Bay Area World Series "Futures" was held this past weekend at Laurel Creek Park in Fairfield.  There were 46 players at the event, which was held primarily as a "tryout" for Bay Area World Series 2012.  The players were mostly from the 2013 and 2014 graduating classes but there were were a couple of 2015 grads there as well. 

Of the 46 players there, nine of them earned an invitation to BAWS 2012.  There are another 18 players I will follow into the spring high school season as I put together the six BAWS regional teams.  One thing I have learned over the years is that you just can't write off any young players, especially in our region.  Kids are getting better all the time, they are working hard and they all develop at different rates and at different stages of their lives.  I am certain that among those 18 players, at least 5-6 will develop into good college baseball prospects and I think that number is actually pretty conservative.

The nine players who have been invited to BAWS 2012:

RHP Tyler Vistalli (2013) Deer Valley HS - velocity was not great (80-82) but he can really pitch and has feel/command of both the curveball and the change-up.  If fastball can get into the 84-88 range someday he will pitch effectively at the D1 level, assuming he can develop plus fastball command to keep better hitters off his secondary pitches.  If the fastball command is just average then his secondary stuff is not going to be as effective.  Vistalli is 5'10" 147 lbs.

3B Ryan Schalch (2013) San Marin HS - he is an interesting player because when you look at him, his body type is not going to get any scouts or coaches excited.  However, Schalch has ability and some tools.  He has light and nimble feet, has a good arm with a nice release, good hands, a good all field hitting approach (really used right field well when pitched away) and generally showed that he is quite comfortable in the game.  Schalch was listed at 6'0" 205 lbs.

MIF Kaelan Crisosto (2014) Enterprise HS - when watching Crisosto it is clear that he has spent time around the game and has been coached well.  He has feel of the game and has picked up on some nuances that many young players lack.  In terms of tools he is not outstanding but his best tool (hitting) is good and is going to keep getting better.  He has a real nice swing and it works in game competition.  I liked that he is ready to hit when he steps in the box and he has a calm demeanor there too.  Crisosto is listed at 6'1" 165 lbs.

RHP Grant Soyka (2013) Foothill HS (Pleasanton) - Soyka was at BAWS 2011 but really wasn't ready for that opportunity last June.  I think he is going to really turn some heads in 2012.  His velocity is still coming along (topped at 83) but in his second inning he carved up the hitters, with some a fastball that at times has plus sink (very late), mixed in a couple of very nice sliders and some good change-ups.  The consistency of his delivery is what he needs to work on.  When he is on-time and stays over the rubber, his stuff LIVES and his command improves dramatically.  Soyka is 6'2" 200 lbs.

MIF/OF Daniel DeFazio (2013) California HS - DeFazio was at BAWS 2011 and one of my favorite defensive players there.  He has a strong arm that plays on the left side and in the outfield and he also has good feet in the infield.  Now, he can be more consistent with his throws but I have little doubt he will be a plus defender at the D1 level.  He has gotten stronger since June and was swinging the wood bat with authority this past weekend.  He was aggressive and drove the ball in the middle of the field, staying on the curveball well and ready to hit the fastball.  DeFazio is 6'0" 165 lbs and wiry strong.

OF Nick Allman (2014) California HS - Allman is a compactly built left-handed hitter and an aggressive hitter.  I first learned of him from Jon Zuber, who coached him at the NTIS tourney in North Carolina in September.  Allman is an intense competitor in the box and has a chance to hit with some pop from pole to pole, despite having a pretty average body.  He also showed a strong arm that will play at all three OF spots, though his speed will keep him on a corner.  I wonder if he could develop at 2nd or 3rd base?  Would be interesting to get that bat in the line-up as a 2nd baseman.  Allman was listed at 5'10" 165 lbs.

3B Ryan Hooper (2013) Campolindo HS - Hooper showed me that he has a chance to be a good all-field hitter, with his ability to let the ball travel and to drive the ball and stay inside it.  There were a couple of pitches he hit on the inner half that most young hitters severely hook but Hooper pulled his hands inside and drove the ball hard to left field without a bit of hook.  Now, the two times I am referring to were on slow pitches (one was a 70 mph FB) but his ability to wait, control his body, keep his hands back and then drive the ball with a disciplined swing, well, it was impressive.  He also showed a nice arm across the diamond and nice hands.  Hooper is 5'11" 170 lbs.

