OC Register: Mike Scioscia, Ken Landreaux and several college all-stars elevate local wood bat league

[AngelsWin.com]

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  The OC Riptide’s Devin Sutorius, left, celebrates with catcher Connor Aoki after finishing an inning during their California Collegiate League game against the Santa Barbara Foresters on Wednesday at Great Park in Irvine. Now in its 27th year, the CCL, which includes teams in Irvine, Pasadena, Thousand Oaks and Compton, offers players from all over the country MLB-caliber coaching and competitive playing experience in front of pro scouts. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  The OC Riptide’s Carson Matthews, left, tags out Santa Barbara ForestersÕ Eric Kennedy trying to steal second base during a California Collegiate League game at Great Park in Irvine on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  The OC Riptide’s Andre Antone prepares for his at bat during a California Collegiate League game against Santa Barbara Foresters at Great Park in Irvine on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  The OC Riptide’s Blake Evans, right, rounds the bases during a California Collegiate League game against Santa Barbara Foresters at Great Park in Irvine on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  The OC Riptide’s Devin Sutorius delivers a pitch during a California Collegiate League game against Santa Barbara Foresters at Great Park in Irvine on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  The OC Riptide’s Connor Aube, right, celebrates with teammates after finishing up an inning during a California Collegiate League game Santa Barbara Foresters at Great Park in Irvine on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  The OC Riptide’s Devin Sutorius, left, and Connor Aoki get ready for the game in a California Collegiate League game against Santa Barbara Foresters at Great Park in Irvine on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  The OC Riptide’s Blake Evans takes a lead during a California Collegiate League game against Santa Barbara Foresters at Great Park in Irvine on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  The OC Riptide’s Marrick Crouse, left, shares laugher with the dugout before a California Collegiate League game against Santa Barbara Foresters at Great Park in Irvine on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  The OC Riptide’s Devin Sutorius, right, waves at the kids in attendance during a California Collegiate League game against Santa Barbara Foresters at Great Park in Irvine on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  The OC Riptide’s Connor Aube checks his bat before a California Collegiate League game against Santa Barbara Foresters at Great Park in Irvine on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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  The OC Riptide’s Blake Evans waits on a pitch during a California Collegiate League game against the Santa Barbara Foresters during Wednesday’s game at Great Park in Irvine. Now in its 27th year, the CCL, which includes teams in Irvine, Pasadena, Thousand Oaks and Compton, offers players from all over the country MLB-caliber coaching and competitive playing experience in front of pro scouts. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

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The first time Mike Scioscia laid eyes on C.J. Cron was not in 2014, when Cron debuted with the Angels, or when Cron signed his first professional contract after the 2011 draft, or even at a pre-draft workout. It was in Thousand Oaks in the summer of 2009, when the San Luis Obispo Blues played the Conejo Oaks.

“You could see he could swing the bat,” Scioscia recalled Wednesday.

These days, Scioscia stays clear of the dugout. That is Dave Soliz’s territory. But if you happen past Sparky Anderson Field on the campus of California Lutheran University in the early afternoon, you might find Scioscia between the lines doing what he loves: teaching young men the game of baseball.

Hit up the Urban Youth Academy field in Compton and you will find Ken Landreaux, another member of the Dodgers’ 1981 championship team. He’ll be in the dugout. Landreaux is the manager of the Academy Barons, a rival of Scioscia’s Oaks in the California Collegiate League.

If the initials CCL aren’t familiar to you, they should be.

California’s oldest amateur wood-bat league fired up its 27th season this month. Its nine teams are comprised of college players from around the country. Some, such as Texas Tech pitcher Micah Dallas, haven’t had a chance to join their CCL teams yet because they’re still playing in the College World Series. The talent level is high, the tickets are cheap, and the seasons bridge a two-month gap in the baseball calendar when many college players retreat home for the summer.

Still, you might wonder why two former major leaguers are toiling in relative anonymity, lending their time and talents to teams whose crowds number in the dozens on a good day.

“It’s the level,” said Pat Burns, the CCL’s commissioner. “What we’re trying to do is get college all-star players. So if you’re a Division I college baseball player, you’re a very good, elite baseball player. … The fact that those players are hungry to train for a professional career, and we are that level that introduces wood bats and flat-seam baseballs, they’re treated well, the competition is solid day in and day out, they’re able to focus on their development – that is attractive to people who know the game like Mike Scioscia and Ken Landreaux.

