Players to watch

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Compiled by Eric Sondheimer

*--* PITCHER The top five Chris Tillman Fountain Valley Sr. Throws hard, throws strikes Danny Farris Los Alamitos Sr. Was better than Tillman last season Kyle Thompson Chaminade Sr. Signed with Stanford Jason Stoffel Agoura Sr. Knows how to hit spots Jeremy Burrell Culver City Sr. Had 104 strikeouts Others Nick Barnese Simi Valley Jr. Had 2.55 ERA as sophomore Brad Boxberger Foothill Sr. Signed with USC Mickey Brodsky Cleveland Jr. Knows how to pitch Nick Capito Wstmstr. La Quinta Jr. Was 8-2 as sophomore Bryan Castro Riverside Poly Jr. Would be ace on most pitching staffs Cole Cook Palisades Jr. He’s 6 feet 6 and getting better Alex Curry Anaheim Canyon Sr. Was 9-0 as a sophomore at Villa Park Steven Dryden San Gorgonio Jr. Went 6-1 with 1.39 ERA Dustin Emmons Crescenta Valley Jr. Ready to replace Trevor Bell Freddie Freeman El Modena Jr. Played on U.S. Youth national team Matt Hiserman Capistrano Valley Sr. Signed with Santa Clara David Jensen Mater Dei Sr. A 6-4 lefty with potential Travis Kelly Los Osos Sr. Signed with CS Fullerton Dan Klein Servite Jr. Had 1.31 ERA as sophomore Brian Lewis Serrano Sr. Was 10-0 with 1.24 ERA T.J. Marcin Edison Sr. Excels in tough league Kyle Mertins El Dorado Sr. Ready to become ace Greg Meyers Servite Sr. If he’s healthy, beware Michael Morrison Cypress Sr. Signed with CS Fullerton Kyle Ocampo Riverside Poly Jr. Has big-time talent Eric Pettis El Camino Real Sr. Threw two-hitter at Dodger Stadium Rob Rasmussen Pasadena Poly Jr. Led region with 147 strikeouts Josh Ravin Chatsworth Sr. The pitcher ECR should fear most Jake Rodriguez Whittier Sr. Four-year varsity standout George Sanchez Gahr Sr. Was 10-1 as a junior Jordan Sigman Loyola Jr. Wins games, gets outs Chase Tigert Quartz Hill Sr. Signed with San Francisco Dan Torres West Torrance Sr. Bay League pitcher of the year Tyler Walker Anaheim Canyon Sr. Possesses nasty curveball Mike Watt Capistrano Valley Jr. A hard-throwing left-hander Sam Weinberg Campbell Hall Sr. Was the Div. VI player of the year Adam Wilk Cypress Sr. Had dominant junior season Fabian Williamson G.H. Kennedy Sr. When he throws strikes, he wins CATCHER The top five Robert Stock Agoura Jr. Does everything well Hank Conger Huntington Beach Sr. Signed with USC Austin Romine El Toro Jr. Hit 10 home runs Kyle Hardman Mission Viejo Sr. Signed with CS Fullerton Chad Nacapoy Crescenta Valley Jr. Pitchers love to throw to him Others Travis d’Arnaud Lakewood Jr. Rising young talent Joe Cariaso Cypress Sr. Empire League MVP Keith Castillo Mater Dei Sr. Helped team win Div. I title Mike Geiger Garden Grove Sr. All-Southern Section pick Chris Hannick Thousand Oaks Jr. All signs point to being an elite player Aaron Figueroa San Fernando Jr. Hits, fields and leads Billy Nowlin Marina Sr. Batted .392 with seven home runs Travis Tartamella Los Osos Sr. Signed with Pepperdine FIRST BASE The top five Chris Parmelee Chino Hills Sr. Hits balls out of the park Casey Haerther Chaminade Sr. Hit .474 with 9 HRs Auggie Meick El Segundo Sr. Had 46 RBIs for section champions Andrew Lambo Newbury Park Jr. One of the best when