RHP Andrew Merken (2013) Acalanes HS - I saw Merken last spring in a tourney at Livermore HS and he had a pretty forgettable day in terms of his results, but I recalled writing his name down as one to follow.  At BAWS Futures he was up to 84 mph and with his arm speed and lanky frame, there is certainly more velocity coming as he develops.  I am not in love with his arm action but he has a chance to develop an excellent FB/CHG combo.  He threw a couple of change-ups with excellent finish and late diving action.  His curveball needs some work but if he can develop at least the ability to flip it in for strikes to keep hitters off the FB/CHG, he has a chance to be a good one.  He is 6'3" 160 lbs.

INF/RHP Tyler Deason (2014) St. Francis HS - Deason was the most talented player at the event, given that he is a legitimate two-way prospect.  As a L/R offensive player with a 6'3" 200 lb body, there is a ton to like on paper and then watching him, there is a ton to like in ability.  Deason has an easy swing and the ball jumps off his bat, with carry and obviously projectable power.  Defensively he moves well and his arm is loose and strong.  3rd base is in his future as a defender.  On the mound he was up to 86 mph, his curveball is solid (good ground ball type curveball) and he threw two outstanding change-ups.

From the 17U NTIS (National Team Identification Series) team that went to the USA Baseball National Training Center a couple of weeks ago, two pitchers were selected for the 18U trials next summer.  RHP Ben Eckels (Davis HS, 2012) and RHP Chris Flexen (Newark Memorial HS, 2012) both showed the type of stuff, command, feel and mound presence that gave them a shot to make the national team.

Congrats to both Ben and Chris!  Having been around them for four days, I enjoyed getting to know both of them as kids, and that also goes for the entire team we had there.  I thought a couple of other players might get invited to the trials, including 1B Nick Halamandaris (R.L. Stevenson HS, 2012) and 3B/2B Colby Wright (Castro Valley HS, 2012), but it didn't happen.  Wright turned in one of the outstanding all-around performances in our third game, with a 3-R homer, a diving play to his left at 3B and a diving stab of a liner headed to RF when he was at 2B.  He plays a hard-nosed style of ball on the field and if he isn't getting much D1 recruiting attention, he should be.

As for Halamandaris, yes, he can tend to swing and miss a bit but when he was locked in and sticking with his most simple approach, there wasn't a player in the tourney who hit the ball harder than him, not one.  He is headed to Cal and has a chance to be a highly impactful D1 player.

The summer of 2012 will see the launch of the World Scout League.

Over 75 powerhouse travel baseball programs across the United States have agreed to join a concept that is taking summer baseball by storm:  The World Scout League.

Prospect Wire founder Matt Bomeisl, and the original Team One Baseball founder Jeff Spelman combined their ideas over the past 12 months with the goal to change summer baseball for the better.  The two industry pioneers went back to the drawing board in an attempt to fix the current summer baseball setup of expensive, cattle-call tournament play.

After careful consideration, and feedback from the nation's top travel baseball coaches, the World Scout League was born.

The summer of 2012 will mark the Inaugural Season of a concept that will forever change summer baseball for the better by reducing team expenses while increasing opposing competition.  The result will be a marked improvement over the current overall experience of summer baseball that includes watered down competition, rising entry fees, travel coach burnout, and disorganized overall structure.

"Travel Baseball is at a crossroads," Bomeisl said.  "There is a lot that is good and a lot that is bad.  And the way things are progressing, it is only going to get worse unless the structure changes."

Bomeisl and Spelman are of the belief that many pieces of summer baseball are broken: It has become too expensive. There are too many tournaments. Travel Coaches are losing too much money. It's become too disorganized. Coaches are burned out. Events are too watered down and teams often play too many meaningless games.

"Our goal has been to form something that the top teams could participate in," Spelman said. "Tournament hosts don't draw college coaches and pro scouts, talent does.  So we're trying to get the best of the best together so that they can always play the best competition. I think it's pretty special being tied into something nationally that the best teams from the rest of the country are participating in."

