Kyle Johnston Blazed Way To Top Of California Collegiate League — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

California Collegiate League Top Prospects

Kyle Johnston, rhp, Santa Barbara (Jr., Texas)

Isaiah Campbell, rhp, Conejo (So., Arkansas)

Nick Kennedy, lhp, Santa Barbara (So., Texas)

Parker Mushinski, lhp, San Luis Obispo (Jr., Texas Tech)

Miles Sandum, lhp, Santa Barbara (Fr., San Diego)

Bret Boswell, ss/3b, Santa Barbara (R-Jr., Texas)

Chad Spanberger, of, Conejo (Jr., Arkansas)

Connor Mayes, rhp, Santa Barbara (Jr., Texas)

Matt Walker, rhp, San Luis Obispo (R-So., UCLA)

Eric Ramirez, 1b, Conejo (Jr., Hawaii)

Postseason Recap: Once again, the Santa Barbara Foresters came out on top. Led by a strong Longhorn core of Texas righthanders Kyle Johnston, Connor Mayes and shortstop Bret Boswell throughout the summer, the Foresters won their 21st California Collegiate League title, defeating the Conejo Oaks, 5-2, in the championship game. However, the Foresters weren’t done after the CCL championship. They went on to defeat the Hays Larks—champions of the Jayhawk League—in the National Baseball Congress World Series for their sixth title in 11 years. The sixth championship tied the record for most championships by a single team in the 82-year history of the NBC World Series. It’s no coincidence that Santa Barbara and CCL runner-up Conejo players comprise most of this list.

1. Kyle Johnston, rhp, Santa Barbara (Jr., Texas)

One of several Longhorns in the California Collegiate League and on the Foresters, Johnston had an exceptional summer, going 4-1, 1.89 with 54 strikeouts, 28 walks and just 34 hits allowed in 52 innings. His signature performance came in a June 29 start against Team USA’s Collegiate National Team, in which he allowed just one run on four hits, struck out six and walked none in a six-inning effort. Johnston had the best arm in the league, touching 96 mph and often pitching at 93-94 mph. His 86-88 mph power slider is an above-average pitch that flashed plus, and he flashed an average changeup in addition to a show-me curveball. A strong, physical 6-foot, 220-pound righthander, Johnston’s greatest weakness is his fastball command. Though his mechanics are fairly sound, he gets in trouble when he tries to overthrow. Johnston made 14 starts for Texas in the spring and should be a key part of the weekend rotation in 2017.

2. Isaiah Campbell, rhp, Conejo (So., Arkansas)

Campbell made six starts (13 appearances) as a freshman for Arkansas in the spring, going 3-1, 3.69. He built off of that solid collegiate debut with an even better summer in the CCL, going 5-1, 2.10 with 45 strikeouts to only six walks in 47 innings. Campbell touched 95 mph in a clean one-inning appearance in the league’s all-star game but generally lived a few ticks lower than that, around 90-92. A thick, physical 6-foot-4, 230-pound righthander, Campbell throws with a clean arm action and sound delivery, showing what one scout termed a wipeout slider at times. Campbell pounds the zone and shows starter’s traits. He still has two more seasons to grow at Arkansas, where he’ll likely compete for a weekend rotation slot this upcoming season.

3. Nick Kennedy, lhp, Santa Barbara (So., Texas)

Kennedy saw limited action this summer due to a bout with bicep tendinitis, but the lefthander dominated when he was on the mound. In 13.2 innings across seven appearances, Kennedy allowed no earned runs (two unearned), nine hits and struck out 16 to two walks. A strong 5-foot-11, 205-pound body, Kennedy works 88-92 and touched 94 mph in his appearance against Team USA. When it’s working, his slider is a legitimate swing-and-miss pitch and his main out pitch. Kennedy went just 1-1, 8.44 in 16 innings for the Longhorns last season, pitching in relief. He projects as a late-inning reliever at the next level.

4. Parker Mushinski, lhp, San Luis Obispo (Jr., Texas Tech)

Fresh off of pitching in the College World Series with the Red Raiders, Mushinski went to the CCL and was unhittable, allowing just six hits and one earned run in 16 innings. He struck out 31—nearly two batters per inning—but he also walked 12, which was his lone blemish in an otherwise sparkling summer. A thick-bodied, 6-foot, 220-pound lefthander, Mushinski pairs a plus 12-to-6 breaking ball with a 90-92 mph fastball. He needs to clean up his delivery, which is holding him back. If he can incorporate his strong lower half more, he could find a few extra ticks on his fastball. With some refinement, Mushinski has the lefthanded arm strength and breaking ball to develop into a late-inning reliever as a pro.

