PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2000

A look at who will make an impact on high school teams from the region.

PITCHERS

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Rk Player, School Yr. Comment 1. Jamie Shields, Hart Sr. 1999 player of the year is better than ever 2. Matt Harrington, Palmdale Sr. His right arm is worth $2 million 3. Chris Cordeiro, Thousand Oaks Sr. UCLA-bound right-hander has best curveball 4. Tony Sulser, Calabasas Sr. Was 9-2 with 2.29 earned-run average 5. Matt Parris, Highland Sr. On his best day, few are better 6. Jason Urquidez, Chaminade Jr. No. 1 pitcher in the Mission League 7. Matt Merricks, Oxnard Sr. Left-hander struck out 17 in one game 8. Jesse Kozlowski, Westlake Sr. Has talent but it’s time to produce 9. Ivan Lopez, Sylmar Sr. Can become top pitcher in City Section 10. Jose Montes, San Fernando Sr. Three-sport athlete with lots of ability 11. Jeff Green, Valencia Sr. Made great strides during summer ball 12. Michael Frost, Campbell Hall Sr. Finished 11-2 with 1.55 ERA 13. Jason Brown, Paraclete Sr. Was 7-2 with 1.25 ERA 14. Jason Hirsch, St. Francis Sr. He’s 6-6 with improving skills 15. Gregory Russell, Hoover Sr. Signed with Wake Forest 16. Adam Geery, Kennedy So. Cool, calm, poised right-hander 17. Chris Seddon, Canyon Jr. Left-hander capable of throwing shutouts 18. Tracy Goebel, Thousand Oaks Sr. Being No. 2 to Cordeiro isn’t bad 19. Jacob Ball, Chatsworth Sr. Left-hander with impressive winter form 20. Marshall Plouffe, Crespi Sr. Ready to become Celts’ ace 21. Jon Bierly, Ventura Sr. Top pitcher for Channel League favorites 22. Josh Deneau, El Camino Real Sr. If Conquistadores win City title, he’ll be a key 23. Eric Posthumus, Hart Jr. He’s healthy and picking up velocity 24. John Gonzalez, Camarillo Sr. Was 8-2 with 2.47 ERA 25. Jeremy Gonzales, Village Sr. Clocked at 88 mph at Area Code Christian games 26. Tim Thompson, Grace Brethren Sr. Has 39-4 career record

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FIRST BASE

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Rk Player, School Yr. Comment 1. Brian Lipman, Royal Sr. Hit 11 home runs, drove in 54 runs 2. Tyler Adamczyk, Westlake Jr. Region’s top college prospect for 2001 3. Alec Moss, Notre Dame Sr. All he does is hit, field and lead 4. Randy Curtis, Calabasas Sr. Has .444 lifetime batting average 5. Jaime Martinez, Hueneme Jr. One of the best hitters in Ventura County 6. Fernando Valenzuela, St. Sr. One of Mission League’s Francis toughest outs 7. Adam Rondou, Canyon Sr. Foothill League coaches rave about him 8. Jeff Mayberry, Saugus Sr. Will drive in lots of runs 9. Michael Marble, Grant Sr. A clutch hitter 10. Jason Kort, El Camino Real Jr. Won’t hit anything less than .400

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SECOND BASE

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Rk Player, School Yr. Comment 1. Brendan Ryan, Notre Dame Sr. Tremendous defensive player 2. Ryan Haag, Hart Sr. Had 50 hits last season 3. Mark McCauley, Crescenta Sr. Doesn’t make errors Valley 4. Adam Leavitt, Thousand Oaks Sr. One of region’s most improved players 5. Ryan Soroka, Chaminade Sr. Packs surprising power

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THIRD BASE

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Rk Player, School Yr. Comment 1. John Santor, Highland Sr. Great junior season: 15 home runs, 54 RBIs 2. Jonathan Oller, Crespi Jr. 53 hits, 52 RBIs, 11 HRs in Legion ball 3. Manny Flores, San Fernando Sr. Returning All-City player 4. Matt Plante, Palmdale Sr. Hit .458 as a junior 5. Tim Murphy, Burroughs So. Will end up as a four-year starter 6. John Barbaro, Crescenta Valley Sr. Makes defensive plays

