Prep Baseball Report

MLB Draft Day Two


PBR California Staff

Day Two of the MLB Draft has come to an end. Let's take a look at where players from California landed, and how the MLB teams in the state fared.

California Players

CF - Kyle Isbel - UNLV/Etiwanda HS - Royals - Rd. 3, Pick 94

A big hitting, strong and durable center fielder, Isbel had a big season the Rebels hitting .357 with 14 home runs and 18 doubles and 56 RBI. A career .322 hitter, Isbel has proven his bat can and will play. He's also a high level defender that see himself moved to right field. With the Royals in rebuild mode, this could be the best case scenario for Isbel in terms of opportunity to move through the system. 

OF - Kingston Liniak - Mission Hills HS - Tigers - Rd. 4, Pick 105

After missing much of his junior season due to a broken hand, Liniak had a lot to prove this season and boy did he. He finished his season with a .456 average with four home runs, 17 doubles, and 25 RBI. He also stole 30 bases while playing spectacular defense. 

RHP - Colton Eastman - Cal State Fullerton/Central HS (Fresno) - Phillies - Rd. 3, Pick 107

Eastman has helped pitch Cal State Fullerton to yet another super regional this season going 9-3 with a 2.26 ERA with 108 strikeouts so far. The former Central High School (Fresno) standout earned Big West Conference pitcher of the year in 2018 which included a no-hitter of UCSB in March. 

RHP - Tristan Beck - Stanford/Corona HS - Braves - Rd. 4, Pick 112

The former Corona Panther probably thought this day would come last year instead he'll get his Stanford degree and still be a top four round pick. This is part of our report on him from May 2nd: Mixed four pitches for strikes with a cross-body landing and a high three-quarters slot, occasionally dropping closer to a three-quarters slot. Fastball sat 90-93 mph, occasionally touching 94 and one 95 on a full count pitch that was well up and out of the strike zone. Velocity dipped to 88-91 from an unorthodox stretch position.

1B - Alfonso Rivas - Arizona/La Jolla Country Day - A's - Rd. 4, Pick 113

A two-time All-Pac-12 selection, Rivas had a big season at the plate where his bat really plays at the next level. Rivas has a compact, yet powerful stroke to the ball with a level and consistent path. Started every game for Arizona this year proving his durability. The question will be if he stays at 1B or the A's try and make him an outfielder where his bat would fit in better given Rivas doesn't possess over-the-fence power. 

RHP - Aaron Shortridge - California/Vintage HS - Pirates - Rd. 4, Pick 114

A big season on the mound bumped Shortridge up quite a bit this season. Here is part of our report on him from May 2nd: Athletic righty with a low effort delivery and excellent arm action. Throws from a high three-quarters slot. Lands on-line with a still head. I may not have seen his best performance (5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO), but his athleticism and talent were obvious. Fastball ranged from 88-92 on my gun, although reports of some 93s floated around the ballpark. Decent downplane with fair wiggle. Wasn't afraid to pitch inside and froze several hitters when he did. Early in the game he showed a late action breaking ball with slurve shape. Ranged from 75-81 mph.

CF - Deshawn Kiersey - Utah/Helix HS - Twins - Rd. 4, PIck 124

A career .334 hitter in 156 games, Kiersey tallied a .386 clip this season good for third best in the Pac-12 conference. A plus defender, Kiersey has the speed and tools to stay in centerfield long term for the Twins. 

LHP - Steven Gingery - Texas Tech/Marina HS - Cardinals - Rd. 4, Pick 123

After an All-American season in 2017 and a dominant summer, Gingery was set to be at the top of this draft as a fireballing lefty. Instead he's recovering from Tommy John surgery suffered earlier this season. Despite that many believe he'll be back to his old self after rehab and if the Cardinals are right, they're getting an absolute monster on the mound. 

