Connect with us

Summer Collegiate

40 WCL Alumni Selected in 2021 MLB Draft

Published

on

Former Bellingham Bells infielder Matt McLain was drafted 17th overall by the Cincinnati Reds.

Earlier this week, 40 current and former West Coast League players were selected in Major League Baseball’s annual Rule 4 amateur draft.

With the Cincinnati Reds’ selection of Matt McLain with the 17th overall pick, 2021 marks the fifth straight year with a WCL standout drafted in the first round.

McLain, a UCLA infielder, earned the WCL’s Top Prospect Award in 2018 as a member of the Bellingham Bells. Also that summer, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected McLain with the 25th overall pick in the draft, but instead of signing a professional contract he enrolled at UCLA and continued his baseball career there. The Baseball America Preseason All-American and Pac-12 Player of the Year hit .333 with nine home runs and 36 runs batted this spring for the Bruins.

There were 19 WCL alumni selected in the first 10 rounds of the draft, including four among the top 63 overall picks.

“I’m hardly surprised,” said West Coast League Commissioner Rob Neyer, “but I’m certainly pleased, having seen many of these brilliant young talents during my travels around the league in recent years. And I have great confidence that our league’s commitment to player development will only mean more and more top prospects every summer.”

Below, please see the list of current and former WCL players drafted this week:

Round / Player / School / WCL Club(s) / MLB Org
– 1st round, Matt McLain, UCLA, Bellingham, Cincinnati Reds
– 2nd round, Aaron Zavala, Oregon, Ridgefield, Texas Rangers
– 2nd round, Brendan Beck, Stanford, Corvallis, New York Yankees
– 2nd round, Kyle Manzardo, Washington State, Portland, Tampa Bay Rays
– 4th round, JT Schwartz, UCLA, Wenatchee, New York Mets
– 4th round, Zane Mills, Washington State, Portland, St. Louis Cardinals
– 4th round, Nick Nastrini, UCLA, Bellingham, Los Angeles Dodgers
– 5th round, Collin Burns, Tulane, Bellingham, Baltimore Orioles
– 6th round, Grant Holman, Cal, Bellingham, Oakland A’s
– 7th round, Kevin Kendall, UCLA, Port Angeles, New York Mets
– 7th round, Ryan Och, Southern Mississippi, Bellingham, San Diego Padres
– 8th round, Sean Sullivan, Cal, Walla Walla, Pittsburgh Pirates
– 8th round, Noah Cardenas, UCLA, Portland, Minnesota Twins
– 8th round, Cullen Kafka, Oregon, Yakima Valley, Colorado Rockies
– 9th round, Mat Olsen, Central Arizona College, Cowlitz, San Francisco Giants
– 9th round, Chase Watkins, Oregon State, Corvallis, Chicago Cubs
– 9th round, Gil Luna, Arizona, Bend, Chicago White Sox
– 9th round, Shane McGuire, San Diego, Victoria, Oakland A’s
– 10th round, Ernie Yake, Gonzaga, Bellingham, Minnesota Twins
– 11th round, Rowdey Jordan, Mississippi State, Victoria, New York Mets
– 11th round, Chad Stevens, Portland, Corvallis, Houston Astros
– 11th round, Jack Neely, Ohio State, Victoria, New York Yankees
– 11th round, Sean Mullen, UCLA, Yakima Valley, Tampa Bay Rays
– 12th round, Chazz Martinez, Orange Coast College, Walla Walla, Pittsburgh Pirates
– 12th round, Christopher Troye, UC Santa Barbara, Bend, Boston Red Sox
– 12th round, Tyson Guerrero, Washington, Cowlitz, Kansas City Royals
– 12th round, Andrew Alvarez, Cal Poly, Kelowna, Washington Nationals
– 12th round, Caden Vire, Arizona State, Ridgefield, Milwaukee Brewers
– 13th round, Owen Sharts, Nevada, Victoria, Pittsburgh Pirates
– 14th round, Damiano Palmegiani, Southern Nevada, Port Angeles, Toronto Blue Jays
– 14th round, Frankie Scalzo, Grand Canyon, Port Angeles, Chicago Cubs
– 15th round, Wyatt Young, Pepperdine, Victoria, New York Mets
– 15th round, Mikey Perez, UCLA, Portland, Minnesota Twins
– 16th round, Zach Pettway, UCLA, Bellingham, Cleveland Indians
– 16th round, Alek Jacob, Gonzaga, Wenatchee, San Diego Padres
– 17th round, Ryan Long, Pomona-Pitzer College, Wenatchee, Baltimore Orioles
– 17th round, Dennis Boatman, Sacramento CC, Corvallis, Cincinnati Reds
– 17th round, Luke Boyd, Baylor, Victoria, San Diego Padres
– 18th round, Noah Williamson, Everett CC, Yakima Valley, Miami Marlins
– 20th round, Hunter Breault, Oregon, Bend, Oakland A’s

