Historically speaking, California is baseball’s most talent-rich state when it comes to the amateur level. So the bar is high year to year and lacking a slam dunk top 20-25 pick can harbor the discussion of the state being down. However, there is depth in a group of players who could go anywhere from the end of the first round through the second with the most noteworthy aspect being the fact that they’re largely located outside Orange County.

After seeing C Malcolm Moore (McClatchy HS, CA) show off his power on a trip to the San Diego area a couple weeks ago, I ventured to Northern California to see OF Henry Bolte (Palo Alto HS, CA) and LHP Braeden Sloan (Woodcreek HS, CA). Bolte, a Texas recruit, looks the part with his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame that carries present strength and has room for more. He has an above average arm and is an above average runner in center field. At the plate, he was 1-for-3 in my look, scorching a double to left-center field and using his speed to swipe two bases. There are some questions around his contact rate, but when everything is in sync, he can do damage with a relatively compact swing that has strength at impact.