Official league website: www.westcoastleague.com
2015 Summer Collegiate Top Propsect Index
West Coast League Top Prospect List (20)
The West Coast League (WCL) has become a finishing school for rising freshman headed to big time west coast college programs and this year was no exception, as the top three prospects all participated in the 2014 Perfect Game All-American Classic. The league had a good mix of high upside young talent combined with experienced college players who put up big numbers.
While the Bend Elks were the story of the year in the WCL, three other franchises reached the 30-win plateau. The Kelowna Falcons (34-19), Bellingham Bells (33-21) and Corvallis Knights (32-22) all had excellent summers. Kelowna swept the league’s individual awards, winning player, pitcher, and coach of the year honors.
The Elks won both the regular season (35-16) and the playoffs, capturing the franchise’s first WCL championship. The Elks’ deep offense led the WCL in both batting average (.306) and slugging percentage (.429). Bend then punctuated that performance in the postseason by averaging 10.5 runs per game while going 4-0 to capture the title.
Year established: 2005
States represented: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia (Canada)
No. of teams: 12
Regular season Champion (best overall record): Bend Elks (35-16)
Postseason Champion: Bend Elks
No. 1 prospect, 2014: Vince Fernandez, of, Yakima Valley (UC Riverside)
First 2014 player selected, 2015 MLB Draft: Jay Flaa, rhp, Walla Walla (North Dakota State/Drafted 6th round, Baltimore)
Player of the Year: Hunter Villanueva, inf, Kelowna (Fresno Pacific)
Pitcher of the Year: Brady Miller, rhp, Kelowna (Western Oregon)
BATTING LEADERS
Batting average: Hunter Villanueva, inf, Kelowna (Fresno Pacific) (.378)
Slugging percentage: Keston Hiura, of, Wenatchee (.623)
On-base percentage: Hunter Villanueva, inf, Kelowna (Fresno Pacific); Justin Flores, inf, Kelowna (Cal State Monterey Bay (.488)
Home runs: Danny Mayer, inf, Medford (Pacific) (11)
RBI:Tyler Davis, inf, Bend (Northwest Nazarene) (50)
Stolen bases: Nick Madrigal, inf, Corvallis (Oregon State) (40)
PITCHING LEADERS
Wins: Hunter Wells, rhp, Wenatchee (Gonzaga); Andrew Kemmerer, rhp, Bellingham (Central Arkansas) (7)
ERA: John Oltman, lhp, Kitsap (Creighton) (1.12)
Saves:Lars Rider, rhp, Cowlitz (Central Washington) (13)
Strikeouts:Patrick McGuff, rhp, Bend (Morehead State) (64)
BEST TOOLS
Best athlete: Alex McKenna, of, Walla Walla (Cal Poly)
Best hitter: Keston Hiura, of, Wenatchee (UC Irvine)
Best power: Danny Mayer, inf, Medford (Pacific)
Best speed: Nick Madrigal, ss, Corvallis (Oregon State)
Best defender: Cadyn Grenier, ss, Bend (Oregon State)
Best velocity: Curtis Taylor, rhp, Kelowna (U of British Columbia)
Best breaking stuff: Darrion Simons, lhp, Yakima Valley (Yakima Valley College)
Best command: Brian Way, rhp, Bellingham (Edmonds CC)
TOP 20 PROSPECTS
1. Cadyn Grenier, inf, Bend (Oregon State/FR in 2016)
Darwin Barney comps are sacred in the Pacific Northwest and Grenier received that compliment in volume. Grenier put a bow on his high school career with a walkoff home run in the state championship game and that momentum carried into the summer. His plus instincts and sizeable "it" factor overshadow his considerable tools. Grenier is a smooth defender with arm strength, and offensively he combines exceptional speed with great bat control and more pop than his physical size would indicate. One opposing coach stated that Grenier was simply the best player on the field every day and that is high praise for a player still yet to suit up for his first college baseball game.
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