By Andrew Drennen; ESPNRISE.com Baseball

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.

The 2009 Northwest Championships helps players in the Northwest be seen by college coaches and pro scouts.  There is a tryout process that leads to this final event, which includes six states (Utah, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming) and another country, Canada.  The event is complete in five days and during the first two days over 700 players SPARQ Tested.  The No. 1 SPARQ Rating went to Matt Kimmel with an 81.81 SPARQ Rating.

You can read more about the championships on BaseballNorthwest.com.  

Posted by Andrew Drennen, ESPNRISE.com Baseball

Looking back on the 2009 Area Code Baseball Games one interesting outcome actually came at the beginning of the week when the first three games all ended in ties. Call it timely hitting, faulty pitching or both, there were three ties. The second game on August 5, 2009 was one to remember. Two of the Chicago White Sox pitchers were dominant. Both Dylan Bundy and Archie Bradley were lights out in that first game, and Bradley, a member of the 2011 class, looks to be one of the best arms in the nation.

The Cincinnati Reds Area Code Team turned in the best record of the week and for the second straight year it came down to the final day in determining the best team of the week. The Reds had a solid team this year and it may have been one of their best teams they have brought from the Four Corners. In an event such as Area Code, when there are no practices and such, it is hard for a group of players spread across a region to show up and play together. That is what the Reds did and they looked like a group of players that had been out there together before.

A couple more names that standout on the 2009 All Area Code Team are Josh Sale and Tony Wolters.

Sale is a two-time member of the Washington Nationals Area Code Team and he is a two time member of the All Area Code Team. Sale, hit two homers this year at Blair, which is no easy feat. It just sounded different when he hit the ball, in comparison to others there.

Tony Wolters was one of the best infielders at the Area Code Games. He got hit in the head early in the week, but still came back and finished the week strong. A couple of days later Wolters traveled down to Petco Park and played in the AFLAC All American Game.

(Read full post)

Andrew Knepper; ESPNRISE.com

The final of the three Cincinnati Reds Area Code tryouts was almost stopped due to some eerie weather that brought rain, thunder and even some funnel clouds to Regis University.  The state of Colorado produced a fair amount of players for the Area Code Games, but this year the talent was far superior in the Rockies than in the desert.  In a tryout that was loaded in catchers and pitchers, the Reds seem to be set in completing their roster for this year's tournament in August.

The first bright spot of the tryout was when lone Hawaiian in Denver, Christian Carmichael, stepped up to the plate for his batting practice.  He displayed a smooth, potent swing with raw power. Behind the dish he threw a 1.89 pop time and showed a great deal of quiet confidence and great feel.

Another out of state athlete hailing from Farmington, N.M., was Jake McCasland, a pitcher/first baseman, who showed well on the mound.  Hitting 87-89 with his heater, 73-71 with this curve and 75-76 with his change, Jake made an impression on every scout in attendance with his consistency and his ability to throw all pitches for strikes.

Yet another out of state player, Trey Nielsen, from Holladay, Utah, had an impressive day in the field and at the plate.  With natural actions playing third, his defensive work during batting practice caught the attention of every person paying attention.  It is rather difficult to get noticed when all the attention is focused on the hitter during batting practice, but Nielsen displayed his own show.  This 6-foot-1, 195 pound gamer just fit the bill. 

Moving onto the home body of Colorado, one person needed no introduction when he stepped on the mound.  Kevin Gausman out of Grandview High School has been on scout's radars for a couple of years now.  Trying out last year as an underclassman, Gausman had a good chance of making the team, but knowing he had another year to go, he had to wait. On the mound, he was clocked at 90-92 with his fastball, 67 with his curve, and 76 with a change, he made the impression everyone that he was "electric”. 

Below are players who made a strong contribution to attend this year's game in August under the Californian sun.

Tito Nava – With one of the best performances of the day, Nava threw all three of his pitches for strikes and sat at 88-90 with his fastball with an average curve.  His change is what got every hitter off balance, clocking in at 75mph and had great sink working off of his fastball.  The most impressive part of Nava's game his he creates such quality velocities with a frame of 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. 

Adam Duke – The little brother or Brock Duke, who tried out for the Reds team last year, looks to be a little further advanced at this stage than his brother was.  Sitting at 89-91 with the fastball, 73-74 with his breaking ball, Adam repeated his delivery consistently and made one of the strongest cases to make the team.

Matt Wollenzin – A well-built catcher out of Green Mountain High School displayed raw power and good times behind the dish.

Aaron Berk – This 6-foot-3, 205 pound catcher absolutely hit the leather off of the ball in batting practice.

Marco Gonzales – being athletic, Marco ran well and hit 85-86 consistently with his fastball and a good change at 74-75.

