CERRITOS, Calif.—The predominant feature of junior college baseball in Southern California is eardrum-busting, mind-numbing, window-shattering pregame and between-innings music. Thundering from high-tech loudspeakers which possess thrust equal to a NASA launch, the artists responsible for these musical assaults share two characteristics: questionable taste and lack of talent.

Lack of talent is not a trait associated with Joe Terry, a 6-foot, 185 pound second baseman who plays for Cerritos CC. Drafted in the 17th round by the Mariners in 2009, Terry did not sign with Seattle and has returned to the Falcons for the 2010 campaign.

A Cal State Fullerton signee who bats left and throws right, Terry is perhaps the finest lefthanded hitting JC prospect in the nation whose initials are not BH. Terry enjoyed a spectacular 2009 season in which he hit .426/.490/.746 with four home runs and 14 triples.

A dozen major league scouts were in attendance Thursday as Cerritos opened its season with a come-from-behind 6-5 win over Fullerton CC. Terry’s performance, while a bit erratic, showcased the ability that makes him a top-five-round candidate for the 2010 draft.
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Last Friday night, an estimated 1,400 people—roughly 500 more than had ever seen a game at that particular ballpark before—showed up in Henderson, Nev., to watch a 17-year-old play his first game for the College of Southern Nevada.

"I thought it was closer to 17 or 18 hundred, but we don't know how much our ballpark holds," Southern Nevada coach and athletic director Tim Chambers said. "I just know we were pressing fire code, I'm sure."

However many people actually showed up, what's not in doubt is that just about all of them—particularly the 100 scouts in attendance—were there to see one man. Bryce Harper is still a kid, really, but he graduated from high school two years early in order to make himself eligible for this June's major league draft, in which he is widely expected to be the first player taken. Harper was such a legendary high school player in Nevada that last spring he landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated and inspired talk that he could be one of the best prospects ever. [...] Continue Reading »

Junior College baseball kicked off today and all eyes (and ears) were on Henderson, Nev., home of the College of Southern Nevada, where Bryce Harper is making his collegiate debut against Arizona Western JC.

The most interesting news about today is that Harper is in the lineup at third base. CSN coach Tim Chambers indicated in the fall that Harper would be splitting time 50-50 between outfield and catcher. But, he also took some groundballs in the infield during fall practice and the Coyotes have a lot of talented sophomores to squeeze into the lineup. For scouts that believe Harper will outgrow catcher or need to play a different position to get the bat to the big leagues more quickly, this will give them a look at Harper at another position in a live-game situation.

Harper drew a walk on five pitches in his first collegiate at-bat. In his second trip to the plate, he hit a groundball RBI single to right field. After the hit, Chambers walked out to the mound to take the baseball out of play, presumably to save it for Harper. Harper then stole second base. [...] Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS — America’s playground was the site of the second-annual Four Corners Scout Day during MLK Day weekend, January 16th and 17th. While not as spectacular as Cirque De Soleil or as flashy as the Strip at night, the talent in attendance is a much better bet to succeed than most poker hands or roulette wheel spins.

The wood bat high school showcase is capably organized and enthusiastically run by Buck Thomas, a local high school coach and part time scout for the Los Angeles Angels. In scouting parlance, “Four Corners” refers not only to the Vegas area but to the four large Southwestern states: Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.

Initial activity in the showcase occurred on Saturday night, January 16, inside the cavernous “Bat-R-Up” batting cage facility in Las Vegas. Pitchers were on display first, with each tossing a five minute bullpen session in front of the assembled scouts and college coaches.

Two hurlers, both Area Code Game alumni, distinguished themselves. First was Nick Kingham (Sierra Vista HS, Las Vegas), a physically imposing 6-foot-5, 220-pound righthander. Kingham fired a heavy 90-94 mph fastball, adding a sharp 79 mph slider and an inconsistent but promising 82 mph changeup, which flashed late arm side movement.
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Below are the latest Draft Report Card grades for each team from 2005-08, which are explained in detail in the 2010 Prospect Handbook. Grades are based solely on the quality of the draftees signed, and not on the number of picks added/lost through free-agent compensation, the amount of money spent, whom the players may have been traded for or unsigned players who became prominent.

