Team USA Junior Rosters Take Shape

By Alan Matthews
September 2, 2005

USA Baseball has picked the 20-man roster for the junior national team that will compete in the COPABE Pan Am junior championship Sept. 2-11 in Villahermosa, Mexico. The event serves as a qualifier for the 2006 World Junior Championship.

The team was selected from the pool of players at the Tournament of Stars in Joplin, Mo. A group of 26 players participated in team trials and played six exhibition games in Atlanta before the final roster was set.

"I feel good about this team," said junior national team coach Jerry Dawson of Chaparral High in Scottsdale, Ariz. "I like the chemistry of this group.

"We are trying to build a club on speed, defense and pitching. So we have to coach to the style of players that we have. With our team speed, we cause stress for other teams when we play them. Defensively, we have made only three errors during our six exhibition games here in the Atlanta area. That's pretty solid. With four shutouts in six games, our pitching has turned out to be what we expected. That is a credit to our assistant coaches who identified that strength early in the player evaluation process."

Because the age requirements stipulate players be born in 1987 or later, the team features three players slated to play college baseball this spring. Lefthanders Jeremy Bleich and Sean Ratliff will attend Stanford and righthander Tyson Ross will play at California.

The junior roster also features players with interesting connections to professional and college baseball. Infielder Marcus Lemon is the son of former big leaguer Chet Lemon. Lefthander Brett Anderson's father Frank is head coach at Oklahoma State. Righthander Josh Thraikil played at T.C. Roberson High with Cameron Maybin, the 10th overall pick in June.

Pitchers	B-T	Ht	Wt	School	Hometown	Class
Brett Anderson	L-L	6-4	205	Stillwater	Stillwater, Okla.	2006
Dellin Betances	R-R	6-9	215	Grand Street	New York, N.Y.	2006
Jeremy Bleich	L-L	6-2	185	Isidore Newman	Metairie, La.	2005
Clayton Kershaw	L-L	6-3	210	Highland Park	Dallas	2006
Greg Peavey	R-R	6-2	180	Hudson's Bay	Vancouver, Wa.	2007
Kevin Rhoderick	R-R	5-11	175	Horizon	Scottsdale, Ariz.	2007
Tyson Ross	R-R	6-5	215	Bishop O'Dowd	Oakland	2005
Josh Thraikill	R-R	6-4	185	T.C. Roberson	Arden, N.C.	2006
Shawn Tolleson	R-R	6-2	215	Allen	Fairview, Texas	2006
Catchers	B-T	Ht	Wt	School	Hometown	Class
Dwight Childs	R-R	6-3	175	Elk Grove	Elk Grove, Calif.	2006
Torre Langley	R-R	5-9	175	Alexander	Winston, Ga.	2006
Infielders	B-T	Ht	Wt	School	Hometown	Class
Lars Anderson	L-L	6-4	205	Jesuit	Fair Oaks, Calif.	2006
Adrian Cardenas	L-R	6-0	185	Pace	Miami Lakes, Fla.	2006
Grant Green	R-R	6-3	170	Canyon	Anaheim, Calif.	2006
Marcus Lemon	L-R	5-11	170	Eustis	Umatilla, Fla.	2006
Max Sapp	L-R	6-2	210	Bishop Moore	Windermere, Fla.	2006
Outfielders	B-T	Ht	Wt	School	Hometown	Class
Sean Ratliff	L-L	6-3	195	Niwot	Longmont, Colo.	2005
Scott Schauer	R-R	6-0	175	Servite	Huntington Beach, Calif.	2006
Jason Taylor	R-R	6-1	195	Kellam	Virginia Beach	2006
Leonardo Ware	R-R	5-11	185	North Atlanta	Atlanta	2005

Assistant Coaches

Tony Gabusi Mountain View High (Tucson, Ariz.)
Jason Hisey Pima Community College (Tucson, Ariz.)
Tony Thompson Frenship High (Wolfforth, Texas)