final score was inconsequential.
"I was aware of what I needed, but home runs happen on their own, Sale remarked. "I went up there looking for a fastball and I got one up and in. Some of the guys didn't even know that I had a single. In an arena like this, it felt good.
For the game, Sale went four for four with three runs and four RBI. Walla also had a whale of a game, going two for three with a steal, run and RBI.
"There was no mention of it, said Washington Nationals coach Aaron Horrocks when asked if anyone mentioned Sale only needed a round-tripper on his final at-bat to his for the cycle. "We didn't want to voodoo it. It's sort of like a pitcher with a no-no, you leave him alone.
Tim Keller (North Eugene, Ore.) entered the contest in relief of Peterson and threw a scoreless fifth and sixth innings. The next pitcher for the victors, crafty southpaw Brian Wolfe (Snohomish, Wash.), also threw two solid frames and Matthew Boyd (Eastside Catholic, Mercer Island, Wash.) came in and sealed the deal in the top of the ninth.
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Opening day for the 2008 Area Code Games is Tuesday and with the consistent success of bringing the top talent from around the country to Long Beach on an annual basis, this year's games will be no different.
Top alumni such as Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, C.C. Sabathia, Ryan Braun, Dan Haren, Grady Sizemore, Prince Fielder and dozens of others have solidified the success of this prestigious event and now with sports media giant ESPN coming on board, the best is yet to come. With eight teams from around the nation including the best prep prospects to play in a six-day showcase frenzy, the anticipation to see the next prep players rising to the top of the draft charts is about to begin.
Last year's Area Code Games included the highly touted shortstop, Tim Beckham, who was the number one overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft. To go along with Beckham in the first round were Kyle Skipworth, the sixth overall pick by the Florida Marlins; Aaron Hicks, the 14th overall pick to the Minnesota Twins; Brett Lawrie, the 16th overall pick to the Milwaukee Brewers; Anthony Hewitt, the 24th overall pick to the Philadelphia Phillies; and Gerrit Cole, the 28th overall pick to the New York Yankees.
The MLB organizations that are going to be hosting the selected teams in this year's Area Code Games are the Texas Rangers (Texas), Milwaukee Brewers (two Californian teams), Cincinnati Reds (Four Corners and Hawaii), Washington Nationals (Northwest), New York Yankees (Northeast), Chicago White Sox (Midwest) and the Oakland Athletics (Southeast). This year's games will start Tuesday, August 5th and run through the 10th with a total of 20 games played. Day-to-day updates as well as game recaps, player profiles and event summaries are to come following each day's action.
This year the Cincinnati Reds Area Code team consists of the top players from the four corners and Hawaii. After three tryouts in Denver, Las Vegas and Chandler (Arizona), the coaches of the team have complied the players who they find the most deserving to attend this year's event in Long Beach this August. A rarity in the Area Code Games is the attendance of an underclassman, always a sophomore entering his junior season, but this year we have one of those players who stand out like a shining star. Bryce Harper, a 2011 graduate, will be entering his sophomore season this upcoming year, and joins the likes of Justin Upton, Delmon Young and Robert Stock as the few ever participants to attend as such a young player.
This left-handed hitting catcher has been impressing scouts since his brother was on the showcase circuit last year and he followed in his shadow. Bryce is known to have one of the best prep power bats to be seen in years and he is only 15 years of age. The upcoming Area Code Games deem to be the breaking out party for this young promising player.
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