Underclassman who impressed:

Greg Bird – Being an underclassman, you would never know it by looking at him.  Weighing in at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Greg is the perfect build for behind the plate.  He hit for great power and threw well in the pop times with a 2.03.

Austin Darby – Austin is a smooth swinging lefty with good power potential that we are looking forward to see moving in on the years.

With the Reds tryouts now officially over, the final rosters for this years games should be release within the next two weeks, check back soon to see who made it.
 

Andrew Knepper; ESPNRISE.com

ARIZONA -- The Cincinnati Reds Area Code Tryouts continued on Saturday at Chandler-Gilbert community college in Arizona and with the temperatures steaming at a hundred degrees, the hotbed for the four corners was ready to work.  Last year the Reds team consisted of Arizona draft picks Tommy Joseph, Jake Barrett, Trent Stevenson, Matt Helm, and Thomas Lemke and today we are in search for next year's crop.
 
With the usual professional workout, the 60 yard dash kicked off the tryout and it consists of all eighty scouts at the end with their stop watches and all position players running their tails off to get that sub-seven number.  The player who ran their way to the under the "Line” speed number were:

Drew McKeever – Sahuaro High School, Arizona (6.90)
Michael Benjamin – Basha High School, Arizona (6.94)
Jake MacWilliam – Arcadia High School, Arizona (6.97)
DW Warner – Desert Ridge High School, Arizona (6.98)
Chaz Contreras – McClintock High School, Arizona (6.87)
Christian Muscarello – Catalina Foothills High School, Arizona(6.97)
Hunter Zwart – Mingus High School, Arizona (6.84)
Michael Howard – Prescott High School, Arizona (6.74)
Joey Rocha – Mountain Point High School, Arizona (6.81)
Sam Wilson – El Dorado High School, New Mexico (6.82)
Trever Allen (6.84)
CJ Rodriguez (6.77)

Next it was the outfielders chance to display their prized arms:  below are the top arms at the tryout.

Michael Howard – Prescott High School, Arizona
Sam Wilson – El Dorado High School, New Mexico
Jacob Doyle – Deer Valley High School, Arizona

The infielders were next: Below are the top fielders in this crop:

James Farris – 1B, Highland High School, Arizona
Jake MacWilliams – 2B/SS, Arcadia High School, Arizona
Darian Ramage – SS, Deer Valley High School, Arizona (2011 Graduate)
Alex Real – SS, Pinnacle High School, Arizona, (2011 Graduate)
Jackie Samora – SS, Apollo High School, Arizona

The next drill was the Catchers Pop Times (the duration from when the pitch hits the catcher's glove to when the middle infielder catches it at the second base bag).  Below are the recorded best pop times of the day:

Jason Parks (2.00)
Tanner Murphy (2.06)
Nathaniel Causey (2.00)
Kevin Cron (2.12)
TC Mack (2.02)
Shaun Chase (2.00)

More to come on this tryout this week.
 

Andrew Knepper; ESPNRISE.com

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- The 2009 Area Code Baseball Tryouts started this weekend at Cashman Field, Home of the Toronto Blue Jays AAA ball clubs the Area 51's.  The Cincinnati Reds hosted 45 top recruits to tryout for the Area Code Games in Long Beach Calif., this coming August.  There were some returning faces from last year's tryouts which showed confident strides due to their previous experiences.  Brett Harrison, Derek Dunaway and Marquise Hall showed improvement from last years performance and look to be becoming fine ball players.
 
Taking in the top 60 yard dashes were Drew Robinson (6.81) Bobby Stahel (6.96) and Jeremy Ioane (7.00).  The running surface was uncharacteristically shaggy for Cashman Field and with the wind gusting into the players faces the slow overall times was directly affected.
 
With the outfield arms not bringing too much noise to the show, the infield work brought about an emerging player from the Island of Oahu.  Chace Numata from Pearl City (Honolulu, Hawaii) High School showed a good glove with a strong arm. 

The strength of Chace's arm drew strong curiosity to how he would fare behind the dish, and with never playing catcher before; he threw pop times of 1.97, 2.09, 2.06 and 2.03.  It was easy to see that his footwork was off, but never throwing from home to second this was impressive.  Listing in at 6-foot-0 and 165 pounds, Chace is currently playing shortstop, but down the line it looks like catcher might be a perfect fit.
 
Joining Chace in the catching drills was Jordan Stewart out of Foothill (Henderson, Nevada) High School, who tossed the best times of the day with a 1.87 and 1.93.  Not only were his pop times impressive and accurate, his bat was just was strong.
 
Moving on to batting practice with the wind howling in form right field, nothing left the yard until the second to last group batted and Cameron Harper belted three no doubters to left field.  His smooth approach and power stroke got attention of the fifty plus scouts in attendance.
 
