High school baseball players to watch in 2012

Players to watch in 2012:

Pitchers

Tyler Brashears, El Toro, Sr. UC Irvine signee was 11-2 with 0.77 ERA

Chase DeJong, Long Beach Wilson, Sr. Let’s see if anyone can beat him

Max Fried, Harvard-Westlake, Sr. Left-hander with elite skills

Justin Garza, Bonita, Sr. Was 13-0 in 2011

Lucas Giolito, Harvard-Westlake, Sr. Threw a 99 mph fastball in winter ball

Cole Irvin, Servite, Sr. Oregon signee throws strikes

James Kaprielian, Beckman, Sr. UCLA signee with terrific command

Felipe Perez, Fairmont Prep, Sr. UCLA signee is best small-schools pitcher

Kyle Twomey, El Dorado, Sr. Was 7-3 with 1.32 ERA

Hunter Virant, Camarillo, Sr. Left-hander who’s also top center fielder

Shane Watson, Lakewood, Sr. USC signee is rising pro prospect

Others

Gary Acuna, Alhambra, Sr. San Jose State signee

Jayson Balades, Oxnard, Sr. Left-hander with nasty curveball

Phil Bickford, Oaks Christian, Jr. 6-4 right-hander was 5-1 with 2.62 ERA

Josh Bornstein, El Segundo, Sr. UC Irvine signee

Scott Burke, Glendora, Jr. Was 5-2 as a sophomore

Trevor Charpie, JSerra, Sr. Was 6-1 with 1.37 ERA

Justin Chamberlain, Camarillo, Sr. Will be three-year standout

JC Cloney, West Ranch, Sr. Long Beach State signee

PJ Conlon, El Dorado, Sr. San Diego signee

Chacho Corniel, Narbonne, Sr. Went 9-2 as a junior

Luke Eubank, Newbury Park, Sr. One of the best in Marmonte League

Michael Farris, Los Alamitos, Sr. Can be effective in tough Sunset League

Alonzo Garcia, San Fernando. So. Straight-A student with potential

Kyle Goodbrand, Tesoro, Jr. Showed potential with 4-0 record

Jack Hartman, Cleveland, Jr. Ready for a big season

Grant Hockin, Damien, So. Already a UCLA commit

Chad Hockin, Damien, Jr. Brother duo to watch

Justin Jacome, Redlands East Valley, Sr. Left-hander headed to UC Santa Barbara

Jack Johnson, Riverside North, Sr. Left-hander helped team win Division I title

Brooks Kriske, Palm Desert, Sr. USC signee also can hit

Mark Huberman, Hamilton, Sr. Left-hander who has ability

Luke Laurita, El Camino Real, Jr. Was 6-0 in summer ball

Kevin Lewallyn, Chaminade, Jr. Left-hander with lots of talent

Angelo Lingos, Great Oak, Sr. Went 4-2 with 2.70 ERA

Kieran Lovegrove, Mission Viejo, Sr. Arizona State signee

Ryan McNeil, Nipomo, Sr. Long Beach St. signee was 7-1 with 1.40 ERA

Scott Mason, Esperanza, Sr. Can come through in big games

Erik Magdaleno, Banning, Sr. Marine League MVP

Andrew Marmor, North Hollywood, So. Helped team reach Dodger Stadium

Jackson McClelland, Redlands East Valley, Sr. 6-foot-6 Pepperdine signee

Rene Medina, St. John Bosco, Sr. Can compete in tough Trinity League

Brandon Murachanian, Quartz Hill, Sr. One of the best in Golden League

Kyle Murray, Crescenta Valley, Sr. Falcons are loaded with pitching

Jacob Nix, Los Alamitos, So. Word is spreading about his ability

Royce Parks, Flintridge Prep, Sr. Two-time All-CIF pick

Andrew Potter, Eastside, Sr. UC Irvine signee

Chad Powers, Loyola, Jr. Highly regarded young player

Nathaniel Pyle, Granada Hills, Sr. Held his own in West Valley as a junior

Anthony Shew, Mission Viejo, Sr. Was 6-0; signed with UC Santa Barbara

Reece Schmidt, Simi Valley, Sr. Should be team’s ace

Mark Seyler, Agoura, Sr. San Diego State signee

Chance Sisco, Corona Santiago, Jr. Oregon commit

Michael Silva, West Ranch, Sr. Loyola Marymount commit

Tyler Sprague, Viewpoint, Sr. One of the best small-school pitchers

