Bay Area News Group Preseason Baseball Top 20
(Mercury News & East Bay Times)
No. 1 DE LA SALLE
Final 2022 ranking: 1
Where it finished last season: Captured NCS Division I and NorCal Division I championships.
Returning all-Bay Area News Group players: P Cal Randall
Others to watch: SS/3B Antonio Castro, INF Smith Chandler, OF Tanner Griffith, P Jack Hershey, P RJ Meyn, OF Joe McGee, 3B/1B Jamie Mullin
No. 2 VALLEY CHRISTIAN
Final 2022 ranking: 5
Where it finished last season: Reached the CCS Division I and NorCal Division I semifinals.
Returning all-BANG players: P Michael Castaneda, P/3B Jacob Hudson
Others to watch: OF/P Quinten Marsh, OF Tatum Marsh
No. 3 FOOTHILL
Final 2022 ranking: 3
Where it finished last season: NCS Division I runner-up and NorCal Division I semifinalist.
Returning all-BANG players: INF Brendan Comerford, P Tyler Gebb
Others to watch: P Jackson Flora, 3B Nate Novitske
No. 4 ST. FRANCIS
Final 2022 ranking: 2
Where it finished last season: CCS Division I champ and NorCal Division I runner-up.
Returning all-BANG players: SS/C Elias Duncan, OF/P Derek Gile, P Jack Surdey
Others to watch: TBD
No. 5 ARCHBISHOP MITTY
Final 2022 ranking: 6
Where it finished last season: CCS Division II and NorCal Division II champs.
Returning all-BANG players: SS Jarren Advincula, 1B/C Matteo Blandino
Others to watch: INF David Estrada, INF/C Noah Pang, SS Noel Alijah Ramos, P Kyle Scritzky
No. 6 CLAYTON VALLEY
Final 2022 ranking last season: 11
Where it finished: NCS Division I quarterfinalist.
Returning all-BANG players: C Ryder Helfrick
Others to watch: SS Francisco Aguayo, P Kyle Connelly, OF Isaiah Landry, SS Niko Olson, P Henry Phifer, OF Myles Walton
No. 7 PALO ALTO
Final 2022 ranking: 4
Where it finished last season: CCS Division I runner-up, NorCal Division I quarterfinalist.
Returning all-BANG players: INF Charlie Bates
Others to watch: P Sam Papp
No. 8 LIVE OAK
Final 2022 ranking: 9
Where it finished last season: CCS Division I quarterfinalist.
Returning all-BANG players: OF/P Diego Castellanos, P Landon Stump
Others to watch: P Aidan Keenan
No. 9 CALIFORNIA
Final 2022 ranking: 8
Where it finished last season: NCS Division I semifinalist.
Returning all-BANG players: None
Others to watch: C Aidan Camberg, 1B/3B Dylan Lee
No. 10 BELLARMINE
Final 2022 ranking: 7
Where it finished last season: CCS Division I and NorCal Division II semifinalist.
Returning all-BANG players: SS Chase Knight
Others to watch: P Andy Higgins, P Ishaan Khambal, P Wade Mountz, P Paul Wheeler
No. 11 LIBERTY
Final 2022 ranking: 10
Where it finished last season: NCS Division I semifinalist.
Returning all-BANG players: P Cole Ehrhorn
Others to watch: INF Michael Baker, 3B/C Nicholas Goff, P David Roberts
No. 12 SAN RAMON VALLEY
Final 2022 ranking: 13
Where it finished last season: NCS Division I quarterfinalist.
Returning all-BANG players: None
Others to watch: P Hudson Aber, INF Luke Baker, 3B Blake Jacobs
No. 13 GRANADA
Final 2022 ranking: 19
Where it finished last season: NCS Division I quarterfinalist.
Returning all-BANG players: P Joshua Morano
Others to watch: INF Colin Johnston, P/OF Jason Krakoski
No. 14 HERITAGE
Final 2022 ranking: 15
Where it finished last season: NCS Division I quarterfinalist.
Returning all-BANG players: SS Anthony Potestio, P Landon Marchetti
Others to watch: TBD
No. 15 SERRA
Final 2022 ranking: Not ranked
Where it finished last season: Lost in the first round of the CCS Division II playoffs.
