CALIFORNIA  

2007 FOLLOW LIST  

OVERVIEW: Southern California is loaded with high-ceiling high, school position players, particularly at third base. But as loaded as the area is with hitters, it is equally thin on upper-round high school arms. Four of the elite prep position players could go in the first round, with another 2-3 in the supplemental first round. 
 
There is another group of talented, high-ceiling position players in Southern California, including a number of Aflac All-Americans, that seem to have slipped out of the top 3-5 rounds—and some may be late-rounders or even go undrafted. It’s all a factor of signability. There are a number of players with high price tags whose present-day ability does not translate to the dollars it will take to sign them.
 
California has some polished college pitchers—in fact, some of the most polished in the nation—but no certain first-round talents like Stanford righthander Greg Reynolds (No. 2 overall) and California righthander Brandon Morrow (No. 5 overall) last year. Frankly, a number of the premium junior college arms in California are stronger than the four-year college arms, both in Northern and Southern California. The trio of UC Riverside’s James Simmons, Pepperdine’s Barry Enright and Cal State Fullerton’ Wes Roemer are all very similar—in terms of stuff, command and performance history—but none has overpowering stuff.
 
The top high school pitcher in the state resides in the Bay Area, Los Gatos High righthander Kyle Blair. At one time, the top two high school arms were in the Bay Area, but Blair’s summer league teammate, Bellarmine Prep’s Erik Goeddel, had Tommy John surgery in April. A trio of highly-regarded junior college pitchers also resides in Northern California, and all could go before the 5^th round. There is a pretty strong collection of junior college pitchers in Southern California as well, but no premium arm.
 
Some of the colleges that historically have produced high-round talent are unusually down this year. Stanford, Long Beach State, California and Southern California, which all had a first-rounder in 2006, are all lacking big-time draft-eligible talent. That has hurt the overall depth in California , but it is expected to be a short-lived issue. The 2008 college class is very strong at the college level, with at least four projected first-rounders.
 
STRENGTH: High school position players, polished college righthanders.
WEAKNESS: College position players, high school pitchers.
OVERALL RATING (1-to-5 scale): 4.
 
Best Out-of-State Prospect, California Connection: Beau Mills, 3b, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) U. (Attended high school in Visalia ).
TOP 2008 PROSPECT: Brian Matusz, lhp, U of San Diego.
 
Highest Pick, Draft History: Steve Chilcott, c, Antelope Valley HS, Lancaster (Mets, 1966/1^st round, 1^st pick); Tim Foli, ss, Notre Dame HS, Canoga Park (Mets, 1968/1^st round, 1^st pick); Jeff Burroughs, of, Wilson HS, Long Beach (Senators, 1969/1^st round/1^st pick); Darryl Strawberry, of, Crenshaw HS, Los Angeles (Mets, 1980/1^st round, 1^st pick); Phil Nevin, 3b, Cal State Fullerton (Astros, 1992/1^st round, 1^st pick); Adrian Gonzalez, 1b, Eastlake HS, Chula Vista (Marlins, 2000/1^st round, 1^st pick); Delmon Young, of, Camarillo HS (Devil Rays, 2003/1^st round, 1^st pick); Matt Bush, ss, Mission Bay HS, San Diego (Padres, 2004/1^st round, 1^st pick).
Highest Pick, 2006 Draft: Greg Reynolds, rhp, Stanford U. (Rockies/first round, 2^nd pick).
 
Best College Team: San Diego.
Best Junior College Team: Fresno CC.
Best High School Team: Woodrow Wilson HS, Long Beach .
 
TOP 160 PROSPECTS / By Blaine Clemmens
 
GROUPS (College, Junior College, High School)
      1   High-round draft (Rounds 1-3; projected first-round pick in boldface type)
      2   Mid-round draft (Rounds 4-10)
      3   Late-round draft (Rounds 11-25)
      4   Chance draft / Player to follow
 
*Draft-and-follow; eligible to sign before 2007 draft
 

GROUP ONE
Rank  Player                                  Pos.       Yr     B-T      HT     WT     School                              Hometown                 Drafted/(Commit)        B’date
     1.   Josh Vitters                          3B      Sr.     R-R     6-3     190     Cypress HS                     Anaheim                     (Arizona State )          8-27-89
SCOUTING REPORT: Over the last year and a half, Vitters has been steadily gaining steam toward his current status as the top draft-eligible player in California . His raw ability with the bat alone makes him a first-round pick. His bat speed and strength combine to give him prodigious power that clearly profiles at the hot corner. However, Vitters has evolved from a raw talent into a very polished, young “professional hitter” that now is projected to be a top five pick overall in the first round—possibly even the first position player selected. His pitch recognition is very good; he knows what he wants to hit, and what he can and cannot hit. When Vitters’ brain says swing, his hands do it and it is a very impressive thing to see. He does need to improve on defense like most young players, but has the tools to be at least an average defensive third baseman, and may even be better than that.