 

About the West Coast League: The West Coast League is the West’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Encompassing Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and now Alberta, the WCL showcases pro prospects from major collegiate conferences around the nation. Every summer, the league features unparalleled fan and player experiences, with North America’s best baseball weather and a mix of classic ballparks and dramatic scenery. The 2019 MLB amateur draft began with former Corvallis Knight Adley Rutschman selected with the overall No. 1 pick by the Baltimore Orioles. Also in 2019, 317 WCL alumni were active in affiliated professional baseball, including 45 in the major leagues, while overall attendance in the West Coast League increased to nearly half a million fans.

About the Kamloops NorthPaws: The Kamloops NorthPaws is Kamloops’ newest sports franchise. The NorthPaws join the  Edmonton Riverhawks, Nanaimo NightOwls/Bars and the Springfield Drifters as WCL expansion teams beginning play in the 2022 season. Norbrock Stadium will host all NorthPaws home games, when future MLB prospects play their summer season in the WCL. Season tickets and 10-game flex plans are now on sale for the 2022 season.

Source

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Summer Collegiate

Son of former MLB star part of latest NightOwls signing group

Published

on

Todd Hollandsworth was a third round pick of the Dodgers after a stellar high school showing in the Seattle area — he would go on to win the World Series with the 2003 Florida Marlins and play 12 MLB seasons and more than 1,100 games, with the Dodgers, Indians, Marlins, Rockies, Rangers, Cubs, Braves and Reds. He was the 1996 National League rookie of the year with the Dodgers, batting .291 with 26 doubles and 21 stolen bases.

.

Tugg bats and throws left like his dad, and is now a prized developing freshman at Illinois State. His teammate Minshew is a valued 90mph-plus power arm out of the bullpen who is already being used as a freshman.

.

Felix, a physical player with power, is being watched closely this spring by NightOwls pitching coach Gorm Heimueller, and projects as a star catcher at the baseball factory at Cal Poly — where Heimueller was a pitcher many decades ago on a team that featured Ozzie Smith.

.

Hadley is a power lefty bat, a former Langley Blaze star, who was going to join the NightOwls in 2023 until he was injured. He’s second in at-bats with Barton this spring, batting .355 with five doubles and a home run, and 16 RBIs.

.

Noonan is at Grossmont College but is making the jump to SDSU, a slick shortstop who smashed eight home runs as a freshman.

.

Welter, a valuable lefty for deployment out of the bullpen at Serauxmen Stadium, is filling a key role for the Trojans this spring.

Source

Continue Reading

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Arms from Oz, Hawaii and Golden Tide added for 2024 summer

Published

on

For immediate release

March 13, 2024

VICTORIA, B.C. — The reigning CCAA player of the week, San Marcos infielder Garrett Teunissen (pictured above), leads the latest signees for the Victoria HarbourCats for the 2024 season.

SEE FULL 2024 ROSTER TO DATE HERE

Teunissen, a junior from Corona, CA, stole three bases, had two doubles, a triple and a home run among a 9-15 weekend against San Bernardino, leading his team to three wins in four games. He’s leading the league in stolen bases and sac bunts, a year after a .352 season with seven bombs and 16 stolen bases at Mt. San Jacinto.

The HarbourCats are excited with the mix of elite bats and top arms, including local product Brett Paterson of the Victoria Golden Tide, announced today.

  • IF Garrett Teunissen, Cal State-San Marcos, 5-9/185, Corona, CA
  • C Cam Macleod, Cloud County, 5-11/195, Vancouver
  • RHP Luke Hayhow, Hawaii, 6-2/235, Sydney, Australia
  • C Griffen Sotomayor, Washington State, 6-1/215, Turlock, CA 
  • RHP Shea Lake, Hawaii Pacific, 6-3/180, Temecula, CA
  • RHP Ryne Palmer, Cal Baptist, 6-4/200, Peoria, AZ
  • RHP Brett Paterson, Victoria Golden Tide, 6-2/220, Victoria

Hayhow is a highly regarded Hawaii recruit from Sydney, Australia, a monster at 6-2/235 with immense potential and a fastball up to 93.