Returning all-BANG players: None
Others to watch: SS Ben Cleary, IF Jake Downing
No. 16 SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL
Final 2022 ranking: 14
Where it finished last season: CCS Division I quarterfinalist.
Returning all-BANG players: None
Others to watch: OF/P Aaron Lewis
No. 17 MENLO-ATHERTON
Final 2022 ranking: Not ranked
Where it finished last season: Lost in the first round of the CCS Division III playoffs.
Returning all-BANG players: OF Rowan Kelly (transfer from Bellarmine)
Others to watch: P George Zaharias
No. 18 LEIGH
Final 2022 ranking: Not ranked
Where it finished last season: Lost in the first round of the CCS Division II playoffs.
Returning all-BANG players: INF/P Nate Miller
Others to watch: OF Bryant Virkovich
No. 19 DUBLIN
Final 2022 ranking: Not ranked
Where it finished last season: Lost to Clayton Valley in the first round of the NCS Division I playoffs.
Returning all-BANG players: None
Others to watch: OF Carston Pearson
No. 20 BERKELEY
Final 2022 ranking: 20
Where it finished last season: Lost in the first round of NCS Division I playoffs.
Returning all-BANG players: None
Others to watch: SS Everett Cord
TOP PROSPECTS
Charlie Bates, INF, Palo Alto, junior
Committed to Stanford. Rated among the top 100 high school juniors by Baseball America
Ryder Helfrick, C, Clayton Valley, senior
Committed to Arkansas. Rated No. 32 on Baseball America’s Top 100 prep prospects
Aidan Keenan, RHP, Live Oak, senior
Committed to Stanford. Rated No. 33 on Baseball America’s Top 100 prep prospects
Cal Randall, RHP, De La Salle, senior
Committed to UCLA. Rated No. 86 on Baseball America’s Top 100 prep prospects
MORE PLAYERS TO WATCH
(Listed in alphabetical order)
Fareed Ahmed, LHP, Cupertino
Aiden Alfers, OF, Burlingame
Matthew Barnes II, RHP, El Cerrito
Liam Barrett, OF, Mountain View
Lenny Beatie, INF, St. Ignatius
Derrick Bedford, SS, St. Mary’s-Berkeley
Brayden Braga, LHP/1B, Dougherty Valley
Carson Cleage, OF, Menlo School
Caven Croom, OF, St. Mary’s-Berkeley
Oliver De La Torre, P, Amador Valley
Lucas Dennis, RHP, Saratoga
Griffin DeRusso, C/3B, Berean Christian
Jake Fields, RHP, Monte Vista
Elias Fogelman, RHP, St. Mary’s-Berkeley
Troy Frazier, 1B, Fremont Christian
Matt Garcia, INF/RHP, Branham
Holden Glavin, LHP, Burlingame
Niko Gomozias, 1B/LHP, St. Ignatius
Atticus Gonzalez, C, St. Joseph Notre Dame
Nikolas Haas, 3B, Bishop O’Dowd
Rashad Hayes, SS, Bishop O’Dowd
Daniel Hernandez, RHP/3B, James Logan
Brayden Jaksa, C, Irvington
Carter Johnstone, INF, Los Gatos
Trent Keys, 1B, Freedom
Tyler Kubo, OF, Amador Valley
Carson Leclerc, RHP/INF, Gunn
Samuel Lee, C/3B, Acalanes
Sean McGinty, C/1B, College Park
Luke Meyer, OF/RHP, Berean Christian
PJ Moutzouridis, SS, Willow Glen
Hideki Prather, C, Campolindo
Xavier Rios, C, Moreau Catholic
Blake Schaaf, INF, Head-Royce
Nikko Taylor, SS, De Anza
Tyerique Thompson, SS, Pittsburg
Nathan Tichy, RHP, Pioneer
Jason Tofigh, 2B, Carlmont
Evan Williams, RHP/OF, Branham
Evon Williams, INF, Dougherty Valley
Craig Yanagihara, LHP, Redwood Christian
Correspondent Mike Lefkow contributed to the preview.
Source: www.mercurynews.com