Elliot Surrey, Crescenta Valley, Sr. He’s 15-6 with 1.21 ERA

Nick Suniga, Alemany, Jr. The “other” Montclair Prep transfer who can pitch

Keymon Thomas, Crensaw, Sr. Versatile left-hander signed with UC Riverside

Ricky Torres, Hart, Sr. Can be Foothill League standout

Cody Thompson, Alemany, Sr. Went 8-3 as a junior

Davis Tominaga, Mater Dei, Jr. Threw a perfect game last season

Art Vidrio, Orange Lutheran, Sr. Lefty who’s tough to hit

Patrick Weigel, St. Bonaventure, Sr. He’s 6-6 and throws 92 mph

Brent Wheatley, Orange Lutheran, Sr. USC signee ready for big year

Daniel Zamora, Bishop Amat, Sr. Went 9-1 with 1.43 ERA

Catchers

Jeremy Martinez, Mater Dei, Jr. USC commit does everything well

Darrell Miller Jr., Servite, Sr. UCLA signee with big bat

Brian Mundell, Valencia, Sr. Delivers hits in the clutch

CJ Saylor, South Hills, Sr. San Diego State signee is four-year standout

Collin Yelich, Westlake, Sr. UNLV signee is strong defensively

Others

Tyler Alamo, Cypress, Jr. One of the best in class of 2013

Dylan Alexander, Simi Valley, Jr. Latest standout from Ventura County

Chris Batts, Long Beach Wilson, Fr. Already a gold-medal winner

Jose Chavez, Hollywood, Sr. Allowed one steal in 2011

Josh Heinz, West Ranch, Sr. Dependable hitter

Eric Hutting, Tesoro, Sr. Long Beach State signee

AJ Kennedy, Savanna, Sr. League MVP in 2010

Jake Lesinski, Edison, Jr. Tipped hand as clutch hitter

Chris Mallon, GH Kennedy, Sr. Has been on varsity since freshman year

Renae Martinez, San Pedro, Sr. Returning All-City performer

Daniel Milwee, San Dimas, So. San Diego State commit

JJ Muno, SO Notre Dame, Jr. Standout since freshman year

Jacob Nottingham, Redlands, Jr. Returning All-CIF player

Ricky Obando, Chatsworth, Sr. Has power

Arden Pabst, Harvard-Westlake, Jr. Hitting is his strength

Julian Perez, Cathedral, So. Had 43 RBIs as a freshman

Baggio Saldivar, Hart, Jr. Solid defensive player

Stephen Sauter, Troy, Sr. One of the best in Orange County

RJ Yabarra, Riverside Poly, Sr. One of the best hitters

First base

Gabriel Clark, Riverside North, Sr. Oregon State signee

Nico Darras, JSerra, Sr. Cal State Fullerton signee with power

Ryan Hartman, Savanna, Sr. Orange League MVP

Kiefer Kofman, Chatsworth, Sr. Best player on City title contender

Dominick Smith, Serra, Jr. Batted .556 with 41 RBIs

Others

Christopher Johnson, Wilmington Banning, Sr. Three-year starter

Tyler Jones, Edison, Jr. Has lots of ability

Hayden Rappoport, El Camino Real, So. Made positive summer impression

Cole Rutherford, Chaminade, Sr. Big and powerful

Second base

Ryan Alvarez, Alemany, Jr. Highly regarded fielder and hitter

Seve Romo, El Dorado, Jr. Committed to the University of San Diego

Brian Ruhm, Redlands, Sr. UC Davis signee

Mitchell Tolman, El Toro, Sr. Signed with Fresno State

Shortstop

JP Crawford, Lakewood, Jr. Has fabulous skills

Luke Dykstra, Westlake, So. Yes, can play the game like his father

David Fletcher, Cypress, Jr. Loyola Marymount commit

Timmy Lopes, Edison, Sr. All signs point toward him having his best season

Cody Ramer, Simi Valley, Sr. Arizona signee was Marmonte League MVP

Others

Willie Aguilar, Cathedral, Fr. Has all the skills to be impact player

Omar Avila, Narbonne, Jr. Can be All-City player

Elliot Barzilli, Palisades, Jr. Georgia Tech commit

Jesus Caporal, Paramount, Sr. Co-league MVP

Andy Currier, Brentwood, Sr. Returning league MVP

Michael Duarte, St. John Bosco, Sr. Leadoff hitter signed with UC Irvine