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SHORTSTOP

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Rk Player, School Yr. Comment 1. Conor Jackson, El Camino Real Sr. Watch his power numbers climb 2. Jonathon Brewster, Notre Dame Sr. Has made himself a real hitting threat 3. Billy Lockin, Thousand Oaks Sr. Balls hit to him are automatic outs 4. Matt Fisher, Chatsworth Sr. Has 110 hits in his career 5. Felipe Tetelboin, Grant Sr. Hits for power and average 6. Delwyn Young, Littlerock Sr. Hit 22 home runs the last two seasons 7. Sam Sandoval, St. Francis Sr. Signed with Cal State Northridge 8. Frank Tinoco, Rio Mesa Sr. Has lots of pop in his bat 9. Jeff Dragicevich, Westlake Sr. The successor to Kevin Howard 10. Raul Campos, Birmingham So. Will be hearing lots about him 11. Tim Cantu, Alemany Jr. Steady, reliable fielder and hitter 12. Juan Sepulveda, Kennedy Sr. Came on strong in ’99 and hasn’t let up 13. Andrew Petersen, L.A. Baptist Jr. Can be counted on to make plays 14. Matt Lopez, Quartz Hill Sr. Might be best in the Golden League 15. Jamie Mah, Sylmar So. Hardly plays like a sophomore 16. Rob Fockaert, Paraclete Sr. Is there any sport he doesn’t excel in? 17. Colin Ward-Henninger, Buckley Jr. Big-time player at a small school 18. Chris Nealon, Moorpark So. A player with excellent potential

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CATCHER

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Rk Player, School Yr. Comment 1. Jonathan Higashi, Chaminade Sr. Batted .463 with 38 RBIs 2. Matt Cunningham, Notre Dame Sr. Will post big numbers if healthy 3. Joey Hamer, Newbury Park Sr. Signed with Iowa State 4. Spencer Wyman, Camarillo Sr. Capable of driving in 50 runs 5. Brandon Montemayor, Hart Sr. Signed with Clemson 6. Michael Nickeas, Westlake Jr. Defense is his strength 7. Jose Carrillo, Birmingham So. The guy can hit 8. Phil Avlas, Kennedy Jr. Coming off All-City season 9 Mike Leduc, El Camino Real Sr. Three-year starter 10. Matt Wilson, Crespi Sr. Does everything well 11. Daniel Champieux, Highland Sr. Part of powerful hitting lineup 12. Mike Silva, Burroughs So. Watch how well he plays 13. Chris Rippe, Valencia Sr. Returning all-leaguer 14. Blake Nelson, Oak Park So. Hit .379 as a freshman

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OUTFIELD

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Rk Player, School Yr. Comment 1. Jason Kubel, Highland Sr. He’s a human hitting machine 2. Matt Thayer, Harvard-Westlake Sr. Led region with 35 stolen bases 3. Casey O’Quinn, Royal Sr. Batted .513 last season 4. Brian Horwitz, Crespi Sr. Signed with California 5. Richie Martin, Valencia Jr. 18 of 24 hits were home runs or doubles 6. Marke Horvat, Hart Sr. Ready to have his best season 7. Sean McElroy, El Camino Real Sr. If he gets on a hot streak, watch out 8. Cory Taillon, Westlake Sr. Hit .418 as all-league player 9. Matt Friedrichsen, Hart Sr. Possesses power and speed 10. Steve Moss, Notre Dame So. Fast, has great arm, learning to hit 11. J.D. Peterson, Camarillo Jr. Will be stealing bases in bunches 12. Eddie Camacho, Sylmar Sr. Top hitter for City title contender 13. Erik Johnson, Chaminade Jr. Ready to fulfill potential 14. David Decker, Crescenta Valley Sr. Has speed and hitting skills 15. Mike Place, Antelope Valley Sr. Another quality hitter from Golden League 16. Delmon Young, Camarillo Fr. Can he live up to the hype?

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