Top local high school baseball players

Pitchers

Jose Cardona, El Camino Real, Sr. Reigning City Section player of the year

Chase DeJong, Long Beach Wilson, Jr. Ready to become one of the best in SoCal

Max Fried, Montclair Prep, Jr. His curveball is Koufaxesque

Koby Gauna, St. John Bosco, Sr. Cal State Fullerton commit throws strikes

Lucas Giolito, Harvard-Westlake, Jr. UCLA commit should have breakthrough season

Cole Irvin, Servite, Jr. Might be best pitcher in Trinity League

Kenny Mathews, Diamond Bar, Sr. If he ever loses, it will be news

Henry Owens, Edison, Sr. He’s a 6-7 left-hander and future millionaire

Felipe Perez, Fairmont Prep, Jr. UCLA commit has a gold medal in his collection

Kyle Twomey, El Dorado, Jr. Highly regarded and headed to USC

Others

Jayson Balades, Oxnard, Jr. Left-hander has nasty curveball

Scott Barlow, Golden Valley, Sr. Headed to Fresno State

Tyler Brashears, El Toro, Jr. UC Irvine commit had 1.64 ERA

Dalton Brown, Chaminade, Sr. Duke signee can be top closer

Justin Chamberlain, Camarillo, Jr. Part of strong pitching rotation

J.C. Cloney, West Ranch, Jr. Cal State Fullerton commit has made major improvement

