Congratulations to C.J. Saylor, Rio Ruiz and Lucas Giolito on being selected to the Perfect Game All American Classic Game for 2011.    With the addition of these three players it will give the SGV Arsenal a total of 10 players to have participated in the All American Classic.   After his performance at the National Showcase, Max Fried was selected for the All American Classic.

THE PERFECT GAME ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC PRESENTED BY RAWLINGS HEADS BACK TO SAN DIEGO
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA. (June 6, 2011) – Jerry Ford, President of Perfect Game USA, announced today that the 2011 Perfect Game All-American Classic Presented by Rawlings (www.pgallamerican.com), formerly known as the Aflac All-American Baseball Classic, will take place on Sunday, Aug 14 at PETCO Park in San Diego, Calif, home of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres. This is the 9^th annual edition of the country’s premier high school baseball all star game and the fifth time it has been played in San Diego. The first eight games have produced 81 former first round draft picks and 40 of them have already appeared in Major League lineups

The SGV Arsenal will be attend the WWBA World Championships in Jupiter, FLorida.  This event is the top high school aged tournament in the country.  Most MLB team send their entire scouting departments and is the biggest collection of colleges at one event in the country.  This will be the Arsenal's 4th appearance at the event.  The 2010 WWBA World Championship consists of 85 of the elite travel/scout teams from across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. This tournament has become the top scouting attraction in all of amateur baseball. Almost every top prospect in the country attends each year, along with 700 or more MLB scouts and college coaches.

Congratulations to Dylan Covey and Aaron Sanchez on being selected in this years Major League Draft.   Dylan Covey was selected by the Brewers with the 14th pick of the draft.   Aaron Sanchez was selected in the Compensation round with the 34th pick of draft by the Toronto BLue Jays.  We are extremely excited with their success. 

Dylan Covey-Maranatha 1st round 14th pick  Brewers

Aaron Sanchez-Barstow compensation round 34 pick  Blue Jays

Jake Thompson-LB State 2nd round 66th pick Devil Rays

Tony Amezcua-Bellflower 7th round 217th pick Rockies

Michael Hur-UC Riverside 20th round 601st pick Diamondbacks

Christian Bergman-UC Irvine  24th round 740th pick Rockies 

Victor Sanchez-USD  26th round 799th pick Cardinals

Carlos Lopez - Cal St Fullerton 37th Round Detroit Tigers

Adam Melker - Cal Poly SLO 44th Round St Louis Cardinals

Lonnie Kauppila - Burbank - 44th Round Oakland A's

Nik Baker - Palm Desert - 44th Round Los Angeles Dodgers

Derek Goodwin - Diamond Ranch - 46th Round Milwaukee Brewers

Ray Hanson - Cypress College - 47th Round San Francisco Giants

Tony McClendon - Fullerton College - 47th Round Oakland A's

Eliott Glynn - Connecticut - 49th Round San Diego Padres

Also Players who have gone with SGV Arsenal to World Wood Bats in Jupiter :

Cody Buckel - 2nd Round Texas Rangers

AJ Vanegas - 7th Round San Diego Padres

Will Swanner - 15th Round Colorado Rockies

SGV Arsenal players in Perfect Game National Rankings.  Listed is state rank followed by national ranking.

 2012

Name  National Rank/State Rank 

2013

Cedar Rapids, IA. (March 21, 2011) – Perfect Game USA announced today its Preseason All-American Teams to recognize the top underclass high school baseball athletes in the U.S. 

The Perfect Game Preseason All American 1st, 2nd and 3rd team recognizes 300 players from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Each team consists of 100 players who are currently juniors or sophomores in high school. There is also a high honorable mention and an honorable mention list to identify other potential top underclassmen. 

“To receive the Perfect Game Preseason All-American Award is a tremendous achievement for these high school athletes,” said Jerry Ford, President, Perfect Game USA. “We’re proud to recognize their talent as they continue to prepare for their future in baseball.” 

SGV Arsenal offers support, guidance

The Perfect Game/EvoShield National Championships at Goodyear, Ariz. (upperclass) and Peoria, Ariz. (underclass) slated for this weekend (Sept. 24-27) are two big-time tournaments that are drawing travel teamprograms big and small. The wood-bat event for players in the class of 2011 and younger (upperclass), and 2012 and younger (underclass) attracted 80 teams from 13 states and Canada to the two Arizona cities and is billed as the west’s version of the PG WWBA World Championship held annually in Jupiter, Fla.

San Gabriel Valley Arsenal, a travel team organization based in West Covina, Calif., has two teams in the Phoenix- area this weekend, one in the upperclass tournament and one in the underclass event.

