Scouts Will Just Have to Look a Little Harder

There was no shortage of prep baseball talent in Orange County last season. Players such as Capistrano Valley High School’s Bill Dodd, Esperanza’s Kurt Dempster, Laguna Hills’ Lee Plemel and Ocean View’s Dean Douty were just a few reasons why major league scouts and college coaches were drawn to the area in great numbers.

Those scouts will be back this year, stop watches and radar guns in hand. They just don’t figure to have as much to look at as they have in years past.

It would be difficult to duplicate the production of potential baseball professionals of a year ago, and it seems as if this year won’t come close.

“It’s kind of a down year,” La Quinta Coach Dave Demarest said. “I just don’t see a whole lot of pro prospects out there.”

El Dorado Coach Steve Gullotti agreed. “I don’t think there were as many outstanding juniors last year as there has been in the past,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see, but I don’t think you’ll see as many of the Dodds and Dempsters this year.”

But a lean year by Orange County standards simply means there aren’t as many budding stars as usual. There still is enough talent to attract some big league attention, even if it doesn’t quite compare to the star quality of 1984.

A look at 15 players who should have a big impact on prep baseball in the county in 1985, in alphabetical order:

Frank Appice (El Toro)--The Sea View League’s leading hitter in 1984 with a .472 batting average, Appice has started quickly this season, going 6 for 11 with 3 walks. El Toro Coach Dan DeLeon, whose Chargers have moved into the South Coast League, said he expects his catcher to continue his career in college. Stanford, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State are among the schools that have expressed an interest. “He’s our catalyst,” DeLeon said. “He’s a multi-dimensional player.”

Brett August (Capistrano Valley)--Last year, Capistrano Valley Coach Bob Zamora said August could be better than his older brother, Don, who was a first-round draft choice of the Houston Astros last year after a successful season at Chapman College. The younger August is off to a shaky start this season, however. He gave up eight runs in Monday’s 15-8 win over El Modena but managed to get the victory. “He’s not throwing the ball well right now,” Zamora said. “The potential is there, he’s just in a slump.” The senior right-hander was 3-0 as a spot starter last season on a staff that included Dodd and Tom Gates, who combined for an 18-2 record.

Ken Briggs (Foothill)--Part of a trio of three-sport athletes (along with Stacy Parker and Jud Dutrisac) that forms the nucleus of a team that should contend for the Century League title. Briggs, a catcher with a strong throwing arm, hit .418 with 26 RBIs last season. “He’s a real fierce competitor,” Foothill Coach Gerry Sedoo said. “He works hard to improve.”

Jim Campanis (Valencia)--Campanis has grown up around baseball. His father, Jim, is a former major leaguer and his grandfather, Al, is the Dodgers’ general manager. Campanis has been a varsity starter since the middle of his freshman season. He hit .480 as a sophomore and recovered from a slow start to hit .409 with nine doubles last year.

Eric Cox (Esperanza)--Considered one of the best catchers in the county. As a sophomore last year, Cox started and hit .390. He’s a big reason the Aztecs (3-0) are No. 1 team in the season’s first Orange County Sportswriters’ Assn. poll.

Chip Damato (Edison)--Damato was 8-1 with a 1.06 ERA last season and served as the Chargers’ relief stopper in the latter stages of the Sunset League race. He hit .358 and played second base when he wasn’t pitching. He may see less action on the mound this year because of the strength of the Edison pitching staff.

Leonard Damian (Canyon)--Damian transferred to Canyon from Saddleback, where he was one of the county’s most overpowering pitchers last season. His presence makes Canyon, the defending Southern Section 3-A champions, one of the favorites in a tight Century League race. Damian was 9-3 with a 1.18 ERA and was second to Capistrano Valley’s Bill Dodd for the county lead in strikeouts with 95. He’s also a proven power hitter with 5 home runs and 22 RBIs in 1984.

Bobby DeJardin (Mater Dei)--DeJardin committed only three errors as the Monarchs’ starting shortstop last year. “He may be the best shortstop in the county, both offensively and defensively,” Mater Dei Coach Bob Ickes said. “In the tough situations, he wants the ball hit to him.” DeJardin will be the Monarchs’ leadoff hitter this season. He hit .464 as a junior, 10th-best in the county.

Carl Holmes (Magnolia)--Magnolia Coach Don Popovich said Holmes is in only his fourth year of competitive baseball since moving to the area from Chicago. “He’s still learning,” Popovich said. “Where some guys might realize their potential two or three years from now, his might be five years down the line.” There is no questioning Holmes’ physical talent, however. A junior center fielder with good speed and a strong throwing arm, he hit .340 last year and has the size (6-feet 4-inches, 200 pounds) that attracts scouts.

Mike Morehead (Tustin)--Morehead moves from third base to shortstop this year, and Tustin Coach Dan Sheehy said he has made a smooth transition. He hit .451 (.510 in league play) and was a first-team, All-Century League pick last year. Sheehy calls Morehead a steady infielder and an excellent hitter. “He’s a line-drive hitter who can also hit the long ball,” Sheehy said. “I’ve never seen a guy hit the ball hard more consistently than he does.”

Jeff Petredes (El Dorado)--The junior right-hander was slowed by a bone chip in his elbow last year, but he seems to have fully recovered. He’s already 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. El Dorado’s Gullotti said Petredes can be overpowering, but he’s also a finesse pitcher with a good curveball and a split-fingered fastball. “He’s the key to our season, there’s no doubt about that,” Gullotti said.

Bob Sharpnack (Fountain Valley)--At 6-3, 195, Sharpnack has a reputation of being a power pitcher, but he worked on improving his curveball over the summer and should be more effective. He was 10-2 with a 1.67 ERA last season and was fifth in the county in strikeouts with 87. “He’s got great athletic ability and good physical size,” Baron Coach Tom DeKraai said. “He’s a hard worker and very coachable, and he’s really serious about baseball.” Sharpnack also will be DeKraai’s cleanup hitter.

Travis Tarchione (Los Alamitos)--The center fielder was part of the potent Griffin lineup that was hampered by a lack of solid pitching last season. Tarchione was second in the county in hits with 40 and finished with a .439 batting average. He was among the county leaders with 9 doubles and 26 runs.

David Tinkle (Ocean View)--Tinkle drew a lot of attention last summer when he was the leading hitter in the Connie Mack World Series Tournament. He will be Coach Bill Gibbons’ shortstop and only returning starter. “I think he’s one of the really fine hitters in Orange County,” Gibbons said. “I think he has a future in professional baseball.”

Brian Raum (Villa Park)--Spartan Coach Dave Ochoa has said Raum has the potential to become the best pitcher in Villa Park history. He certainly got off to a memorable start in 1984. He threw a no-hitter against La Habra in his first start of the season and went the first 4 innings of his second game before allowing a hit. Raum finished the season at 7-2 on a team dominated by underclassmen.