Ryan Cruz, GH Kennedy, Sr. One of the best in City Section

K.J. Edson, Arcadia, Sr. Was 8-1 with 1.08 ERA

Eric Hsieh, Dana Hills, Sr. Headed to Yale and knows how to pitch

Jacob Faria, Gahr, Sr. Cal State Fullerton signee had 1.52 ERA

Steven Gianelli, Fairfax, Jr. Made impact as a sophomore

Tyler Glasnow, Hart, Sr. He keeps growing and getting better

Nick Griffith, Ventura, Sr. He’s 6-4 with good velocity

Antonio Gonzales, Damien, Jr. Committed to UC Riverside

Josh Gajeda, St. Bonaventure, Sr. Can throw hard at right moment

Travis Hawley, Placentia Valencia, Sr. Went 9-3 with 2.73 ERA

Jonanthan Hernandez, Wilmington Banning, Sr. Returning Marine League MVP

Matt Higginbotham, Moorpark, Sr. Top returning pitcher from Marmonte League

Drew Jacobs, Buena, Sr. He’s finally healthy, so beware

Michael Jordan, Murrieta Valley, Sr. Committed to Pepperdine

Jerry Keel, Palmdale, Sr. 6-5 lefty struck out 11 twice in games last season

Danny Keller, Newbury Park, Sr. He’s 6-6 with potential

Ryan Keller, West Ranch, Sr. Signed with San Diego

Willie Kuhl, Mission Viejo, Sr. Cal State Fullerton commit is the ace of staff

Jordan Kutzer, Pasadena Poly, Sr. He’s headed to Stanford

Matt Lathuras, SO Notre Dame, Sr. Capable of All-CIF season

David Lira, San Fernando, Sr. All-City pitcher with excellent curveball

Javy Lopez, Arleta, Sr. Capable of leading team to City title game

David Longville, Capistrano Valley, Sr. Committed to Hawaii

Kieran Lovegrove, Mission Viejo, Jr. Committed to Arizona State

Daniel Lucak, Oxford, Jr. Had 15-3 record as a sophomore

Sergio Luna, Cathedral, Sr. All-Southern Section honoree

Adam McCreery, Bonita, Sr. A 6-8 left-hander who intrigues scouts

Trevor Megill, Marina, Jr. Committed to Loyola Marymount

Jamal Moore, Westchester, Sr. Helped team win City Division II title

Garrett Mundell, El Toro, Sr. Signed with Fresno State

Nigel Nootbaar, El Segundo Sr. Big-game pitcher

Zack Ortiz, Cyrpess, Sr. Coming off 8-1 season with 2.08 ERA

Ryan Paramo, Alemany, Jr. Mission League pitcher of the year

Kyle Peck, Los Altos, Sr. Was 4-1 with 2.28 ERA

Travis Radke, Oaks Christian, Sr. Has sharp curveball

Freddy Sepulveda, Ocean View, Sr. Had two wins, three saves in playoffs

Elliot Surrey, Crescenta Valley, Jr. Showed potential as a sophomore

Cody Thompson, Alemany, Jr. Had some big wins as a sophomore

Keymon Thomas, Crenshaw, Jr. Committed to UC Riverside

Mathew Troupe, Chaminade, Sr. Ex-catcher now known as top pitcher

Ben Wylly, Woodbridge, Sr. Headed to San Diego

Cameron Yen, El Dorado, Jr. Had 2.54 ERA as a sophomore

Catcher

Jordan Berger, Taft, Sr. Arizona signee with All-City recognition

Austin Hedges, JSerra, Sr. UCLA signee is exceptional on defense

Jeremy Martinez, Mater Dei, So. USC commit can hit, field

C.J. Saylor, South Hills, Jr. Highly regarded defensively

R.J. Ybarra, Riverside Poly, Jr. He’s a hitting machine

Others

Tyler Alamo, Cypress, So. Hit .415 as a freshman

Chris Barnett, El Modena, Sr. Four-year starter

Alex Bishop, Valencia, Sr. He’s tough and reliable

Brian Choi, Dana Hills, Sr. Can handle top pitchers

Jason D’Andrea, Chaminade, Sr. UCLA commit known for his hitting

Adam Ehrlich, Campbell Hall, Sr. Batted .450

Kyle Ferret, Corona Santiago, Sr. Batted over .500

A.J. Kennedy, Savanna, Jr. League MVP after batting .542

Parker Hindle, Camarillo, Sr. Handles pitchers well

David Hubinger, St. Francis, Sr. Batted .381

Nick Lombardi, Saugus, Sr. Hit four home runs

Chris Mallon, GH Kennedy, Jr. Will become school’s latest All-City catcher

Nick Marshall, Marina, Sr. Plays football and soccer too

Darrell Miller Jr., Servite, Jr. Ready to be impact player

Riley Moore, San Marcos, Sr. Arizona signee

Trevor Podratz, Chaparral, Sr. Signed with Hawaii

Stephen Sauter, Troy, Jr. Oregon commit with big-time talent

Tyler Schultz, Lakewood, Sr. Has strong arm and competes

Dave Schuknecht, Palm Desert, Sr. Had 25 runs batted in

Ryan Tinkham, Royal, Sr. All he does his hit, hit, hit

Trevor Velez, El Dorado, Sr. Should be a top hitter

Chris Whitmer, El Camino Real, Sr. Proved at Dodger Stadium he can block balls

Collin Yelich, Westlake, Jr. Headed for big-time status

First base

Zack Belanger, Cypress, Sr. Empire League MVP with .468 average

Rouric Bridgewater, Diamond Ranch, Sr. One of best power hitters in SoCal

Matt Carpenter, Newport Harbor, Jr. Hit eight home runs

Trevor Gretzky, Oaks Christian, Sr. San Diego State signee

John Alexander, Glendora, Sr. Hit .395 for championship team

Others

Dino Boskovich, San Pedro, Sr. Should be an All-City pick

Kenny Chapman, Claremont, Jr. Cal State Fullerton commit

Manuel Perez, Arleta, Sr. Has 101 hits in career

Cole Rutherford, Chaminade, Jr. He’s 6-4 with power

Dominic Smith, Gardena Serra, So. Has big-time skills

Jake Woolley, Moorpark, Sr. Will be important hitting weapon

Second base

Cory Bloom, Campbell Hall, Sr. Headed to San Diego

Trent Gilbert, Torrance, Sr. Hit .527 with 58 hits

Tim Lopes, Edison, Jr. All signs point toward having standout season

Quincy Quintero, Valencia, Sr. A versatile, dependable player

Ryan Raslowsky, Mission Viejo, Sr. Comes up with clutch hits

Others

Cody Bruder, Corona Santiago, Jr. Future Division I player

Anthony Canjura, San Pedro, Sr. All-City player who can hit

Nick Lovullo, Newbury Park, Jr. Has good bloodlines

Max Miller, Montclair Prep, Sr. All-CIF honoree

Andre Real, Orange Lutheran, Jr. San Diego commit

Seve Romo, Servite, So. One error as a freshman

Third base

Matt Budgell, Woodbridge, Sr. Cal State Fullerton signee batted .394

Josh Heinz, West Ranch, Jr. Had 46 RBIs, 8 home runs

Kyle Raubinger, Arroyo Grande, Sr. Hits the ball hard and far

Taylor Sparks, St. John Bosco, Sr. UC Irvine signee

Trey Williams, Valencia, Jr. A future major leaguer

Others

Kevin Davidson, Yucaipa, Sr. UC Riverside signee has good skills

Ty France, South Hills, Jr. San Diego State commit

Ron Miller, Gardena Serra, Jr. Has lots of ability

Ryan Mulvihill, Culver City, Sr. Four-year starter.