Also showing good bats during batting practice were Marquise Hall, Jordan Stewart, Brett Harrison, Drew Robinson and Patrick Gallagher.
 
Once the simulated game began the first pitcher of the day, Eric Holdren, retired all five batters he faced with an 87-88 MPH fast ball and a good breaking ball. 
 
Players Below are a few player who made a good showing in Las Vegas.
 
Patrick Gallagher, a 6-foot-2 225 pound first baseman out of Reno showed good raw power in batting practice and also mashing an impressive opposite filed homerun in the simulated game.
 
Drew Robinson, a 2B/OF out of Silverado (Las Vegas, Nevada) High School displayed a good arm in the outfield drills and took home the best 60 yard dash with a 6.81.
 
Jake Hager, an underclassman at the tryout, a 2011 graduate, showed good overall tools and soft hands at the plate.  Look for him to possibly make some noise next year at the tryout.
 
Kavin Keyes, a switch-hitting middle infielder from Sandy, Utah, showcased good plate discipline, a good arm in the infield drills and an overall polished game.  He too is a 2011 graduate.
 
Brett Harrison, another 2011 graduate and two time Area Code tryout attendee, showed once again why the underclassman keeps receiving an invitation to tryout.  He squared up on every plate appearance during the simulated game.
 
Zack Hartman, a shortstop from Arbor View (Las Vegas, Nevada) High School displayed at strong arm in the infield drills and good fielding ability with crushing a few in the simulated game.
 
Cameron Harper had the best batting practice out of any player in attendance showing good raw power coming from his 6-foot-1 190 pound frame.
 
Buddy Bordon, the 6-foot-2 righty from Las Vegas showed one of the better repitoires of the day with a 88 MPH fastball and a good 72 MPH breaking ball.
 
The tryouts are moving on the Chandler Arizona and Denver Colorado as the Cincinnati Reds and Area Code Baseball look to compile the best player out of the four corners and Hawaii. 

Andrew Drennen; ESPNRISE.com

The Cincinnati Reds Area Code Baseball Team tryouts start next week and like last year there will be three tryouts.  The first one will be in Las Vegas at Cashman Field on June 12, followed by one at Chandler-Gilbert Community College on June 13 and the final one at Regis College in Denver on June 15.  The team will be built consist of players from Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii.

	Courtesy of Kaczmarek Family
	Taylor Kaczmarek is one of this year's hopefuls for the Cincinnati Reds Area Code Team.

Posted by Andrew Drennen

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.

Posted by Andrew Drennen

Cleveland State signed eight high schoolers last week.  "This is a very talented class," said head coach Kevin Kocks on CSTV.com. "We were able to get a good group of young players from northeast Ohio that fit into our system."

The Utah Utes head baseball coach Bill Kinneberg announced the signing of six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Joining Utah for the 2010 season are Rick Anton (Prescott, Ariz.), Brock Duke (Salem, Utah), Zach Adams (West Jordan), Tyler Wagner (Henderson, Nev./Bishop Gorman HS), Cam Schiller (Prescott, Ariz.) and Kevin Ponzo (LaVerne, Calif.).

Michigan State baseball coach Jake Boss announced the signing of seven to National Letters of Intent. For Boss, this is his first recruiting class since coming to Michigan State in July. MSU signed Torsten Boss (Lowell, Michigan.), Casey Dishman (Saline, Michigan.) Jordan Keur (Hudsonville, Michigan.), Andy Tinkey (Commerce, Michigan.), Andrew Waszak (Rochester Hills, Michigan.), Anthony Wieber (Lansing, Michigan.) and Joel Williams (Circleville, Ohio). Andy Rademacher (DeWitt, Michigan.) has accepted admission into Michigan State.

Eleven high school seniors have committed to play baseball at East Carolina University in 2010, head baseball coach Billy Godwin announced. Four of the players in the signing class played in the 2008 Area Code Baseball Games. The latest group of preps will take the diamond for the Pirates in 2010. The class includes Jake Harris, Joseph Hughes, D.J. Jauss, Tyler Joyner, Nick McBride, Tanner Merritt, Bryan Bass, Walker Gourley, John Wooten, Chris Gosik and Mike Trout.

Posted by Andrew Drennen

Wayne High School's (Utah) Jordan Ellett was recently featured in Deseret News.  He was named the Deseret News 1A MVP this week.  In 2008 the righty posted a ERA of 1.41 and had a sluggin percentage of 1.000.  This past year he helped guide his Badgers' team to a third straight title in the 1A classification.  Along with his sub 2.00 ERA, Ellet struck out 65 in 32 innings of work.

