Following Baseball Prospectus' top prospect lists, the 'Before They Were Pros' series provides reports on the top prospects in baseball from their time in high school at PG events.

As part of Perfect Game's partnership with Baseball Prospectus, David Rawnsley and Patrick Ebert will be conducting a “Before They Were Pros” series, providing scouting reports on some of the top prospects in baseball from when they were in high school attending PG events. This six-part series (one for each division in MLB) will appear once Baseball Prospectus has provided their own detailed scouting reports of the top prospects, team-by-team, as part of their own series.

We continue with a look at the National League West. Be sure to read Baseball Prospectus' features on each of the five teams:

Diamondbacks | Rockies | Padres | Giants | Dodgers

And here are links to the other 'Before They Were Pros' series already conducted:

NL East | NL Central | AL East


Arizona Diamondbacks

Ryan McMahon – 3B

McMahon was a stranger to national level baseball scouts until late in the summer in 2012, prior to the start of his senior year in high school.

The reason for that was a combination of playing quarterback and going to Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. Mater Dei is a football powerhouse that produces future NFL players at almost every position, but is occasionally referred to as "Quarterback High." Five eventual NFL quarterbacks have attended the private Catholic school, including Heisman Trophy winners John Huarte and Matt Leinert.

While McMahon was never a potential NFL quarterback, he did start 15 games for Mater Dei between his junior and senior seasons, throwing for 1,863 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Mater Dei also has a very successful baseball program and boasts present and past alums such as Danny Espinosa, Sergio Santos, Matt Treanor and Bobby Meachan. McMahon was a three-year starter for Mater Dei in baseball and hit .405-4-32 during his senior season and .376-10-73 over his career.

The only time McMahon appeared in a national level scouting event was at the 2012 Area Code Games. The AC Games are held annually in early August and McMahon was surely already deeply involved in football workouts. Despite that, he put on a very impressive performance and solidly put himself on the baseball prospect map as a potential high round draft choice. I recall turning to a SoCal based scouting friend during a McMahon at-bat and asking him "Do the area scouts here know they have a potential first rounder?" My own notes from that event were as about as glowing as possible:

All American quality tools and athleticism, first round potential. Sweet left handed swing, bat speed, looseness, has everything. Very athletic at 3B. Top 50 player, resembles Corey Seager with a better swing.

The Rockies picked McMahon, who had a baseball commitment to Southern California, with the 42nd overall pick near the top of the second round and signed him to a $1,328,000 signing bonus that exactly matched the slot for that pick. It was considered a pretty aggressive selection at that time by the industry as a whole, but early indications are that it was a very wise one as well. – David Rawnsley

Hunter Renfroe – OF

A two-way talent whose tools were highlighted by an incredibly strong arm and power potential at the plate, Renfroe participated in back-to-back 18u WWBA National Championships in 2009 and 2010 playing for the Mississippi Bandits. He received high marks at the time for his defensive mechanics behind the plate, registering pop times in the 1.90 range while using a compact, balanced swing to drive the ball to the gaps.

He also threw in the 88-91 mph range on the mound, although threw mostly fastballs in the process, and his two-way career didn't continue past his freshman season at Mississippi State when he made six relief appearances for the Bulldogs.

Although Renfroe hit .154 and .252 during his first two years in college, he made an immediate impression the two summers that followed in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League, being named the top prospect of the league each year. During his second summer in the league Renfroe hit an eye-popping .366 with 16 home runs in just 134 at-bats.

Even though he touched the upper-90s on the mound and popped 1.7's from behind the plate, Renfroe continued to post big numbers during his junior year as an outfielder, with the prototypical power bat/arm profile for right field. He recorded eight outfield assists while hitting .345 with 16 home runs, and proved to be a star on the big stage of the College World Series as well, hitting a booming three-run home run in a 4-1 victory over Oregon State that carried the Bulldogs to the championship round against the eventual champion UCLA Bruins.

Here's his report prior to the 2013 draft, when he was ranked PG's 11th overall prospect:

The real Hunter Renfroe has stood up this spring, and there may not be a player in the 2013 draft class who has a better overall tool-set than the powerful Mississippi State right fielder. After playing sparingly for the Bulldogs as a freshman and hitting a modest .252-4-25 as a sophomore, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Renfroe has busted out with a monster junior season and leads his team with a .410 average, 14 homers and 45 RBIs … Though he is viewed as a legitimate big-league prospect at any number of positions, Renfroe seemed to find a comfort zone this spring for the Bulldogs as a right fielder, and his easy transition to that position speaks to his superior athleticism and versatility. There isn’t a tool in his bag that doesn’t rate as above average but it’s his prodigious power at the plate, both for distance and frequency, that truly sets him apart.

Renfroe's continued development in college led to him being selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Padres. – Patrick Ebert


Taylor Lindsey – 2B

A well-known talent coming out of high school, Lindsey was ranked 76th in Perfect Game's high school class of 2010 player rankings. While Lindsey called shortstop home in high school, his future position on the field was somewhat in question as he lacked the ideal range and at short. A high-level athlete, Lindsey could play almost anywhere else on the field, but it was his advanced lefthanded bat and overall approach and the strength in his swing that drew the most attention.