The World Scout League will offer 150-200 team Leagues nationwide for the age groups 18U, 17U, 16U, 15U and 14U.  Teams participate in local, regional and national events within their league structure.

A few of the big name programs that have agreed to join the World Scout League include Florida's 6-time WWBA champion Florida Bombers, Florida's Orlando Scorpions, Florida's Palm Beach PAL, Florida's Tampa Bay Warriors, Georgia's 6-4-3 DP Academy, North Carolina's CBC O's, North Carolina's South Charlotte Panthers, North Carolina's Golden Spikes, Virginia's Prospect Stars,  the Minnesota Stars, the Illinois Sparks, Missouri's St. Louis Gamers, LIDS Bulls, and St. Louis Pirates, West Virginia's Huntington Hounds, and the names stretch from East Coast to West Coast.

"Some of the best teams have yet to be released," Bomeisl continued.  "We have an extremely impressive list of teams nationwide committed to this concept.  In fact, the real exciting thing is we haven't gotten a 'no' yet.  It seems like this was the idea that everyone has been waiting for."

The World Scout League will have small-scale, elite, round-robin styled tournaments with games counting towards league standings.  Those standings will serve towards seeding for a major end of the summer tournament.

"At the end of the summer we split the country in half the way USA Baseball does. All of the teams Texas to California will go to Arizona for the 'World Finals West' and from Louisiana to the  East will go to Florida for the 'World Finals East'.  What you'll end up having are 100-team super tournaments that will be a tremendous scouting attraction to close out the summer with," Spelman said.

The World Scout League will not only have elite teams at their League events, but they will aggressively go after college coaches from out of state to make each and every regional event special.

"I think teams are tired of joining these over-priced events at universities and seeing one or two schools in the stands - and one of them is the host university," Bomeisl said.

The World Scout League promises to not occupy a team's entire summer schedule, and allows flexible scheduling and the freedom to join events that are a tradition on each team's schedule.

"We felt it was important to offer flexible scheduling options so teams could still join a few of the major tournaments around the country that are a staple of their summer schedule," Spelman added.  "The World Scout League does not dominate a team's summer schedule to where the participating team can't do anything else."

The World Scout League will have League scorekeepers present at every game played nationwide.  While in attendance, these scorekeepers will be tracking real-time stats and scores from every game across the country using Sport NGIN's newly designed iPad Baseball Scorekeepeing app that will feed the data straight to the World Scout League website.

"The scorekeeping will help power league leaders across the nation in a ton of scouting categories, as well as MVP races, all division, all region and All-American teams," Spelman said.  "Further, all stats, standings, scouting notes, and scores will be on one, easy-to-navigate state-of-the-art website."

Aside from structural and statistical features, Bomeisl is most proud of the outside-the-box revenue models that they developed so that travel teams can earn money directly from the league.  One such model is allowing participating teams to host their own League events - profiting directly from the League and helping to deflect team's expenses to enter the League.

The enrollment for the league continues from now through December," Bomeisl continued.  "We are truly looking for the best of the best across the country."

For more information, or to request an invitation to the World Scout League, coaches are urged to contact Matt Bomeisl ASAP for more information on getting into the League.

Team Northern California swept our three games at the USA 17U NTIS tournament in Cary, NC this weekend.  Today we beat Team Northwest 7-4, in a game that really wasn't as close as that score.  In the 27 innings of the tournament, our pitching staff only gave up runs in three separate innings, including four in the 8th today.  In two innings when we were scored on, errors were a big key, along with a couple of pitches left up.  Other than that, the pitchers were nearly flawless, though there were some outstanding defensive plays today that kept Northwest off the board.

The starter was RHP Chris Flexen and he threw three scoreless frames.  From what I can recall, he only allowed two baserunners, both in the third when he escaped a mini two-out jam.  RHP Ben Eckels then threw the 4th-5th and though he loaded the bases in the 5th with some walks, he punched out the final hitter to escape the jam.  Truth be told, he was hitting the corners and two of the walks were the result of missed calls.  I normally don't give that type of leeway to a kid but in this case, it was true.  In fact, the umpire told catcher Collin Theroux that had we been using aluminum bats, he would have called the pitches on the corners strikes, but because we were using wood and it is harder for young hitters, he was giving them the benefit of the doubt.  He really said that!