New Padres general manager Jed Hoyer continued to shape his front office by hiring Jaron Madison as San Diego’s new scouting director. Madison spent the last two seasons as the Cardinals’ assistant scouting director and had served in that capacity in San Diego in 2005 as well. He graduated from Long Beach State in 1998, having played for the Dirtbags’ last College World Series team in ‘98. Madison hit .333 for the club that also featured future big leaguers Terrmel Sledge and Mike Gallo.

Madison also coached at his alma mater briefly and then embarked on his scouting career, serving as an area scout in northern California, Nevada and Hawaii for the Pirates for three seasons.

Madison will work directly under Jason McLeod, Boston’s former scouting director. The San Diego native is now the Padres’ assistant GM for scouting, and his post in Boston has yet to be filled officially. However, industry sources have indicated that the Red Sox will promote from within and make McLeod’s former assistant, Amiel Sawdaye, the new scouting director.

College of Southern Nevada catcher Bryce Harper received his GED results in the mail yesterday and "passed with flying colors," according to CSN baseball coach and athletic director Tim Chambers. Passing the GED was required for Harper to play with the Coyotes this spring.

Harper took the test on Nov. 20, Chambers said—adding he wasn’t ever losing sleep over the results.

"I was one of the few people who weren’t worried," Chambers said. "He’s plenty intelligent."

Harper played well for Team USA and during CSN’s fall scrimmages. The Coyotes kick off their schedule in late January and February with some high-profile juco tournaments.

Playing at CSN should make Harper eligible for the 2010 draft, where he would be the top talent in the class.

This spring, all eyes will be on Las Vegas.

The last time the state of Nevada produced a first-round pick was in 2000 when the Brewers selected outfielder Dave Krynzel out of Green Valley High in Henderson. That was a great year for the state, with six picks in the top 10 rounds, but 2010 should be even better.

Of course the crown jewel for the Silver State will be catcher Bryce Harper, who skipped his final two years of high school to enroll at one of the nation’s top junior-college programs, the College of Southern Nevada, and become draft-eligible this season. He is the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick when the draft rolls around next June. The Nationals hold that pick, after going 59-103 in 2009.

It was a busy summer for Harper. He was with his new teammates for a couple weeks and then left for about six weeks to play for USA Baseball’s 18-and-under team, helping his country win a gold medal by hitting .294/.375/.588 with four doubles and two home runs over 34 at-bats. He also led the team with two stolen bases in as many attempts.

He continued to hit well when he returned to Southern Nevada for fall ball.
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LOS ANGELES — Dedeaux Field on the campus of the University of Southern California was the site Sunday of the third-annual Jesse Flores Memorial High School All-Star Game, hosted by the Professional Baseball Scouts of Southern California (PBSSC).

Flores game All Stars are selected by balloting conducted by PBSSC members. All players have participated in fall “scout ball” in Southern California, and the showcase is free to all players chosen. This year’s event was ably organized and run by two local area scouts, Dave Keith (Yankees) and Brad Cameron (Giants).

For the first time, the contest was played in a traditional nine-inning game format, instead of the more casual scout-ball style. The South squad defeated the North squad, 14 to 3.
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JUPITER, Fla.—After about 60 hours at Roger Dean Stadium over the past five days, the 2009 World Wood Bat Association World Championship event is finally in the books. It was a long (and hot) five days, to be sure, but there was a lot of good baseball, a lot of good people and a lot of fun along the way.

With 85 teams and games being played on 13 fields simultaneously, the event is a well-oiled machine and a good opportunity for colleges and major league organizations to see many of the top players in the country. That’s why teams typically have 10 or more scouts on hand for the event, and if you don’t show up early for a prime pitching matchup, it can be difficult to even see the field through the mobs of scouts, coaches and their respective golf carts.

Of the teams we spotlighted before the tournament, none of them won its respective pool, but the finalists were in our "Others to Watch" section. The Texas Scout Team Yankees were without righthander Jameson Taillon but still went 3-1. East Cobb Baseball also went 3-1. Its only loss came to the Louisiana All-Stars, and ended up being the tiebreaker that sent Louisiana to the playoff bracket. [...] Continue Reading »

The Rangers became the fourth team in as many days to change scouting directors this week. Texas promoted scouting director Ron Hopkins into a role as a special assistant to general manager Jon Daniels, while A.J. Preller becomes Texas’ new top talent evaluator.