OF - Alex McKenna - Cal Poly Slo/Alemany - Astros - Rd. 4, Pick 132

A silky smooth outfielder who was a 38th rounder by the Twins coming out of Alemany High School, McKenna was the Big West Conference Field Player of the Year this year after hitting .339 with 15 doubles. His defense really plays up because of his speed and the arm strength projects more as a corner outfielder. 

RHP - Jake Bird - UCLA/West Ranch HS - Rockies - Rd. 5, Pick 156

Bird finished his UCLA career with 14 wins and a 3.13 ERA but those numbers can be deceiving given that exactly half of those wins came this season. Bird took over a starting role this season and responded very well finishing 7-4 with a 2.18 ERA seizing his opportunity. A fresh arm and good stuff is always intriguing to pro teams and that's what the Rockies will get with Bird. 

CF - Gage Canning - Arizona State/Ramona HS - Nationals - Rd. 5, Pick 161

Canning has seen his stock soar all season long thanks in part to just how good he's was at the plate. Finishing with a .369 average to go with 87 hits is pretty darn impressive in the Pac-12. His 25 career triples gives insight into his speed and instincts. 

RHP - Cody Deason - Arizona/Nordoff HS - Astros - Rd. 5, Pick 152

Arizona's Friday starter, Deason had a near .500 record at 6-5 with a 2.87 ERA this season while striking out 84 hitters. There's a track record of consistency and stuff with Deason making his numbers this year a little easier to look past. 

CF - Steven Kwan - Oregon State/Washington HS - Indians - Rd. 5, Pick 163

Kwan is a stalwart is a key cog in what is the Oregon State Beavers machine. Kwan hits at a high level and shown throughout his career just how consistent he is at the plate. There's some question on arm strength which will dictate where he'll play. 

C - Nick Meyer - Cal Poly SLO/Santa Margarita HS - Mets - Rd. 6, Pick 170

Meyer is an offensive catcher whose defense will give him a chance to stay behind the plate. It's his offense though that the Mets took him here. McKenna hit .344 and struck out just 49 times in 600 at-bats over his career. 

RHP - Michael Flynn - Arizona/Servite HS - Pirates - Rd. 6, Pick 174

Flynn started 13 games for Arizona this season finishing with a 4.89 ERA in just over 73 innings. He did have nearly a strikeout per inning finishing with 72 of those. 

C - Cameron Barstad - Serra HS - Marlins - Rd. 6, Pick 177

Oregon signee. Lean strong 6-foot-1 185-pounds, streamlined build, clearly has worked to shape his body. Hit tool plays now, drove ball hard to all fields, gets through ball well, power will come as he matures down the road when it’s time to work on that, though he’s already physically put together quite nicely and he does have some intentional uppercut swing angle. Behind the plate he possesses a big arm, 77-80 mph type arm strength, easily gets pops off in 1.93-2.00.

RHP - Edgar Gonzalez - Fresno State/Newark HS - Cardinals - Rd. 6, Pick 183

Gonzalez finished with an 8-2 record and a league-low 2.84 ERA to go with 110 strikeout and limiting opponents to a .220 batting average. Gonzalez finished as a first-team all-league selection. 

OF - Niko Decolati - Loyola Marymount University - Rockies - Rd. 6, Pick 186

Decolati was a hitting machine LMU this season while playing the infield at LMU. The Rockies believe his bat and athletic ability will play well in the outfield where they selected him. Nevertheless, Decolati proved this season with the bat that he should transition rather easily. 

OF - Eric De LaRosa - Grossmont College/Mt. Miguel HS - Tigers - Rd. 7, Pick 195

One of the biggest mysteries in this draft in SoCal was where is De LaRosa going to end up? After bouncing back from San Jose State, the former Mt. Miguel standout ended up at Grossmont College where his power was on display immediately. A long, lean, quick twitch guy, De LaRosa's power projects very well, while his defense should play fine in right field. 