Ryan Muno, Mission Viejo, Sr. Headed to San Diego State

Steve Pallares, Corona Santiago, Sr. Powerful at the plate and on the mound

Ryan Teal, Mater Dei, Sr. Bound for Nevada

Jordan Ybarra, Long Beach Millikan, Jr. He’s 6-4 with great potential

Alex Sawelson, Taft, Sr. Three-year starter

Thomas Walker, Long Beach Poly, Sr. Batted .526

Shortstop

Matt Chapman, El Toro, Sr. Cal State Fullerton signee can hit

Dante Flores, St. John Bosco, Sr. USC signee with top skills

Christian Lopes, Edison, Sr. Last chance to live up to the hype

Brandon Martin, Corona Santiago, Sr. Oregon State signee

Rio Ruiz, Bishop Amat, Jr. He sets the standard for excellence

Christopher Rivera, El Dorado, So. Already a player of the year candidate

Others

Austin Bailey, Great Oak, Sr. Had 48 hits and 31 RBIs

Scott Burcham, Palm Desert, Sr. Let’s see who’s better defensively

Chad Clark, Agoura, Sr. Indiana signee hit

J.P. Crawford, Lakewood, So. Has speed, skills, instincts

Steve Criss, Oxford, Sr., Batted .415 for title-winning team

Austin Davidson, Oxnard, Sr. Hits for power and average

Dylan Delaney, Chaminade, Sr. Key to the Eagles’ infield

Luke Eubank, Newbury Park, Jr. Hit .391 in tough league

David Fletcher, Cypress, So. He’s already better than some seniors

Carlos Garcia, Fremont, Jr. Hits, pitches, fields

Drew Hacker, Oaks Christian, Sr. Pepperdine signee

Scott Heineman, Crespi, Sr. Oregon signee is battle tested

Kyle Hunt, Capistrano Valley, Sr. Nevada signee doesn’t make errors

Randy Medellin, Birmingham, Jr. All-City as a sophomore

Joe Munoz, Los Altos, Jr. Already committed to San Diego State

Martin Orozco, Granada Hills, Sr. First-team all-league pick

Cody Nulph, Orange Lutheran, Jr. All-league and hung tough in Trinity League

Chris Paul, Laguna Beach, Sr. Two-sport standout

Luke Persico, Hart, So. Will be the Indians’ next big-time standout

Simon Ponti, Fullerton, Sr. Four-year varsity player

Chris Rabago, Riverside Poly, Sr. UC Irvine signee

Cody Ramer, Simi Valley, Jr. Arizona commit hit five home runs

Alex Rubanowitz, Calabasas, Sr. Riverside commit is terrific hitter

Peter Van Gansen, Alemany, Jr. Does everything for Warriors

Nick Vitter, Los Alamitos, Sr. Headed to UC Riverside

Blake Walker, Ocean View, Sr. Led team to championship

Shane Zeile, Valencia, Sr. UCLA signee had big summer

Outfield

Jacob Anderson, Chino, Sr. Lots of speed and ability

Aaron Brown, Chatsworth, Sr. Has power and terrific stroke

Billy Fredrick, Golden Valley, So. Batted .427 as a freshman

Ryan Garvey, Palm Desert, Sr. USC signee can hit

Travis Harrison, Tustin, Sr. Will receive lots of intentional walks

Ty Moore, Mater Dei, Jr. Best two-way player in SoCal

Kris Paulino, Tesoro, Sr. Signed with UC Irvine

Austin Saenz, Mission Viejo, Sr. Leadoff hitter makes things happen

Eric Snyder, Edison, Sr. UCLA signee ready for top season

Kevin Torres, Birmingham, Sr. Hit 11 home runs

Clay Williamson, JSerra, Sr. Cal State Fullerton signee is tough out

Others

Jay Anderson, Bishop Amat, Sr. His speed is impressive

Daniel Arellano, Corona Centennial, Sr. Hit 12 home runs

Vahn Bozoian, Ayala, Jr. USC commit

Connor Burke, La Serna, Sr. Athletic player with good skills

Josh Clark, GH Hillcrest Christian, Jr. Hit .696 as a sophomore

Jack Colick, Crespi, Sr. Dependable hitter

Jesus Cuevas, Santa Fe, Sr. League MVP

Michael Dingilian, Chaminade, Sr. One of best in Mission League

Michael Darr, Corona Santiago, So. Has big expectations

Jack Flaherty, Harvard-Westlake, Fr. College coaches already know his name

Steve Karkenny, Chatsworth, Sr. One of the best in City Section

Daniel Pitts, Quartz Hill, Sr. All-Golden League

Justin Sheehan, Saugus, Sr. Batted .372

Cody Sulflow, Alemany, Sr. Needs to return to sophomore form

Nick Vigo, Simi Valley, Jr. Proved he can hit Marmonte pitching

Compiled by Eric Sondheimer based on coaches’ recommendations.