It’s a short and worthwhile trip for the program’s two oldest teams – its class of 2011 and ’12 squads – to make, according to SGV Arsenal founder Mike Viera.

“The Arizona tournament we are definitely looking forward to,” Viera said. “We are taking some relatively strong teams there.” SGV Arsenal has become known for taking strong teams everywhere it goes, teams built on the skills of intelligent and talented players.

By some measures, it is a small program with just one team in four grade levels put together based on the year the players will graduate from high school.  None of the teams are built according to players’ ages, only by their grade in school. This fall’s teams, for example, are the ‘11s (seniors), ’12s (juniors), ‘13s (sophomores) and ‘14s (freshmen).

Viera started the program 10 years ago with just one 14-and-under team and after three years those players were still together as a 17U team. The following year the organization held open tryouts, and Viera said he expected 40 or 50 kids to show up. To his surprise, 120 kids came out looking for an opportunity to make the team.

His program was experiencing growth but Viera didn’t change its intent or method of operation.

“The basis of our program is to kind of be a support system for the parents and the players,” he said. “We try to guide them toward their goals of playing collegiate or professional baseball, which most programs do. We’re honest with them and give them an evaluation as far as what level we think they should be at collegiately.”

Viera continued: “There’s so much more that goes on than just on the field. That’s only part of the whole process. We have a recruiting guide … and we make sure every parent and player has it. We’re available to all the parents and players to call us or email us for any advice.”

SGV Arsenal has more than 100 players on its four teams but still manages to make each one feel like a member of a small, family-sized group. Older players work closely with the younger ones and parents of the older plays talk with parents of the younger players about dealing with the college recruitment process.

“It becomes an almost self-educating program where the older group (is) kind of helping with the younger group,” Viera said. “The parents and the players are sharing their experiences with each other.

“All of our players generally are friends and get along with each other, their families get along with each other (and) they spend time with each other away from the field.”

SGV Arsenal has a solid relationship with Perfect Game and the organizations have worked together at West Coast tournaments and showcases. Viera appreciates that his players – and players from other organizations – get the exposure they desire at PG events. “It’s been so beneficial to have the experience with Perfect Game,” he said. “For us on a personal level, (we like) seeing what kind of talent there is out there to compare our guys to what they’re doing. It’s been a great relationship. It’s allowed some of our guys to kind of come to the surface.”

SGV Arsenal enjoyed a good deal of success at each of its grade levels this summer. The SGV Arsenal ’12 team won the AABC 16U Mickey Mantle World Series in McKinney, Texas, in early August and finished No. 7 in Perfect Game’s final 2010 16U national rankings. SGV Arsenal beat DBAT Mustangs, 12-2, in the championship game and won the tournament without two of its top players – Rio Ruiz and Lucas Giolito – who didn’t make the trip because they were playing in the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif., at the same time. Giolito (2012, Santa Monica, Calif.) is a 6-6, 220-pound right-hander who has had his fastball clocked as high as 96 mph and has committed to UCLA. He is ranked fourth nationally and second in the state of California in Perfect Game’s most recent Class of 2012 national rankings. Ruiz (2012, Covina, Calif.) is a versatile 6-2, 190-pound third baseman and right-handed pitcher described as an “excellent” hitter whose fastball has reached 93 mph, and who a Perfect Game scout characterized as “the highest-level two-way prospect.” He has committed to Southern California and is ranked the No. 5 top prospect nationally and No. 3 in California by Perfect Game.

At least three other current SGV Arsenal players have verbally committed to D-I schools: Right-hander Scott Heineman (2011, Pacific Palisades, Calif.) to Oregon; middle infielder Eliot Lowell (2012, San Diego) to San Diego State; and catcher and right-handed pitcher C.J. Saylor (2012, West Covina, Calif.) to San Diego State.

Not only are SGV Arsenal players successful on the field, but they excel in the classroom, as well. Viera said almost all of his players at every level have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. “That’s something we’re very proud of,” he said.

SGV Arsenal has had seven players selected to play in the Aflac All-American Classic high school all-star game since 2007: Aaron Hicks (’07), Gerrit Cole  (’07), Ricky Oropesa (’07), Chris Amezquita (’07), Jonathan Singleton (’08), Dylan Covey (’09) and Aaron Sanchez (’09).

San Gabriel Valley Arsenal shares the common goal of reaching and performing well at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter next month with every other elite travel team organization in the country. It’s the biggest stage of all and every team longs for the spotlight. But SGV Arsenal also likes to think it is unique in the way it goes about its business. “We’re a completely, totally all-volunteer coaching staff, we are probably one of the least expensive programs to play in (in) the country and we have personal relationships with all our players and their families,” Viera said.