2013 RHP Eric Nielsen then threw a scoreless 6th-7th and he too had a couple of runners to pitch around, which he did.  Though to say he "pitched" around trouble wouldn't exactly be accurate.  He is a one pitch pitcher at this point and he is generally around the zone with that 90-94 mph heater.  He also gets a lot of swings and misses at balls because he such an uncomfortable at-bat for a hitter.

Offensively AND defensively the team was led by 3B/2B Colby Wright.  Wright had a big tourney and today he not only hit a 3-R homer deep down the left field line, he made a spectacular diving play to his left at 3rd base, got up and threw out the runner, and then with Nielsen in his jam, Wright (at 2nd base) speared a liner headed for right field as he laid out toward the hole.  It was a BIG play.  His style of play is impossible to ignore and I know he was noticed by the USA staff and all the college coaches who came to our games.

2013 LF Vince Fernandez had a couple of hits today and swung the bat well in the event, he also had a stolen base.  SS Marcus Williams was once again was flawless in the field and drove in a run with a scorching liner into right-centerfield.  He also stole a base.  2013 INF Lucas Erceg hit the ball hard all day and just missed a homer earlier in the game on a deep fly out.  He is such a sweet looking young hitter. 

Catcher Collin Theroux shook off some tough early at-bats and doubled deep down the right field line, showing that he has all field power to go with his strong arm.  Catcher Dylan Isquirdo also had a hit, his 5th of the tourney, which I believe led the team.  1B/LF Matthew Valencia had a some good "team" at-bats, including a sac fly RBI and he beat out an infield hit as well. 

In all, this group of kids played very well.  Some of them really opened my eyes as major college prospects, some of whom I had very little history or knowledge of.  Those players include Wright, Williams, OF Patrick Mulry, Erceg and of course the kids who are already well-known and committed to colleges (1B Nick Halamandaris, OF Jordan Paroubeck, RHP Chris Flexen).  I think far and away our top two pitchers were Flexen and Eckels, both of whom are major D1 pitchers and both with draw pro attention.  Flexen could get a bit more due to his size, but both have multiple weapons and both compete very well on the mound.  Of course Nielsen opened everyone's eyes with his big 6'8" build and big fastball.  He has a long way to go as a pitcher but he certainly has the great arm that will draw attention for years.

If I were to guess which players might have earned invitations to the USA 17U trials next summer, I would think Eckels, Flexen, Wright, and Halamandaris would be strong possibilities and Erceg could also be a consideration, as could Nielsen, though without a secondary pitch of any significance, he is a long shot at this time.  Certainly by the time the Tournament of Stars rolls around next summer, he could be ready to head there to show the USA staff that he is ready and worthy of a trials invitation. 

Team Northern CA beat Team Midwest 13-2 on Saturday at the main field at the USA Baseball complex and there were strong contributions from both the pitchers and hitters.

Foothill RHP Dylan Hecht, Escalon LHP Matthew Valencia, and Westmont RHP (2013) Lucas Erceg all had scoreless outings (combined 7 innings) and their strong pitching was backed by lots of offense from up and down the line-up.  Valencia also had an RBI double to left field.  He can REALLY pitch, with slippery stuff and a sharp breaking ball. 

Erceg had a strong game with the bat, as did 1B Nick Halamandaris (R.L. Stevenson HS).  In fact the triple that Halamandaris hit into deep right-centerfield was hit about as hard as a ball can be hit and I would not be shocked if his two hits today, coupled with the deep fly ball he hit on Friday weren't enough to get him invited to the Team USA trials next July.

Shortstop Marcus Williams (2012, Bishop O'Dowd HS) played very strong D up the middle all day and drove in a run with an opposite field double.  3B/2B Colby Wright had another strong game, with an RBI and good D about both 3B and 2B, where he turned the back half of a stellar double play with Williams.  He hung in at the bag, took contact and made a strong and accurate throw.  In the four-hole he again provided good offensive production.

