Game Notes (CA): North Bay Notebook
April 8, 2019
One of the surprise teams in the North Bay is the Sonoma Valley Dragons, who now stand at 11-1 and 4-0 in league. On 4/4/19 they hosted and defeated (6-3) Petaluma HS (7-3, 4-1), the presumed favorite in the league. This game gave the Dragons the early lead in the conference but there is a long way to go. Sonoma Valley also had an impressive victory over Tamalpais last week. Between these two teams Petaluma has more players recognized as future college players but obviously the Dragons have some talent of their own and know how to play the game.
In the other game, Casa Grande traveled to Napa on 4/3/19 to take on Justin-Siena. Historically Justin-Siena has been one of the stronger teams in the North Bay, albeit playing smaller school competition. They do have notable alumni such as former big leaguer and ASU star Brett Wallace.
As for Casa Grande, it would be fair to say the Gauchos have been the most successful and traditionally strong team in the North Bay for 20 years or so. After losing just about all of their pitching from a year ago (which was quite good), they are not nearly as deep or talented on the mound as in year's past and the offensive talent has also been slow to round into form this season. Casa did put up double digit runs in both games vs JSHS last week (while allowing only three total runs) so perhaps they are slowly coming out of early season struggles.
SCOUTING NOTES:
2021 RHP Julian Garrahan, Petaluma HS - Uncommitted; 6-foot-5, 180-pounds, tall and lanky, still displays good athleticism and ability to field his position. Mostly fastball/curveball, FB 83-85 T87, CB 70-72. High 3/4 release, has a little herky jerky delivery out of windup but is very consistent and gets to a good throwing position every time. Shows good command with FB and has good downward tilt from his high release point, uses CB effectively when it starts on same plane as FB it is difficult to recognize out of hand. Modified slide step out of the stretch around 1.2 to the plate.
2020 LHP Sam Brown, Petaluma HS - Uncommitted; 6-foot-3, 180-pounds, strong frame. Very simple and repeatable mechanics from the left side, uses his body well to generate velocity as hard throwing lefty. FB 84-85 T87, SL 70-73. Pounds down in the zone consistently, has very good feel for pitches, can locate his FB anywhere in the zone, late life on both pitches. Has a good mound presence and shows good composure, fields his position well. Addition of a good change-up would allow him to be a starting pitcher at the next level or beyond.
2021 OF Mark Wolbert, Petaluma HS - Uncommitted; 5-foot-11, 160-pounds (L/L) athletic frame, room to build physically. Patrols CF very well with effortless speed and a good first step. At the plate he has a stereotypical lefty uppercut swing giving him the ability to cover the low part of the plate well, increase in strength as he gets older will result in more gap to gap power.
2019 SS Max Handron, Sonoma Valley HS - Uncommitted; 5-foot-8, 140-pounds (L/R), has natural athleticism. Polished defender, very quick hands, uses his legs to lower center of gravity on ground balls, gives him ability to make a strong throw with a quick release. Has good instincts and baseball IQ, knows where to be at all times. Probably a very solid second baseman at the next level. At the plate Handron is your typical leadoff hitter, looks to hit the ball the other way, hits for average, doesn't swing and miss often. Has the ability to work deep in counts, keeps his hands back well giving him the ability to make contact on tough off speed pitches. Puts pressure on defense with above average speed on the bases.
2020 OF Anthony Tommasi, Sonoma Valley HS - Uncommitted; 6-foot-0, 180-pounds, very solid muscular frame that is physically advanced for the high school level. Shows good range and above average speed in the outfield with naturally strong arm. At the plate Tommasi has natural power, looks to get extended and hit fastballs middle away in the zone. Can seem stiff at the plate, a more smooth bat path and mechanics will allow him to use his strength more effectively.
2021 OF Noah Young, Justin Siena HS - Uncommitted; 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, athletic with some speed, hustles everywhere. Hits left handed, keeps the ball on the ground and on a line, stays out of the air mostly to use his speed on the bases and to create pressure on the defense. Has an up the middle approach and can cover the full width of the plate. Does a good job keeping his shoulder in against left handers allows him to stay up the middle on outside pitches. Plays the outfield well, uses his speed to track down balls in the gap, has a strong arm, plays both center and right field.
2019 Maxx Castellucci, RHP, Justin-Siena HS - Uncommitted; 6-foot-0, 190-pounds and still has room to increase mass physically. Three pitch pitcher, FB, CB, CH, relies mostly on a good mix of FB/CB. FB 82-85 T87, CB 71-73. Sits down on his back leg well in order to use lower body to create velocity, increased strength will cause velo to continue to improve. Uses both fastball and curve in any count keeping hitters off balance throughout at bat, comfortable using fastball when ahead in the count to get strikeouts.
2020 Cole Santander, C, Casa Grande HS - Cal commit; 5-foot-10, 190-pounds, true/thick catcher build. Strong arm behind the plate paired with quick release and quiet footwork allows him to throw runners out. Uses leg kick for timing at the plate, level swing allows for him to keep bat in the zone throughout swing. Can use strength to muscle hits on balls with softer contact. Has potential for power numbers, hits the fastball well, can have some trouble staying back on off speed pitches.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
| SHOWCASE | STATE | DATE | LOCATION |
| South Bay Rising Stars/JFG Trial | CA | 04/14 | Archbishop Mitty HS |
| N. California Future Games Trials | CA | 05/26 | Islanders Field - Lathrop |
| Inland Empire Futures Games Trials | CA | 06/01 | Norco High School |
| SoCal ProCase | CA | 06/08 | Hart Park |
| Northern California ProCase | CA | 06/09 | Delta College - Stockton |
| Bay Area Open Showcase | CA | 06/26 | Laney College |
| Inland Empire Top Prospect ID | CA | 07/23 | Santiago High School |
| Norcal Top Prospect ID | CA | 07/24 | St. Mary's College |
| Junior Future Games / Future Games | NATIONAL | 07/30 | LakePoint |
| Rising Stars Showcase | CA | 09/21 | Santiago High School |