Jesse Ehrlich, Campbell Hall, Jr. Made impact as a sophomore

Gabriel Franca, Riverside North, Sr. A defensive warrior who can hit

Carlos Garcia, Fremont, Sr. Will be a four-year standout

Nick Lovullo, Newbury Park, Sr. Batted .375

Ryan McMahon, Mater Dei, Jr. The QB in football can play baseball, too

Randy Medellin, Birmingham, Sr. All-City player

Payton Milone, SO Notre Dame, Sr. Batted .377

Joe Munoz, Los Altos, Sr. 6-3 San Diego State signee

Cody Nulph, Orange Lutheran, Sr. Pepperdine signee

David Olmedo-Barrera, St. Francis, Sr. Cal State Fullerton signee

Andrew Pacleb, Kennedy, Sr. Has terrific glove

Mason Novak, El Camino Real, Sr. Solid player from West Valley League

Tim Richards, Long Beach Wilson, Jr. Cal State Fullerton commit

Christopher Rivera, El Dorado, Jr. Ready to return to freshman form

John Schuknecht, Palm Desert, Sr. Batted .402 with 43 hits

Peter Van Gansen, Alemany, Sr. Hit .394, had 11 saves on mound

Third base

Jack Flaherty, Harvard-Westlake, So. Any college he wants, he can pick

Daniel Robertson, Upland, Sr. Batted .545 with six home runs

Rio Ruiz, Bishop Amat, Sr. Future first-round draft pick

William Vazquez, San Fernando, Sr. Returning City Section player of the year

Trey Williams, Valencia, Sr. The ball goes far when he connects

Others

Greg Espinosa, Yucaipa, Sr. Batted .436 with 41 hits

Jordan Farris, St. Bonaventure, Sr. Hit eight home runs

Kevin Franklin, Gahr, Jr. Highly regarded hitter

Nick Kinsman, Royal, Sr. Solid player from Marmonte League

Ben McKendall, Westchester, Jr. Montclair Prep transfer should be City standout

Zack Rivera, Beckman, Sr. Standout from championship team

Outfield

Troy Mulcahey, Crescenta Valley, Sr. Hit nine home runs

Ty Moore, Mater Dei, Sr. UCLA signee is a pitcher’s nightmare

Luke Persico, Hart, Jr. He can hit, run and field

Tyrone Taylor, Torrance, Sr. Batted .473 with 52 hits

Nick Vigo, Simi Valley, Sr. UC Santa Barbara signee

Others

Adam Alcantara, Bishop Amat, Jr. Batted .475

AJ Balta, Valencia, Jr. Showed hitting potential as a sophomore

Ryan Barr, Mater Dei, Sr. Dependable hitter

Tanner Bily, JSerra, Sr. UC Davis signee

Vahn Bozoian, Ayala, Sr. Headed to USC

Raul Camas, Chatsworth, Jr. All-City choice as a sophomore

Nick Catalano, Esperanza, Sr. Fast, productive, reliable

Joe Christian, Newbury Park, Sr. Hitj .419 with 31 hits

Joe Corrigan, Harvard-Westlake, Jr. USC commit is top hitter

Michael Darr, Corona Santiago, Jr. Has 10 home runs in two years

Corey Dempster, Loyola, Jr. Highly regarded young hitter

Josh Ehrlich, Calabasas, Sr. Signed with San Francisco

Billy Fredrick, Golden Valley, Jr. All he does his hit

Justin Gheorghe, Riverside North, Sr. Versatile athlete

Justin Greco, Royal, Sr. Has good power

Kevin Maxey, Long Beach Poly, Sr. Cal State L.A. signee

Jordan Morrison, Arroyo Grande, Sr. Hit .408; UC Irvine signee

Chris Nicholson, El Camino Real, Sr. Two-time All-City player

Cristian Salina, Capistrano Valley, Sr. All-leaguer

Corey Sims, Alemany, Sr. Hits for an average and in the clutch

Brandon Smith, Woodbridge, Sr. Hit .374 with 16 steals

Sean Smith, Redlands, Jr. Batted .390 as sophomore leadoff hitter

Conner Sullivan, Orange Lutheran, Sr. Signed with Duke

Sam Wasserman, Palisades, Jr. Western League MVP

Spencer Thornton, Los Osos, Sr. Hit .390 as a junior

Kevin Viers, Esperanza, Sr. Had four triples last season

Peter Zuvich, Capistrano Valley, Sr. Headed to USC

Compiled by Eric Sondheimer