Although he wasn't a regular on the national travel circuit, Lindsey did attend both the 2009 Area Code Games and the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla. that same year. Here is a collection of reports from his performance in Jupiter:

Patient at plate, has pop on inner half, good bat speed … aggressive hitter, rotational, swings uphill … closed slightly, hands high, good approach, confident, very good quick hands, line drive hitter with power potential, good drive off bat … stands tall, simple approach.

And the Area Code Games:

Very nice swing, big bat speed, has lift, drives the ball deep, projects more, squares up good stuff, looks and acts like a top level hitter. Didn't stand out on defense, played some OF as well.

The Los Angeles Angels used a supplemental first round pick on Lindsey in the 2010 MLB Draft to steer him away from his home-state commitment to Arizona State. – Patrick Ebert


San Francisco Giants


Christian Arroyo – SS/2B

Arroyo was a well-known prospect at Hernando High School in Florida, playing in close to 20 Perfect Game events beginning in his freshman year, including the 2012 PG National Showcase, and also played for the 2012 USA National 18u team. He received a PG Grade of 10 at the National Showcase and this scout wrote the following glowing report on him:

Medium athletic build, good present strength. Right handed hitter, outstanding plate coverage and hand/eye coordination, short crisp swing with bat speed, squares up everything, no problems against plus velocity, hard line drive contact to all fields, gap power, has special ability to square up the ball. Second base tools defensively, 7.10 runner, good hands, stays balanced and light on his feet, arm strength playable. Bat is special.

Despite his impressive resume, Arroyo was generally not considered the type of prospect that would interest many pro teams as a high draft out of high school. While his bat was a special tool, his running speed and arm strength, two prospect barometers for a middle-of-the-field athlete, were simply average. Arroyo was seen by most as a player who would go to Florida (he was an excellent student) and be an immediate impact player for Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan. In fact, O'Sullivan, in private conversations before the draft, expressed shock that he might lose Arroyo to the draft.

There was talk through the late spring that there were a couple of teams that were looking at Arroyo very high, but most of the industry believed he more of a third to fifth round option and more likely going to Florida. Some even thought his best future position was behind the plate.

That the Giants were the team that snapped Arroyo up with a first round pick, the 25th overall, shouldn't have been surprising in retrospect. The team selected high school middle infielder Nick Noonan with the 32nd overall pick in 2007 despite concerns about his ability to stay at short. They also famously picked Joe Panik out of St. John's with the 29th pick in 2011 despite concerns that the future playoff hero didn't have a true plus tool. Both players were very intelligent middle-of-the-field players whose best tool was their bat. The Giants valued those two, along with Arroyo, for their ability to play baseball and hit rather than their athleticism.

That formula seems to have worked well for them thus far. – David Rawnsley


Steven Okert – LHP

Okert was a two-way talent in high school, performing at a high level both on the mound and at the plate for Rowlett High School in Texas. He didn't play at a Perfect Game event until the summer after he had already graduated from high school, the 2009 18u WWBA National Championship, playing with the Frozen Ropes travel team organization.

With a sturdy 6-foot-3, 195-pound build Okert offered intriguing power potential as a first baseman and a power arm on the mound. At the 18u WWBA National Championship he peaked at 88 mph, sitting comfortably in the 86-88 mph range while throwing both a curveball and a changeup in the mid-70s. It was noted at the event that his mechanics could be brushed up as he threw across his body, and that he would need to make sure to keep his focus on conditioning given his strong lower half.

After two years at Grayson County College, a junior college located in Denison, Texas, Okert transferred to the University of Oklahoma thanks to a significant spike in velocity. He now had the ability to sit in the low- to mid-90s when used in short relief, a role that seemed to suit him well despite having three pitches in his arsenal. Here's his pre-draft report in 2012:

(Okert) started the 2012 season in the Sooners rotation, but was moved to the bullpen after five starts. Since then, Okert’s stuff has been nothing short of outstanding with a fastball consistently in the 94-96 mph range, touching 97, to go with a solid slider and changeup. A more-confident presence on the mound speaks to the greater comfort zone he has achieved as a reliever. Okert has a smooth, easy delivery and demonstrates good command of his fastball to both sides of the plate, but it is still not refined overall as he has served up 33 walks in 69 innings this spring, while striking out 65 and posting a 6-6, 3.26 record. Okert’s overall package would seem to be a good fit in the third- to fifth rounds, but the sheer power in his left arm has scouts talking him up as high as the second round.

Although he didn't go as high as the second round, the Giants did select Okert in the fourth round that year, which marked the third time he was drafted after being taken by the Brewers in the later rounds in both 2010 and 2011 after his freshman and sophomore years at Grayson County College. – Patrick Ebert


Clayton Blackburn – RHP

2011 was the year of the high school pitcher in the state of Oklahoma. Dylan Bundy was the fourth overall pick and had some scouts calling him the best high school righthander they'd ever seen. Some didn't even think Bundy was the best high school pitcher in the state, believing Archie Bradley, who went with the seventh overall pick, had a higher ceiling. Then there was Mike Fulmer, who went 44th overall, and Adrian Houser, who was plucked up with the 69th overall pick. Mason Hope got into the act in the fifth round.