focused Chad Blauer Edison Sr. Signed with San Diego SECOND BASE The top five Corey Jones Camarillo Sr. Best player in Ventura County in 2005 Kevin MacDonald Palm Desert Sr. Batted .430 with six home runs Austin Barnes Riverside Poly So. Comes through in clutch Ryan Goetz Bishop Amat Sr. Signed with San Diego Aaron Breslow El Camino Real Sr. Most improved player in winter ball THIRD BASE The top five Matt Dominguez Chatsworth Jr. Has 18 HRs, 114 RBIs in two years Josh Vitters Cypress Jr. Tall, strong and dependable Tyler Hoechlin Corona Santiago Sr. Makes plays and hits Matt Jaimes Chino Sr. Signed with Hawaii Gregg Winger Anaheim Canyon Jr. Ready for MVP-like season Others Jeremy Camacho Eagle Rock Sr. A two-sport standout Trevor Gee SO Notre Dame So. Will be top recruit in two years Brian Hernandez Alemany Sr. Has 74 hits the last two years Drew Hillman El Toro Jr. Had 12 doubles Tyler Kolodny El Camino Real Jr. Has good power Andy Megee Palisades Jr. One of the best in City Casey Mulligan Valencia Sr. Strong hitter with powerful arm SHORTSTOP The top five Grant Green Anaheim Canyon Sr. Hit .462, signed with USC Hector Rabago Riverside Poly Sr. Fields with the best Mike Moustakas Chatsworth Jr. Had 12 home runs, 51 RBIs Victor Sanchez Gahr Jr. Hit .485 with 54 RBIs Dan Garcia Nogales Sr. Will be four-year standout Others Ryan Aguayo Servite Sr. Scoops up everything Christian Bergman St. Francis Sr. Makes the tough plays Nathan Bridges Villa Park Sr. Must return to sophomore form Jesus Campos Roosevelt Sr. Headed for All-City recognition Skyler Craddock Kern Valley Sr. Has 19 career home runs Ryan Dent LB Wilson Jr. Headed for big-time scholarship Nick Farinacci Agoura Sr. Signed with UC Irvine J.P. Hollywood El Camino Real Sr. Doesn’t make errors Justin Jacobs Chinco Sr. Has 95 career hits Jose Jauregui Chaminade So. Comes through when needed T.J. Mittelstaedt Mission Viejo Sr. Hit 10 home runs Henry Morquecho Sylmar Sr. Should be best hitter in Valley Mission Emmanuel Rahmatulla Mater Dei So. Next top Monarch infielder Emmanuel Sifuentes Bishop Amat Sr. Signed with Pepperdine Matt Valaika Hart Sr. An athletic, reliable player Joe Zeller Capistrano Valley Sr. Batted .397 OUTFIELD The top five Toby Gerhart Norco Sr. A likely first-round draft choice Shaun Kort El Camino Real Sr. City player of the year is even better Jeff Rapoport Westlake Sr. He’s healthy and ready for big season D’Arby Myers Westchester Sr. Fields, runs and hits with best Scott Schauer Servite Sr. Signed with California Others Connor Bernatz Mater Dei Jr. Has good power Trevor Bloom Palmdale Jr. Might be best in Golden League Jesse Castellanos Roosevelt Jr. Batted .598 with 52 hits Gabe Cohen El Camino Real Sr. Signed with UCLA Dylan Early Santa Monica Jr. Hit .443 as sophomore Brandon Ertle El Dorado So. Had 31 hits as a freshman Cody Fierro Newbury Park Sr. Has good hitting stroke Kyle Jones Thousand Oaks Jr. Center fielder with speed, skills Brett Krill Aliso Niguel Jr. Coming off fantastic summer Devin Shepherd Oxnard Sr. Has lots of talent Justin Uribe Foothill Sr. Signed with UCLA Reggie Williams Bellflower Jr. Athlete with skills

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