CALIFORNIA
By Allan Simpson
Through the 63-year history of the College World Series, California teams have won 22 national titles. But for the first time in 2009, none of the four California teams in the traditionally-powerful Pacific-10 Conference even advanced to post-season play—let alone reached Omaha.
Among them, UCLA, USC, California and Stanford went a collective 109-111—an unacceptable, yet surprising development for a quartet of schools that still managed to produce five of the first 50 picks in last year’s draft.
Oddly, those four schools may be hard-pressed to collectively produce even a single player in the top 50 picks of this year’s draft, though UCLA and Stanford, in particular, will almost certainly be ranked among the nation’s elite college teams this season.
Both those schools will lean heavily on strong sophomore and freshman classes, and it’s little coincidence that UCLA flamethrower Gerrit Cole, who has been clocked at 99 mph, and Stanford lefthander Brett Mooneyham are the Nos. 1-2 college prospects from California in the 2011 draft class. Stanford third baseman Kenny Diekroeger and outfielder Jacob Stewart are ranked 1-2 in the state in 2012 by PG Crosschecker.
Overachieving UC Irvine, which didn’t have a player drafted in the first eight rounds in 2009 yet occupied the No. 1 spot in the national rankings for several weeks, stole the thunder of the more talent-rich Pac-10 schools, though it was Big West rival Cal State Fullerton that ultimately reached the College World Series from that conference. Additionally, San Diego State further upstaged the supposedly more prestigious Pac-10 schools by producing the No. 1 pick in the entire draft, once-in-a-generation righthander Stephen Strasburg.
It’s readily apparent that the depth of college talent from California will be considerable in the 2010 draft, yet from scrutinizing the accompanying list of the top college prospects it’s interesting to note that schools like Cal State Fullerton and San Diego will steal the thunder once again from their rival schools in the Pac-10. Both Fullerton and USD have two projected first-rounders.
But there’s no player of Strasburg’s magnitude in this year’s California crop and we’re projecting that Pasadena high school righthander Dylan Covey, whose fastball has been clocked at 97 mph, will be the first Californian drafted.
With that as a backdrop, here’s an overview of how we see the talent stacking up in the college ranks in California in 2010.
CALIFORNIA: IN A NUTSHELL
BEST COLLEGE TEAM: UCLA.
BEST JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM: Cypress.
BEST HIGH SCHOOL TEAM: Orange Lutheran HS, Orange.
COLLEGE/BEST SENIOR PROSPECT: A.J. Griffin, rhp, San Diego.
COLLEGE/BEST JUNIOR PROSPECT: Christian Colon, ss, Cal State Fullerton.
COLLEGE/BEST SOPHOMORE PROSPECT: Gerrit Cole, rhp, UCLA.
COLLEGE/BEST FRESHMAN PROSPECT: Kenny Diekroger, 3b, Stanford.
COLLEGE/BEST NON-DIVISION I PROSPECT: Scott Alexander, lhp, Sonoma State.
BEST JUNIOR-COLLEGE PROSPECT: Chad Thompson, rhp, Orange Coast.
HIGH SCHOOL/BEST SENIOR PROSPECT: Dylan Covey, rhp, Maranatha HS/Pasadena.
HIGH SCHOOL/BEST JUNIOR PROSPECT: Travis Harrison, 3b-of, Tustin HS.
HIGH SCHOOL/BEST SOPHOMORE PROSPECT: Nolan Gannon, rhp, Santa Fe Christian HS/El Cajon.
COLLEGE/BEST TOOLS:
Best Athlete: Jacob Stewart, of, Stanford (Fr.).
Best Pure Hitter: Mark Canha, of, California (Jr.)/Matt Jensen, 2b, Cal Poly (So.).
Best Raw Power Hitter: Ricky Oropesa, 3b, Southern California (So.).
Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Danny Muno, 2b, Fresno State (Jr.).
Fastest Base Runner: Gary Brown, of, Cal State Fullerton (Jr.).
Best Base Runner: Mike O’Neill, of, Southern California (Sr.).
Best Defender: Christian Colon, ss, Cal State Fullerton (Jr.).
Best Infield Arm: Kirk Singer, ss, Long Beach State (So.).
Best Outfield Arm: Cory Vaughn, San Diego State (Jr.).
Best Fastball: Gerrit Cole, rhp, UCLA (So.).
Best Breaking Ball: Seth Blair, rhp, San Diego (Jr.)/Rob Rasmussen, lhp, UCLA (Jr.).
Best Changeup: Sammy Solis, lhp, San Diego (So.).
Best Command: Daniel Bibona, lhp, UC Irvine (Sr.).
TOP 10 COLLEGE PROSPECTS/2010 DRAFT
(Projected Round Noted)
1. Christian Colon, ss, Cal State Fullerton (Jr.) First Round
Elite middle infielder does it all in field, at plate, on bases; should be recovered from badly broken leg.
2. Kyle Blair, rhp, San Diego (Jr.) First Round
Mid-90s fastball, devastating slider provides former fifth-rounder with the stuff to be a staff ace.
3. Sammy Solis, lhp, San Diego (So.) First-Second Round
Clone of former USD/fellow Arizona prep product Brian Matusz missed ’09 season with a ruptured disc.
4. Garry Brown, of, Cal State Fullerton (Jr.) First-Second Round
Brown’s game-changing speed makes him a force at top of lineup, as a defensive wizard in center field.
5. Addison Reed, rhp, San Diego State (Jr.) Second Round
Big righthander has size (6-3, 215), stuff (96-mph fastball) to be dominant closer; saved 20 games as soph.
6. Jake Thompson, rhp, Long Beach State (Jr.) Second-Third Round
With a 96 mph fastball and plus change, Thompson should improve on 4-7, 5.61 sophomore mark.
7. Martin Viramontes, rhp, Loyola Marymount (So.) Second-Fourth Round
Promising career has been slowed by injury, but 6-5 righty has 3 plus pitches, including 96-mph heater.
8. Robert Brantly, c, UC Riverside (So.) Second-Fourth Round
Lefthanded-hitting catcher won ’09 Northwoods League batting title; just needs to improve throwing skills.
9. Mark Canha, of, California (Jr.) Second-Fourth Round
One of best, most advanced bats in draft could climb into first round if he gets stronger, power develops.
10. Rob Rasmussen, lhp, UCLA (Jr.) Third Round
Lacks size, but has a quick left arm and dynamite 12-6 curve to go with plus slider, 89-92 mph fastball.
SLEEPER: Dixon Anderson, rhp, California (So.)
Power arm blossomed last summer in Northwoods League; has 94-mph fastball, two other plus pitches.
NEXT: DEEP SOUTH (Alabama/Mississippi).