As perspective, there has been only one high school pitcher from Oklahoma selected in the first five rounds since 2011.

Blackburn was a known prospect in high school but certainly not a high profile one. He went to the 2009 Perfect Game Sunshine South Showcase as a 6-foot-2, 210-pound primary first baseman and received a PG grade of 7.5 at that position. However, his report from the event noted the following:

Also pitched, strong arm, 82-84 mph fastball from OH release, good extension, FB flashes hard boring action, hard CB spin, has potential on the mound.

Blackburn improved significantly over the course of the next year and was invited to the 2010 Area Code Games. He pitched in the 87-90 mph range with his characteristic feel for pitching. His notes from that outing read:

Soft build, young look, full delivery, full arm circle, pretty smooth delivery, loose out front, H 3/4's release. Has arm strength, FB straight, CB spin soft, nice changeup, knows how to work changeup well.

Blackburn was signed with Oklahoma when the Giants took a flier on him in that loaded 2011 Oklahoma draft class in the 16th round and were able to sign him for a surprisingly low $160,000 bonus. – David Rawnsley


Los Angeles Dodgers

Chris Anderson – RHP

Lightly recruited out of Centennial Park High School just northeast of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, Anderson participated in Perfect Game's Midwest Scout League during the fall of his senior season to gain additional exposure. Already a well-built athlete at 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, Anderson peaked at 91 mph during the fall, and then 92 the following spring, prior to attending Jacksonville University.

Anderson grew another inch and added 15-20 pounds to his already workhorse build while in college, and although he enjoyed two solid yet unspectacular seasons in his first two years at Jacksonville, he started to make a much bigger name for himself during the summer of 2012 when he pitched on the Cape. While his performance numbers may not reflect his success, he was throwing in the low-90s on a regular basis and started to find more consistency with his off-speed pitches.

Those pitches included a low- to mid-80s slider and a continually improving changeup. By his junior year Anderson opened the spring by sitting in the low- to mid-90s with his fastball, peaking a few ticks higher, and effectively changing speeds between his improving secondary pitches.

Frankie Piliere has this to say about Anderson as part of his Draft Focus report in the spring of 2013:

Flash forward to this spring and we find a very different pitcher. His velocity is up - he’s now sitting 92-95 mph and reaching as high as 96-97 mph. He’s also been locating exceptionally well. But, the biggest difference has been with his secondary pitches. Anderson is throwing a plus slider, as well as a potential solid-average changeup, and he’s missing a lot of bats in the process. His slider at 81-84 mph is becoming a legitimate above average offering, and the changeup command is there in a way it hasn’t been before. In other words, Anderson has gone from merely an intriguing power arm with a durable frame, to a full-fledged three-pitch starter.

Anderson was a well enough known draft commodity for the Cubs to take him in the 35th round of the 2010 draft out of high school. That wasn't high enough to lure him away from college, but it stands as enough proof that he was on team's radars even before he exploded onto the prospect scene two years later. That explosion led to him selected in the first round by the Dodgers in 2013. – Patrick Ebert


Scott Schebler – OF

The state of Iowa has had a steady trickle of high profile high school prospects over the years, helped significantly by the Perfect Game spring and fall leagues that give the state's young players a chance to play during more than just their summer high school seasons. Scott Schebler was definitely not one of those high profile prospects, though.

Schebler went to school at Prairie High School just outside of Cedar Rapids, Perfect Game's home, and played five sports in high school and was all-state in three of them. He started playing in the spring and fall leagues immediately after he entered high school, along with attending numerous showcases, including the 2007 National Underclass, where he received a PG grade of 8. He had upped that grade to 9 by the end of senior year, when the comments on his 2009 Midwest Top Prospect Showcase report read:

Strong athletic build, fairly mature. Aggressive hitting style, looking to pull everything, has good bat speed, lift in swing, ball jumps hard on contact, will hit HR's at the next level. 6.91 runner, moves well in the outfield, raw arm strength, will improve throws with better fundamentals. Bat is a plus.

Still, Schebler was only the 719th ranked prospect on the PG Class of 2009 rankings and was signed to attend Des Moines Area Community College, a well respected Division II junior college program.

At DMACC, Schebler continued to do what he'd always done which was hit. He posted a .446-20-82 line in 58 games as a freshman. When he ran the 60-yard dash in 6.52 seconds at the PG Pre-Draft Showcase in mid-May of 2010, it was noted how he was getting stronger and more athletic, but teams still weren't excited. The Dodgers and area scout Mitch Webster liked Schebler the best but only ventured a 26th round pick on him. The Dodgers stepped up, though, signing Schebler away from Wichita State with a $300,000 signing bonus. – David Rawnsley