CF Jordan Paroubeck (2013) played well in the field and though his game at-bats did not result in any hits, he showed a lot of life in his swing and his future with the bat is clearly strong.  RF Patrick Mulry swung the bat well after a tough first AB, and showed that he can handle lefthanded pitching.  I think he ended up with a couple of knocks and moved around the outifeld gracefully as he seems to always do.

Each catcher, Dylan Isquirdo and Collin Theroux had knocks, with Isquirdo netting his fourth hit of the tourney and driving in a run.  Both did nice jobs behind the plate.  LF Vince Fernandez also swung the bat well, with some very solid contact that resulted in one hit and reaching base another time. 

We play at 8 AM on Sunday morning, against Team Northwest and then are all headed home!

This is a good group of kids, with lots of good players, future college stars and some professional prospects in the group.  We will throw some of our best pitchers on Sunday, with Chris Flexen, Ben Eckels, Eric Nielsen, and Ross Slaney all scheduled to pitch. 

Hello!  Been sometime since I posted and honestly, I sometimes forget that I have this blog and this forum to share info.  I am in North Carolina coaching the 17U Team Northern California (with Nate Trosky) at the USA Baseball NTIS (National Team Identification Series) tournament.  We won our first game on Friday night, 4-1 over North Texas.  For the most part I think our team played very well and there were some outstanding performances. 

Since everyone is ALWAYS so interested in velocity of pitchers, here is the fastball range for each of our pitchers, all of whom pitched last night:

RHP Ben Eckels (2012, Davis HS) - 89-90 - Eckels went 2 innings and after giving up a leadoff hit, he got six outs... all by strikeout.  His breaking ball and his change-up both drew the attention of the USA scouts, including former Texas A&M renowned pitching coach Jim Lawler, who came over to talk to me about Eckels after his outing.

LHP Matthew Valencia (2012, Escalon HS) - 81-82 - Valencia pitched a scoreless inning, effectively mixing his FB, CB and CHG.  He will throw a bit harder down the road and I think his CB/CHG combo can be effective at the college level.

RHP Eric Nielsen (2013, Dublin HS) - 90-94 - If you haven't heard of or seen Nielsen, he is something to behold.  At 6'8" he is obviously a big young man and he has the arm to match the body.  His breaking ball is a work in progress and he doesn't always throw strikes but when he has his release point for the fastball, he is VERY hard to hit, with a HEAVY 92-94 mph FB.  His ceiling is very high.  Nielsen threw a scoreless 4th inning.

RHP Dylan Hecht (2012, Foothill HS) - 86-88 - Hecht threw a scoreless 5th inning and attacked hitters aggressively.  He mixed in his breaking ball effectively and that pitch keeps improving for him.  Hecht has enough arm to think he is going to get into that 88-91 mph range someday and he is a quietly confident and competitive pitcher.

RHP Lucas Erceg (2013, Westmont HS) - 85-86 - Erceg was the starting 2nd baseman and had the biggest hit of the night for us (a two run double deep over the RF's head) but he also pitched and threw a scoreless inning.  He mixed in some nice breaking balls and showed good pitchability and feel for the game.  Despite this nice outing, make no mistake, he is a hitter (LHH) and a GOOD one.

RHP Ryan DeGregorio (2012, St. Francis H) - 81-84 - DeGregorio is a strike thrower and he uses all of his pitches.  He had some defensive breakdowns behind him but pitched through it, allowing only an unearned run.  He did a great job of pitching out of trouble.