“The players are hungry to get better, and that’s fun to be around if you’re on the field coaching.”

This is the thread that unites summer wood-bat leagues around the country. Burns estimates there are close to 40. Maybe you’ve heard of the Cape Cod League, a proving ground for future major leaguers whose history dates to 1885. If that’s the gold standard, the California League falls somewhere short of silver; how near it stands to the podium depends on who you ask. Some players will spend one summer in the CCL and the next in the Cape, or the Northwoods League, or the Alaska Baseball League.

Take the example of the Fletcher brothers, David and Dominic. David, an infielder for the Angels, played in the Alaska Baseball League after his senior year at Cypress High. He played in the Cape Cod League after his freshman year at Loyola Marymount, then was drafted by the Angels as a sophomore.

Dominic played for the CCL’s OC Riptide, which plays its home games at Great Park in Irvine, after his freshman year at the University of Arkansas. He played for Team USA after his sophomore year, then was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 75th overall pick in last week’s amateur draft.

“He could’ve gone to play in the Cape,” David Fletcher said of his brother. “But he wanted to stay home, work on lifting and getting stronger.”

Many of the CCL’s rosters are filled with locally born and raised players. That helps with attendance – a network of family and friends can make for a good crowd – but not every player wants to spend his summer at home. That’s why out-of-state players, such as Dallas, often find their way to the CCL.

“I think it’s good to go out of state and play in summer ball,” Fletcher said. “It was good. It was my first time really away from home, the Alaska League, for like 2½ months. You play every day with wood bats. It gets you ready for pro ball a little bit.”

Throw in the allure of competitive playing experience, MLB-caliber coaching, professional scouts in attendance, and a televised All-Star Game, and the CCL has plenty to offer a player.

For Scioscia, Burns, and others involved with league operations, the challenges are many. Major League Baseball provides the league with a grant in the tens of thousands of dollars. In exchange for MLB’s support, the teams are run as registered nonprofits, with the fruits of their fundraising efforts poured back into everyday expenses.

Travel is the big one. Charter buses transport players to and from San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Thousand Oaks, Pasadena, Compton and Irvine in the south. Four Northern California teams compete in their own division. A champion is crowned in August. The Conejo Oaks won the title last year.

“We’re getting rings on Saturday,” Scioscia said. “It’ll be cool.”

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Scioscia, who lives in Thousand Oaks, said he’s been involved with his local CCL team for about 10 years. He was able to take a more active role late last year, after his final season managing the Angels. He was able to facilitate the hire of Soliz, the brother of former Angels bullpen coach Steve Soliz. Cody Ramer, who recently retired as a player after spending two years in the Angels’ system, is an assistant coach. Scioscia also recruited college pitcher Peyton Ebel, the nephew of Dino Ebel, the longtime Angel (and current Dodger) third base coach.

In a crowded field of college summer leagues, the CCL must fight to stand out. It trails the gate receipts of the Northwoods League, with teams based in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, whose crowds number in the thousands. It lacks the history of Cape Cod. The Oregon-based West Coast League features TrackMan devices in several of its ballparks – a valuable evaluation tool for scouts and coaches alike. The CCL parks, gleaming at a glance, do not.

Yet the CCL does not lack for star power. It counts Cron, Fletcher and Kris Bryant among its alumni. Tyger Pederson, the brother of Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, managed the Riptide before graduating to a coaching position in the Cardinals’ organization. The league oozes with the passion of those yearning to move up in the baseball world, led by some who have reached the game’s highest peak.

“That’s the bottom line: giving these kids the experience, the ability to improve,” Scioscia said. “Every opportunity we’ve had, we have kids out on the field at 1 o’clock doing early work – much like you would see in the minor leagues, even in the majors.”

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[Docwaukee]

Nice article by JP.  

I think MLB and Louisville should work out a deal to provide wood bats to college teams.  

I also think there should be one ball in all of baseball.  College and Pro.  

[ten ocho recon scout]

On 6/12/2019 at 9:52 PM, Dochalo said:

I also think there should be one ball in all of baseball.