Area Code Games (Top Prospects)

August 6-12, 2001 - Long Beach, CA

1. Scott Kazmir LHP 6'0/175 Cy Falls Houston, TX We have seen Kazmir better earlier in the year, but he was still #1 in Long Beach in our scouts estimation. He threw 90-92, touching 93 with a good breaking ball and outstanding mound presence.

2. BJ Upton SS 6'2/170 Greenbriar Acad. Chesapeake, VA 7+ arm, plus speed, smooth actions and we think he will hit for power in the future. Upton has Shawon Dunston type tools with better SS actions. He's fun to watch! Upton appears to play on cruise control at times, but so did a few of the best ever.

3. Sergio Santos SS 6'3/190 Mater Dei Hacienda Heights, CA We've seen Santos at his best. His pro future is probably at 3B, but he will have to play his way out of the SS position. He is big, strong and runs very well. He has fluid body actions, but some might question if he has the feet to stay at SS. His swing is a bit long, but he projects to hit with power.

4. Friedel Pinkston RHP 6'3/190 Hart Hartwell, GA We have seen Pinkston enough to know he is for real. He is an athletic type pitcher who reminds us a little of Dewan Brazelton or old films of Satchel Paige. He throws easily in the 90s and even drops down once in awhile to side-arm a mid 80s sinker. His breaking ball and changeup are both potential plus pitches.

5. Jeff Clement C 6'1/190 Marshalltown Marshalltown, IA Clement is one of the best left-handed bats in the country. He has no problem getting turned on the very best fastballs. He possesses plus arm strength and has thrown in the 90s from the mound. He has good catching skills, but needs to improve his footwork and technique slightly.

6. Micah Schilling 2B 5'11/185 Silliman Institute Clinton, LA Schilling is another of the top left-handed bats in the nation. He hits screamers into both alleys and has plus power. He is an above average runner and a plus player. If you were to name an all-american team, he makes 2B an easy choice.

7. Mark McCormick RHP 6'2/190 Clear Creek Clear Creek Shores, TX McCormick joins Jason Neighborgall and Scott Kazmir at the top of the heat chart. He is a mid 90s guy right now and will probably keep improving. His mid 90s is very straight and that's probably the area he needs to work on the most. Improving movement is much easier than throwing 95-96.

8. Jason Pridie OF/IF 6'1/175 Prescott Prescott, AZ Pridie shows pretty much all the tools. He is average to plus in arm, speed and bat. We think he will hit with power as well. He played a lot of infield in Long Beach and did an outstanding job. We like him much better as an outfielder.

9. Brent Clevlen OF 6'1/180 Westwood Austin, TX Clevlen was the star of the 2001 Area Codes. He simply hit everything in sight and hit it hard. He has a more than playable arm and ran a 6.75. He has a lot going for him, but we think Pridie being a left-handed bat and a bit better tools would rank just ahead of him as a prospect.

10. Matt Whitney 3B/OF 6'4/190 Palm Beach Gardens Palm Beach Gardens, FL Whitney may be the top right-handed hitter in high school baseball. He hits with power and hits good pitching. The rest of his game is more than playable at 3B or in the outfield. He runs close to average and has some good athletic ability and actions.

11. Hayden Penn RHP 6'3/180 Santana Santee, CA Penn was a pleasant surprise to us. He is an athletic type pitcher who has no problem throwing in the low 90s. He has the makings of a good breaking ball and changeup. Don't be surprised if he comes out lighting up the gun in the spring.

12. Wardell Starling P/OF 6'4/190 Elkins Missouri City, TX Starling has one of the best baseball bodies in the country. His athletic ability is simply outstanding. He has a plus arm and can really run for a big guy. His swing is a tad bit long, but we have seen him hit good pitching. The question is, is he a pitcher or an outfielder.

13. Jon Lester LHP 6'3/195 Bellarmine Puyallup, WA Lester is very athletic, in fact he swings the bat and runs well enough to be a position prospect. However, his loose arm action and 90 mph left-handed fastball tells another story. He could easily gain a few clicks on that heater and be in big demand next spring.

14. Mike Pelfrey RHP 6'6/185 Wichita Heights Wichita, KS We have seen Pelfrey much better and that's why we have him ranked this high. He was still a pretty good 88-91 with a quick arm for 6'6" tall. It just looked like he was throwing with more effort. Maybe he was just muscling up and trying to light up the gun.