RHP Ross Slaney (2012, Homestead HS) - 86-87 - Slaney's fastball is good and he is quite projectable, with more velocity coming, but his calling card is his good curveball.  He has a lot of confidence in that pitch, using it three times in 3-2 counts.  He doesn't give in to hitters or counts and has the ability to pitch backwards that will serve him well in college. (SJSU commit)

RHP Chris Flexen (2012, Newark Memorial HS) - 89-90 - Flexen came in to close the 4-1 win and though he was not at his sharpest, he has all the weapons to wiggle out of trouble.  He is a really aggressive pitcher, a bulldog with good stuff and decent pitchability.  He can drop a hammer on a hitter, goes in with the FB really well, has a change-up and a potentially plus/wipeout slider.  (ASU commit)

As for our hitters, I don't have a box score but we had some kids with multiple hit games and some others who hit the ball hard consistently.  Hitters with multiple hits were catcher Dylan Isquirdo (Foothill HS), OF/IF Vince Fernandez (2013 Granada HS), IF Lucas Erceg (2013 Westmont HS).  Isquirdo was 3-3 and did a real nice job behind the plate blocking balls.  Fernandez could hit for some power someday when he grows into his body but for now he is effective as a contact, line drive hitter, with a flat swing and ability to use the middle of the field.  Erceg is going to hit for power someday and has quick, explosive hands.  When his front hip stays on the ball, he is quite good.  This kid knows how to play and has good baseball instincts.

3B Colby Wright (2012 Castro Valley HS) got our first hit and later beat out a ball in the infield, though I can't recall if it was an error or hit.  In any case, his hustle and style of play is fun to watch.  He was FILTHY at the end of the game, covered in red clay and dripping sweat.  He is a physical hitter with a chance to be a impact hitter at the D1 level.

2013 outfielder Jordan Paroubeck (Serra) swung the bat well and is one of the more impressive kids and physical talents we have in the 2013 class in Northern CA.  He has committed to Fresno State already so now it is time to see how he develops as a pro prospect (I think VERY well). 

CF Patrick Mulry (2012 Escalon HS) had two good at-bats and I think he is one of the top position players in all of Northern CA.  He is long and athletic, throws very well (despite the overthrow of 2nd base last night... the ball was VERY wet) and is normally on the bag accurate.  He has a sweet swing and is a high average type hitter with projectable power.  Mulry should be HIGH on the recruiting lists of any program that needs a multi-tool outfielder with projectable professional tools.  Ummmm, isn't that EVERY program?  Yes, it is.

1B Nick Halamandaris (2012) didn't have any hits but he drove a ball to the warning track and JUST missed it.  He is a strong LHH with a chance to be an impact hitter at the D1 level (power and average). He has committed to Cal.  What I like as much or more about Halamandaris is his make-up.  He is a mature, focused and driven young man and it certainly shows.  He is a leader type and difference maker and that is not just with a bat in his hands.

Those were our position players who stood out on Friday night.  We play at 5 PM on Saturday and 8 PM on Sunday.  Check back for more reports and you can also follow me on Twitter @BayAreaWS.

BAWS Futures, Session 1 - October 8-9, Laurel Creek Park (1050 Cement Hill, Fairfield, CA)

BAWS Futures, Session 2 - October 15-16, Site TBA, South Bay or Alameda or Peninsula area

Contact me at BayAreaWS@yahoo.com for a registration form for any player in the 2013, 2014 or 2015 class with interest in attending.  All BAWS Futures participants who are selected for Bay Area World Series 2012 (June 8-11, 2012) will receive a discount toward BAWS 2012.  BAWS Futures is THE BEST way to be seen by me and considered for BAWS 2012.  It isn't the only way to get to BAWS 2012, but again, it is the best way.

Additionally, at BAWS Futures all players will receive a report and a rating and have that information posted on the Bay Area World Series website.  Last October, at the inaugural BAWS Futures, we had many high level players attend, some of whom have since already verbally committed (RHP Jesse Scholtens, ASU - INF Josh Cushing, Washington - OF Grant Diede, Cal) as well as many other players who will be D1 bound in the future (RHP Alex Martinez, James Logan HS - INF Daniel DeFazio, California HS).

Again, BAWS Futures allows me to put my own eyes on a large percentage of players that will be selected for BAWS 2012.  As a former MLB scout & D1 recruiting coordinator, I know the type of players that should be seen by the scouts/recruiters who attend premier events like Bay Area World Series.  I will promote this showcase to the local and regional college programs and expect some in attendance.

Questions?  Email Blaine Clemmens at BayAreaWS@yahoo.com

I received an email and article from College Park HS head coach Matt Lisle yesterday...