Preller, previously the team’s director of professional and international scouting, will now oversee the amateur scouting side as well. He’s been promoted to senior director of player personnel. Kip Fagg, previously the national crosschecker, becomes the new amateur scouting director, while Josh Boyd ascends to director of professional scouting (he was previously the assistant director). [...] Continue Reading »

The Nationals lost their scouting director when Dana Brown took a position with the Blue Jays, becoming a special assistant to new general manager Alex Anthopoulos.

The Nats added a scouting director Tuesday as well, but Roy Clark isn’t coming to Washington as a lateral move. He left his post as the Braves’ scouting director, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, to become assistant general manager with the Nats under Mike Rizzo. The AJC reports Clark’s duties will include "overseeing player development and all scouting departments, including international scouting."

Industry sources indicated to BA that the Braves planned on promoting special assignment scout Tony DeMacio to replace Clark. DeMacio served as the Orioles’ scouting director from 1999-2004, and was a scout with the Braves from 1983-1991, signing such players as Tom Glavine and Chipper Jones.

Bud Selig doesn’t make the decision himself. But he said strongly Wednesday that when the next Collective Bargaining Agreement expires in 2011, he wants hard slots for the draft and an international draft to be part of the equation.

Speaking on ESPN Radio’s "Mike & Mike" show, co-hosted today by ESPN baseball writer Buster Olney, Selig answered a question about the international draft by saying he wants one, and threw in hard slotting—as opposed to the current system, where the commissioner’s office recommends slots but has no real enforcement mechanism—as part of the equation. [...] Continue Reading »

Heading into the gold-medal game versus Cuba, Team USA had outscored its opponents 93-13, rolling to a perfect 7-0 record in the COPABE Pan Am "AAA" 18U championships being played in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.

The championship game remained scoreless through the first six innings, but the Americans rallied for six runs in the top of the seventh inning today, ultimately winning the final game, 6-1. All seven of Team USA’s hits were singles, but five of them came in the seventh when the team batted around and also took advantage of two walks, two hit batters, a wild pitch and a sac fly. The win gives the Team USA 18U team its first gold medal in the Pan Ams.

Starter Jameson Taillon dominated against the Cubans, going 7.1 innings while allowing four hits, no runs, one walk and 16 strikeouts, improving to 2-0 in the tournament.

Click here for cumulative statistics from the tournament.

Team USA’s 18U National squad continued its charge through the 2009 COPABE Pan Am "AAA" Championships this week. On Monday, the U.S. dispatched Colombia 19-0 and then took a day off before facing world rival Cuba. A six-run eighth inning highlighted a Team USA rally and capped a 9-5 victory over the Cubans. It also gave the team an automatic berth into the 2010 International Baseball Federation "AAA" World Junior Championships, to be held in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Team USA rounded out pool play with a 6-3 win over Venezuela and finished with a 6-0 record. The semi-finals will be played today with Team USA facing Panama at 2:30 p.m. Eastern. The other game will feature Venezuela and Cuba. The gold medal game is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Shortstop Manny Machado (Brito HS, Miami) is leading the team in hitting with a .435/.536/.739 line. In six games he has two home runs, nine RBIs and nine runs scored.

An already-crowded field of top-notch Southern California high school righthanded pitchers welcomed a new member on Wednesday night. Taijuan Walker, a 6-foot-5 hurler from Yucaipa (Calif.) HS made a resounding bid to be considered for the top two rounds of the 2010 draft.

Taking the mound for the Los Angeles Angels Elite Squad in a scout ball game against Orange Coast College at Mt. San Antonio JC, Walker displayed the stuff, build and arm action of an early-round draftee.

Scout ball is traditionally informal, with BP and infield/outfield followed by a loosely-structured simulated game. Pitchers typically throw one or two innings at most, and generally face three to five batters. At that point (even if runners are on base), players are shuttled off the field and a new inning begins.

Fall scout ball has become an institution for Southern California area scouts. Elite clubs representing the Brewers and Angels play on Wednesday evenings. A dozen teams representing other major league teams play on Sundays, with sites ranging from Ventura County in the North to South Orange County.

