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General | Top Ten | 8/12/2008

Area Code Games -- Top 10 Prospects

Allan Simpson

The Area Code Games originated 22 years ago as an exclusively California event but has expanded to include players from all over the country, although they still have a definite western bias. But of the some 240 players in Long Beach last week, only 68 were from California.

For the purposes of this Top 10 list, we will not be including players who were also participating in the Aflac All-American Game, which was held almost simultaneously up the freeway at Dodger Stadium (game) and the University of Southern California (workouts). A number of those players took batting practice the first day of the Area Codes, a couple pitched and a few squeezed in some game action.

But it would be unfair to those players who were in Long Beach the entire time to bump them off the list for players who threw only an inning or didn’t play in a game.

Of the Aflac players who did appear at the Area Codes, probably the most impressive were outfielder Everett Williams (Austin, Texas), and lefthanders Ian Krol (Naperville, Ill.) and Slade Heathcott (Texarkana, Texas). I understand that Williams, a 5-foot-10 lefthanded-hitting outfielder in the Kentrail Davis mold, was equally impressive at all the Aflac workouts as well.

The talent strengths of the Area Code Games were very similar to what we’ve been seeing across the country earlier this summer. There is an incredible amount of catching talent at this level of baseball right now and there were a number of catchers in Long Beach that I hadn’t seen before that are impressive prospects. There are plenty of hitters with power, although there are fewer hitters, especially lefthanders, who I would say are truly polished with the bat. And while there were some very good pitchers, there is definitely not a depth of pitching talent in the 2009 class.

We will be publishing a longer and more in-depth Top Prospect List from the Area Codes later this month. For now, here are the Top 10 Prospects from the event, with a brief scouting report on each:

Rank	Player	Pos.	Ht./Wgt.	Hometown	Class
1	Bryce Harper	C	6-2/195	Las Vegas (Nev.) HS	2011
	Harper is not without his flaws. He has a pronounced hip glide that throws him off balance when hitting and he needs to raise his arm slot on his throws. But his tools are incredible, even more so considering his age (15).
2	Shelby Miller	RHP	6-3/195	Brownwood (Texas) HS	2009
	Miller topped out at 94 mph with his 4-seamer and threw a 2-seamer at 88 mph that disappeared at the plate. His mid-70s curveball had good, tight spin and he has an idea how to pitch.
3	Jake Marisnick	OF	6-4/200	Poly HS, Riverside, Calif.	2009
	Marisnick has all the tools, including plus speed, a big league right-field arm and plenty of raw power. He also has an easy, athletic grace to his actions that makes him even more projectable than he’d otherwise be.
4	Cameron Garfield	C	6-1/195	Murrieta Valley HS, San Diego	2009
	Garfield can flat hit and even the few times he didn’t square up the ball he had a quality at-bat and often found a hole. His defense behind the plate has improved noticeably this summer.
5	Chad James	LHP	6-4/195	Yukon (Okla.) HS	2009
	James’ consistency is especially impressive; he’s been the same at Perfect Game National, the World Wood Bat Association 17-and-under summer championship and now the AC’s. Fastball at 88-91 mph with perhaps the best changeup in the 2009 class.
6	Matt Hobgood	RHP/1B	6-4/240	Norco (Calif.) HS	2009
	Hobgood does not have a profile body but has serious raw tools. He hit the ball harder than anyone in batting practice, then threw up to 94 mph off the mound with a big sweeping curveball.
7	Kyle Hansen	RHP	6-7/190	St. Dominick HS, Glen Gove, N.Y.	2009
	Hansen pitched at 90-91 mph, a bump up from his 86-87 at the PG National, and had excellent life on his fastball while pretty much overmatching hitters for three innings.
8	Mark Appel	RHP	6-5/185	Monte Vista HS, San Ramon, Calif.	2009
	Velocity comes easily to the very athletic Appel, who touched 92 mph and has plenty more in his arm. His curveball and mechanics need work, but the base talent is definitely there.
9	Ronnie Richardson	OF	5-8/170	Lake Region HS, Eagle Lake, Fla.	2009
	Despite his size, Richardson is a 5-tool player. He dominates a field with his skills and personality much the way that Ben Revere (Twins 2007, 1st rounder) did at the same stage.
10	Mike Trout	OF	6-1/190	Millville (N.J.) HS	2009
	Trout is a physical athlete with a strong safety’s build and wide receiver speed (6.52 in the 60). But he was also very impressive with the bat and in his overall approach to the game.

--ALLAN SIMPSON

PERFECTGAME.TV

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General | Blog | 6/16/2026

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