15. Scott Moore SS 6'2/175 Cypress Cypress, CA Moore is right up there, but right below the Santos-Upton class. Actually we like his bat better than those two. He somehow did not hit at the Area Codes, but we think that was just one of those things. We don't doubt that beautiful swing or his hitting ability.

16. Tom Wilhelmsen RHP 6'5/210 Tucson Tucson, AZ Wilhelmsen could easily move to the head of the class come next June. He is extremely projectable and has been improving at a rapid pace. We know he will have no problem throwing in the 90s, in fact we think he will be a mid 90s guy. This summer he has shown the makings of a plus breaking ball and a decent changeup.

17. Chris Gruler RHP 6'3/185 Liberty Brentwood, CA Gruler throws anywhere from 87 to 93, in Long Beach we got him 88-91. We think he could be a big prize next year. The ball really comes out of his hand well and he flashes a good 12-6 breaking ball.

18. Adam Elliott RHP 6'2/205 Clayton Valley Clayton Valley, CA Elliott is another pitcher that we have seen much better. That sometimes sways a person's opinion. He was mostly 88 maybe 89 topps in Long Beach, but we know and have seen 93 many times. Elliott also has one of the nations best breaking balls and a good change. He did show a couple of those pitches.

19. Steven Kahn RHP 6'2/200 Servite Anaheim, CA Kahn is kind of a poor man's version of Dan Denham. About the same size and a good fastball that touches 92. He doesn't have the power breaking ball, but if he were to get one…Look out!

20. Mark Romanczuk LHP 6'1/175 St Marks Newark, DE Romanczuk is one of the many, not so big, outstanding lefties in this years class. He can really pitch, plus breaking ball, good command and a low 90 fastball at times.

21. Alex Merricks LHP 5'11/175 Oxnard Oxnard, CA Merricks is perhaps, next to Kazmir, the hardest throwing lefty in high school baseball. We have seen him touch 94 and he displayed low 90s in Long Beach. His arm works very good and he has the makings of both breaking ball and change.

22. Mark Rosen LHP 5'11/200 Salisbury Randolph, MA Rosen could easily be ranked higher than this. He is a very aggressive lefty who has been throwing in the 90s a lot. He also displays a good power slider that breaks late but doesn't seem to always have command of it. He is very strong physically and gets after it!

23. Evan Meek RHP 6'1/180 Inglemoor Bothel, WA Meek has outstanding arm action. He has a whip! In Long Beach he was anywhere from 88 to 92, but we have seen him as high as 94 in the past.

24. Kevin Jepson RHP 6'2/195 Manogue Reno, NV Jepson is coming on after a minor ailment earlier in the summer that kaept him out of the PG Tropicana event. He was 88 to a top of 92 in Long Beach and he showed an outstanding slider in the low 80s.

25. John Mayberry OF/1B 6'5/200 Rockhurst Overland Park, KS Mayberry would normally be near the top of this list and maybe he still should be based on ability alone. He just didn't hit the ball in Long Beach and that's what he does best!

26. Shawn Scobee OF 6'0/190 Rio Linda Rio Linda, CA Scobee was the number one power hitter in Long Beach. He hit a few out and one real blast to straight away center. He is very strong with a good arm and very quick hands.

27. Steven Doetsch OF 6'2/180 Northside Christian St Petersburg, FL Doetsch is another of the outstanding tools guys who didn't perform up to standards in Long Beach. He is plus body, plus arm, plus run and he has power potential.

28. Corey Shafer OF/1B 6'2/210 Choctaw Choctaw, OK Shafer is good player with one exceptional tool in his left-handed bat. He showed enough of that bat to keep scouts watching closely.

29. Clint Everts SS/P 6'2/170 Cy Falls Houston, TX Everts is an outstanding player/pitcher. He would have to be considered one of the top college 2-way guys in the nation. He really threw well in Long Beach, touching 92 with an excellent curve ball.

30. Taylor Teagarden C 6'1/195 Creekview Carrollton, TX Teagarden missed the first part of the Area Codes, but once he showed up he showed enough to be considered one of the top catching prospects in the country.

31. Josh Johnson RHP 6'6/215 Jenks Tulsa, OK Johnson is a very big right-hander who projects off the map. He threw in the high 80s in Long Beach, but there is much more in there.