C - Jay Schuyler - San Diego/Dana Hills HS - Reds - Rd. 7, Pick 199

The former Dana Hills Dolphin had a huge season at the plate for the Toreros of USD. Schuyler did the bulk of the catching this season despite stiff competition. The one thing that never wavered was his bat which got hot early and stayed hot late. Schuyler had 150 total hits in his final two seasons at USD. 

RHP - Joe Ryan - Cal State Stanislaus - Rays - Rd. 7, Pick 210

Ryan earned D2 All-American honors after going 8-1 with a 1.65 ERA this season. His 127 strikeouts on the season led all levels of NCAA baseball. His fastball works 92-94 and has touched 97 this season. Additionally, Ryan has what many call a plus slider to go with feel for the curve and changeup. 

RHP - Andrew Quezada - Cal State Fullerton/Mayfair HS - Rockies- Rd. 7, Pick 216

In his one season at Cal State Fullerton, Andrew Qeuzada pitched well despite his 4-5 record. With a fastball that has touched 95, Quezada opened a lot of eyes of local scouts during winter workouts after a strong appearance in the Cape Cod League last summer. 

2B - Jarren Duran - Long Beach State/Cypress HS - Red Sox - Rd. 7, Pick 220

The former Cypress High School standout carried his ability right into college where he was a rock in Long Beach State's run to a Super Regional last season. With above average defensive skills already, his bat shows flashes of a high average hitter in pro ball. The Red Sox can take their time with him. 

OF - James Outman - Sacramento St./Serra - Dodgers - Rd. 7, Pick 224

An outfielder with some pop, Outman has had a steady climb since a very good summer in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League. Outman hit 22 homers his last years with 31 doubles and 93 RBI. 

2B - Jeremiah Burks - Fresno State/Wood HS - Tigers - Rd. 8, Pick 225

A big power surge this season made Burks soar up draft boards after being a virtual unknown on the national scale. He more than quintupled his home run total going from 2 after two year to 11 after this year. Burks also stole 12 bases on the season. While he played shortstop at FSU, the Tigers drafted him as a second baseman where his ability to run and hit for power will certainly play.

RHP - Solomon Bates - USC/Oak Hills HS - Giants - Rd. 8, Pick 226

Bates was considered a big-time draft guy going into his senior year of high school after a huge summer. Things didn't break his way and instead he went on to USC where he was lights out this season down the stretch finishing with a 3.14 ERA and a 6-3 record after locking down the Sunday starter role. Bates finished the season with 79 strikeouts. 

RHP - Tylor Megill - Arizona/Los Alamitos HS - Mets - Rd. 8, Pick 230

The former Los Alamitos standout was limited to just 32.3 innings pitched this year that netted him a 4.26 ERA for Arizona. The righty struck out 38 while walking 14. 

OF - Lars Nootbaar - USC/El Segundo - Cardinals - Rd. 8, Pick 243

A career .272 hitter, Nootbaar had a down year at the and questions about his potential power arose. Nootbaar does present some position flexibility having played first base and all three outfield positions during his career at USC. 

1B - Jake Brodt - Santa Clara/Huntington Beach HS - Blue Jays - Rd. 9, Pick 266

Brodt had quite the power surge this year for the Broncos as the senior finished with 15 home runs and 56 RBI to go with a .270 batting average. For good measure the former Huntington Beach Oiler added five stolen bases. The bat and power really profile well for pro ball. 