Local Golden Tide product Brett Paterson will bring an extra arm and some character to the HarbourCats bullpen in 2024 (Photo: Christian Stewart)

Sotomayor is a sophomore with the Cougars and was rated the third best catcher in California in his senior year, after being team captain for two seasons at Turlock High School.

Macleod is a product of the North Shore Twins who has three home runs and 18 driven in while batting .333 in 19 games for Cloud County so far this spring.

Palmer is a big righthander who touches 90 and is used out of the pen by Cal Baptist. Lake is 3-0 with a 4.32 ERA so far this season, mostly used as a starter.

Paterson is a local baseball product who has grown into his own with the CCBC Victoria Golden Tide, and was a workhorse for the Weyburn Beavers of the WCBL last summer. Known for his hard work and positive leadership with the Golden Tide, uses a funky delivery to be effective as a starter.

Single game tickets are now available for the HarbourCats 2024 season including the home opener on Friday, June 7, 2024 at 6:35pm against the Kamloops NorthPaws. These can be purchased online at www.harbourcats.com/tickets or at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

Season tickets and 10-game flex packs are also now on sale via the HarbourCats office or by calling 778-265-0327.

REMINDERS!

 

Source

Continue Reading

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – HarbourCats load up on top-school bats with latest signings, Crossland returns

Published

on

Above:  Returning outfielder Michael Crossland highlights the latest six HarbourCats signings for 2024 (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

March 7, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VICTORIA, B.C. — All Michael Crossland did last summer was hit, and hit a lot — including a league-best 19-game hitting streak. The outfielder from Seattle and UC-San Diego returns for a second season as a Victoria HarbourCat, and is off to a strong start for the Tritons in San Diego. He’ll be joined by versatile teammate Kerim Orucevic, recruited from the Chicago area.

Also added today are top TCU hitters Camdon Sos, who hails from the San Diego region but was lured to Texas, and infielder Ryder Robinson from TCU, a Utah native.

Others signed are Floridian Jake Haggard, a big bat at Louisiana-Monroe, along with Cal State-Fullerton speedster Ny’Zaiah Thompson, who is originally from Oakland.

“This is a deep group of bats who will be expected to develop fast in our pro environment at Wilson’s Group Stadium,” said Head Coach Todd Haney, who recruited these players. “We all know what Michael can do, and this group is going to be right there with him, I’m excited to coach them all and our fans are going to like this group.”

  • OF Michael Crossland, UC-San Diego, 6-0/210, Seattle, WA
  • IF/OF Kerim Orucevic, UC-San Diego, 6-1/205, Park Ridge, Illinois
  • IF Ryder Robinson, TCU, 6-2/185, Cedar Hills, Utah
  • IF Camdon Sos, TCU, 6-3/200, Alpine, CA
  • IF/OF Jake Haggard, Louisiana-Monroe, 6-3/230, West Palm Beach, Florida
  • OF Ny’Zaiah Thompson, Cal State-Fullerton, 5-11/170, Oakland, CA

TCU’s Ryder Robinson in action against Washington State earlier this spring (Photo: TCU Athletics)

Crossland had 40 hits in the summer of 2023 in as many games, a .290 average with two home runs, 30 driven in and 18 stolen bases. He scored 24 runs and drew more walks (19) than he struck out (18) and somehow didn’t make the WCL all-star team. Crossland is batting .386 through a dozen games with five doubles and a home run this spring.

Orucevic, whose family is Bosnian, is a lefty hitter known for his all out style of play and his versatility — shortstop, outfield, any corner, he can handle it.

Sos is a top end recruit for TCU after a stellar high school career at Granite Hills. Robinson is batting .355 through his first nine collegiate games, showing extra-base power.

Haggard is all power — he hit five home runs as a true freshman at ULM while making 46 starts and tied for the team lead in walks, too. He already has four home runs in 12 games this spring, batting .293.

Louisiana Monroe’s Jake Haggard (14) celebrates a home run hit earlier this spring against Grambling (Photo: Luke Richard)

Thompson, who is related to former Seahawks star Marshawn Lynch, stole 35 bases as a senior in high school to set an all-time record, part of three championships for Mountain House High School.

Single game tickets are now available for the HarbourCats 2024 season including the home opener on Friday, June 7, 2024 at 6:35pm against the Kamloops NorthPaws. These can be purchased online at www.harbourcats.com/tickets or at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street.

Season tickets and 10-game flex packs are also now on sale via the HarbourCats office or by calling 778-265-0327.

REMINDERS!

 

Source

Continue Reading

Trending