Congratulations to the SGV Arsenal on winning the Mickey Mantle World Series in McKinney, Texas.  The Arsenal went 5-1 in the tournament while defeating the DBAT Mustangs in the 2nd championship game.  Props to the DBAT Mustangs who have won the National Title several times before.  The SGV Arsenal were 4-0 entering the 1st Championship Game.  DBAT jumped out to an early lead and the SGV Arsenal pounded there way back just falling short losing 9-10 which forced the 2nd Championship Game.  SGV Arsenal wasted NO TIME scoring 4 runs in the first inning and 5 runs in the Second on their way to a 12-2 mercy .  

Tony Gwynn, former Major League Baseball right fielder is statistically one of the best and most consistent hitters in baseball history.  He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the San Diego Padres (1982–2001).  He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 9, 2007 and was inducted on July 29. 

Gwynn is an eight-time National League batting champion, leading the league in 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997, which ties him with the Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner for the league record — the all-time Major League batting titles leader is Ty Cobb, who won 12 American League batting titles. He is also a 15-time All-Star, and was voted as a starter by the fans in 11 of the games.

Gwynn currently is entering his 10^th Season as the Head Coach at San Diego State.

Tony Gwynn will be at the Maverick Field in West Covina(300 Citrus) to talk to and work with each and every seminar attendee.  In addition to Gwynn his coaching staff will also be there to work with the players.

Date:  Thursday Sept 29^th 2011
Time:  6pm-9pm
Where: Maverick Field- 330 S Citrus, West Covina CA

Cost:  $ 75

The San Gabriel Valley Arsenal players represented the program very well at the USA championships and the Tournament of Stars.   The SGV Arsenal had two players selected for the 16U USA team trial with Adrian Dehorta(South Hills '13) and Arden Pabst(Harvard Westlake '13) making the trip to Cary, North Carolina.

Our 2012 team was well represented at the tournament of Stars with 9 players in attendence which by far the most players from any program in the country.  The Gold Medal game had AABC and Babe Ruth square off with Babe Rith getting the win.   Chase DeJong(LB Wilson), Max Fried(Montclair Prep), Vahn Bozoian(Ayala), CJ Saylor(South HIlls), Lucas Giolito(Harvard Westlake), Ty Moore(Mater Dei) and Rio Ruiz(Bishop Amat).  Ty France(South Hills) and Timmy Lopes(Edison) were close.  

Miguel Chavira was selected from the Dukes program for the 14U USA team trials.   

We are hoping many of those selected will get to proudly wear the USA jersey.  

Congratulations to the 7 players from the SGV Arsenal that were named to the All Tournament team for the WWBA World Championships in Jupiter, Florida.  This is the top 18U tournament in the country for the year. 

 WE WILL UPDATE AS THY COME IN.....

The San Gabriel Valley Arsenal are heading the Perfect Game 17U World Series in Peoria, Arizona.   The event brings 16 of the top programs in the country.  

Congratulations to the 8 SGV Arsenal player that will be participating in USA baseball's Tournament of Stars in Cary, North Carolina June 19-24.  There have been 25 SGV Arsenal players participating in this event over the past 5 years and 16 the past two years. 

The Tournament of Stars (TOS) is made up of 144 of the nation's best ballplayers that are international age-eligible (born in 1994 or 1995) for 18U National Team consideration. They are invited by USA Baseball to play for one of our seven National Member Organizations (AABC, American Legion, Babe Ruth, Dixie, PONY, NABF and RBI) or via an "at-large" team selected by USA Baseball (Stars). Official invites for the tournament will be sent from the USA Baseball office in late April. USA Baseball and Major League Baseball cover all costs associated with the event which includes players' travel, lodging (USA Baseball Host Family Program) and uniforms. TOS participants form the pool of talent from which USA Baseball will select its 18U National Team to represent our country in international competition

I would like to Congradulate all the current and past SGV Arsenal players selected in the 2012 Major league baseball first year player draft.  It is quite an honor.  We had two players selected in the first 16 picks.
 

1st round
 #7 Max Fried  San Diego Padres
#16 Lucas Giolito Washington Nationals
 
Comp Round
#51 Jeff Gelalich Cinc. Reds

2nd Round
#81 Chase Dejong Toronto BLue Jays

4th Round
Rio Ruiz Houston Astros

6th Round
Timmy Lopes Seattle Mariners

8th Round
Tyler Heineman Houston Astros

8th Round
Paul Paez New York Mets

33rd Round
C.J. Saylor Los Angeles Dodgers