Bain Showing Off His Golden Arm for the Pro Scouts

It’s a little early to call Tyler Bain the next great Golden League pitcher.

But Bain, who will be a senior at Lancaster High, has been golden this summer in American Legion and club baseball.

He has helped Lancaster to a 10-2 record in Legion play and has fared well on the club circuit, striking out 15 in 10 innings at a Junior Olympics tournament last week in Tucson.

If Bain improves his fastball, he could become the best pitcher next year in the Golden League, which has been loaded with pitching talent.

Matt Harrington, a recent Palmdale High graduate, was selected with the seventh overall pick by the Colorado Rockies in the amateur draft earlier this month.

Matt Parris, a graduate of Highland, was drafted in the 12th round by the Detroit Tigers.

Bain is playing this week in the Best of the West, an invitation-only event in Albuquerque attended by college and pro scouts.

“The first day I was a little nervous, pitching in front of all these guys,” said Bain, a right-hander who plays first or third base when not pitching. “But it’s become fun, getting up there and showing what you’ve got. It’s fun getting to know [the scouts] and joking around with them, too.”

Bain, 6 feet 2 and 228 pounds, has a good change-up, employing a unique grip by throwing the pitch with only his thumb and little finger.

“It’s my out pitch,” he said. “It looks like a knuckleball.”

Whether Bain becomes comparable to Harrington or Parris remains to be seen, but working on his fastball is a priority.

“I’m hoping to pump it up by next year,” Bain said. “I’m going to work at it hard until the season starts.”

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Harrington has not signed with the Rockies, but he’s staying in shape and enjoying a little time off.

Harrington, who was 11-0 with a 0.54 earned-run average for Palmdale last season, is “doing my own thing, throwing, working out, kind of enjoying my time off in a way,” he said.

“I haven’t really had a break [in past summers]. I’ve always been playing travel ball and tournaments. It’s fun, but I’d like to get out there and play, too.”

Harrington, represented by agent Tommy Tanzer, and the Rockies remain far apart in contract negotiations, which is good for at least one person--Harrington’s girlfriend, Danielle Thieman.

“She wants me to sign and go play, but she’s happy it might take the whole summer,” Harrington said.

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Sylmar’s bad luck continues.

The Spartans, who blew a 6-0 lead in the seventh inning of a 7-6 loss to El Camino Real in the first round of the City Championship playoffs last month, have had problems holding leads in Legion play.

Sylmar lost to Valley Chatsworth in extra innings of a District 20 game Sunday after leading, 6-2, through five innings.

Chatsworth scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, tied the score in the seventh and won it in the eighth, 7-6.

On Tuesday, Sylmar led Chatsworth, 9-1, after four innings and lost in nine innings, 10-9. Sylmar held a 9-8 lead with two out in the top of the seventh, but Jacob Ball hit a solo home run with two out.

Chatsworth scored the go-ahead run in the ninth on a bases-loaded error by the Spartans.

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Pitcher Joe Guntz of Chatsworth is seeing what the other side of the battery looks like.

Guntz, who was 11-0 last season as a sophomore, has been playing catcher in late innings during some Legion games.

An interesting twist: Guntz is left-handed, a rarity for catchers.

A majority of batters are right-handed, causing an obstruction for a left-handed catcher throwing to second or third base.