CALIFORNIA MLB TEAMS 

San Francisco Giants

C - Joey Bart - Georgia Tech - Rd. 1 Pick 2

RHP - Sean Hjelle - University of Kentucky - Rd. 2 Pick 45

RHP - Jake Wong - Grand Canyon University - Rd. 3, Pick 80

RHP - Blake Rivera - Wallace State CC (AL) - Rd. 4, Pick 106

RHP - Keaton Winn - Iowa Western CC - Rd. 5, Pick 136

OF - Patrick Hilson - Nettleton Sr. HS (AR) - Rd. 6, Pick 166

RHP - Solomon Bates - USC/Oak Hills HS - Rd. 8, Pick 226

RHP - Ben Madison - Central Baptist College - Rd. 9, Pick 256

RHP - Alex DuBord - Faulkner U - Rd. 10, Pick 286

San Diego Padres

LHP - Ryan Weathers - Loretto HS (TN) - Rd. 1, Pick 7

SS - Xavier Edwards - North Broward Prep (FL) - Rd. CBA, Pick 38

OF - Grant Little - Texas Tech - Rd. CBB, Pick 74

SS - Owen Miller - Illinois State - Rd. 3, Pick 84

RHP - Dylan Coleman - Missouri State - Rd. 4, Pick 111

RF - Dwanya Williams-Sutton - East Carolina - Rd. 5, Pick 141

LHP - Alexuan Vega - Leonides Morales Rodriguez HS (PR) - Rd. 6, Pick 171

CF - Jawuan Harris - Rutgers University - Rd. 7, Pick 201

RHP - Steven Wilson - Santa Clara University - Rd. 8, Pick 230

2B - Luke Becker - University of Kentucky - Rd. 9, Pick 261

RHP - Jose Quezada - Texas Tech U - Rd. 10, Pick 291

Oakland Athletics

CF - Kyler Murray - University of Oklahoma, Rd. 1, Pick 9

CF - Jameson Hannah - Dallas Baptist - Rd. 2, Pick 50

SS - Jeremy Eierman - Missouri State - Rd. CBB, Pick 70

LHP - Harris Hogan - University of Louisiana Lafayette - Rd. 3, Pick 85

1B - Alfonso Rivas - University of Arizona/La Jolla Country Day - Rd. 4, Pick 113

RHP - Brady Feigl - Ole Miss - Rd. 5, Pick 143

1B - Lawrence Butler - Westlake HS (GA) - Rd. 6, Pick 173

RHP - Charles Cerny - U Illinois Chicago - Rd. 7, Pick 203

C - JJ Schwarz - University of Florida - Rd. 8, Pick 233

RHP - Chase Cohen - Georgia Southern - Rd. 9, Pick 263

RHP - Clark Cota - UNC Wilmington - Rd. 10, Pick 293

Los Angeles Angels

OF - Jordyn Adams - Green Hope HS (NC) - Rd. 1, Pick 17

SS - Jeremiah Jackson - St. Luke's Episcopal School (AL) - Rd. 2, Pick 57

RHP - Aaron Hernandez - Texas A&M Corpus Christi - Rd. 3, Pick 93

RHP - Kyle Bradish - New Mexico St. - Rd. 4, Pick 121

P - William English - Western International HS (MI) - Rd. 5, Pick 151

RHP - Austin Warren - UNC Wilmington - Rd. 6, Pick 181

RHP - Andrew Wantz - UNC Greensboro - Rd. 7, Pick 211

P - Travis Moths - Tennessee Tech U - Rd. 7, Pick 219

RHP - Tyler Smith - Canisius College - Rd. 8, Pick 241

RHP - Jake Lee - Oakland U - Rd. 9, Pick 271

RHP - Ben Morrison - Western Kentucky - Rd. 10, Pick 301

Los Angeles Dodgers

RHP - J.T. Ginn - Brandon HS (MS) - Rd. 1, Pick 30

RHP - Michael Grove - West Virginia University - Rd. 2, Pick 68

RHP - Braydon Fisher - Clear Falls HS (TX) - Rd. 4, Pick 134

2B - Devin Mann - Louisville - Rd. 5, Pick 164

LHP - Bryan Warzek - U New Orleans - Rd. 6, Pick 194

OF - James Outman - Sacramento St./Serra - Rd. 7, Pick 224

2B - Luke Heyer - University of Kentucky - Rd. 8, Pick 254

CF - Josh McLain - North Carolina State - Rd. 9, Pick 284

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