Golden State top prospect reports

Official League Website: www.gscbl.com
2013 Summer Collegiate Top Prospect coverage
Golden State League Top Prospect list (free)


Summer-league baseball in northern California has been in a steady state of upheaval in recent years, with clubs jumping from one league to another on a recurring basis. The first-year Golden State Collegiate League is the latest attempt to bring some normalcy to the process.

Launched inauspiciously this summer with seven clubs, including four former members from the rival Pacific West League, the GSCBL will bolster its profile considerably in 2014 with the addition of three more teams, including Top Speed Baseball and the California Warriors, two prospect-heavy clubs from the improved, but suddenly vulnerable Far West League. For Petaluma-based Top Speed, which has compiled a 220-70 record in its five-year existence, it will mark the fourth straight year that it has participated in a different summer league.

In Top Speed’s absence, the pitching-rich Alameda Merchants dominated the new GSCBL on the field in 2013, winning both the regular-season and playoff titles. But it hardly had a monopoly on the best prospects in the league as talent was fairly distributed among several clubs.


FAST FACTS

Year League Established: 2013
States Represented in League: California, Nevada
No. of Teams in League: 7
Regular-Season Champion: Alameda Merchants (20-4, 31-13-1 overall)
Post-Season Champion: Alameda Merchants
Teams, Perfect Game Summer 50/Final Ranking: No. 49 Alameda Merchants

Most Valuable Player: Antonio Ibarra, 2b, Auburn Wildcats
Pitcher of the Year: Kyle Slinger, lhp, San Francisco Seagulls (Tufts, Mass.)

BATTING LEADERS (all games)

Batting Average: Anthony Roberts, inf, Nevada Big Horns (.388)
Home Runs: Ethan McGill, 1b, Auburn Wildcats; Matthew Moceri, inf, Atwater Aviators (8)
RBIs: Stefan Kancylarz, ss, Auburn Wildcats (42)
Stolen Bases: J.R. Davis, 2b, Alameda Merchants (17)

PITCHING LEADERS (all games)

Wins: Matt Fontaine, rhp, Alameda Merchants (7)
ERA: Matt Fontaine, rhp, Alameda Merchants (1.91)
Saves: 3 tied at 3
Strikeouts: George Asmus, rhp, Alameda Merchants (64)

BEST TOOLS

Best Athlete: Mitch Ravizza, inf, San Francisco Seagulls
Best Hitter: Antonio Ibarra, 2b, Auburn, Wildcats
Best Power: Rowdy Tellez, 1b, Tri-Valley Berkovich
Fastest Base Runner: J.R. Davis, 2b, Alameda Merchants
Best Defensive Player: Gordon Madej, ss, South Bay Storm
Best Velocity: Ricky Delgado, rhp, Alameda Merchants
Best Breaking Ball: George Asmus, rhp, Alameda Merchants
Best Command: Matt Fontaine, rhp, Alameda Merchants


TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1. ROWDY TELLEZ, 1b, Tri-Valley Berkovich (SIGNED / Blue Jays)
Toronto’s inability to sign California prep righthander Philip Bickford, its first-round pick in this year’s draft, opened the door for the Blue Jays to make an aggressive last-minute pitch at Tellez, their 31st-round selection from Elk Grove (Calif.) High. He signed for $850,000, marking the largest bonus paid out to a player drafted after the 10th round under new bonus rules that went into effect in 2012. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Tellez, whose given name in Ryan, was initially expected to be among the top 100 selections in the draft. When he wasn’t, he slid precipitously as his bonus demands and college commitment to USC deterred clubs from taking an early-to-mid-round stab at him. He ended up playing in only five games this summer as a rare high-school talent in the GSCBL, but his massive lefthanded power potential, especially to the pull side, was readily evident. In 16 at-bats, he hit .438-1-4. As a high-school senior, he hit .500-9-46 with a .979 slugging average. Easy raw power to all fields is Tellez’ most obvious tool, and in time he could evolve into a solid all-around hitter and defender. He has sound plate discipline and moves well around the bag for a player his size. Tellez went on to hit .234-2-20 in 34 games in his pro debut with the Jays entry in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League.