32. Kris Krise RHP 6'6/230 Valley LaCrescenta, CA Krise is another very big, strong right-hander that could move way up the charts. He was high 80s in Long Beach and showed the ability to throw a good breaking ball.

33. Justin Gee RHP 6'4/200 Sarasota Sarasota, FL Gee is another pitcher that we have seen much better before. He still showed his fast arm and potential plus slider.

34. Scott Lonergan RHP 6'4/190 Poway Poway, CA Lonergan didn't light up the gun in Long Beach, but his arm action and delivery shows plus fastball potential. He also flashed plus breaking ball potential.

35. Ryan Bosch OF 6'0/180 Granada Livermore, CA Bosch kind of grows on you. His tools are average at best other than his arm which is a MLB tool. He plays the game very well and we think he will hit.

36. Fernando Pacheco 1B 6'2/190 Montgomery San Ysidro, CA Pacheco is a one tool guy, but it's a serious bat he swings and that tool draws some attention. He can mash with most anyone.

37. Greg Goetz LHP 6'2/175 Newport Bellevue, WA Goetz is a lefty with good arm action and a solid delivery. He ran it up there in the high 80s touching 90. He shows the ability to really spin the ball, watch him!

38. Chance Douglas RHP 6'1/195 Randall Amarillo, TX Douglas was in the upper 80s touching 90 and with some sink. He is pretty thick in the lower body, kind of like some hall-of-famers.

39. Billy Hogan 3B 6'3/185 Newman Smith Carrollton, TX Hogan is another HS SS that projects very well as a 3B in our book. He runs decent and can really swing the bat. He has plenty of arm and good infield actions.

40. Matt Bolander RHP 6'2/190 Pendleton Heights Anderson, IN Bolander was another high 80s touch 90 guy. He throws a big breaking, we will call it a, slurve. He did show good mound presence.

41. James Loney 1B/P 6'3/180 Elkins Missouri City, TX Loney has a long athletic body and has some interesting ability. He could develop as a left-handed pitcher (he topped at 88) or a big hitting 1B, the ball jumps off his bat.

42. John Hunter RHP 6'2/215 Harrison West Lafayette, IN Will Hunter be Indiana's version of Garrett Berger this coming year? He is big and strong, his arm works good and he is in the 90 mph range now.

43. Bo Flowers OF 6'2/190 Walter Lutheran Maywood, IL Flowers is an outstanding athlete. He can run, throw and hit.

44. Eduardo Baeza RHP 6'0/170 Sun Valley Sun Valley, CA Baeza makes this list because on the last day with many scouts gone, he was touching 93.

45. Jesse Estrada RHP 6'7/225 Socorro El Paso, TX Estrada is very tall and has a good arm. He throws some quality pitches, but lacks that smooth arm action and delivery that scouts love.

46. Robert Andino SS 6'0/170 Southridge Miami, FL If Andino were a bit faster runner, he would climb right up this list. He can reall swing the bat and he has outstanding smooth infield actions.

47. Jeff Jacobsen RHP 6'7/190 Durango Las Vegas, NV Jacobsen is still a very good prospect with his tall lean body and MLB fastball.

48. Wes Bankston OF 6'2/200 Plano East Plano, TX Bankston showed just enough athletic ability to keep everyone interested in him.

49. Zach Segovia RHP 6'2/225 Forney Forney, TX Segovia is probably much better than #49 on this list. He has a quick arm and can pitch. We haven't seen it, but have heard he's been up as high as 94. He did touch 90 in Long Beach and we saw 92 in Joplin earlier this summer. With Segovia it's a question of whether or not he projects to keep getting better.

50. Brett Martinez C 6'0/170 Redlands Redlands, CA Martinez' catching skills and arm are what get him on the list. If he improves with the bat he could be a hot item next June.

TOP 03's Area Code 2001

1. Delmon Young OF 6’2/190 Camarillo Camarillo, CA
2. Jordan Mayer 3B/P 6’3/220 Alexandria Alexandria, LA
3. Cain Byrd RHP 6’3/185 Southwood Shreveport, LA
4. Eric Duncan 3B 6’2/195 Seton Hall Prep Florham Park, NJ
5. Adam Hale OF 6’3/190 Bellaire Bellaire, TX