Just thought I would share this story about my incoming freshmen player. He plays on the 16u USA National Team. The coaches from USA Baseball say he is the #1 8th grader in the United States. This article was featured in Baseball America Magazine this week: 

"The 20-man team gives a sneak peek at some of the top players for the 2013 and 2014 classes. . . and even a pitcher from the 2015 class.

That pitcher is Joe DeMers, a rising freshman at College Park High in Pleasant Hill, Calif. Already 6 feet and 200 pounds as a 14-year-old, DeMers is throwing his fastball in the 87-89 mph range and topped out at 91. He also mixes in a curveball, slider and changeup.

Touching 90 is a new thing for DeMers, who said the first time he did it was earlier this summer in an exhibition game with his high school's summer team.

Even more impressive than his precocious velocity is DeMers' demeanor on the mound.

"When I get ahead in the count, I usually pound the fastball in, instead of going to offspeed right away," DeMers said. "And then to power hitters, I'll back-pitch them—start them off with a breaking ball and then fastballs later in the count to throw them off."

"You can't tell he's only 14 years old just by the way he handles himself and his composure," Padron said. "He was up to 91 his last game out and he just pounds the strike zone. He's aggressive and his demeanor on the mound is just beyond none. You just can't fathom that he's only 14 years old right now. He's going to be a good one."

He already shows good feel for a changeup, which is rare for a player about to leave high school, not to mention one that has yet to step foot in a high school classroom.

"He's a strong kid and he looks like he's going to get stronger," Padron said. "He has that look of a power arm with the big legs and the big backside. He does use all that to his advantage and it's easy, which is what makes his changeup look even better. Because, even as hard as he throws, his changeup is very devastating to hitters. His changeup is his best secondary pitch. His curveball is good, but his changeup is his best pitch. I would use that as an out pitch, right now."

Part of DeMers' maturity comes his experience with Team USA's 14U team that went to Nicaragua last year."

A big, maybe historic day for locally drafted high school players who have signed.  Today was the deadline for MLB teams to sign their 2011 draft picks and as has become the custom most of the top round picks and the high profile players who slid in the draft due to signability have signed for well above slot recommended amounts.  MLB has to look itself in the mirror and at this point just point a finger and laugh at itself.  The deadline was supposed to help clubs keep bonuses down.  Instead, it has worked the exact opposite way.  Players (and their agents) have learned that they can just wait until the end and they will get no worse than the slot amount and likely they will get what they want.  Clubs can't afford to lose 1st and 2nd round picks.  They really can't and I can't blame them for signing these players for such big amounts.  Considering that players like Aubrey Huff get $10M a year as big leaguers, it is a BARGAIN to sign a high school talent for $1.5M like Tyler Goeddel did with the Rays. 

There were two local kids selected in the 1st round who signed today and Goeddel was a supplemental 1st rounder.  Interestingly, an 11th rounder got nearly as much as the other three and even more interesting, all four kids played for the NorCal club baseball program.  Who are these now quite well to do young ballplayers?

RHP Joe Ross, Bishop O'Dowd HS - signed with Padres as the 25th overall pick ($2.75M) - had signed with UCLA

RHP Robert Stephenson, Alhambra HS - signed with Reds as the 27th overall pick ($2M) - had signed with Washington

3B Tyler Goeddel, St. Francis HS - signed with Rays as the 41st overall pick ($1.5M) - had signed with UCLA

OF Shawon Dunston, Valley Christian HS - signed with Cubs as an 11th rounder ($1.275M) - had signed with Vanderbilt.  I am certain that signing comes as a big shock to the Vanderbilt coaching staff. 

Not a good day for UCLA as they also lost catcher Austin Hedges (#82 overall - Padres - $3M).  That is an awful lot for UCLA to overcome in the coming years.  Not that it was unexpected, but all the same, UCLA also had their two junior RHPs drafted and signed (#1 overall Gerrit Cole and & #3 overall Trevor Bauer) for a combined $11.4M.

Former Jesuit HS catcher Andrew Susac of Oregon State signed with the Giants (#86 overall) for $1.1M.