5. Miles Sandum, lhp, Santa Barbara (Fr., San Diego)

Sandum pitched in the CCL as a rising freshman and has faced a difficult path to college ball. After impressing evaluators in the fall with a 91-92 mph fastball and an above-average 1-to-7 curve, Sandum ruptured his bowels while shagging fly balls before a game in the spring. The injury led to about 25 pounds of weight loss and sapped Sandum of his velocity upon his return. The 6-foot-3 lefthander still wasn’t at 100 percent this summer, but he managed to go 3-1, 3.44 with 32 strikeouts to 13 walks in 34 innings in a starting role. Despite the injury setback, Sandum’s ceiling remains high. The Yankees drafted him in 31st round in June despite his firm commitment to the Toreros.

6. Bret Boswell, ss/3b, Santa Barbara (R-Jr., Texas)

Drafted in the 40th round by the Pirates, Boswell chose not to sign and instead put together a strong summer in the CCL. Voted as the league’s MVP, Boswell batted .392/.470/.715 with 10 home runs in 158 at-bats, striking out 37 times to 20 walks. Boswell has plus raw power that played above-average in game action this summer, but he hasn’t been able to tap into that power consistently in his Longhorns career, where he’s a .248/.345/.370 hitter with four homers in 319 at-bats. Boswell has some physicality to his 5-foot-11, 195-pound frame. He can run a sub-4.20 down the line and has an above-average arm. Occasional mental lapses make him error-prone at shortstop, and while he’ll likely play there for Texas, he projects more as a future third baseman.

7. Chad Spanberger, of, Conejo (Jr., Arkansas)

Spanberger has at least above-average, if not plus, lefthanded raw power, but he has a propensity to swing and miss, as he’s shown with his 71-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 209 career at-bats with Arkansas. Spanberger showed more of the same with Conejo this summer. Though he batted .316/.361/.632 with 11 home runs in 152 at-bats, he also struck out 33 times to only eight walks. Pitchers could get him out if they worked him hard inside and soft away, but he also punished pitchers who left the ball over the plate. A below-average defender, Spanberger’s tools are fringy outside of his power. Refining his offensive approach will be key for him to perform in the SEC and raise his draft stock.

8. Connor Mayes, rhp, Santa Barbara (Jr., Texas)

A 6-foot-2, 205-pound righthander, Mayes doesn’t have the same raw stuff as Kyle Johnston, his Texas and Foresters teammate, but he makes up for that with plus command of his fastball. In 49.2 innings this summer, Mayes struck out 49 and walked just six, going 4-2, 2.17. Mayes was surgical with his upper 80s fastball, and he touched a tick or two higher. In his final outing of the summer, his first and last pitch were both 93 mph. Neither Mayes’ breaking ball nor changeup project as plus, but they flash average. His breaking ball is somewhat slurvy, but at times he can throw a tighter slider around 78-82 mph. Mayes’ command gives him the chance to be a back-of-the-rotation type.

9. Matt Walker, rhp, San Luis Obispo (R-So., UCLA)

Walker has taken somewhat of a circuitous route to UCLA, redshirting as a freshman in 2015, then pitching a season at Fresno City (Calif.) CC. He’s now re-enrolled at UCLA and is coming off a strong summer in which he went 3-2, 2.46 with 48 strikeouts to eight walks in 55 innings. A 6-foot-4 righthander, Walker commands an 89-91 mph fastball with some deception and angle. Not overpowering, Walker features a three-pitch mix, with his slider his go-to secondary offering. Walker thrives on command and feel for pitching and now has the chance to grow under the tutelage of John Savage at UCLA.

10. Eric Ramirez, 1b, Conejo (Jr., Hawaii)

Ramirez is fairly one-dimensional from a tools standpoint, with his hit tool his strongest asset. Ramirez did nothing but hit this summer with Conejo, batting .347/.425/.455 in 101 at-bats, walking 14 times to 10 strikeouts. At least one scout said he thought Ramirez had the chance to hit at the next level, and the Brewers drafted him out of high school in 37th round in 2014. Big-bodied at 6-foot, 220 pounds, Ramirez is defensively limited to first base, and he hasn’t yet tapped into his power in games. He’s homered just once in 364 at-bats at Hawaii and homered twice this summer. His hit tool will have to carry him.