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High School | General | 2/12/2015

Regional HS Preview: Pacific

David Rawnsley

Photo: Perfect Game

2015 Perfect Game High School Baseball Preview Index

For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2015 high school baseball preview content, the Dream Team is available for free. The region top tools can be viewed with an Insider subscription. To learn more about Perfect Game's subscription packages and to sign up today please visit this link.

Pacific Region: California, Hawaii

Everyone is familiar with the numbers that show that California produces more draft choices and more Major League players than any other state in the country. And if you look at the talent and depth of pitching in the 2015 class in this region, you can feel secure that there will be future big leaguers from this group. In fact, lefthanders Justin Hooper and Kolby Allard might be the two top high school hurlers in the country.

You can also look at the 2015 class in this region and be impressed by the power, led by players such as catcher Chris Betts, first baseman Devin Davis and outfielder Kyle Dean.

But look closer and one can't help but be impressed by the strength of the position players in the 2016 and 2017 classes, especially in Southern California.

Eight underclassmen, including six juniors and two precocious sophomores – versatile Hagen Danner and defensive whiz Nick Allen – warrant mention among the Dream Team and best individual tools from the region. Only one, righthander Kevin Gowdy, is a full-time pitcher. The rest are high-level athletes who especially stand out as premium position athletes.

That's an exciting outlook moving forward for the scouts, coaches and baseball fans in the region.
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Pacific Region High School Dream Team

C - Chris Betts, Sr., Wilson
Betts is the top ranked catcher in the 2015 class per the Perfect Game rankings and also a 2014 PG All-American. He's been a starter at Long Beach Wilson High School since the first game of his freshman year and excelled on the summer/fall travel circuit as well. The Tennessee signee has a strong lefthanded swing at the plate but really excels on defense, where his strong arm and aggressive approach to the game stand out.

1B - Devin Davis, Sr., Valencia
Davis is one of the stronger players in the 2015 class, with a chiseled 6-foot-3, 215-pound build. The righthanded hitter puts all that strength to good use at the plate with big bat speed and a long and powerful swing path. He hit .427-5-33 with 14 doubles for Valencia High School last spring and showed continued improvement in his ability to handle off-speed pitches over the summer and fall after being primarily a dead red fastball hitter at the start of the summer. Davis also stands out for his balanced and quick athletic actions defensively at first base and his advanced ability to pick low throws.

MIF - Nick Madrigal, Sr., Elk Grove
A three-year starter at perennial powerhouse Elk Grove High School and a member of the 2014 USA National 18u team, Madrigal stands out for very high level baseball skills given his smallish 5-foot-7, 145-pound build. He's a prototypical top-of-the-order hitter who hit .421-0-15 with 28 stolen bases, 42 runs scored and only three strikeouts in 126 plate appearances as a junior. Madrigal's quickness and skills also come into play as a sure-handed defender at both shortstop and second base.

MIF - Nick Allen, So., Francis Parker
Allen is only a sophomore and is no bigger than his fellow Pacific All-Region middle infielder Nick Madrigal, but he has already established a national reputation as one of the most dynamic defensive players in the country. Allen is one of those rare players who can dominate a game defensively not only with his tools but with his creativity and instincts. Offensively, the righthanded hitter has surprising bat speed for his age and size and a solid middle-of-the-field approach.

3B - Tyler Nevin, Sr., Poway
Nevin, the son of former No. 1 overall pick and current Diamondbacks AAA manager Phil Nevin, missed the entire 2013-14 high school season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Prior to that, the 6-foot-4 righthanded hitter starred for Poway High School as a sophomore, hitting .336-1-26. Like his father, Nevin's best tool is his bat, as he has a loose and powerful swing from a sound mechanical base. He has signed with UCLA.

OF - Kyle Dean, Sr., Rancho Bernardo
Dean has started at Rancho Bernardo, one of the most storied high school programs in the country, since the beginning of his freshman year. Dean's eventual carrying tool will be his righthanded power but he stands out now for his strong tools and skills across the board, all of which play up due to how hard he plays the game. Dean hit .355-5-25 with 8 doubles and 13 stolen bases as a junior and has now stolen 34 bases in 35 attempts as a high schooler.