As for Walker, on Wednesday night his raw stuff was sensational. He fires an explosive 91-94 mph fastball and adds a wicked 85 mph slider. Adding to a hitter’s misery, Walker flashed a nasty 77 mph curveball and experimented with what looked to be a cutter at 87 mph. His stuff can be correctly described as downright unfair.
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With the Pirates’ victory yesterday, the Nationals secured the first-overall pick in the 2010 draft. With the win, the Pirates are now 59-96 with seven games left to play. The Nationals also won and are 53-103 with six games left to play. So, even if the Nationals win out and the Pirates lose their final seven games, the teams would end the season in a tie, and the tie-breaker would go to the Nationals because they also had the worst record last year.

This marks only the second time a franchise has held first-overall picks in back-to-back years. The Rays had first-overall picks in 2007 and 2008 when they chose lefthander David Price and shortstop Tim Beckham, respectively.

The rest of the top 10 picks are still up for grabs, though. Here are the contenders:

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While Team USA’s World Cup squad was marching to a gold medal win in Italy, the 18U National Team got off to a hot start in the COPABE “AAA” Pan American Championships in Venezuela. They are 3-0 after beating Aruba, Argentina and Panama by a combined score of 41-3.

In Friday’s opener against Aruba, shortstop Manny Machado (Brito HS, Miami) went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored while outfielder Brian Ragira (Martin HS, Arlington, Texas) knocked in three runs with his 2-for-4 performance. Righthander A.J. Vanegas (Redwood Christian HS, San Lorenzo, Calif.) started the game and went four innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out five. Team USA won 13-3. [...] Continue Reading »

Several of the top high school players in the Class of 2010—as well as the top college player available, CC of Southern Nevada’s Bryce Harper—will try to help USA Baseball’s 18-and-under squad win a gold medal at the age group’s Pan American Junior Championships. The entire event will be played with wood bats, as opposed to metal bats as has been the case in the past.

The 18U roster has 20 players on it and was selected after a six-day trials period this week in Cary, N.C., and ended a process that began at the Tournament of Stars in June. The team will work out with exhibitions against local junior-college teams before heading to Venezuela on Sept. 24. The tournament concludes Oct. 4, and Team USA has never won gold in the Pan Ams. Garye LeFevers, a veteran of USA Baseball national teams, will serve as head coach. [...] Continue Reading »

Aaron Crow, the 12th overall pick in the 2009 draft, and the Royals have agreed to terms on a three-year major league contract that includes a $1.5 million bonus and $3 million in guaranteed money. If he spends the duration of the deal (which runs from 2010-12) in the major leagues, he’ll earn just short of $4.5 million.

The deal will be finalized in time for Crow to attend the opening of Kansas City’s instructional league program, which begins Saturday in Surprise, Ariz. It’s possible that he could pitch in the Arizona Fall League afterward.

Ranked as the top righthander available in the draft in 2008, when he pitched at Missouri, Crow went ninth overall that June to the Nationals. But the club and Crow’s agents, Alan and Randy Hendricks, couldn’t compromise on a deal, and the signing deadline passed with Crow seeking $4 million and Washington offering $3.5 million. Rather than return to Missouri, Crow signed with the Fort Worth Cats of the independent American Association.

Though his deal with the Royals offers less guaranteed money than the Nationals would have paid him, Crow placed a premium on being able to pitch for the big league club closest to his hometown of Wakarusa, Kan. Kansas City is about 75 miles away from Wakarusa.

Crow was the second American Association pitcher to sign on Thursday. Supplemental first-round pick Tanner Scheppers received a $1.25 million bonus from the Rangers.

Crow has one of the best fastball packages in recent drafts. At his best, he commands a hard 92-96 mph sinker and maintains that velocity into the late innings. His slider is also a plus pitch at times. He shouldn’t require much time in the minors, though some scouts have wondered if the effort in his delivery and his size (generously listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds) will make him more of a closer than a frontline starter.

The Royals spent heavily to lock up their top three picks in the 2009 draft, all of whom had signability issues. Kansas City committed $6.45 million in guaranteed money to Crow, third-rounder Wil Myers and fourth-rounder Chris Dwyer.