By Andrew Drennen

PEORIA, Ariz.  The first of the three Arizona Fall Classics kicked off today at the Peoria Sports Complex, the spring home to the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners.  The Senior Fall Classic started this afternoon with the Junior Fall Classic to follow next weekend and the Sophomore Fall Classic the weekend after that. 

For those who have never been to the Peoria Sports Complex, it is a great place to watch baseball.  Everywhere you look there is a game on one of the 14 fields.  Teams primarily the Western portion of the United States, including a team from Alaska and teams from Hawaii. 

The highlight of the day was the Home Run Derby inside the main stadium.  The dimensions are favorable, if you are a pitcher and with the kids using wood bats, homeruns would have to be earned. 

Tommy Joseph ended up winning the Home Run Derby with two monster shots, out of the 15 swings he took.  His furthest ball traveled over the 385 sign in the left center power alley.  It was a no doubter.

We saw Joseph, playing for the Diamond Backs this weekend, at the 2008 Area Code Baseball Games when he played for the Cincinnati Reds team.  He was selected to the All Area Code Team at week's end and had a tremendous week offensively. 

At the plate tonight he showed some of the same power he showed back in August.  He got through the zone well and it seemed effortless. 

Carlton Tanabe, from Hawaii Blue, may not have hit one out, but still showed he had some power.  He hit three that just missed going out, as they thudded off the wall.  Tanabe was invited to tryout for the Reds Area Code Team back in June and fell just short of making a trip to Long Beach.

Another Hawaiian, Bryson Namba of Team Hawaii Gold, also showed some pop in his bat.  Like Tanabe, Namba did not hit one out, but he did come close twice.  He too tried out for the Reds Area Code Team in Las Vegas last June, but fell short.  Only one player from Hawaii made the trip to Long Beach and that was Devon Kell, who this weekend is a teammate of Namba. 

A couple more players that caught our eye today were Parker Morin, playing for the Utah Green this week and Brian Corliss playing for Baseball Northwest Washington Green Team.

Morin is a 5-11, 185 pound catcher out of Park City High School in Utah.  In the innings he caught he showed knowledge of the strike zone and called a good game. At the plate he showed a good approach and took with the pitchers gave him. 

Corlissm 6-0,170 pound infielder/pitcher out of Todd Beamer High School, was solid in his outing against Snow Canyon.  He showed a good fastball and a nice breaking ball. He worked the zone and changed speeds effectively.

Tomorrow the teams will SPARQ Test and we will have those results as soon as they are posted.

Posted by Andrew Drennen

Here are the group of players on the Team USA 16U roster, competing this week in the COPABE 'AA' Youth Pan Am Championships.  

	Elaine Shepard
	Bryce Harper is one of the top 2011 players in the nation.

Catchers:

Will Allen | 6-2 | 200 | Gainesville, FL
Ladson Montgomery | 5-8 | Jacksonville, FL

Pitchers:

Cody Buckel | 6-1 | 170 | Simi Valley, CA
Daniel Camerena | 6-0 | 180 | Bonita, CA
Dan Child | 6-5 | 230 | Rocklin, CA
Michael Kelly | 6-4 | 185 | Boynton Beach, FL
Phillip Pfiefer | 5-11 | 170 | Knoxville, TN
Bryan Radziewski | 6-0 | 180 | Miami, FL
Peter Tago | 6-2 | 170 | Laguna Niguel, CA
Kyle Van Alstine | 6-3 | 180 | Merritt Island, FL

Infielders:

Nicky Delmonico | 6-2 | 185 | Knoxville, TN
Marcus Littlewood | 6-2 | 180 | St. George, UT
Christian Lopes | 6-0 | 180 | Canyon Country, CA
Connor Mason | 6-1 | 185 | Suwanee, GA
Jake Rodriguez | 5-9 | 175 | Elk Grove, CA
Tony Wolters | 5-10 | 165 | Vista, CA

Outfielders:

Bryce Harper | 6-3 | 205 | Las Vegas, NV
Matt Lipka | 6-1 | 188 | Frisco, TX
Michael Lorenzen | 6-1 | 165 | Anaheim, CA

Posted by Andrew Drennen

Marcus Littlewood of Pine View (Utah) High School made history when he was selected to the Team USA 16U Baseball  Team.  Currently that team is in Mexico playing in the Junior Pan-Am Games this month.  According to DeseretNews.com, Brock Duke made the 14U team a few years ago.

Littlewood is a junior and is one of 19 players to make the final Team USA 16U roster for the Pan Am Games.  Last season, Littlewood was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year as he put up solid numbers as a sophomore.  He has given his verbal to the University of San Diego.  

Posted by Andrew Knepper

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.

2008 Cincinnati Reds Area Code Roster