OF - Blake Rutherford, Jr., Chaminade Prep
Rutherford is the highest ranked position prospect in Perfect Game's 2016 class rankings, checking in at No. 3 overall. He was also the only 2016 position player on the USA National 18u team last year, as those are two pretty good items to start off one's baseball resume with. Rutherford is a slender and athletic 6-foot-2, 175-pound lefthanded hitter with center field tools on defense and a sweet swing that projects lots of future power on offense.

OF - Kevin Collard, Sr., Rancho Bueno Vista
The 6-foot, 195-pound Collard has an outstanding combination of running speed – evidenced by a 6.58 time in the 60-yard dash – and righthanded bat speed. One scout described his swing as "almost military in its consistency, discipline in repeating itself and ability to be on time." Collard has signed with San Diego but will be heavy scouted this spring for big tools as a center fielder.

UT - Hagen Danner, So., Huntington Beach
Danner was the star of the 2011 Ocean View Little League World Championship team and verbally committed to UCLA before his freshman year in high school, so you might say he's a pretty well known player. He's been most highly regarded as a power hitting catcher who can also play first base but contributed primarily on the mound as a high school freshman. Danner has regularly topped out at 90-91 mph with a power upper-70s curveball at Perfect Game events, and there have been reports out of Southern California this winter that Danner is now bumping the mid-90s at times.

P - Justin Hooper, Sr., De La Salle
Hooper has rarely traveled outside of California to pitch but is well known nationally as perhaps the top pitching prospect in the 2015 class. At 6-foot-7, 240-pounds, Hooper is an intimidating presence on the mound to both lefthanded and righthanded batters, with the intimidation factor carrying over to his mid-90s fastball that will top out at 97 mph. Hooper throws from a low three-quarters arm slot with a compact arm action that hides the ball, making his heater look even faster than the radar gun shows. The UCLA signee also throws a mid-70s curveball that shows tight spin and good sweeping depth at times, plus a low- to mid-80s changeup.

P - Kolby Allard, Sr., San Clemente
Scouts who saw Allard last spring reported seeing a slender and physically immature lefty with a fast arm and an 86-88 mph fastball that would touch 90 mph occasionally, plus a big breaking curveball. He used that arsenal to go 6-2, 1.32 with 98 strikeouts in 63 innings. But Allard started to get stronger going into the summer and his stuff took a big jump. Not only did his fastball start sitting in the 92-94 mph range while touching 95 mph, his curveball velocity and spin took a big jump forward as well. A UCLA signee, Allard is now the fourth ranked player in the PG national rankings.

P - Kyle Molnar, Sr., Aliso Niguel
Molnar has been a two-way starter at Aliso Niguel High School since his freshman year and has posted a career 23-8, 1.88 record going into his senior year, including a 10-2, 1.81 mark as a junior. The Perfect Game All-American has also been a prominent performer on the baseball field during the summer and fall and played three years of varsity basketball during the winter. Molnar generally pitches in the 90-92 mph range and has been as high as 94 mph to go with a sharp curveball and very good changeup. He is signed with UCLA.

P - Joe DeMers, Sr., College Park
DeMers is one of the top performers in all of high school baseball. Along with starring for the USA National 18u team the last two seasons, DeMers went 12-2, 0.65 with 94 strikeouts and only nine walks allowed in 86 innings last spring. He also hit .371-3-32. DeMers gets his fastball up into the 93-95 mph range at times to go with a mid-70s curveball and a good changeup. At 6-foot-2, 230-pounds, DeMers doesn't look like the classic two-sport baseball/basketball athlete, but he also averaged 18 points and six rebounds for the College Park basketball team as a junior.

P - Kevin Gowdy, Jr., Santa Barbara
Gowdy enters his junior season as one of the most projectable young pitchers in high school baseball. He has a long and slender 6-foot-4, 170-pound build that is starting to fill in and get stronger, plus a silky smooth arm action that already produces 88-90 mph fastballs and upper-70s curveballs. It would be very easy to see him gaining more velocity this spring and further into the future, and with the command and secondary pitches he already possesses, that would be a high ceiling package. Gowdy is the fourth pitcher (out of five) on the All-Reigon team that has a verbal commitment to UCLA.

Pacific Region Top Tools

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